Lived just outside Fuengirola my whole life, and now love in Fuengirola. Easy life, quiet, easy to meet other expats, but still 90% locals. Weather is perfecto!
Hey I wonder if you'll read and reply to this.. is Fuengirola whole year round a busy place to run a business, or is it mostly seasonal..?? I am looking to buy a lease in the area, Fuengirola, Benalmadena, Torremolinos...
I found it a bit too full of low class Brits who wouldn't bother to speak the language and also only wanted to eat Brit food despite the amazing Spanish food on offer. I was extremely disappointed in Fuengirola.
Hey I wonder if you'll read and reply to this.. is Fuengirola whole year round a busy place to run a business, or is it mostly seasonal..?? I am looking to buy a lease in the area, Fuengirola, Benalmadena, Torremolinos...
@jeansmith5692 hey thanks for the amazingly quick reply 👍. Sure, I totally get its dependant on business type, but I was more interested to know if the whole area region is more than just seasonal... Is there an all year round vibrant economy, or is it completely quiet in the autumn/winter months..
Congratulations on your move to Spain. My parents moved there in 1995. From then right up until they passed, they didn’t regret a single minute. I have now inherited their house just outside town. My wife, kids and I love the Fuengirola area…been visiting multiple times a year for the last 26 years + plus I holidayed there with my parents before that. I loved your video and look forward to more (if you make them).
Thank you. Fuengirola is an amazing place to live, it has so much to offer. There will be more videos coming, I am hoping to release at least 2 a month.
@@kirkallen4314 Wow! We are also from Alberta (Edmonton) we have been contemplating moving to Portugal, but after researching it for few months, we are reconsidering it. How don’t ou compare tbe healthcare system where you are to the one in Alberta? Did you buy or are you renting?
Hi @eleonorabodea3638 I am working towards moving to spain with my husband and 2 kids as well , from Toronto Would you be open to connecting and sharing your move experience with me? I can share my email if that is Ok with you. Thanks!
Definately a good move. It is a lovely area, you chose well. l lived in Spain for 8 years, live back in UK now. No contest as to which is better, Spain all the way. Good luck and well done!
Amanda why did you move back here to UK. ? The country now is on its face. 45,000 immigrants now here. Rishi not got a clue . We need more policing as crime going up and up. X
Hey, this was super helpful, thank you! No nonsense, no filler, highly informative. Fuengirola, Rincón de la Victoria, Benalmadena, Mijas, and Torremolinos are all on our radar.
Thanks. Those are all great places to live. Good luck with the move. We are currently renting now and searching up and down the coast for a place to buy.
I love Fuengirola. I bought my house in 2015 behind the mall. Best town, right in the middle of Costa Del Sol. You can commute to Malaga and Marbella easily. Plus, you have so many supermarkets to choose from,unlike other towns. It’s just well balanced.
@@jamesjameson4566 you have the usual black African “ looky. Looky “ men , and lots of Moroccans. We have noticed an increase in Muslims every single year . Many immigrants are now from South America, Venezuela, Colombia etc and also many immigrants from Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia .
@@howard4510 you need to get together and put an end to it they'll ruin whatever good thing you have going over there, what's being done? The authorities should take a hard line
This is awesome information. I’m in Ontario and about to finally make this move. My house is being listed next week. I’m 53 and planning on full retirement in Spain.
Spain is awesome. We are moving back in 2024! Don't forget to tell them about Gibralter only 1.5 hours south! Such a beautiful. One big thing: LEARN SPANISH!! Once you learn Spanish the country is 1000% better!!
Hi good day! There is someway, somehow that i can talk to you thru email...i have a couple of questions but they are very personal, and should be treated as privacy! I will appreciate it! Thanks a lot !
Estoy totalmente de acuerdo, aunque aprender un idioma de adulto es más difícil que en la escuela. una palabra al día... Seguí luchando y cuando nos mudamos aquí pude tener una conversación razonable. ❤
I have a house just outside Fuengirola. Im 52 years, from Denmark. It being EU we can work and just move around as we please. I love Fuengirola. Best place on the coast. Been going there since childhood.
Hey Scott!! From your wife's coworker at IWK. I don't know how you filled your head with all this information so quicky. It is like you have lived there for years. Enjoy your new home.
The first time I stayed on the Costa del Sol was back in 1972 for 9 months, 3 in Torremolinos, 6 in Foo. I was a teenager with my travel loving, adventurous parents. We all loved it so much, it was still relatively small and very charming. We lived across from the beach during summer and hung out at the beach bars, eating grilled sardines and playing volleyball, then moved closer to downtown during the school year and I attended an international school for a while. I know its grown exponentially since then (I've been back 15 times, tho not recently), After I married, I took my husband and kids there 4 times and each time we stayed in Los Boliches. Years have now passed and I've recently retired and am thinking of trying it out again to see if it still fits. I just moved to FL a year ago and it's nice but too political and too much weather (read: hurricanes - my area was hit twice here where I live this summer). Just recently the thought of going back "home" to my old stomping grounds has been tickling my brain, so I appreciate your video! Best of luck to you and your wife.
“Foo”?! The foo fighters? 😂 We call it for short “fuengi” I just had to comment because the name you assigned it for abbreviation got to me, literally nobody has ever called it “foo” 😂. Mijas and Fuengirola is much more affordable than Marbella for instance, los Boliches has always been a nest for the English/speaking foreigners it’s like mini England/Germany specially in summer. Glad you enjoyed my country/city definitely recommend in comparison with America, anything beats that hell hole… (don’t mean to offend). Peace ✌🏼
Absolutely the best decision! I lived in Sanlucar de Barrameda & Chipiona for 4 years, then moved to Fuengirola for 6 years in the 1990's and was the best place to live. I'm planning to move back in the near future. Thank you for explaining the process for NLV.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. My husband and I live in Florida and have talked about moving to Spain. He has family there and his mom was originally from Spain. We are going to visit Spain this year in October. Super excited about that. Again, thank you for sharing. Will for sure check out the reference on your video. Stay safe.
Bienvenido amigo! no dejes de visitar otras ciudades del país. Puedes viajar rápidamente en coche o en tren, y los paisajes cambian mucho de un lugar a otro. Saludos
Pro tip: buy a classic car/ truck/ road legal race car at least 6 month before coming, you must own it for at least that, check what cars aren't allowed to be road legal here and buy those, as a change of residency you can register whatever you bring, so those kind of cars are really rare and sought after by spanish car lovers and they pay more than it costed back in the us, to go back from spain, buy an old land rover and bring it back to the us, amazing returns✌️
For Canadians doing their non lucrative visa, it is actually quite easy. Express post to Toronto, pre paid Express post back. Appointments for TIE and Padron are both online, with the only frustration being when to pick up actual TIE card. Your temporary one has a day code, and summonsed to let you know what day to return, however at the Fuengirola natuonal police station it stayed at one number for 8 days, then jumped up by 6 days. And the online appointment doesn't identify what date corresponds to which day posted Other than that, easy process, with the hardest just waiting for the consulate to return your visa in your passport!
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 Hi, Im spanish from Malaga end.... You can also come to Spain with a student visa, for example a student of spanish language. It must be a center recognized by the Spanish state but there are many and in many cities, this allows you to come and also work up to a maximum of 30 hours a week, after you are not old enough to be a student you can check this with your lawyer or at the consulate Spanish in your country!! Thank you for choosing Malaga, the city where I was born. When you speak Spanish I want you to listen to a Spanish song by Joan Manuel Serrat "Mediterraneo" you will cry with emotion, and you will andrestand the spansih culture and historic, pure poetry!!!!
You are my hero- I live in London ON almost 60 years old and I am in love with Spain. I am making plans to move. I spent last 15 years every summer in different parts of Spain. I am thinking Valencia or Malaga or even Fuengirola. Your tips are golden.
Welcome and greetings from Málaga. We decided to settle down in Malaga, there are definitely neighbourhoods here that have way less tourists then Fuengirola and the airport is just a ride with the metro. But Fuengirola is a beautiful place too. Regards
Hello. Do you think you could offer me some advice? I'm coming from the UK and thinking of settling in malaga. I prefer to live in a house than a flat/apartment. Where in malaga or the region would be best suited for houses budget of about €400k do you think? Suburbs is fine with me. Thanks matt
@mattheweast-jones7704 Hi, for this budget you already get houses in good areas of Málaga. A quick search in the common real estate portal shows 580 houses available. Nowadays you can also negotiate the price 10-20% down if it's not an A class property. Btw the interest here is still a lot cheaper then in the UK. Once you sort the legal issues to become resident in Spain, you should have no problem to find a nice house
Hello from Drummondville Québec. Air Transat has been flying directly from Montréal Québec (that's still in canada right?) since at least 2010. I flew in 2011 and 7 more times since. Thanks for all the info I might move there too (Fuen/Los Boliches)
Great video and thank you! My plan was to visit next month Sept. Malaga and Marbella, but I run into your video about Fuengirola, so definitely, I will check out this city in my way. I live in California for 35 days and It is about time to make a move. So tired of the politics and expensive cost of live. Spain is my first choice. Muchas gracias por su video amigo.
