Moving to Velez Rubio

We are looking at a property in the mountains around Velez Rubio, can anybody give me an overview of pros and cons and what to expect...Is VR a good location? , When we are able to travel can anybody give me a recommendation on where to stay so we can view properties in area.

Hi,

I have a holiday home in the mountains above Velez Rubio and would class it as one of the most picturesque parts of Spain.

There are a few pig farms about but they are nothing like the ones in the UK and there are no issues with smells or noise (my home is within 3 kilometres of one).

I prefer solitude so I don't go into the town much, but everything you need seems to be there (Banks, Supermarkets, Post-Office, etc, etc).

Speaking the language will be a HUGE bonus and a lot of the older people speak French.

It gets cold in the evenings from December through to April and the general temperature is about 3 degrees cooler than on the coast at all times.

This Forum we are chatting on has gone from strength to strength over the past couple of years and is normally a valuable source of information.  A couple called, "Bob and Sandra" seem particularly knowledgeable about the area and I wouldn't be surprised if they catch this thread at some point and offer advice.  I've never met them but they've given me (and many others) some sound advice!

All the best in your adventure,

Paul.

Thank you Paul for your message...We are seriously considering a property on the market above VR. The talk around pig farming issues I would never have thought about until I read on forum the problems some people have. We are looking to retire to Spain and the property we have seen looks very beautiful but as you will understand relocation is a huge step and we want to know that an area we are considering is the correct one. We have no interest in moving to an over populated area and looking for peace in a beautiful area and possibly a few english neighbours would be an added bonus. On asking the estate agent about nearest provision facilities they did say it would be necessary to go into V.R. 

The Estate Agent who helped me find my property was far and away the best contact I made and he continues to help me out some three years after buying my place!  I highly recommend him.

Have a look at www.losvelezcasa.com

The fellow's name is Antonio, he lived in the UK for thirty years so he knows exactly what we Brits like; he is a genuinely nice bloke and I consider him a great friend (not many Estate Agents you can say that about, is there?).  Above all, he is trustworthy.

All the best,

Paul.

I know the area and it is very picturesque but do be sure to buy somewhere with a proper CH system and room for a tank outside as oil fired is the cheapest.  The winters are cold like nothing you might have experienced in the UK! Maybe it's because of the floors, but carpets are not advisable either as in summer you will be glad you have those tiled floors.

Good luck! 

Thank you for your reply...At our home in UK we have always had tiled floors throughout...It is very good to have feed back from people who already live in area. The villa we are looking at has wood burner and also central heating also used for heating as well as air conditioning. Regarding healthcare, how does this work if we relocate on permanent basis. I have read that health care insurance can range up to £1,000 per month. That seems rather extortionate?

Hell again,

Private health insurance here is certainly not as expensive as that!  I still have a private health plan although I also qualify for public health care because of being retired.  I pay about 120 euros every month Adeslas which I think is owned by the Caixa Bank.  Yours would be age related so therefore much less and there are discounts for family plans as in the UK.  Sanitas is the one I recommend which I left because it got a little expensive for me.  It was taken over by BUPA  and is very 'user friendly' if your spanish is not that good,  There plenty of info online on their websites for more details.  Do be sure you get an insurance which covers basic things like blood analysis and CAT scans and colonoscopes. I have friends who are with a company which does not include these very important tests although it seems a lot cheaper.  Of course, you get what you pay for and you cannot change company so easily later on if you develop a chronic health problem.

Returning to the subject of the cold, the tiles on top of cement floors here make the floors colder.  In a new build, underfloor CH would be the best type to opt for because of the cold floor problem.  Electricity is expensive here in Spain and the wall mounted units are not cheap to run.  Wood burners are OK, but from what I hear, the pellet burners are so much better and don´t need constant feed like the other type.  I have a cast iron wood burner and could not leave it on for hours if I wanted to go out and come back to a warm house, but you can  with the pellet burners.  Unfortunately, they are not yet making a model which is particularly attractive for older farmhouse type properties like mine and they are much more expensive to buy  although the pellets are clean and easy to store and not particularly expensive.

Thank you Juanida for all the information you have passed on, its all been very helpful.