Eating in Villaricus

NIE: if you are purchasing a property your lawyer will be able to arrange the NIE for you. You don't have to do it yourself, we didn't. It takes about 5 weeks to come through.

Spanish food: there may be but off the top of my head I can't think of any restaurants in Villaricos which are typically English, just like where I am at home this week in the Scottish Highlands there are no restaurants that are typically Spanish. My youngest is also 13 years old and enjoys Spanish food and I'm sure your son will be fine with the local food, he'll love it and it's very very good. Introduce him to it as something interesting and worth trying. Don't put him off it and don't start off thinking you and he can only eat English food otherwise there's no point being in Spain. One of the real joys of Spain is the food.

Furniture stores: there are quite a lot. Homes & Beyond is 1 km towards Garrucha from the Las Buganvillas roundabout and is very good. We have also used Koala on the El Real Industrial Estate between Vera and Antas. But neither of these are the cheapest on the planet and as an alternative there are also second hand furniture stores. Bob who frequents this forum regularly knows about these and will have some good recommendations.

Many thanks indeed for a most informative and timely response, much appreciated and will look out for Bob . 

I am a single Father and it's a new experiance for my son of which I don't want blighted on first outing. Just a last minute panic attack I think :-))

Let's hope you both have a great trip. We really like Villaricos and the market there on a Sunday morning is our favourite - the Churros & Chocolate is something your son will probably like, and there's great roast chicken to take away. Getting itchy feet as unfortunately we can't get back until mid-October.

I mentioned lawyers in my earlier post. I don't know if you've already got this sorted and of course there are lots to choose from, but the one we used last year is Mundi Abogados. Maria, Esther and Nicoletta there provide an excellent service at a reasonable cost, speak English, accompany you to the Notary, arrange the NIE etc etc and don't need chasing. They are based at the Las Buganvillas roundabout.

Hi Stephen

Villaricos is a hidden gem - I hope you find a property on your visit. I love it.

NIE I got mine same day by using a specialist company - but if you are not in a hurry a solicitor can do it for you.

The staff in Lucky Bar speak excellent English, they do burgers, chicken nuggets, fish and chips and cheesy chips and the opposite is an English Bar (not sure of the actual name) that do everything full english, burgers etc.  There is a pizza place opposite El Faro.  Los Conteros restaurant and bar, (my personal favourite) is just on the outskirts of the village, also a varied menu and English speaking.

I have used Mundi Abogados for 2 property purchases, they are a little more expensive than most solicitors, they are better and more efficient than most but still need chasing and I would suggest that you ask as many questions as needed to satisfy yourself that the answers are correct. I was horrified to learn that on several documents albeit for utilities that they signed my signature similar to mine instead of asking me to sign the documents myself even though I was in the country - they did not have power of attorney.

Before buying a car I used doyouspain.com to research the best priced car hire and I purchased a yearly insurance policy for excess.

Alot of properties are sold furnished which could get you by short term - unless it is a bank repossession - there are plenty of furniture stores within a short drive and Ikea deliver. I found it easier to buy furniture in England and have it transported over - £100 per cubic metre.

DIY - Leroy Merlin or Brico. There are plenty of local Ferretería's for the basics.

I can recommend a locksmith, a gas boiler engineer but still doing my research on other trades locally. 

Enjoy!

Regards, Alex 

Hi, in the centre of villaricos there are at least two cafe/restaurants serving traditional english such as steak pie and chips etc etc, so you should be ok there.

Spanish food centres around chicken, where we are in Urcal not far away theres a bar/restaurant the locals call the B2 where they do platefulls of chips with bacon and cheese as a starter ! The "grande" is a huge plateful and thats before you get to the mains.

Sadly for him the nearest Maccy D's is up the motorway at Lorca.

Brico depot are in Almeria, dont know if they deliver.

We had stuff delivered by Ikea but they charged us an arm and a leg, there are small transport concerns that pick up and deliver.

Leroy Merlin is like bnq on steroids, huge place but up in Murcia as is Ikea and both just over an hours drive.

Car hire as b4 we use doyouspain comparison site, only complaint I might have about car hire companies is actually getting the car you book lol, quite apart from the insurance thing where you need to be on your toes about what they insist you need to have, take pics of the car before you drive it away.

Most gas stations fill up for you. Be aware of where your car hire company is based, either on airport or possibly a ten minute shuttle bus drive away.

As above you only tend to pop by the policia local to let them know your staying local.

We used CamConcepts in Huercal Overa for the villa purchase, they were excellent. Did a heck of a lot on power of attorney whilst we were in Oz. And yes you only need NIE for big purchases like a villa, car, major white goods etc but also as you'll find out if you buy here the NIE is the tip of the iceberg. Theres padrons, Residencia, medical cards etc etc, sounds daunting but after a bit of legwork and what seems like a mountain of paperwork and beaurocracy its all worth it.

We looked at Villaricos but couldnt find much more than apartments as nice as they are. We love it inland a bit, Urcal is a small village but everyone is very friendly, theres a bar etc that has darts on thursdays, lots of info and just 7 minutes from the motorway and 12 minutes from the town of Huercal Overa.

Best of in your search, you'll find things easily enough. Just ask lol.

many thanks once again, a friend has provided me with a contact he used however always good to have an option.

thanks for the info, yes its just an apartment for myself and kids to escape to from time to time.

many thanks Alex, looking forward to comming over and just hope the property meets my needs.

Being a Fishing village, does the environment have the associated smell, plenty of sea gulls screaming away :-)  

Hi, we've been thru Villaricos both during the week and especially the Sunday market and havent noticed any of the things you mention.

Weekdays can be really quiet but there are bars/cafes still open for food and drink.