Been coming to Costa del sol for 20+ years .We stay in a beautiful village called La Cala..10mins bus ride from fuengy...love fish ally in fuengy.. coming out on June 24th..can't wait.. all the best..👍😎
Such a great decision! As a Spaniard living abroad for several years I can see myself going back to Spain and living in Costa del Sol 😎 I hope one day I can make that move, just like you did! Great video and tips, I agree with everything you said
Wow brings back memories, I was there back in 1994, stayed over 6 months, I actually could live there back then without a visa, had a family book. Beautiful location, miss it very much.
I am originally from ireland been living in Calgary AB for the last 35yr l keep watching shows on portugal & spain and asking myself qhy l still in Canada Europe is so much laid back people enjoy there lifes more there it seems in Canada &Usa all we do is work & winers in Canada 🇨🇦are unbelievable still after all these years l think it time for a change back to Europe as l gave dual citizenship 1🙏
Excellent information. I love that area you are in. Spent a couple weeks there in 2018 and really enjoyed El Puerta de Santa Maria. We walked for a couple hours a day and just explored the neighborhoods and the beach. Beautiful place to be and I love how laid back it feels in Spain.
Oh my goodness! Congratulations!! That is so exciting and what an amazing adventure. Spain looks like an absolutely incredible place to live! Applications can be super overwhelming to live in another country, we had to do so much crazy paperwork for a long time to help Greg move to Canada from the US, so great idea on the lawyer because we found it sooo overwhelming without one. So excited for you guys and your new adventure!! AMAZING! Have so much fun and can’t wait to follow along on your adventures there 😊
😍😍😍 Hi, Im spanish from Malaga end.... You can also come to Spain with a student visa, for example a student of spanish language. It must be a center recognized by the Spanish state but there are many and in many cities, this allows you to come and also work up to a maximum of 30 hours a week, after you are not old enough to be a student you can check this with your lawyer or at the consulate Spanish in your country!! Thank you for choosing Malaga, the city where I was born. When you speak Spanish I want you to listen to a Spanish song by Joan Manuel Serrat "Mediterraneo" you will cry with emotion, and you will andrestand the spansih culture and historic, pure poetry!!!!
We stayed in Los Boliches summer past, amazing spot. We'd been previously back in 2016 but up the other end towards the Castle. Los Boliches is def the best area, can walk 10 minutes into the lively parts if you want to and everything on the doorstep as you say. Train station is super handy too. Been on plenty of Spain holidays but Fuengirola is def our go to now if we head that direction. Best of luck to you all on your new adventures.
Good choice. I will visit Spain in a week and will focus on "if it's an option for me" to live there. This video was already pretty informative. Thanks and all the best.
As a Spanish livin in the Malaga province all my life, welcome to Spain and welcome to Malaga Once the weather is less hot, I hardly recommend you to go to the inside of the province. Is a short ride by car or bus, and the history and art you can enjoy here is unbelievable.
HI , We are from Montreal and we are staying in Fuengirola for a few days . We would like to see some rentals while we are there . What neighborhood should we look at and is there a local place to rent that's better than what we see online ? Thanks Marc.
@@marclajeunesse3890 Hi, your best bet is to use the idealista website and contact the agents directly. Some good neighbourhoods are Los Boliches, Torreblanca, Centro, Mijas/Las Lagunas
Congratulations on your move, I have been here well over 10 years. It’s a nice part of the world and you are right Fuengirola has everything and isn’t as hilly as Torremolinos or Benalmadena definitely the best option up to Marbella although Carvajal at the border of Fuengirola and Benalmadena is now becoming the new Marbella. Over the last 3 years or so prices have definitely been going up for housing fuel foods everything as it has been all over the world but still maybe cheaper than some parts of the world. for years there have been rumours of extending the local train line but I doubt that is going to happen anytime soon if at all.
Thank you. Spain is a beautiful place, and the Costa del Sol is just ticks so many boxes. The cost of food, fuel and housing in Canada has sky rocketed at an alarming rate. Hopefully things return to a balance at some point.
First congratulations on your move!. I also wanted (and researched /visited) moving to Spain from the UK over a period of 20 years since my early twenties. Ironically, the move was delayed for many more years due to meeting my ex husband, who was spanish and never wanted to live there full time. So after the divorce 14 years later, I decided to pick-up where I had left of and sold up in the UK and bought a great property in Benalmadena, Montealto Up high between the sea and Benalmadena Pueblo with great 360 views of both mountain and sea from both the front and the rear of the property. Spain is a great place to live, with great people and a healthy climate. But although I had been married to a spanish person, researched and visited it many times over the years (both pre and post marriage and in between!) living there was difficult for me personally. And I put this down to not being able to adjust to the environment has a 'whole" (to stress, this was not the people or area) just the 'gut feel' of it not being everything it needed to be 'for me'. What I would advise, is wherever you choose to immigrate to , it's better to do it with your family then solo (although many people do immigrate solo every day) Because you definitely need that mental and social 'family' support and presence in something has big has this. (which can be overlooked and missed amongst all the initial excitement and idealism.
Love Los Boliches. Been taking extended breaks there for several years now that we are in our 60's/70's. Heading back for 2 months in the Fall/Autumn. Plenty to do, and to see as this Gentleman is pointing out, plus i travel to watch Malaga CF for their home games with the local Scandanavian Fan Club which is akways fun. I think we are noow too old to move over permanently which is a shame but a few months at a time is next best thing. Yes, learn the language too.
Hi, and thank you from Ireland. Being Europeans, we wont have as many issues as you guys, hopefully... I enjoyed your 'off the cuff' approach to your video. We have visited this whole area a few times and have also settled on Malaga to Marbella area. Hope you are doing well in your new 'Eurooean' home 🙏
Hey mate. I lived in Edmonton for 13 years. Last summer I took my family to Algarve and and then Seville , Malaga. We really liked it there. I hope I can pull it off too. I’m originally from Morocco. It’s a 30mn ferry from Tarifa to Tangier.
My wife and I have been going to Fuengirola for the last 15 years every chance we get. Fantastic little town and we love our time there, our trips all over Spain keeping Fuengirola as our home base and love Spain!!! Travelled all over and because we are over age of 60, we get Gold Card for transportation across Spain with discounts on trains which makes traveling easy peasy. I hope you will show some sights of Fuengirola, for people to see how beautiful, and less talking please. Will look forward to some exciting videos of Spain!!!
Hi that’s exactly what we are doing in March. Just waiting for the visas. Got the bank account got a lawyer got the Health Insurance sold the house. Going to torremolinos. Already put a deposit on a condo. Can hardly wait. Done with USA.
England is a geoengineerimg testing ground to make the whole country cloudy everyday. Ver very depressing and depressed on what professor Jim Haywood at Exeter university controls the weather. I hate the UK so much now, I want to move to Spain, but it's going to break up my 12 yr relationships as she's not one bit interested, watnts to be with mumy.
Congratulations. I wish more people would look at Spain vs Portugal, France and Italy. I know I am Canadian and happy to be here Thanks for the good summary from your experience. Very good tips Especially about renting before, this is critical and also learning spanish, you will love it a little more Happy to see another Canadian in Spain. We have been 15 years but living closer to Castellon/Valencia Your video had the major points. Another suggestion I should add for the viewers is to define what you will be doing when you live in Spain. In our case we decided to be in the country (10km from the beach and very quiet) and mostly interested in biking and trekking. We have no kids, so the decision is also different.
Congrats on yr move to Andalusia life is very, very good here. We moved from CA to the Marbella area, it is fabulous but not really cheaper than the USA as it is the same everywhere all depending on the location, location. BTW you can work in Andalusia as a digital nomad as of 2023. Further to consider and make your life more comfy, not to be surrounded by short term rental tourist/holiday properties, just saying.
My wife and I rent for three months from New Year to March 31 every year in Los Boliches. It's lovely, and a great place to escape the damp Irish winter. I think you'd have better served your viewers by walking the paseo and showing them the beautiful seafront and the beach. Just nit-picking. Your info was spot on. Best of luck! 👍
Thank You. I lived in Boston ma for 35 years and decided to return to Ireland 4 years ago where I had a real nice house in Tramore. The weather there is awful and I just couldnt stand it, Boston has gotten way to expensive in the meantime and all my buisness contacts retired or moved on. So I decided that Ive got to live in the sun, but had never been to spain mainland, so 6 weeks ago I sold my house van all my tools. My stuff is in Storage back there. I arrived in Malaga 2 weeks ago and decided that place wasnt for me, so I came down to Estepona and have decided to visit towns along the coast like fuengiirola Im hoping to find an expat community Americans Canadians brits Irish and start a small biz. Im a painting contractor Buy a bungalow And just breath and live. And your right bout airb&b. I thought that i could find a room or a place for a few months but not sure about that now. Im currently staying in a hotel and its expensive.and have got to find a short or long term rental soon. I hope everything works out for you Sir. Im sure it will. Take care.
