Gran Alacant Forum
Gran Alacant Forum => General Discussions => Topic started by: dleafy on May 13, 2016, 21:11.
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As we begin our journey (hopefully soon) of buying a property in Spain....If you had your time again....would you buy in Spain?
Cheers
Davy !!!
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No, too cold in the winter.
I'd buy in Tenerife.
On saying that we've had some great times here and will have many more
Regards all
John
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Never regretted it.
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Loved every minute of it. Having travelled all over Spain and the Canaries, in our opinion no better Beach than Aranales. Take the point though about being cold in winter.
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It's funny people mentioning the cold winters.
We used to go to Benidorm every January with the parents and used to comment on how the local went round wearing heavy coats, whilst we wore tee shirts!
I guess you get used to it being warm in the summer and the winters appear freezing.
We did go to Benalmadena one year and it snowed....Now that was a shock to the system.
Anyway, that's why I asked about central heating a while back.
Fore-warned is fore-armed!
Cheers
Davy !!!
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Definitely
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Yes but definitely here we spent a long time looking in various places but the beach drew us best in Spain in my opinion
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Yes absolutely.
It's not so much the cold winters more , in my opinion, the lack of insulation in houses.
Most important is the sunshine that is abundant all year round and the benfits this brings to health and well being.
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Only owned in GA since Nov last year, been coming out for a good few years to stay with friends... But every time I come I feel more certain that I did the right thing buying and at the right time. I just think despite the large population there it is still somewhat a 'hidden gem'
Chris
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A mate was round last night saying it would be best to buy a house in the Uk and rent it out. Then use the rent you get to pay for holidays wherever you want. When I told him it was going to be a holiday home for around ten years before we retire and wouldn't be renting it out when we're not there he said we were mad.
I get what he's saying, but we aren't planning to buy in GA to make money. For us, it's a lifestyle choice.
We can't wait to start. But this will be our first trip there and I don't plan to make a decision based on one trip. I'm sure we'll be back a few times before we choose.
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One word of advice mate, what you want now might not be what you want when you retire.
When you are working the peace and quiet of GA in the winter months is something to look forward to, when you are retired you might want something a bit livelier......it can be like a ghost town here in the winter....all it needs is tumbleweed blowing down the street to complete the picture
Regards all
John
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Thanks John, but we won't be giving up our January Caribbean holiday regardless of where we live! :)
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Good for you
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We would definitely do it again but would do it very different (hindsight & all that), However, over the last 10 years we have seen many people come & go. Also we have seen many people move away from GA to places like La Marina and further down the coast as you get more house for your money. But personally we prefer GA.
Maricia
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I think John hit the nail on the head regarding your "tolerance" to the seasons - it all depends on your personal circumstances.
I was 45 when we bought and it was (is) always somewhere for myself and my family to escape the pressure of day to day life in the Uk, some great sunshine and - most importantly well served with flights, short transfers and close to the beach. The quiet winters dont bother me in the slightest - its never quiet in Alicante City for sure - and going for a walk on a sunny a pleasant January morning is a huge boost to me.
The Canaries would have been nice but was way out of my price range back in 2005, almost double for less space and with 4 hour flights it would never have been used half as much as Casa Lauren.
Regrets - none whatsoever
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We actually did do it all again. After selling our little flat in 2006 we found ourselvesin a position to be able to buy again last year. We were up the hill initially and looked both up and down, staying in a friends villa down the hill, we did find down the hill like a ghost town in the winter as john said but up the hill was busier and still has a decent community living there winter time. As we hope to retire there and will at least end up spending half time we decided on up the hill. GA is still our favourite place up and down the coast and we also decided against more house for our money and went for location location location. Good luck dleafy.
Hazel
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Thanks for all the replies everyone.
I don't think the winter would bother me at all. The weather...whatever it is will always be better than here in the North East.
As for it being quieter in GA in the winter?.....Good!...We want a holiday home but won't be partying 'every' night (six out of seven is enough for anyone) ;D
It's great to get other peoples stories and opinions. It really helps.
Cheers
Davy !!!
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We did it all again as well. Had a place on upper monte y mar and are now near Carabassi bars. We liked upper but prefer being on the flat, walking to the beach. Everyone has their own preferences. Love it here. I can have a 3 week summer holiday in my little palace near a beautiful beach for almost half the price of what friends pay to holiday for a fortnight elsewhere. We go somewhere else for a bit of sun in the winter. I am very happy with our decision to buy again and stay in GA.
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We prefer it in the winter - very quiet. Unfortunately some of the cafes and restaurants are closed. There can be an icy wind at times but in the sun and out of the wind it can be like an English summer. The temperature drops quickly in the late afternoon when the sun gets low but like some of our Spanish neighbours we have a woodburning stove. As others have said there has been no attempt to design insulated houses but a rug in front of the settee and alongside the bed makes a big difference.
We live on Brisamar and enjoy a brisk walk to and from the beach or to Santa Pola through the wilderness. It's too hot for that in summer.
Keith
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We bought our first house in GA nearly 14 years ago on Monte Mar when i was 35, this house was as a holiday home which has provided a huge amount of brilliant holidays since. There was a time when flights were really cheap and we would fly out on a friday after work and return late sunday evening. Now we are stuck with school terms so less flexibility. The beaches around GA are brilliant, the location is also excellent, sadly we stopped coming out to GA from November until April simply because the weather could be a bit hit or miss and the temperature a bit low in the persistent wind.Also the permanent residents seem to go into hibernation and you can walk down streets and all you see is tumble weed it really can be like the marie celeste in winter with many bars and restaurants completely shut, some destined never to reopen. If you speak with most bar owners they all say its a long winter, there a few exceptions which do well all year.Thats why many go elsewhere around the world during the winter. Again each to there own some may like it quiet.
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Flying out on a Friday after work and back again on Sunday sounds great. Wish flights were cheap enough to do that now!
Or I didn't have to work....either is good :)