Living in Estepona

[henrycynar]

Hello,

having recently moved to Valencia, I realized that more than having moved to a Spanish city, I moved to a big city. Yes of course Valencians are wonderful, but distances and the sheer amount of people make the experience akin to living in just another European big city.

What I am really looking for is a town/village, by the sea, in Andalucia (I adore the spontaneity of Andalusians and of course the weather) with a community that exists not only in summer, and a decent number of expats, of all ages.

What I am NOT looking for at all:
- bling bling
- showing off
- stag parties
- mass tourism
- summer towns that become ghost towns in winter

I have started looking at Estepona. Marbella would seem to me very much money and bling bling oriented, Tarifa has the expats and the locals ignoring each other (at best), but Estepona seems to fit the bill.

Ideas? Suggestions?

Gracias de antemano!

[Wicksey]

Have you considered looking east of Malaga? Less bling bling down this end!

[henrycynar]

Have you considered looking east of Malaga? Less bling bling down this end!

Sure, why not? Do you suggest some places in particular?

[costakid]

Have you considered looking east of Malaga? Less bling bling down this end!

Sure, why not? Do you suggest some places in particular?

Rincon de la Victoria
Torre Del Mar
Both have great access to Malaga city

[Kaiserkrypto]

Have you considered looking east of Malaga? Less bling bling down this end!

Sure, why not? Do you suggest some places in particular?

Almunecar

[Wicksey]

I agree with the above suggestions. Large towns that have everything you need, but much more Spanish. Having said that, there is still a thriving international expat community in these areas too.

[henrycynar]

Thanks for the suggestions. Can somebody give a bit more context? Rincon de la Victoria and Torre Del Mar seem to be exurbs of Malaga, so being exurbs they would have limited city centers and own activities while Almunecar seems to be more of a standalone place. What about Nerja and Motril?
Again, thanks for helping.

[Wicksey]

Torre del Mar is some distance away from Malaga city and is not a suburb, whereas Rincon is that much closer. Costakid knows it better so can give more information on Rincon.

Nerja is a small town, although it's quite pretty in the centre, we find it rather touristy. It has all the facilites, supermarkets, banks etc, but does not have the range of shops that Torre does. It is a nightmare to park there and particularly heaving in the summer. Although it is only 5 minutes along the motorway to us, we rarely go there. We tend to go to Torre del Mar and Velez Malaga more (although both are also very busy in August with parking problems, as are most coastal towns here, so we don't go out much then!).

If you think you'll be taking flights and need the airport fairly often, then do consider how far away you are from Malaga airport. We go away about 3 times a year, but it has been up to 6 trips a year, and personally I don't like a long drive to get to the airport. For us in Torrox, we do it in 40 minutes which is enough for me.

It's probably best to do a bit of a road trip to get the feel for the place. We usually know pretty quickly if we like an area or not when we visit.

[costakid]

Rincon is a working town and is about 20 minutes on the bus from Malaga. Rincon has everything you need for daily life. It does get very busy in the summer months and parking is a problem as it is in all coastal towns and villages. There is plenty to do in the winter months and a lot of places to eat stay open all year. Some coastal towns semi close down in the winter. TDM is another thriving town but over an hour on the bus into Malaga. It really depends on what you want. I would suggest a weeks road trip and maybe rent for 6 months if you are not sure.

[henrycynar]

Thanks for the great answers! If I were to say what I want in the shortest sentence possible, that would be “village/town life unimpeded by bling bling or extreme tourism year-long”. Nobody mentions Motril though - is it an impossible place like Algeciras?

[Kaiserkrypto]

you could also checkout Salobrena

[jonbar.1]

Please consider NERJA. Henrycynar.
It ticks all your boxes.
We've lived in the area for 10 years. There is no way would we move from here to West of Malaga.
( a purely subjective opinion, of course)

[costakid]

Please consider NERJA. Henrycynar.
It ticks all your boxes.
We've lived in the area for 10 years. There is no way would we move from here to West of Malaga.
( a purely subjective opinion, of course)

Nerja is fantastic to visit but i personally would never consider living there. You cant park and it’s rammed with tourists all year long. We love it to visit and eat out but living is a no no.

[henrycynar]

Well...since I get to ask...which place has got a sailing school?

[El Cid]

Come a bit further east to La Herradura and Marina del Este has plenty of facilites.

What sort of sailing are you thinking about?

Sid

[henrycynar]

Boat sailing, not windsurfing etc.

[gavilan]

seem to recall that towns west of Malaga have domestic water restrictions (as east of Malaga has too) ... doesnt stop sailing but might be difficult in house

[El Cid]

No restrictions east of Nerja. No rain either!

Sid

[El Cid]

Boat sailing, not windsurfing etc.

If you are looking to learn from experience then there are charter boats based at Marina del Este. If you are looking for official training courses, then Motril would be better.

Sid

[henrycynar]

Thanks! But nobody recommends Motril, is there a catch? Impossible place like Algeciras?