I'm originally from Nova Scotia, not too far from Boston, I understand your feelings on the weather. Estepona is a wonderful place, I was there a few weeks back for an appointment, absolutely gorgeous. I'm in Fuengirola now, not sure if it will be permanent. I am going to keep looking around before I buy a place. Thanks for watching and good luck.
@@TheEmptyMiddleSeatTravel Im Doing the exact same thing. Going to rent something around here for a while then visit all the coastal towns and decide. I will follow your channel. Will be interesting to see how you are doing. All the thebvery best of luck.
Very helpful video. We are in the process of moving to Spain and guess what, we to have decided on Fuengirola 😊 Moving this November but yet to find a place. Going to keep an eye on Idealista by end of Oct.Hope things go well. See you there 😀
Thank you. Yes, it is very hard to find a place before you are actually here. Idealista is your best website for searching. Once you are on the ground in Spain it will not take long to find a place.
That was great bud. Good information packed in to a short video. My wife and I began discussing potentially leaving Canada once she retires in about 4 years. I’m not liking the prospects of Canada with some of the policies implemented the last few years. It’s almost like their trying to destroy western Canada to ensure dominance in central Canada. Never thought I would leave here but it’s almost like the country just changed and I’m not recognizing it. Spain sounds interesting. Again thanks for a concise overview. You sound like a guy who is willing to try and learn and seek adventure. Cool👍
Destroy western Canada? What is it with people in Alberta and Saskatchewan thinking eastern Canada has it in for them. Both Alberts and Saskatchewan are richer on average than the maritime but you never hear people in New Brunswick fulminating against Ontario.
Also you need to find out what is the long-term projection for Spain ..on Mass Damaging immigration from Third World.. because it is in the EU.. England is going rapidly into War..it's all accelerating here..More than Million a year brought in Legally..The boats are the illegals..
My wife and I visited Spain last May for 1 month, 8 cities from Madrid, Granada, Malaga, stayed in Benalmadena for 1 week. We absolutely loved it, We are fluent Spanish speakers and have Spanish roots as well. It reminded us of Southern California where we currently live, perfect weather and all, except at 1/3 of the price and much less crime and congestion. I'd love to retire there, your vids just confirm how great it is, Can you talk about health insurance and how it works for you? Thanks for the vids, very insightful.
I am going to do a video shortly answering some questions people have, healthcare will be a part of it. But just to give you an idea of cost, I pay 668 euros a year for myself, it's quite reasonable. The Costa del Sol reminds me very much of Southern California, I travelled there extensively.
Glad you´re enjoying Fuengi. I lived there in the nineties when it was more or less a dump and brought up my two daughters there. I started a tech company with a partner servicing golf clubs. In those days it was pretty run down and didn´t even have a cinema (closed down). Mainly cheap ex pat bars and cafés and nothing to do off season. Then the new mayor came along and things started to change. Now it´s booming and as I say, glad you´re enjoying the "new" Fuengirola.
PS: Good tip about the lawyer. Even Spanish people use a third party (normally a "Gestor" though, not a lawyer) to deal with paperwork. They usually have their "friends" strategically positioned in the government posts to speed things up and they know their way around. I´ve just got my firearms licence which is a bureaucratic nightmare without having to set foot in a govenrment office and it cost me all of 40€ extra.
I absolutely love Malaga, Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Torremolinos. It's so laid back, everyone takes a pride in their property and I can honestly say that I felt really safe while out and about. I also noticed that there was always a Police presence too which is good. The Spanish are so welcoming.
Ahhh, my old stomping ground. I was based in Gib in the RAF, every weekend in Fuengi, Marbella, Puerto Banus and Malaga. Happiest days. Will hang up my boots in Granada or surrounding area. Enjoy !
I lived in Fuengirola back in the early 90's for a few years after leaving on an never ending back pack tour from Australia... really great place and I remember one morning they let out a bravo bull onto the beach (I think accidently).. I still go there at least once a year with the family when we visit the area... Back in the day it was heaving in the summer but dead quiet in the Winter.... great place and not as built up as Marbella and not as many drunken British yobs as in Benalmadena and Torremolinos.
Thank you for this, I moved here from Paris. Sun, beach, great people, safe, I also liked malaga, I go often by train but could not find easily a flat with parking in malaga.
Congratulations i am happy for you, my wife and myself we are going through the process of moving to Spain permanently, we already have bank accounts in Spain and also NIE numbers, we already have financial savings in our bank accounts in England, we also own a home which we plan to sell when we move and we also have very good pensions to meet the Spanish government requirements, we visit Spain a few times every year and we know, love the country and that's why we are going to make it our permanent home, we also have a Spanish solicitor in Alicante.
Definitely a good move, in Costa del Sol I prefer Mijas and Marbella, but that's just because I like the bling bling of Puente Romano and the fancy restaurants
Sounds like a great move. i hope you are enjoying your new home. We love Andalusia, especially Cordoba and Granada. The food in this region is beyond compare. We are leaning toward Cortina d'Ampezzo to expat one day. Hope you like our content as well. Cheers!
Hello, Thanks for sharing all the info, my wife and I we are in the process of moving to Spain, we live in Maine, USA and for the same reasons we’re loving the idea of moving to that area, we have been in that area twice last year and we are going again in April and definitely staying in that area, we are retiring in 2 years and I would love to have all the decisions made by then, in our case we’re bilingual so the process should be easier for us. We thank you for the tips Thanks
Great decision, life is good over here. Although I must say I love travelling in Maine. I used to live in Nova Scotia, and we would head to Maine 4-5 times a year. We travelled it extensively, almost considered moving there at one point. Be bilingual will be very beneficial. Good luck with the move.
Thank you so much for guiding us. It helps me a lot. Soon i'll be in spain and ita accidently happened with me and i said to my dad i will go to spain let me make my setup there and then i will let you know that i am fine with this country or not. But your video made me 110% positive to make things right.
Enjoyed all your info. My parents and I just bought an apartment in Malaga. We bought a ruin near Vinuela in '88 and now they live there full time since 99. I live in Guelph and am getting to an age to consider, a full time move, and your video was helpful. I visit now 2-3 times a year and am back in March for 3 weeks. See you at La Tranca! P.S check out Roberto's restaurant in Fuengy- my uncles fav...
Fuengirola is now one of the fastest growing cities in Spain, many remote workers are now making it their home due to its great transport links and cheap apartment rent
Fuengirola is lovely- I moved to Malaga almos1year and a half ago and I don't regret it a bit! Once I get to buy a home- I will probably go to Fuengirola or Torremolinos
Welcome. We live in Madrid but have a villa in Alhaurín El Grande and a had an apartment in Teatinos (Malaga) and definitively it's a region with a high standard of living. As a Spaniard just an advice try to learn some Spanish, don't be a permanent stranger like many European expats. XD
Good luck to you and your wife sir,I’m British and completely understand your reasons for moving, will catch up on your other videos as well, stay blessed👏🏽☕️🥰
It really is very easy. I lived in the Costa in the 90s and am moving back for good in a couple of months. Got all the paperwork started last Spring, have my NIE and have my bank account. Will be back by Spring. Packing up the house and getting it sold. Plan to be in the Mijas Costa area so hope to meet you. I hear there are a few Canadians in Fuengirola and Benalmadena Costa. If you need anything from Canada that you just can't live without let me know. I am not travelling light. Hope to meet you. What are you paying for rent? I was looking from Nerja over to Manilva and the prices were either nuts or not long term. Definitely rent before buying although I did see a really nice huge apartment in Manilva. Liked the Media Markt in Fuengirola and the British supermarket and all of the stores. Spain really has everything and food is SO much cheaper. Time to get back to packing.
Hi, good luck with the move. Let me know when you arrive, we can grab aa coffee or something. For rent you can get a 3 bedroom in Los Boliches for 800-1000 Euros, a little more in centro or the port area. You are right, there are not a lot of long term rentals at the moment. I frequent the the Mijas Parque Commercial, Iceland and Media Markt, it's nice to have the stores close by when you need them. I think after this year in Los Boliches I will rent down in Las Lagunas or centro for a year then, I will look at buying. The food is much more affordable than back home, and better too!
Nice video!! I've lived in both Málaga city and Fuengirola and tbh i prefer Málaga city to live because more options to study and to work but i really love Fuengirola too, i come every week, it's so nice to be here
❤ 🇪🇸 great cycling destination, up there with southern France 🚴♂️😃 use the 2min rule to learn a language, dedicate 2 mins a day which makes it very achievable 🇪🇸🇪🇸👍 more often than not you’ll do a lot more 👊
Félicitations 👏. Well done. Everything is quite valid. I had left Costa del Sol many years ago and I had an opportunity to purchase a property at a terrific price regrettably, i passed and continued to travel only to relocate to France. After one a few years, i realised France wasn't for me. Love France but not permanently. Resided in other European countries and continued traveling but bow, 8ts time to stay put somewhere. Returned to Greece to holiday and scope it out as a possibility to stay. Pondering Albania, Sicilia or return to Spain.
