Good area to move to?

Hi all.

We are looking to move within the next month or so from Lanzarote.

Where, in your opinion, is a decent area to move to that’s within 10 miles (16km) of Gibraltar?

Thanks

We have bought in Duquesa, which is next to Sabinillas and is only twenty minutes to Gibraltor, it's a lovely area and has a  fabulous port.

We have looked at Duquesa Village and whilst it looks really nice I have read quite a few negatives about it from a few snobs who call it Little Britain.

The fact that there are quite a few ex-pats seems to me a bit of a bonus.

We lived in a village in Gran Canaria and the locals weren't what you call friendly despite us trying to get to know people.

Is there a bus route to Gibraltar?  I have a car but my partner doesn't drive.

I'm not sure about a bus route - I'm sure I've read that it may be a bit non-existent from Estepona onwards.  You should check out www.manilvalife.com for information relevant to that particular area (where Duquesa is).  I think they also have travel sections, where you may be able to check out bus routes, etc. (may be in the forum, can't remember).

We have an apartment in Duquesa Village (which is actually a new development in Duquesa) and would say that although there are many British owners, there are also many Spanish, some who are full-time residents.  There is a high percentage of Brits in Duquesa itself, but the whole area of Manilva/Sabinillas is predominantly Spanish.

We like it!

Have a look at Coto Real Duquesa, it's a lot smaller complex than Duquesa Village,  there is a bus that goes from Sabinillas to Gibraltor.

Hi Maureen.  Happy New Year, by the way!!!  Hope you had a good one!

Is that right about the bus service?  I didn't think there were any buses that went into Gibraltar (with border control, etc.) - I thought they all were to La Linea, just outside.  Although, apparently, that's not far to walk to the border/airport, but it may be a little further into the town.  Don't know how it's like on the other side of the border with public transport, etc.

Happy New Year Jan (cooker all cleaned) yes your right about the bus, I just class that as Gibraltor, it's only a short walk and you can also get that big red bus over the border.

Hi Djrickyb,

The Bus takes you straight into La Linea and you can get off just across from the border, you then walk across the border and catch a bus just inside, takes about 2 or 3 mins at a slow pace.

The buses in Gib are great and really cheap, in fact you can buy a return ticket on the No. 10 and No.3 services (think that's the correct numbers, will have to check) and get on and off as many times as you like between the Frontier and Town Centre.

Duquesa itself is great if you want the ex-pat community feel, especially in the port itself, however as Jan & Maureen have said, you also have Sabinillas which is the nearest Spanish town, which is great for anything you need, and the locals are on the whole very friendly (you get the odd one who isn't but having said that you get the odd brit who is as you say a snob and not very friendly.)

Shopping wise you are spoilt for choice with local Supermarkets. You have Lidl at the end of Sabinillas, then as you come back through Sabi as we Brits call it, you have two Supersol's and a Mercadona. Then as you leave Sabi and go past the entrance to the Port of Duquesa and the entrance to the Duquesa Golf Hotel, at the next roundabout you have a Maxi Dia and Eroski right next to each other.

Eating and drinking out, well you are really, really spoilt for choice, however our fav is itZabar in Sabi (just past Mercadona) where the atmos is very friendly and the food is great and very reasonable.

By the way Maureen, we had a great night at itZabar on New Year's Eve and I think David & Ana enjoyed themselves and met some other 'locals' as well. The group called 'the Gist' were brilliant and there was a free buffet put on, well in fact I would call it a free Banquet as the amount of food was amazing. Free entertainment with free food and cheap beer ... what a mix!

My partner Caz and I live here full time in an Urb. called La Vizcaronda, which is just on from Duquesa Village and is a mixture of Duplex's, Townhouse's and Penthouses, with five pools, tennis and soccer courts and a playground. The Urb. itself is always very clean and tidy and there are quite a few families living full time in the Urb. so your kids will have no trouble finding friends.

Security in the Urb. is pretty good but we are going to be making it much better early on this year, within the next two or three months some new gates will be finished and ALL the gates will be re-aligned to use one high security key and the gates will have springs on them to make sure that they shut.

If there is anything you need to know about Duquesa and this area then let me know, there are good Urbs which include La Vizcaronda, Duquesa Village, Coto Real, Princesa Kristina, Hacienda Guadalupe, etc and I know loads of people in the area.

Wow!

Maybe I should just change the heading of this thread to "Ok! We have decided to move to Duquesa, now what can you tell me about it?".

Very informative TechNoApe!

The only supermarkets we have here are Hyperdino (Supersol) and Eurospar, so everything is nice and expensive as there's no real competition.  Mind you a Lidl is opening up this  year so that could set the cat amongst the pigeons.

Do any of you actually work in Gib?

 Hi.

There are a few families living in the same development that Technoape that work in Gib.

Hi djrickyb

I live in Manilva village - about 2km inland from Sabinillas, and I work in Gibraltar.

I drive in to La Linea which takes 20 - 30 minutes depending on traffic. Like most cross-border workers I park outside of Gibraltar - the queues in and out by car can be horrendous sometimes. Most workers then either cross by foot and use the excellent bus service in Gib, take a fold-up bicycle in their car to use to cross the border, or, like myself, use a moped to run around on.

There are not as many jobs in Gib as there were a couple of years ago, but there are still opportunities, and you are more likely to find work in Gib than you are in Spain, A tip I would give you is to make sure you have a local Spanish address when applying for jobs as employers don't want to employ people who will have to relocate to take up the job -  they want people who are already living here and until you actually make the move you may find employers won't even reply to any applications you may make.

