I lived and worked in Spain for 20 years. I now spend 3 months at a time there in retirement. My experiences have been for the most part good. I am on my 6th property there and have never had a problem in that respect. I enjoy the spanish attitude to life generally. I love the food. I have found the medical care very good. The only downside for me is that it gets far too hot July and August (thank God I can now leave it then) and the motor cycles are stupidly noisy as they ignore the law on silencers. Marc R

I have lived in Spain for 24years & retired from my business 5years ago.Like Marc R I have had several properties & no problems.My advise to anyone is,be legal & you will have a nice life here.

We have lived in Spain for almost 4 years and I would advise several things. Firstly do not come over to Spain on a free or low cost deal organised by the building companies - I understand the pressure to be relentless in getting you to sigh on the dotted line. Living in Spain is not one long glorious holiday so don't have very high expectations -once the novelty has worn off you might be left feeling a bit cheated. If you are able rent a property for 6 months and travel as far and wide as you can. That can be exhausting with property overload - so make notes and take photo's of the properties you are attracted to. Lastly keep safe - if in a rented car NEVER stop if another vehicle shunts you or if another driver is seemingly advising you of a problem with your car. Keep valuable away from prying eyes, wear a money belt under your clothes and ladies take care with your handbags. I am sorry to point out the "darker" side but I have lost count of the terrible tales related by people who's "new life" has been a terrible ordeal at the start.

I am an ex-pat who has lived in Costa Calida for five years now. I love the life here (and yes it is too hot in August)and I would not return to the UK if you paid me. As with all moves, you have to take your time about buying a property, make sure you are completely legal and learn even just a little Spanish. I find the Spanish people here on the whole to be very nice but, as with the UK, not everyone likes what they see as immigrants. Don't expect to get a job with a click of your fingers either as they are not easy to come by and I have lost count of the British-owned businesses that have gone bust since I have lived here. However, the pension does go a lot further with 3 course lunches (complete with wine) for 8 euros. A good life all round.

I have a house on the Orihuela Costa.
My husband and I had retired there and we loved it.
We were really enjoying life there in the sun.
Unfortunately he died suddenly last year after only a year.
I don't now live out there but I do spend a good deal of time there.
I have just returned after spending 6 weeks out there and am returning in 3 weeks time.
I still love it but it's not the same on my own.
But then nowhere is.

Wont you have the same problem driving a British car as you would get driving a rented car you can't take the plates off. Just got back after 7weeks in spain there is no way I would live on the coast anywhere in spain.

I don`t entirely agree about not living in a coastal town.I now live in a small town which has a beach near to Benidorm.I don`t go into Benidorm often but do visit our beach.I live northern costa blanca which is very different to south of Alicante.I have also lived & worked in a Spanish mountain village.When I lived in UK I nearly always was in a coastal resort so perhaps it is familar to me.I always say,"aren`t we lucky to live in a place that people save up to visit for holidays"

Anyone live in the Northern Costa Blanca - Calpe upwards? How about Costa del Azahar too.

We've been researching our retirement to Spain for seven years now and have a wealth of information accumulated - some of which I update whenever I get new info.
We have every intention of retiring to Spain and will not be put of by the UK media hype that springs up regularly.
We visit Spain annually now on holiday and any spare time that we have we check out the areas where we are for all of the services and facilities that we might possibly need if we chose that area to retire to.
Noticing the comments on crime, I must say that I've never really experienced it in the Northern Costa Blanca but had several nasty moments in the Costa del Sol but you must bear in mind that UK-based media reports sensatianolize the bad side of everything!
We one took a wrong turning and got lost in a large Spanish town and found ourselves in a run-down area with dodgy-looking characters on the street corners only to find that, on asking directions, they took us back to where we could find our own way and were a very pleasant, helpful bunch!
We're revisiting Denia this year - anyone else going?

Coo, aren't there a lot of us!

My tops pieces of advice would be,

1. Always rent first, then drive far and wide to find the right area.

2. Research a reliable lawyer as much as you do your properties when you find your area.

3. Never, ever use a lawyer recommended by an estate agent or builder whatever they say to encourage you to do so. If they won't let you walk away.

4. Do it.....it's fantastic......but don't expect it to be UK in the sun.

5. Google and subscribe to as many Brit used bulletin boards as you can find to see the problems folks already living here have faced. You can avoid many of the pitfalls with the knowledge you will gain there. If you don't have any luck PM me and I'll give you two or three www addresses.

A good tip would also be, to watch out for expats who try to help you.

Most will be good people BUT others will be helping you to see what they can get out of you.
A lot of brits who live abroad, not just in Spain have little money and are always on the look out for the new and gullible. ESPECIALLY SO CALLED "BUILDERS".