Thank you. Good luck with the search. Have you been to the Costa Blanca? We are starting to look up there, it's quite nice, with great properties. Not sure where we will buy at this point, but half the fun is looking.
I lived in Torremolinos, paid 400€ a month right in the city Center. Never saw anything bad, ( only one girl running drunk over the Train track)Good transportation, i was kinda lucky as i,m from Norway ao i just moved down and had a job, no paper work. Only Paper work i guess was the paperwork to get a bank and health care. Those things not knowing Spanish is a hastle but once figured out your good. People are really friendly. I now live in Florida working st Epcot but probably going back to Spain
Congratulations on your move to Spain. I really enjoyed your video. It is very informative. I am curious about taxes. As an expat in Spain will you be paying Canadian taxes, Spanish taxes or both? It might be interesting if you can do a short video on this topic.
I actually did a tax simulation with a firm in Madrid to calculate potential tax payments. It looks like I will have to pay more taxes in the end. But I find you get a lot more in services for your taxes here. As a non-resident you still have to give Canada 15% I believe. Then that 15% is applied to your Spanish taxes, as a credit because of the tax treaty Canada and Spain have together. But I will have to wait and see how it all plays out when I file next year. It is a little complicated, we will be using professionals for taxes.
@@TheEmptyMiddleSeatTravel Very interesting and helpful video! My husband and I are investigating and comparing expat life in Portugal and Spain. Tax responsibilties for expats in Spain vs expats in Portugal comes up alot😮💨... and seems confusing to many! If you have a referral for tax advice in Spain, I know it would be helpful! Many thanks! 😁
This is a great video thank you. I'd love to move here from the UK. The costa del sol looks awesome. Fuengirola looks affordable. I appreciate the video and have subscribed to your channel!
Man I’m so happy for you. Finally your dream came through. I’m also Canadian and my dream is also leaving Canada. Everything became ridiculous expensive in Canada. But I’m afraid that I would miss Canada if I leave it. How do you feel by being in another country using different language ?
I love it. I have been traveling all over the world my entire life. I don't miss Canada at all. The language doesn't bother me, I am learning it. Plus there are a lot of English expats around. It's a better way of life for me here.
We left Canada and have absolutely no regrets, apart from not doing it sooner. It's only when we left that we realised how hard and depressing life was there.
Great video. Coming to visit in the Fall. First time. Spain could be a future move too. Curious- did you buy a place yet? And if you wanted to move there and wanted to work, would it be a different visa that you would be applying for? I guess if someone moved there and worked remotely for a Canadian company, that would be acceptable as the funds would be coming from Canada.
Thank you. No I have not bought anything as of yet. If you wanted to work in Spain that is a completely different visa. If you work remotely the digital nomad and possibly the NLV would be the best visas.
Student Visa, for example to learn spanish no matter the age!! give you the opportunity to have a job with a maximun of 30 hours a week!! Chek it in the spanish consulate!!@@TheEmptyMiddleSeatTravel
HI, Really enjoy your Spanish videos. Do you mind me asking how you finance your NLV for the monthly requirements? Have you a rental property/properties in Canada or just from savings? The money side of the NLV is (obviously) the biggest stumbling block for most people wanting to move to Spain. I myself own a house in Andalucia and would love to live there but my work commitments and future value of my pension probably won't be enough to qualify for the NLV. Just curious how you achieved yours.
Thank you. It takes a lot of planning, hard work and some sacrifice. Check out this channel on RUclips, "Our Rich Journey" they explain how to do it. They are from the US and retired in Portugal. They have some great advice on retiring early and financial independence.
I love how beautiful the parks and even the sidewalks are as you're walking through Spain.. I studied in Salamanca so I know how clean Spain is and the contrast to Chicago. This might be TMI but me and my girlfriend had a good dinner kinzie Street honor walk home we had a Dodge human feces.. dozens of tents underneath Bridges
Spain is very clean indeed, and they have beautiful plants and gardens everywhere. The drug and homeless situation in the major North American cities is getting out of control. Hopefully they get it do something about it soon.
Congratulations on the move! I lived in Calgary for 12 years, then moved to Vabcouver now for 2 years. Are there a lot of home based jobs in Spain? I'm filipino by country of origin and I really relate to Latinos and Spanish people.
Lived just outside Fuengirola my whole life, and now love in Fuengirola. Easy life, quiet, easy to meet other expats, but still 90% locals. Weather is perfecto!
How easy to make friends as a bachelor
Nah locals is way beyond bro, 1/3 of Fuengirolas population is Finnish😂
Great video. I am in the process right now…. Can’t wait. Bye bye cold 🥶 Toronto 🎉😂❤hola Spain😊
It's called "immigrants".
Hey I wonder if you'll read and reply to this.. is Fuengirola whole year round a busy place to run a business, or is it mostly seasonal..?? I am looking to buy a lease in the area, Fuengirola, Benalmadena, Torremolinos...
Lived in Fuengirola for over 18 years now, still love it here
I found it a bit too full of low class Brits who wouldn't bother to speak the language and also only wanted to eat Brit food despite the amazing Spanish food on offer. I was extremely disappointed in Fuengirola.
Hey I wonder if you'll read and reply to this.. is Fuengirola whole year round a busy place to run a business, or is it mostly seasonal..?? I am looking to buy a lease in the area, Fuengirola, Benalmadena, Torremolinos...
@@grimegarage09isplop I think it’s according to what type of business you gavr
@jeansmith5692 hey thanks for the amazingly quick reply 👍. Sure, I totally get its dependant on business type, but I was more interested to know if the whole area region is more than just seasonal... Is there an all year round vibrant economy, or is it completely quiet in the autumn/winter months..
@@grimegarage09isplop it is quieter in the winter
Congratulations on your move to Spain. My parents moved there in 1995. From then right up until they passed, they didn’t regret a single minute. I have now inherited their house just outside town. My wife, kids and I love the Fuengirola area…been visiting multiple times a year for the last 26 years + plus I holidayed there with my parents before that. I loved your video and look forward to more (if you make them).
Thank you. Fuengirola is an amazing place to live, it has so much to offer. There will be more videos coming, I am hoping to release at least 2 a month.
Great video. I’ve been here 13 years also from Alberta. Never going back. Haha. Glad you like it here. Good luck bro!
@@kirkallen4314 Wow! We are also from Alberta (Edmonton) we have been contemplating moving to Portugal, but after researching it for few months, we are reconsidering it.
How don’t ou compare tbe healthcare system where you are to the one in Alberta? Did you buy or are you renting?
@@kirkallen4314 What don't you miss the snow lol......
Sorry for your loss
Hi! We just moved from Toronto to Fuengirola, your story it’s so similar with ours, we just love it here, I wish you just the best !
Thank you
Hi @eleonorabodea3638 I am working towards moving to spain with my husband and 2 kids as well , from Toronto
Would you be open to connecting and sharing your move experience with me? I can share my email if that is Ok with you. Thanks!
You won't hear from people who moved there who hate it lol
Definately a good move. It is a lovely area, you chose well. l lived in Spain for 8 years, live back in UK now. No contest as to which is better, Spain all the way. Good luck and well done!
Thank you. Spain is a wonderful place to call home.
Y seguro que no sabes ni decir hola en español.
Why'd you move back to UK?
Amanda why did you move back here to UK. ? The country now is on its face. 45,000 immigrants now here. Rishi not got a clue . We need more policing as crime going up and up. X
@@gianni.santi. I hate England as the airlines cloud seed the country for making bad weather
Hey, this was super helpful, thank you! No nonsense, no filler, highly informative. Fuengirola, Rincón de la Victoria, Benalmadena, Mijas, and Torremolinos are all on our radar.
Thanks. Those are all great places to live. Good luck with the move. We are currently renting now and searching up and down the coast for a place to buy.
I love Fuengirola. I bought my house in 2015 behind the mall. Best town, right in the middle of Costa Del Sol. You can commute to Malaga and Marbella easily. Plus, you have so many supermarkets to choose from,unlike other towns. It’s just well balanced.
It's a great place to live, it literally has everything.
@@TheEmptyMiddleSeatTravel does it have lots of blacks, indian/Pakistanis, Arabs there, because I live in UK and was told this is an areas strength?
@@jamesjameson4566 you have the usual black African “ looky. Looky “ men , and lots of Moroccans. We have noticed an increase in Muslims every single year . Many immigrants are now from South America, Venezuela, Colombia etc and also many immigrants from Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia .
@@howard4510 you need to get together and put an end to it they'll ruin whatever good thing you have going over there, what's being done? The authorities should take a hard line
@@howard4510 🤡🤡
This is awesome information. I’m in Ontario and about to finally make this move. My house is being listed next week. I’m 53 and planning on full retirement in Spain.
That's awesome, congratulations. Good luck with the move over
I moved from Atlanta to Barcelona in 2005 and haven't looked back. Was a great decision for me.
Loved your article on Spain. You answered many questions except for the health care. I hope to see many more of your travels. Good luck.
