Almeria villages / recommendations

Steve C - with respect you seem to have a tendency to misquote people - I'm with you Floella.

The biggest complainer about kissing & hugging is my other half.  An air kiss 2 inches or so away from either cheek (a la espanol) is one thing, but some Brits take it as excuse for a slobbery grope, not just the blokes either.

Acer

Good post on the kissing and hugging 

No mis quotes I simply don' like the pretentiouness of the "me and my Spanish mates" or the "look at me I live with the spanish community and I know all about them,  how they live, what they like \ dislike, and they all love me"  etc. brigade 

Stereotyping and generalising is not good in any situation

Not just mis quotes Steve C but your interpretation of what is written is widely off mark and fail to understand your desire to list interrogating questions when it is obvious you already know the answers.

However will apologise because having lived permanently in Spain for 11 years I appear to be pretensions because I dare to have a few Spanish friends, speak a smidgen of the language and know the area I live in intimately.

✋✋✋✋✋

Floella 

Many including me have lived in spain for just as long as you if not longer

We all have friends and no need to state their nationlity unless......

Remember all are not the same and how did I misquote your comments such as REAL spain or all murcian spanish prefer Chinese to Indian - I am guessing but pretty sure you don' them all

Maybe I do know the answer but why make stereotypical comments or generalise. That would stop people like me missing your point as you say

Some may say after 11 years  only a smidgen (not me though) as I said earlier communicate however you wish

To answer the original post.  I have lived here nearly twenty years and have yet to find anything better than the beautiful village of Bedar from the point of view of authentic Spain coupled with lots of contact with people from literally all over the world.  It is a very cosmopolitan community - quite a number of English but also from all over Europe, the other side of the Atlantic and even the Antipodes.  The expats are well integrated but truthfully no matter how long you are here or how well you speak the language, you will rarely be 'friends' with more than a handful of Spanish people.  They have their close knit families and their friends and they simply don't need us nor is there room in their lives for lots of new close mates

Hi, Well I have a what most people say is a very up market villa.

It is on the edge of the national park, in Winter Spain can be very cold, so having lived on the coat for a lonf time and got fed up with the English Bars and Restaurants. I discovered the Cazola National park,.

The house is one of a very few houses that has a cavity walls and alo insulation between the walls and floors, in addition it has underflor heating.

Outside there is a terrace with a pool and arround the edge of the pool area there are large arches infilled with glass to sunbath in the winter.

In terms of Airports the house is abot 1 hour 20 minutes to Granada and 1 hour 35 to Almeria Airport.

I hope this helps, I am selling the house because my middle Daughter is seriously ill and the sale proceeds will be going to help her if she survives and if not to help and support her four children.

The house has been valued at just below €400, 000 but now to sell it quickly I am looking for less than half that price.

We live in Carboneras where there only a handful of Brit's & most Brit's visiting come from other places like Mojacar on a market day..
There is an health centre...places to eat but remains mostly Spanish here...not Brit pubs & fish & chips lol..
It has it's own history connected to Lawrence of Arabia & John Lennon non the less...

We came here to avoid a lot of the Brit's to be honest as we wanted a place that was Spanish & not overrun with outside influences... 

Most of the vid I think is Carboneras...the beach & the port is for sure...other bits are around Almeria...Carboneras is 45 mins away from Almeria itself...

Regards Jake

Thanks for your post Jane B - a breath of fresh air on this thread.

I like the summary, as much as we might learnt the language we will struggle to integrate as the culture is so different.  I know Brits who've lived here for 30 years and highly sociable people, but who don't have any close Spanish friends.  Let's face it if England is playing Spain at football I know who'll I be shouting for (the fact they need it more is irrelevant!).

I've never been to Bedar, but it sounds pleasant.  I see it's inland from Mojacar, so I'll detour next time I'm in that direction.  I have friends who've just moved to San Juan de los Terreros, which they say is their perfect find and not far from Bedar.

Janeb

Good post but here we go again 

What is authentic Spanish

Integrating into a new community is difficult in most places even if you move from one town to another in the uk or moving to a English speaking country

Why do people put so much emphasis on integrating with the locals some simply want a quiet and private life whether in a new place or in the place they have lived all their life

Hi again,

I was talking in my previous message about my house for sale in the Cazola National Park.

To give you some idea as to location and its lack of too many English!!!

The Cazola National Park is still in Andalucia and the village where I liveis at the junction of Jaen, Granada and Almeria provinces. 

You say you don't want to have too many British, well in the area where I live you surprisingly have lakes, rivers waterfalls and incredible night skies.,

There are sufficient English speaking Spanish people as well as other nationalities and a few English, making the small town of Pozo Alcon interesting and enjoyable, there is a trout river that flows at the bottom of the valley where I live and you can hear a small waterfall which you can hear in the distance.

it is a little further away from the airports than you were wanting but it has easy access to the motorways etc.

Currently I rent the house out, but now I have to sell it to support my daughter and her family.

If you want any information, please ask.

We were lucky that we fell on Bedar almost by accident. It is a decision we have never had cause to regret because nearly 20 years have confirmed it was the right decision.  However if I were starting again I would be more circumspect rather than relybon luck and would do a winter let long enough to allow me to explore the area.  There are lots of good value winter lets and even house sitting opportunities if you register with Trusted Housesitters

Acer.. if  going to Bedar to eat Bar Cortijo is the place to go. Closed Tuesday

Well - thank you everyone for your comments, this has been brilliant. And at times you have caused me to laugh my socks off thank you!!!

I have made a note of all areas and contacted some agents. I am planning on coming over in January, just need to sort a partial mortgage now from the UK which sounds like fun!!

Thanks again

So pleased Zd that the comments on this thread have been helpful and hope you find the perfect location.

