20 Jan 2018 5:21 PM:

I agree about starting with trying to find a property that will take dogs.  We are no longer doing long winter lets much to the disappointment of many who have previously stayed but they all agree on one thing - start by finding a dog friendly property and then see if the area suits you.  We may be biased as we chose it as our home nearly twenty years ago but we think that the area in and around Mojacar, both coastal and inland, is hard to beat for winter climate and for plenty to do.

If you are wanting to take a dog you are almost too late for next winter already as dog friendly properties get booked up very fast and people often book from one year to the next.

If you need any advice about our area, Derek, please don't hesitate to pm me

Thread: Winter travel to Spain

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29 Nov 2017 3:06 PM:

Re Place in the Sun yesterday - for those who do not yet know Bedar please be assured that €1.6million is not a typical price for a house here!!!   Anyone wanting a balanced view of the Bedar property market, both village houses and campo villas, please feel free to pm me!!

 

Thread: Almeria villages / recommendations

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28 Nov 2017 8:51 AM:

Very interesting comment Amahold about population size.  It can be a good guide but also the demographics are important too. If it is a large population but mainly retired or unemployed locals or people engaged in low pay activities, it is unlikely to be able to support many businesses

It is true that Bedar has less than 1000 residents but thanks to the makeup of the population it supports four bar/restaurants (three of them Spanish family businesses and one run by a Belgian - no British bars), bank, chemist, baker, two small supermarkets and a thriving gym,

Thread: Almeria villages / recommendations

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27 Nov 2017 5:22 PM:

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.

 

 

Thread: Almeria villages / recommendations

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27 Nov 2017 9:07 AM:

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

Thread: Almeria villages / recommendations

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