Thank you. I cover healthcare in my newest video, "Answering Your Questions". Here is the link ruclips.net/video/PrYIywSyKDU/видео.html
Spain is awesome. We are moving back in 2024! Don't forget to tell them about Gibralter only 1.5 hours south! Such a beautiful. One big thing: LEARN SPANISH!! Once you learn Spanish the country is 1000% better!!
I agree, learning the language is a must
Hi good day! There is someway, somehow that i can talk to you thru email...i have a couple of questions but they are very personal, and should be treated as privacy! I will appreciate it! Thanks a lot !
@@rasapradadasabracho6024 Hi yes, here is my email emptymiddleseat@gmail.com
Estoy totalmente de acuerdo, aunque aprender un idioma de adulto es más difícil que en la escuela. una palabra al día... Seguí luchando y cuando nos mudamos aquí pude tener una conversación razonable. ❤
Necesita más que un palabra una día en realidad. Hay mils de palabras y solos 365 días por año. Especialmente si quiere trabaja en el país..
I have a house just outside Fuengirola. Im 52 years, from Denmark. It being EU we can work and just move around as we please. I love Fuengirola. Best place on the coast. Been going there since childhood.
One of the best ‘moving to Spain’ videos I’ve seen for a long time!!
Thanks!
Hey Scott!! From your wife's coworker at IWK. I don't know how you filled your head with all this information so quicky. It is like you have lived there for years. Enjoy your new home.
Thanks so much.
This is such a huge help being Canadian. Thank you
Thanks glad it was helpful
The first time I stayed on the Costa del Sol was back in 1972 for 9 months, 3 in Torremolinos, 6 in Foo. I was a teenager with my travel loving, adventurous parents. We all loved it so much, it was still relatively small and very charming. We lived across from the beach during summer and hung out at the beach bars, eating grilled sardines and playing volleyball, then moved closer to downtown during the school year and I attended an international school for a while. I know its grown exponentially since then (I've been back 15 times, tho not recently), After I married, I took my husband and kids there 4 times and each time we stayed in Los Boliches. Years have now passed and I've recently retired and am thinking of trying it out again to see if it still fits. I just moved to FL a year ago and it's nice but too political and too much weather (read: hurricanes - my area was hit twice here where I live this summer). Just recently the thought of going back "home" to my old stomping grounds has been tickling my brain, so I appreciate your video! Best of luck to you and your wife.
Thank you. It is a fantastic place to live. Always something happening around town too. Hopefully you make back, even for a visit.
Lived here now for 23 years,love it!
To be honest. Anywhere seems better than the states
Go for it ,life is short
“Foo”?! The foo fighters? 😂 We call it for short “fuengi” I just had to comment because the name you assigned it for abbreviation got to me, literally nobody has ever called it “foo” 😂. Mijas and Fuengirola is much more affordable than Marbella for instance, los Boliches has always been a nest for the English/speaking foreigners it’s like mini England/Germany specially in summer. Glad you enjoyed my country/city definitely recommend in comparison with America, anything beats that hell hole… (don’t mean to offend). Peace ✌🏼
Absolutely the best decision! I lived in Sanlucar de Barrameda & Chipiona for 4 years, then moved to Fuengirola for 6 years in the 1990's and was the best place to live. I'm planning to move back in the near future. Thank you for explaining the process for NLV.
Thanks, It is an amazing place to live. Good luck with your move back.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. My husband and I live in Florida and have talked about moving to Spain. He has family there and his mom was originally from Spain. We are going to visit Spain this year in October. Super excited about that. Again, thank you for sharing. Will for sure check out the reference on your video. Stay safe.
Thank you and best of luck
Bienvenido amigo! no dejes de visitar otras ciudades del país. Puedes viajar rápidamente en coche o en tren, y los paisajes cambian mucho de un lugar a otro. Saludos
tengo pensado visitar toda España
Pro tip: buy a classic car/ truck/ road legal race car at least 6 month before coming, you must own it for at least that, check what cars aren't allowed to be road legal here and buy those, as a change of residency you can register whatever you bring, so those kind of cars are really rare and sought after by spanish car lovers and they pay more than it costed back in the us, to go back from spain, buy an old land rover and bring it back to the us, amazing returns✌️
For Canadians doing their non lucrative visa, it is actually quite easy.
Express post to Toronto, pre paid Express post back.
Appointments for TIE and Padron are both online, with the only frustration being when to pick up actual TIE card. Your temporary one has a day code, and summonsed to let you know what day to return, however at the Fuengirola natuonal police station it stayed at one number for 8 days, then jumped up by 6 days. And the online appointment doesn't identify what date corresponds to which day posted
Other than that, easy process, with the hardest just waiting for the consulate to return your visa in your passport!
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 Hi, Im spanish from Malaga end....
You can also come to Spain with a student visa, for example a student of spanish language. It must be a center recognized by the Spanish state but there are many and in many cities, this allows you to come and also work up to a maximum of 30 hours a week, after you are not old enough to be a student you can check this with your lawyer or at the consulate Spanish in your country!! Thank you for choosing Malaga, the city where I was born. When you speak Spanish I want you to listen to a Spanish song by Joan Manuel Serrat "Mediterraneo" you will cry with emotion, and you will andrestand the spansih culture and historic, pure poetry!!!!
@@Juanfernandez-sm8jl can you get a work permit and work there or you have to already have your retirement income or online business income?
I fell in love with that song back in the late 70s when I lived in Barcelona. Also “La Mujer Que Yo Quiero”.
Great helpful video thank you for going to the trouble of helping everyone who's thinking about this like us 🙂. Really useful even for us Brits
Glad it was helpful!
You are my hero- I live in London ON almost 60 years old and I am in love with Spain. I am making plans to move. I spent last 15 years every summer in different parts of Spain. I am thinking Valencia or Malaga or even Fuengirola. Your tips are golden.
Thanks. Those are all great spots. Good luck with your move, glad the video was useful.
Hi I am also moving to Spain la Cala
Welcome and greetings from Málaga. We decided to settle down in Malaga, there are definitely neighbourhoods here that have way less tourists then Fuengirola and the airport is just a ride with the metro.
But Fuengirola is a beautiful place too.
Regards
Hello. Do you think you could offer me some advice? I'm coming from the UK and thinking of settling in malaga. I prefer to live in a house than a flat/apartment. Where in malaga or the region would be best suited for houses budget of about €400k do you think? Suburbs is fine with me. Thanks matt
@mattheweast-jones7704 Hi, for this budget you already get houses in good areas of Málaga. A quick search in the common real estate portal shows 580 houses available. Nowadays you can also negotiate the price 10-20% down if it's not an A class property. Btw the interest here is still a lot cheaper then in the UK. Once you sort the legal issues to become resident in Spain, you should have no problem to find a nice house
@@languno that's wonderful to hear. Thank you very much for replying. Disfruta el finde
Hello from Drummondville Québec. Air Transat has been flying directly from Montréal Québec (that's still in canada right?) since at least 2010. I flew in 2011 and 7 more times since.
Thanks for all the info I might move there too (Fuen/Los Boliches)
Great video and thank you! My plan was to visit next month Sept. Malaga and Marbella, but I run into your video about Fuengirola, so definitely, I will check out this city in my way. I live in California for 35 days and It is about time to make a move. So tired of the politics and expensive cost of live. Spain is my first choice. Muchas gracias por su video amigo.
Enjoy your trip. I agree that life without politics is much more enjoyable
Been coming to Costa del sol for 20+ years .We stay in a beautiful village called La Cala..10mins bus ride from fuengy...love fish ally in fuengy.. coming out on June 24th..can't wait.. all the best..👍😎
Such a great decision! As a Spaniard living abroad for several years I can see myself going back to Spain and living in Costa del Sol 😎 I hope one day I can make that move, just like you did! Great video and tips, I agree with everything you said
Thanks. I hope you make it back someday.
We love Fuengirola! Hoping to move there one day from the UK. Also, love Malaga but your wife is right Los Boliches is the best!
Wow brings back memories, I was there back in 1994, stayed over 6 months, I actually could live there back then without a visa, had a family book. Beautiful location, miss it very much.
I am originally from ireland been living in Calgary AB for the last 35yr l keep watching shows on portugal & spain and asking myself qhy l still in Canada Europe is so much laid back people enjoy there lifes more there it seems in Canada &Usa all we do is work & winers in Canada 🇨🇦are unbelievable still after all these years l think it time for a change back to Europe as l gave dual citizenship 1🙏
Europe is a much better place to live. The weather, food and lifestyle are unbeatable.
@@marytrabelsi3674 totally agree
@@marytrabelsi3674 I feel exactly the same
Excellent information. I love that area you are in. Spent a couple weeks there in 2018 and really enjoyed El Puerta de Santa Maria. We walked for a couple hours a day and just explored the neighborhoods and the beach. Beautiful place to be and I love how laid back it feels in Spain.
