Mojacar as a full-time retirement option? Good idea or not?

Hi Max

Mojacar is just one of the lovely areas locally that many people have retired to. I would suggest you come over for a visit and to explore around. It really depends on your interests, needs, wants and finances as to where would be the best place for you to settle. On Facebook there are many forums that you can join to get more information also. Hope this helps.

Hi Max, my husband and I moved over to Almeria in May. I had found our nearest large town which is Huercal Overa simply by searching Estate agent sites in spain from the UK. My criteria was nothing more than ' a lively town'. We looked at Mojacar also -mainly the playa, but it is a location that is one thing in the summer and something else in the winter. In summer there are so many tourists and it's really busy and has a tremendous buzz about it. In winter however a lot of restaurants close for the season - but not all by any means. The whole place is really quiet. My recommendation is to see it at both times as it's a bit like chalk and cheese , one might suit you but not the other. it is a lovely place however. we live just outside a working town therefore it's fairly constant in what it is. not to small for us and more importantly for us at least it's got life all year round.. but it's not a tourist town so  when we want beaches or the Mojacar buzz in summer we drive 25 mins to find it. but otherwise we have all we want on our doorstep. 

Hi Max,

My Fiance and I have also been looking for a few months now and keep making regular visits to try and work out best areas to live in Almeria.

Our conclusion is that its quite complicated and requires a real nailing down of what the key requirements are. The more we look, the more complex and considerable the variables seem to be. No disrespect to anyone who lived in or loved these places but for example, we had heard so much about Mojacar, but when we actually saw it, we knew immediately it wasnt for us. It just looked way too commercised. Many of the buildings looked old and tired but not in a quaint or antiquated way, just 70’s white hotel hell. It seemed to be devoid of character to us.

Youve  got to be very very careful; there are some places which look awesone in summer but check them out in winter and not only dead but also subject to some very low temperatures. For example some of the mountain villages like Chirivel can have deep snow in winter. In some other inland villages there is Spanish authenticity but no infrastructure (e.g Los Lobos). 

Other places have infrastructure but are soul less (Vera, Palomares etc). You also have to consider how near you want to be to infrastructure.... do you need a car? Can you walk to the bakery, supermarket, doctors. Where is the nearest hospital etc etc? Do you want at Complex or Urbanisation.... they might be secure and have facilities, but you have to consider communal fees which can be high, and non payers and communal living petty politics (been there and done it for 12 years in Paphos Cyprus, never again!). 

Some areas are great but suffer floods from overflowing Ramblas (see youtube footage of places in Vera just this year!). Murcia as an example just suffered its worse flooding in the last 73 years. It doesnt happen often but when it does its catastrophic. My advice is when you think youve nailed down an area you like make maximum use of google and youtube for info on crime, flooding, winter temperatures, resident issues, etc etc.

There is somewhere out there for us all but It takes a real forensic look at everything; thats what we are still doing some 6 months after starting to look at Almeria. 

Max Ive travelled and done business extensively in USA and best way i can put it to you is this.... theres as much to consider with the variables in Almeria, as if i were deciding between New York and its merits or North Carolina.

Take your time and visit a lot of places before deciding.

Good luck

Tim

Hi Max,

We are property owners just north of Huercal Overa. We found our dream home whilst travelling in an RV, checked out coastal areas and mountains and finished up 40 mins from the coast. Everyone is different but touring using an RV or Airbnb will introduce you to local life. Let us know how you are progressing.

Jim

We live front line on the Playa in Mojacar.....and disagree that Mojacar is dead in the winter, there is lots going on and live bands every weekend....whilst lots of restaurants close there are an awful lot that stay open and at 1 euro 20c for the bus cheap to get to....Everyone apart from you thinks Mojacar is a beautiful place.... I for one wouldnt wish to live anywhere else.....There are beautiful towns and villages close by too....wherever you chose..rent first to get a feel of the place

Hi Tim

Saw your reply and u mentioned Cyprus.  My husband and I are renting in vera playa at present until April 2019.  We are trying to decide where to go next winter.  Vera playa is too quiet for us. We thought maybe Cyprus.  Can u give me your thoughts on that please.

Regards

Kate 

Pm sent

Tim, glad we were not only ones who had instant “not for us” first time on the playa !

Lucky there are many and various options all over Spain.

Good luck :-)

Colouredman is entitled to his opinion and to be fair to him, he made some good points e.g. how an area can look so magnificent during summer can look much different in winter/spring. Like him, I have advised prospective property purchasers to rent for no less than 5 weeks in the off season to really help with a final decision. Also, buying in some areas can have some dreadful results. Anybody purchasing property should investigate everything about the area and not listen to fast-talking unscrupulous, commission hunting liars (you can make up your own mind on who these are).

There are areas in Mojacar Playa that are tired; nobody can dispute this. Europe is coming out of one of the greatest recessions known and Spain was one of the hardest hit. Mojacar Playa is recovering slowly (but faster than most of Spain outside of the big cities). An area can't transform from deep recession to Las Vegas type of area overnight and the town-hall won't allow over-the-top "progress" either.

Mojacar Playa/Pueblo suits some, doesn't suit others. If I were to offer one hint as to why somebody should retire to Mojacar it would be:- So many people who owned property/businesses in Costa del Sol have retired to Mojacar. They are in-the-know-frontline and learned the hard way and don't make mistakes.