As wages in Gib are paid in sterling we are taking a bit of a hit with our salaries at the moment, but on the whole, wages are still a lot better in Gib than in Spain, and living in Spain is still cheaper than living in Gibraltar itself (I keep telling myself this when I think of the dreaded exchange rate!)

If you intend relying on public transport I would recommend staying in Sabinillas or Duquesa area. The bus takes about an hour to the Gib border (La Linea), as it takes the old road and calls through the peublos along the way .. I think it's around 3 euros each way, and runs about every hour until around 8pm.

Anyway, if I can help in any way, just let me know - I wish you all the very best for this New Year, and also for your new lives over here should you decide to make the move - I don't think you will be disappointed at all - like TechNoApe mentioned, there really is something for everyone here.

 Good luck!

Hey buzylizzie,

Thanks for the info, extremely useful.

It's not a question of "if" we move over but "when".

We are just sorting the logistics out at the moment but we expect to be there within a couple of months.

I have a car but my better half doesn't drive and would just like the freedom to go to Gib whenever she wants, so that's why I was enquiring about public transport.

We've already come to the conclusion that we should move there and then aggresively look for work..... of course when I say "we" I actually mean "me" as she will be quite happy getting a little part time job in a cafe or bar somewhat locally, making friends and enjoying coffee mornings with "the girls".

Yes, yes... I'm aware that it won't be as simple as that, but she isn't, bless her.

She's old and idealistic.

Anyone tells her I said that and I will strenuously deny it!

You use a moped?

Surely you don't take that in the car!

 Hi. 

I agree with everyone that Duquesa area can be ideal for what you are looking for. Close enough to Gib and it has a large english community so your wife could may find a job around this area. And if what you are looking is to get involved with the spanish you only need to go to Sabinillas that is next to Duquesa. Duquesa is also a short ride to Estepona and about 20 minutes to Marbella. Casares is also a nice area but It is not good if you don´t drive.

I will suggest may be stay away from areas like Alcaidesa because they can be very quiet. Sotogrande marina is very nice too but again it is very quiet in the winter.

Best of luck with your moving and see you soon.

Hi djrickyb

I'm glad you've made up your mind to make the move - I don't think you will be disappointed. The weather may not be as nice as the Canaries but it's still a lot warmer than UK!

quote: "of course when I say "we" I actually mean "me" as she will be quite happy getting a little part time job in a cafe or bar somewhat locally, making friends and enjoying coffee mornings with "the girls"." - sounds ideal !

As far as getting my moped in my car - no chance - it's quite a big moped and my car's tiny so it would never fit .... I am lucky enough to have a secure lock-up in La Linea where I park my moped overnight and the car during the day. I wouldn't advise leaving a moped on the street in La Linea, but lots of people park their's just inside the frontier in Gibraltar and they're usually very safe there. They then simply walk across the border. This also saves a bit on insurance as no green card is needed for Gibraltar only.

As esteruca says, Duquesa or Sabinillas sound perfect for you. I agree about Alcaidesa and Sotogrande - they are nice to look at but there's not much going on (especially in the winter) and there's no public transport. You'll be able to check these places our for yourself soon enough anyway - nothing is very far from Duquesa/Sabinillas - it's pretty good in all directions really!

Hasta pronto!

Guys, you have been a great help.

Thank you very much.

Hi djrickyb

I am also on Duquesa Village and agree with all what Jan and maureen say about the area. Yes it can be like Little Britain with sun but mainly because of expats living there mainly, but  there are no large hotel complexes to attract holidaymakers its mainly apartments and villas. My neighbour in the development is is Spanish, when i attend the AGM for my urb i am pleased to see almost of many Spanish people there as Brits and non Spanish. Its a great mix. Lots of the English speaking residents do work in Gib.

What has not been mentioned is the area is well served for golf courses, Finca Cortesin, which is 2 miles away , is hosting one of Europe's top Golf tournament in 2009, so if Golf is your bag sort of speak then it's recommended.

I see that you are posting on Manilvalife too so you will get a great insight on there too.

Alcaidesa, La Linea, Algeciras, San Roque, Los Barrios....

All in Campo de Gibraltar area.

Golf?

You mean the VW?

Nothing like a nice drive after all, as is said, who wants a good walk ruined.

:)

We live in Estepona and my husband has had to go to Gib many times for work.(he is a plasterer.) It is so easy to get there from here and quite a nice drive. The bus is easy also,i don't drive either so I have to bus it quite often! I recommend Estepona as there are plenty of ex pats but also it is still very Spanish,especially in town.

We used to live in a typical 'little Britain' type area and I hated the fact that everyone knew eachothers business(or made it up!) but it is not like that here at all.

What sort of work are you looking for?

Let us know how it goes.

I am, preferably, looking for office based work.

Many moons ago I used to work in an estate agents and whilst I used to be reasonably good at selling properties at the time, I don't know whether this would  transfer to the Spanish market.

I was also a Systems Information Manager for the NHS, so am pretty computer  literate.

My Spanish is pretty crap, unfortunately, so I have been looking at the gaming industry. More specifically as a Customer service Representative.

Naturally, I have not been getting an inbox overflowing with offers because I am currently living in Lanzarote.

I hope to move there within the next couple of weeks to search for a permanent position.

Rick