Thanks, it's a great way of life here
Oh my goodness! Congratulations!! That is so exciting and what an amazing adventure. Spain looks like an absolutely incredible place to live! Applications can be super overwhelming to live in another country, we had to do so much crazy paperwork for a long time to help Greg move to Canada from the US, so great idea on the lawyer because we found it sooo overwhelming without one. So excited for you guys and your new adventure!! AMAZING! Have so much fun and can’t wait to follow along on your adventures there 😊
Thanks so much. It has been a process, but very worth it in the end. Thanks for watching
😍😍😍 Hi, Im spanish from Malaga end....
You can also come to Spain with a student visa, for example a student of spanish language. It must be a center recognized by the Spanish state but there are many and in many cities, this allows you to come and also work up to a maximum of 30 hours a week, after you are not old enough to be a student you can check this with your lawyer or at the consulate Spanish in your country!! Thank you for choosing Malaga, the city where I was born. When you speak Spanish I want you to listen to a Spanish song by Joan Manuel Serrat "Mediterraneo" you will cry with emotion, and you will andrestand the spansih culture and historic, pure poetry!!!!
Hi!!! Welcome to Spain and Fuengirola. I was a subscriber before you came here (I also live in Fuengirola).I wish you to be very happy here.
Hi, thank you very much. I remember your walking videos from Fuengirola. I love it already, it is a great place to live.
Thanks for sharing, looking forward to coming to Spain sometime next year, stay blessed and let's go! 👪👪👪👪👪👪👪
We stayed in Los Boliches summer past, amazing spot. We'd been previously back in 2016 but up the other end towards the Castle. Los Boliches is def the best area, can walk 10 minutes into the lively parts if you want to and everything on the doorstep as you say. Train station is super handy too.
Been on plenty of Spain holidays but Fuengirola is def our go to now if we head that direction.
Best of luck to you all on your new adventures.
Thanks. Fuengirola has it all, a great place to live and vacation.
Holidayed there in 2019 and until we arrived I had no idea there was a castle there (built by the moors) pretty much beachside.
Good choice. I will visit Spain in a week and will focus on "if it's an option for me" to live there.
This video was already pretty informative. Thanks and all the best.
As a Spanish livin in the Malaga province all my life, welcome to Spain and welcome to Malaga
Once the weather is less hot, I hardly recommend you to go to the inside of the province. Is a short ride by car or bus, and the history and art you can enjoy here is unbelievable.
Thank you. I look forward to exploring all of Spain, it is such a beautiful country rich with culture and history.
HI , We are from Montreal and we are staying in Fuengirola for a few days . We would like to see some rentals while we are there . What neighborhood should we look at and is there a local place to rent that's better than what we see online ? Thanks Marc.
@@marclajeunesse3890 Hi, your best bet is to use the idealista website and contact the agents directly. Some good neighbourhoods are Los Boliches, Torreblanca, Centro, Mijas/Las Lagunas
congratulations guys, such a positive story.Wish you both lots of fun and a good life in the sunshine.stay safe and take care now..
Thanks so much!
Congratulations on your move, I have been here well over 10 years. It’s a nice part of the world and you are right Fuengirola has everything and isn’t as hilly as Torremolinos or Benalmadena definitely the best option up to Marbella although Carvajal at the border of Fuengirola and Benalmadena is now becoming the new Marbella. Over the last 3 years or so prices have definitely been going up for housing fuel foods everything as it has been all over the world but still maybe cheaper than some parts of the world. for years there have been rumours of extending the local train line but I doubt that is going to happen anytime soon if at all.
Thank you. Spain is a beautiful place, and the Costa del Sol is just ticks so many boxes. The cost of food, fuel and housing in Canada has sky rocketed at an alarming rate. Hopefully things return to a balance at some point.
First congratulations on your move!.
I also wanted (and researched /visited) moving to Spain from the UK over a period of 20 years since my early twenties. Ironically, the move was delayed for many more years due to meeting my ex husband, who was spanish and never wanted to live there full time.
So after the divorce 14 years later, I decided to pick-up where I had left of and sold up in the UK and bought a great property in Benalmadena, Montealto Up high between the sea and Benalmadena Pueblo with great 360 views of both mountain and sea from both the front and the rear of the property.
Spain is a great place to live, with great people and a healthy climate. But although I had been married to a spanish person, researched and visited it many times over the years (both pre and post marriage and in between!) living there was difficult for me personally. And I put this down to not being able to adjust to the environment has a 'whole" (to stress, this was not the people or area) just the 'gut feel' of it not being everything it needed to be 'for me'.
What I would advise, is wherever you choose to immigrate to , it's better to do it with your family then solo (although many people do immigrate solo every day) Because you definitely need that mental and social 'family' support and presence in something has big has this. (which can be overlooked and missed amongst all the initial excitement and idealism.
I agree 100%
This is great insight - Thank you x
Nah you make new friends in no time and they are usually much better as they have no agenda
Love Los Boliches. Been taking extended breaks there for several years now that we are in our 60's/70's. Heading back for 2 months in the Fall/Autumn. Plenty to do, and to see as this Gentleman is pointing out, plus i travel to watch Malaga CF for their home games with the local Scandanavian Fan Club which is akways fun. I think we are noow too old to move over permanently which is a shame but a few months at a time is next best thing. Yes, learn the language too.
Hi, and thank you from Ireland. Being Europeans, we wont have as many issues as you guys, hopefully... I enjoyed your 'off the cuff' approach to your video. We have visited this whole area a few times and have also settled on Malaga to Marbella area. Hope you are doing well in your new 'Eurooean' home 🙏
Thanks for watching! Good luck with your move to Spain
Hey mate. I lived in Edmonton for 13 years. Last summer I took my family to Algarve and and then Seville , Malaga. We really liked it there. I hope I can pull it off too. I’m originally from Morocco. It’s a 30mn ferry from Tarifa to Tangier.
Good luck, it's a nice life
Spain is awesome. We live inland, but visited Fuengirola recently. It was enjoyable. But so different from a small inland town.
Fuengirola can get very congested, but it's a beautiful place
My wife and I have been going to Fuengirola for the last 15 years every chance we get. Fantastic little town and we love our time there, our trips all over Spain keeping Fuengirola as our home base and love Spain!!! Travelled all over and because we are over age of 60, we get Gold Card for transportation across Spain with discounts on trains which makes traveling easy peasy. I hope you will show some sights of Fuengirola, for people to see how beautiful, and less talking please. Will look forward to some exciting videos of Spain!!!
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏Thanks a lot for sharing "Spain with discounts on trains which makes traveling easy peasy!"
Hi that’s exactly what we are doing in March. Just waiting for the visas. Got the bank account got a lawyer got the Health Insurance sold the house. Going to torremolinos. Already put a deposit on a condo. Can hardly wait. Done with USA.
That"s awesome, life is good over here. Good luck with the move.
England is a geoengineerimg testing ground to make the whole country cloudy everyday. Ver very depressing and depressed on what professor Jim Haywood at Exeter university controls the weather. I hate the UK so much now, I want to move to Spain, but it's going to break up my 12 yr relationships as she's not one bit interested, watnts to be with mumy.
Not necessary to have a Health Insurance in Spain. Health Care system is public!
so are you still there?
As for living in Spain my choices will be either Fuingirola or Estepona....Two beautiful coastal cities with awesome beaches!!!!
I totally agree!
Welcome to Fuengirola. Great place to live. Been here almost 5 years now.
Congratulations on your move to Spain. You made a great choice.
Thanks, it's has been great so far
Congratulations. I wish more people would look at Spain vs Portugal, France and Italy. I know I am Canadian and happy to be here
Thanks for the good summary from your experience. Very good tips
Especially about renting before, this is critical and also learning spanish, you will love it a little more
Happy to see another Canadian in Spain. We have been 15 years but living closer to Castellon/Valencia
Your video had the major points. Another suggestion I should add for the viewers is to define what you will be doing when you live in Spain.
In our case we decided to be in the country (10km from the beach and very quiet) and mostly interested in biking and trekking. We have no kids, so the decision is also different.
Thanks. I live close to the beach now (130 M) , but I will definitely be buying a bit further back. Great points!
I am sure we have plenty of foreign people here in Spain we should stop immigration for a while
Congrats on yr move to Andalusia life is very, very good here. We moved from CA to the Marbella area, it is fabulous but not really cheaper than the USA as it is the same everywhere all depending on the location, location. BTW you can work in Andalusia as a digital nomad as of 2023. Further to consider and make your life more comfy, not to be surrounded by short term rental tourist/holiday properties, just saying.
Looks fabulous. Happy for you. Glad ur immersing yourself in the culture. Wish u many happy days.
I love Spain. I know Fuengirola and Mijas. I ended up choosing to buy a property in Marbella. Malaga was okay it’s just too busy for me.
Nice, Marbella is beautiful. I agree, Malaga is wonderful but very busy.