Only advice I would give, which am sure even the most aggravating trolls on this site cannot fail to agree with,  is to ignore whatever you hear about property selling quickly..it isn't...so... TAKE YOUR TIME...in making a decision. 

Return a couple of times plus investigate your entire preferred area because in Spain what looks beautiful in the sun is often quite the opposite on a dull overcast day ,like today.

January/ February  is a good time for a first visit because away from the coast...apart maybe from midday until 2pm... it can get very cold and areas on slightly high ground can even get snow. I live in a valley and would never have believed how cold it can get and how harsh the early morning frost can be.

As you have noted on this site some like to live on tiny plots and surrounded by people, preferably Brits. Some like living in virtual solitude in properties surrounded by scrubland, accessed via dirt tracks. Some prefer the coast whilst others prefer living In a hillside village. So look forward to hearing about your dream location, when you have found it.

Happy hunting.

Floella's point about the neighbours is so true.  As you spend so much more time outside having quiet or at least civilised neighbours is even more vital. 

We've been unfortunatate, where we used to live there were a couple from Birmingham - he sounded like a louder version of Barry from Auf Wiedersehen Pet.  I don't like the Brummy accent at the best of times, but they were constantly bickering.
 

We moved, now in a block of flats, mainly Spanish, but just arrived is a couple from London, it's like a 24/7 live edition of East Enders, complete with non-stop cigarette smoke.  He spends half his time on his balcony, on the blower shouting at some other geezer, init.

All other nationalities are fine and don't mind the Spanish time keeping, just wish I could find a place away from the English (I do mean English).  But another move is coming on and have made a note of Cazola National Park and a couple of others mentioned here, but knock on the neighbours doors first, before I buy.

Bit of a reality check:

Of all the Spanish provinces, when it comes to the economy Almeria is one of the worst served.  For the last fifty years and up to the crash ten years ago, the only activities employing large numbers of people were agriculture, tourism and construction.  The latter went by the board with the crash. This means that the number of people actually in proper employment is low, and that most of the jobs are low skill, low paid - there is no real industrial base

No village, however charming and Spanish in nature, can support even one bar never mind a number of them if there is no money available to spend there.  The agricultural workers, who are largely immigrants from North Africa, have neither the money nor the inclination.  Tourism is  seasonal and the waiters and cleaners certainly don't have the means to support a selection of bars.  Which leaves the expat settlers, without whom whole villages would by  now be in ruins as the young have had to leave to find work where the work is and houses and land have been bought by foreigners who have settled here and transformed the fortunes of the place.

Three years ago we spent New Year's Eve in our favourite bar in Bedar.  The restaurant area was filled, apart from our table, exclusively with Spanish.  Roll on one year and there were no Spanish to be found. I asked the owner why not and he replied they have no money, and without the foreigners he would have no business.

So although I get the romantic idea of the little Spanish village with a choice of bars and no non-Spanish I am afraid it is a needle in a haystack.  If you are happy to live in such a village without the bars then there are plenty of lovely hamlets around but I don't think this is not what you are looking for, Zd

I agree 100% with Floella - research, research, on the spot not on the internet.  You wouldn't buy a new car just by reading the manufacturer's promotional literature and based on a few reviews.

Acer , Wasn't actually referring to the next door neighbours but neighbouring villages and towns.

However you have reminded me that  I have heard of several pensioner Brit/Brit neighbours falling out .....over nothing !!! Could it be the booze.? Many do seem to spend their days and nights quaffing numerous  cañas o  vinos in order to compensate the ennui of retirement

Where I live..somewhere between the coastal and inland  urbanisation's of Vera and Mazarron ( with the exclusion of the New Mar de Pulpi @San Juan ) tourists per ca have not catered for.. Probably because the farming land is multiple owned or has endangered species in residence thus not financially beneficial to developers.

After reading the post by Jane b am now very pleased this is so and answers why we now see our part of Murcia returning to farming and our, and other nearby villages, keeping many of the necessary facilities alive and thriving.

Research is therefore the KEY.....

Floella, you are quite right, mine was a bit of a self indulgent rant.  I felt the need as, speaking to them, however nicely I might try isn't going to achieve anything.  But there's no "fall out" as it would be pointless.   I suppose it's a bit of a long shot that they read this thread and mend their ways.

I was actually in Mazarron town today and found it a marvellous place to shop.  The people were amazingly helpful.  I often go to the large retail parks, but the small retailers really know their stock and give far better advice.  There's a lot to be said for the town's, but I'm not sure I would want to be in a small Spanish village in Almeria.  Surely if the one bar/restaurant closes down you're a bit restricted.  So I might compomise on a small town, but each to his own.

Hi, I have thought about your thoughts, I have always thought that where I live, which is just in Jaen, Almeria and Granada are just a Kilometer away was a village,so I'm looked up where my house is and to my surprise it has a population of just under 5000. The village/town has everything you could want or need.

I believe that Bedar was mentioned a few times and it has I believe a population of less than a thousand people, so I guess that it is crucial if you want some amenities to look at the population where you might like to live and also to look at the trend in population in an area where you might intend to live.

Acer, I do hope you don't think I was referring to the cause of any neighbour problem as being you 😱.....Perish the thought....honest 👍

Seriously met toooo many Brits who think they can re-invent themselves once here. And NOT for the better. Loud and uncouth when under the influence 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺 and constantly believing they are being ripped off...urghhhhhhh.

Thats my personal rant.....

We like visiting both Mazarron and Mojacar but just for a day trip. Visit both frequently. However Cartagena or Murcia City , where there is a little more culture, are places we could live but only when apartment living beckons.

Dady I agree with u about the Brits in Spain