Moving to Vera Playa

1. For once I'm confused. What are "big" ticket items?

2. Depending on the illness it may be Almeria hospital rather than Huercal. Spain has set up so called Centeres of Excellence (my translation).

3. There are many boutiques where you can buy clothes. If you are not happy with what's available in Vera, there's always Mojacar Playa boutiques (brilliant according to Mrs Matt).

Hi Bruno, I live in Vera Playa / Puerto Rey (right on the border!!)

Vera Playa is very well served with most shops you’ll need for day-to-day items; there’s a Consum, then a good Mercadona in Puerto Rey, and another in Garrucha.  Nearest Lidl is either Mojácar or Vera.  Plenty of hardware stores around as well.

“Big ticket” … I presume you mean white goods / furniture? Well there’s shops serving those needs in Garrucha / Mojácar / Vera - Ferretería Lopez comes to mind.

If you want wider choice then there’s the Centro Comercial at Lorca, where you’ll find a decent Leroy Merlín and a Primark as well as a Carrefour.  around 45 minutes up the A7; your nearest IKEA though is (now) Almeria.  

It is believed, however that Leroy Merlín are building in Vera at the Antas trading estate which would be very very good.

Hospitals :- there’s the Medical Centre at Vera Playa, and of course Centro de Salud in Vera; HOWEVER, if you are coming on an NLV you’ll have private medical insurance so any hospitalization would see you in Almeria, and you won’t in the first instance go to Vera Centro de Salud, you’ll need private doctors (you can obviously go there in an Emergency as that is where the closest ER is)

Thanks for all that, very helpful... Just one question, the hospital in Hercal seems like a large hospital and is closer... so why would you get sent to Almeria..?  Just asking.. 

Huércal-Overa is for those on Spanish state health system.  Private hospital for those on private medical insurance is Almeria.  In an accident or emergency, you may end up at Huércal-Overa to be stabilized, but then you’d likely be moved to Almeria

Oh. OK.. I will be using my S1 which I suppose means that I could end up anywhere! 

S1 puts you on Spanish Health system, so you will utilize Spanish State Health - i.e. Vera Centro de Salud, hospital at Huércal-Overa

Almeria is closer to Vera than Murcia or Cartagena. I would say about an hours drive. If you want white goods there are plenty of suppliers in the Vera area, Euronics on the road from Las Buganvillas to Garrucha, Tienda 21 on the main road into Vera,  there is another electrical store close to Iceland in Vera and Lopez on the Antas industrial estate. Furniture stores again Garrucha, Vera & Antas. 

As you are using an S1 you are clearly a pensioner.  Think back to what it was like in the UK before retail parks and humongous shopping centres.  Spain has quite a lot of independent, smaller family shops or franchise type businesses.  Takes a bit more time to get stuff sorted but often the service is so much better.

Oh and the same applies to food:  you eat more seasonally buying fruit and veg from markets there's butchers (although the cuts are different), fishmongers (with loads more choice) and bakers.  

Well welcome to the Sunshine State You can go to Lorca the big shopping center including PRIMARK.  It is called Leroy Melin Center.