My wife and I rent for three months from New Year to March 31 every year in Los Boliches. It's lovely, and a great place to escape the damp Irish winter. I think you'd have better served your viewers by walking the paseo and showing them the beautiful seafront and the beach. Just nit-picking. Your info was spot on. Best of luck! 👍
Thanks for watching. I have other videos on the channel where I highlight the city, beaches and everything else in Fuengirola, Benalmadena etc.
Thank You. I lived in Boston ma for 35 years and decided to return to Ireland 4 years ago where I had a real nice house in Tramore.
The weather there is awful and I just couldnt stand it, Boston has gotten way to expensive in the meantime and all my buisness contacts retired or moved on.
So I decided that Ive got to live in the sun, but had never been to spain mainland, so 6 weeks ago I sold my house van all my tools. My stuff is in
Storage back there.
I arrived in Malaga 2 weeks ago and decided that place wasnt for me, so I came down to Estepona and have decided to visit towns along the coast like fuengiirola
Im hoping to find an expat community Americans Canadians brits Irish and start a small biz.
Im a painting contractor
Buy a bungalow And just breath and live.
And your right bout airb&b. I thought that i could find a room or a place for a few months but not sure about that now. Im currently staying in a hotel and its expensive.and have got to find a short or long term rental soon.
I hope everything works out for you Sir. Im sure it will.
Take care.
I'm originally from Nova Scotia, not too far from Boston, I understand your feelings on the weather. Estepona is a wonderful place, I was there a few weeks back for an appointment, absolutely gorgeous. I'm in Fuengirola now, not sure if it will be permanent. I am going to keep looking around before I buy a place. Thanks for watching and good luck.
@@TheEmptyMiddleSeatTravel Im Doing the exact same thing. Going to rent something around here for a while then visit all the coastal towns and decide.
I will follow your channel. Will be interesting to see how you are doing.
All the thebvery best of luck.
Very helpful video. We are in the process of moving to Spain and guess what, we to have decided on Fuengirola 😊 Moving this November but yet to find a place. Going to keep an eye on Idealista by end of Oct.Hope things go well. See you there 😀
Thank you. Yes, it is very hard to find a place before you are actually here. Idealista is your best website for searching. Once you are on the ground in Spain it will not take long to find a place.
That was great bud. Good information packed in to a short video. My wife and I began discussing potentially leaving Canada once she retires in about 4 years. I’m not liking the prospects of Canada with some of the policies implemented the last few years. It’s almost like their trying to destroy western Canada to ensure dominance in central Canada. Never thought I would leave here but it’s almost like the country just changed and I’m not recognizing it. Spain sounds interesting. Again thanks for a concise overview. You sound like a guy who is willing to try and learn and seek adventure. Cool👍
I agree a 100%, we do not like like the direction it is heading either.
Destroy western Canada? What is it with people in Alberta and Saskatchewan thinking eastern Canada has it in for them. Both Alberts and Saskatchewan are richer on average than the maritime but you never hear people in New Brunswick fulminating against Ontario.
Also you need to find out what is the long-term projection for Spain ..on Mass Damaging immigration from Third World.. because it is in the EU.. England is going rapidly into War..it's all accelerating here..More than Million a year brought in Legally..The boats are the illegals..
Love your video, we are canadiens and are going to Torremolinos for 3 weeks in March/ April. Would love to move there. Your video is so inspiring….
Thank you. Enjoy your trip, Torremolinos is a wonderful place!
My wife and I visited Spain last May for 1 month, 8 cities from Madrid, Granada, Malaga, stayed in Benalmadena for 1 week. We absolutely loved it, We are fluent Spanish speakers and have Spanish roots as well. It reminded us of Southern California where we currently live, perfect weather and all, except at 1/3 of the price and much less crime and congestion. I'd love to retire there, your vids just confirm how great it is, Can you talk about health insurance and how it works for you? Thanks for the vids, very insightful.
I believe it’s much cheaper than the US, a RUclips called Antoanetta did a video covering this I believe.
I watch her videos, great channel
I am going to do a video shortly answering some questions people have, healthcare will be a part of it. But just to give you an idea of cost, I pay 668 euros a year for myself, it's quite reasonable. The Costa del Sol reminds me very much of Southern California, I travelled there extensively.
Glad you´re enjoying Fuengi. I lived there in the nineties when it was more or less a dump and brought up my two daughters there. I started a tech company with a partner servicing golf clubs. In those days it was pretty run down and didn´t even have a cinema (closed down). Mainly cheap ex pat bars and cafés and nothing to do off season. Then the new mayor came along and things started to change. Now it´s booming and as I say, glad you´re enjoying the "new" Fuengirola.
PS: Good tip about the lawyer. Even Spanish people use a third party (normally a "Gestor" though, not a lawyer) to deal with paperwork. They usually have their "friends" strategically positioned in the government posts to speed things up and they know their way around. I´ve just got my firearms licence which is a bureaucratic nightmare without having to set foot in a govenrment office and it cost me all of 40€ extra.
What a beautiful day, it looks lovely!! Awesome video 👍❤❤ Greeting from IRAN 🇮🇷
Thanks!
I absolutely love Malaga, Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Torremolinos. It's so laid back, everyone takes a pride in their property and I can honestly say that I felt really safe while out and about. I also noticed that there was always a Police presence too which is good. The Spanish are so welcoming.
It's a great way of life here and very safe
Ahhh, my old stomping ground. I was based in Gib in the RAF, every weekend in Fuengi, Marbella, Puerto Banus and Malaga. Happiest days. Will hang up my boots in Granada or surrounding area. Enjoy !
That was have been a great place to be posted to. Good luck
Very thorough video. Thanks. I look forward to following your journey.
Thank you.
I lived in Fuengirola back in the early 90's for a few years after leaving on an never ending back pack tour from Australia... really great place and I remember one morning they let out a bravo bull onto the beach (I think accidently).. I still go there at least once a year with the family when we visit the area... Back in the day it was heaving in the summer but dead quiet in the Winter.... great place and not as built up as Marbella and not as many drunken British yobs as in Benalmadena and Torremolinos.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Thank you for this, I moved here from Paris. Sun, beach, great people, safe, I also liked malaga, I go often by train but could not find easily a flat with parking in malaga.
Parking can be a challenge here.
Congratulations i am happy for you, my wife and myself we are going through the process of moving to Spain permanently, we already have bank accounts in Spain and also NIE numbers, we already have financial savings in our bank accounts in England, we also own a home which we plan to sell when we move and we also have very good pensions to meet the Spanish government requirements, we visit Spain a few times every year and we know, love the country and that's why we are going to make it our permanent home, we also have a Spanish solicitor in Alicante.
I am heading up to Alicante soon to check out the real estate market there. Good luck with your move
Definitely a good move, in Costa del Sol I prefer Mijas and Marbella, but that's just because I like the bling bling of Puente Romano and the fancy restaurants
Sounds like a great move. i hope you are enjoying your new home. We love Andalusia, especially Cordoba and Granada. The food in this region is beyond compare. We are leaning toward Cortina d'Ampezzo to expat one day. Hope you like our content as well. Cheers!
Thanks, I am loving it so far. I checked out your channel, looks great, I will be a regular viewer.
@@TheEmptyMiddleSeatTravel Same here. Love to share and be shared with for travel content.
yeah Cordoba all the way...from Savilla, Granada, and Malaga..Cordoba i like better
I stayed at Benalmadena, beautiful little town. I fell in love with it. Not much to do there, but Torremolinos and Malaga are a stones throw away
Getting around the Costa del Sol is so easy, it's one of the reasons I chose here. Benalmadena is quite nice, we visit parque Paloma often
I wish you and your wife the best times of your lije in Andalucia 💛 ☀
I'm portuguese but I loved it when we went on summer vacations ☀
Great video mate. I've been in Alberta (Calgary) in the winter and Fuengirola will definitely be warmer! Hope all is going well for you.
Thanks. Spain is definitely better temperature wise than those frigid Canadian winters.
We fly direct from Montreal to Malaga every year, for the last 15 years.
They don't run year round though, so it was never an option for me, but good to know
Hello,
Thanks for sharing all the info, my wife and I we are in the process of moving to Spain, we live in Maine, USA and for the same reasons we’re loving the idea of moving to that area, we have been in that area twice last year and we are going again in April and definitely staying in that area, we are retiring in 2 years and I would love to have all the decisions made by then, in our case we’re bilingual so the process should be easier for us. We thank you for the tips
Thanks
Great decision, life is good over here. Although I must say I love travelling in Maine. I used to live in Nova Scotia, and we would head to Maine 4-5 times a year. We travelled it extensively, almost considered moving there at one point. Be bilingual will be very beneficial. Good luck with the move.
Here in Spain we have good wines, good food, good weather and good places with a lot of history to visit
Yes, it has been amazing so far. Looking forward to travelling all over Spain.
Thank you so much for guiding us. It helps me a lot.
Soon i'll be in spain and ita accidently happened with me and i said to my dad i will go to spain let me make my setup there and then i will let you know that i am fine with this country or not. But your video made me 110% positive to make things right.
Good luck with your adventures in Spain
I'm moving to fuengirola later this year, we should grab a beer
That sounds good, send me a message when you are here
Enjoyed all your info. My parents and I just bought an apartment in Malaga. We bought a ruin near Vinuela in '88 and now they live there full time since 99. I live in Guelph and am getting to an age to consider, a full time move, and your video was helpful. I visit now 2-3 times a year and am back in March for 3 weeks. See you at La Tranca! P.S check out Roberto's restaurant in Fuengy- my uncles fav...
Thanks, I will do that
Fuengirola is now one of the fastest growing cities in Spain, many remote workers are now making it their home due to its great transport links and cheap apartment rent
I believe it. It,'s a great place to live.
@@TheEmptyMiddleSeatTravel I moved from London uk to costa del sol 3 years ago, best thing i ever done
Fuengirola can’t expand in size as it’s bound by the highway
Fuengirola is lovely- I moved to Malaga almos1year and a half ago and I don't regret it a bit! Once I get to buy a home- I will probably go to Fuengirola or Torremolinos
Welcome. We live in Madrid but have a villa in Alhaurín El Grande and a had an apartment in Teatinos (Malaga) and definitively it's a region with a high standard of living. As a Spaniard just an advice try to learn some Spanish, don't be a permanent stranger like many European expats. XD
Thank you. I am working on learning more Spanish everyday.
Good luck to you and your wife sir,I’m British and completely understand your reasons for moving, will catch up on your other videos as well, stay blessed👏🏽☕️🥰
Thank you
It really is very easy. I lived in the Costa in the 90s and am moving back for good in a couple of months. Got all the paperwork started last Spring, have my NIE and have my bank account. Will be back by Spring. Packing up the house and getting it sold. Plan to be in the Mijas Costa area so hope to meet you. I hear there are a few Canadians in Fuengirola and Benalmadena Costa. If you need anything from Canada that you just can't live without let me know. I am not travelling light. Hope to meet you. What are you paying for rent? I was looking from Nerja over to Manilva and the prices were either nuts or not long term. Definitely rent before buying although I did see a really nice huge apartment in Manilva. Liked the Media Markt in Fuengirola and the British supermarket and all of the stores. Spain really has everything and food is SO much cheaper. Time to get back to packing.
Hi, good luck with the move. Let me know when you arrive, we can grab aa coffee or something. For rent you can get a 3 bedroom in Los Boliches for 800-1000 Euros, a little more in centro or the port area. You are right, there are not a lot of long term rentals at the moment. I frequent the the Mijas Parque Commercial, Iceland and Media Markt, it's nice to have the stores close by when you need them. I think after this year in Los Boliches I will rent down in Las Lagunas or centro for a year then, I will look at buying. The food is much more affordable than back home, and better too!
@@TheEmptyMiddleSeatTravel And you find that cheap, thats the average wage here
Nice video!! I've lived in both Málaga city and Fuengirola and tbh i prefer Málaga city to live because more options to study and to work but i really love Fuengirola too, i come every week, it's so nice to be here
❤ 🇪🇸 great cycling destination, up there with southern France 🚴♂️😃 use the 2min rule to learn a language, dedicate 2 mins a day which makes it very achievable 🇪🇸🇪🇸👍 more often than not you’ll do a lot more 👊
Félicitations 👏. Well done. Everything is quite valid. I had left Costa del Sol many years ago and I had an opportunity to purchase a property at a terrific price regrettably, i passed and continued to travel only to relocate to France. After one a few years, i realised France wasn't for me. Love France but not permanently. Resided in other European countries and continued traveling but bow, 8ts time to stay put somewhere. Returned to Greece to holiday and scope it out as a possibility to stay. Pondering Albania, Sicilia or return to Spain.
Thank you. Good luck with the search. Have you been to the Costa Blanca? We are starting to look up there, it's quite nice, with great properties. Not sure where we will buy at this point, but half the fun is looking.
Greece Health Care no good..Spain Superior to Greece..ahead in many ways..Choose Wisely where you end up..
I flew from Granada to Rabat Morocco for €30 . Flight was only 20 minutes .
There are some fantastic flight deals in the region
Hello sir, I will be going back there in Fuengirola next month. Im happy to see your videos. I lived there back in october to december .
I lived in Torremolinos, paid 400€ a month right in the city Center. Never saw anything bad, ( only one girl running drunk over the Train track)Good transportation, i was kinda lucky as i,m from Norway ao i just moved down and had a job, no paper work. Only Paper work i guess was the paperwork to get a bank and health care. Those things not knowing Spanish is a hastle but once figured out your good. People are really friendly. I now live in Florida working st Epcot but probably going back to Spain
We have a apartment close to La Cala down the road. Love it. My parents are there now and I will go over March for a month.
Congratulations on your move to Spain. I really enjoyed your video. It is very informative. I am curious about taxes. As an expat in Spain will you be paying Canadian taxes, Spanish taxes or both? It might be interesting if you can do a short video on this topic.
I actually did a tax simulation with a firm in Madrid to calculate potential tax payments. It looks like I will have to pay more taxes in the end. But I find you get a lot more in services for your taxes here. As a non-resident you still have to give Canada 15% I believe. Then that 15% is applied to your Spanish taxes, as a credit because of the tax treaty Canada and Spain have together. But I will have to wait and see how it all plays out when I file next year. It is a little complicated, we will be using professionals for taxes.
@@TheEmptyMiddleSeatTravel Very interesting and helpful video! My husband and I are investigating and comparing expat life in Portugal and Spain. Tax responsibilties for expats in Spain vs expats in Portugal comes up alot😮💨... and seems confusing to many! If you have a referral for tax advice in Spain, I know it would be helpful! Many thanks! 😁
Trudeau must get his taxes from as many people as possible to keep control of his socialist country.
This is a great video thank you. I'd love to move here from the UK. The costa del sol looks awesome. Fuengirola looks affordable. I appreciate the video and have subscribed to your channel!
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Man I’m so happy for you. Finally your dream came through. I’m also Canadian and my dream is also leaving Canada. Everything became ridiculous expensive in Canada. But I’m afraid that I would miss Canada if I leave it. How do you feel by being in another country using different language ?
I love it. I have been traveling all over the world my entire life. I don't miss Canada at all. The language doesn't bother me, I am learning it. Plus there are a lot of English expats around. It's a better way of life for me here.
@@TheEmptyMiddleSeatTravel thank you for responding . Are you planning to stay for long outside Canada?
@@kellygonzalezsuarez yes, the plan is to retire here permanently
We left Canada and have absolutely no regrets, apart from not doing it sooner. It's only when we left that we realised how hard and depressing life was there.
Great spot, train station makes it perfect. 35 min from airport and your in your appartment. Enjoy, might see you there in a month.
Great video. Coming to visit in the Fall. First time. Spain could be a future move too. Curious- did you buy a place yet? And if you wanted to move there and wanted to work, would it be a different visa that you would be applying for? I guess if someone moved there and worked remotely for a Canadian company, that would be acceptable as the funds would be coming from Canada.
Thank you. No I have not bought anything as of yet. If you wanted to work in Spain that is a completely different visa. If you work remotely the digital nomad and possibly the NLV would be the best visas.
Student Visa, for example to learn spanish no matter the age!! give you the opportunity to have a job with a maximun of 30 hours a week!! Chek it in the spanish consulate!!@@TheEmptyMiddleSeatTravel
Another great video. Welcome to Fuengirola ❤ Our apartment is actually in the beige building with the red stripes behind you. Edificio La Reina 😊 7:46
Thank you. That is a great area.
HI, Really enjoy your Spanish videos. Do you mind me asking how you finance your NLV for the monthly requirements? Have you a rental property/properties in Canada or just from savings? The money side of the NLV is (obviously) the biggest stumbling block for most people wanting to move to Spain. I myself own a house in Andalucia and would love to live there but my work commitments and future value of my pension probably won't be enough to qualify for the NLV. Just curious how you achieved yours.
Thank you. It takes a lot of planning, hard work and some sacrifice. Check out this channel on RUclips, "Our Rich Journey" they explain how to do it. They are from the US and retired in Portugal. They have some great advice on retiring early and financial independence.
I love how beautiful the parks and even the sidewalks are as you're walking through Spain.. I studied in Salamanca so I know how clean Spain is and the contrast to Chicago. This might be TMI but me and my girlfriend had a good dinner kinzie Street honor walk home we had a Dodge human feces.. dozens of tents underneath Bridges
Spain is very clean indeed, and they have beautiful plants and gardens everywhere. The drug and homeless situation in the major North American cities is getting out of control. Hopefully they get it do something about it soon.
Congratulations on the move! I lived in Calgary for 12 years, then moved to Vabcouver now for 2 years. Are there a lot of home based jobs in Spain? I'm filipino by country of origin and I really relate to Latinos and Spanish people.
Thank you. I'm not sure how many home based jobs there are in Spain, but they did bring on a new digital nomad visa.
@@TheEmptyMiddleSeatTravel thank you again brother. Take care and wishing you all the best!
Madrid and Barcellona are full of remote job but they need you live inside the Spain territory.