Spending winter 6 months overseas in early retirement

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mtk

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Has anyone any advice on good place to semi retire overseas for say 6 winter months of the year. This a long term plan for 4 years time so time to plan!

Criteria
winter climate warmer than ireland but not too warm
cost of living cheaper than ireland
english widley spoken or french speaking as I am pretty fluent

Any sugestions/ first hand experience of pros and cons of their chosen destination if they have doen this?

Many thanks
mtk
 
South of France definately!
Anywhere from Cannes to Nice to Monaco, wherever suits your pocket.
Weather pleasant thro winter months here, not too hot either.
 
Don`t know what prices are like in the south of France, but the Algarve is definitely a lot cheaper than Ireland and pretty much everyone speaks English. I´m currently in Alvor on holidays and have been here offseason and there´s lots of Irish, English, Germans and Dutch who spend their winters here.
 
Well France sounds logical but you would need to be carefulish in the south of France re costs - goes without saying that Nice, Cannes - all that are will be expensive.

Go round the corner and a bit more inland instead maybe. In and around Carcasonne is nice. Well connected by transport (isn't everywhere in France?) and some of the smaller towns within 20 minutes or so of Carcasonne are really lovely - and a good bit cheaper than Carcasonne itself.
 
Agreed, Caveat.
The Cote D'zur areas are probably the most attractive, and the prices are generally a bit lower than Ireland. However, as you move even slightly inland to any of the fantastic villages, prices are substantially cheaper allround.
The key thing here is not to get too isolated geographically or culturally, particularly in winter months. Its a good guideline to check out escape route via car or preferably train to cities for breaks etc. You would nee to go on holidays for a couple of off season months to get a feel for any area.
 
runner said:
The key thing here is not to get too isolated geographically or culturally, particularly in winter months.
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Worth mentioning too that the further inland you go, the lower the winter temperatures. Carcasonne in wintertime is cold: -1 or 2 is not that unusual. Still, you will usually get lovely clear, bright, crisp days anyway - not miserable and gloomy like our winters.
 
We spent a few days in La Ciotat in the south of France a few years ago, it is easily access from the train in Marseille and is near Cannes.. We loved it as it was an old town, yet it was a big town with plenty going on...
 
Caveat said:
Worth mentioning too that the further inland you go, the lower the winter temperatures. Carcasonne in wintertime is cold: -1 or 2 is not that unusual. Still, you will usually get lovely clear, bright, crisp days anyway - not miserable and gloomy like our winters.
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My understanding is that the OP wants to spend the winter outside Ireland in order to avoid the colder weather.

What about Madeira?

Pleasantly warm in the winter and no scumbags.
 
The original poster was looking for somewhere cheaper than Ireland, I found Madeira expensive almost on par with Ireland
 
irishmoss said:
The original poster was looking for somewhere cheaper than Ireland, I found Madeira expensive almost on par with Ireland
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I find that very hard to believe.

For example, €3 for a pint or €10 for a bottle of wine would be considered expensive in Madeira. A coffee typically costs 80c. These prices are a world away from those in Ireland.
 
We definitely paid more than 80c for coffee. 3 Course meals with wine were on average 80 euros for 2(nothing to write home about quality wise, taxi from airport to Funchal €50. Taxi from hotel to Funchal town 7 euros. Bus fares were also expensive.
 
Hello MTK,Not sure if you are interested in the canaries, but if we were to spend 6 months in semi retirement we would opt for Mogan.It is probably too quiet for some.The pros for me would be the weather ,In winter time the weather is great but not uncomfortably hot.Food and drink to buy is cheap ,ie. in the supermarket.Dont know where you are flying from but if there are regular flights in and out to Las palmas then another plus.Also everybody speaks english and it is lager lout free.It is a very quiet area but the public transport is very cheap if you feel the urge to visit the busier resorts.Mogan is a little haven away from everything if you want peace and quiet and sunshine in the winter months.Look it up on tripadvisor,regards salaried.
 
irishmoss said:
We definitely paid more than 80c for coffee. 3 Course meals with wine were on average 80 euros for 2(nothing to write home about quality wise, taxi from airport to Funchal €50. Taxi from hotel to Funchal town 7 euros. Bus fares were also expensive.
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You were had. Taxi fares from the airport to any hotel in Funchal are supposed to be fixed at €35.

Obviously there are some very expensive restaurants (e.g. a meal for 2 in Reid's or Cipriani's might run to hundreds of Euro), but generally meals are significantly cheaper than those in Ireland.

It is incorrect to claim that Madeira is 'expensive' or 'almost on a par with Ireland'.
 
We rented an apartment in Madeira in Funchal. It was more expensive to rent it there than on mainland Portugal or in Spain. I assume if the OP is staying away for 6 months then they will also be renting an apartment. We alo found purchasing foodstuffs in the supermarkets of Funchal more expensive than Ireland, as most foodstuffs are imported.
When we stayed there we were able to get an Aer Lingus flight direct. This route was scrapped within 6 months of starting. It will be expensive to get there. There is not much to do in Madeira after you have seen most of the tourist areas unless you intend to walk the Levadas.

I would consider heading to somewhere like Seville or even Malaga where there is a good train and bus service where you will be able to hop on a local bus or train for day trips along the coast. Also consider somewhere where there is a Ryanair Hub so that you will be able to avail of cheapo flights to go on holidays while on holidays. These places will be still active with locals during their winter.
 
I'd 2nd the Costa del Sol such as Malaga, Marbella etc. Or you could go to the Canary Islands, both Ryanair and Aer Lingus do cheap flights to these now. I also know of a couple who spend their winters in Alcudia in Mallorca, they are in their 70's though and I cant give an opinion on the place as I haven't been.
 
We went to Cala D'Or in Majorca off season. It was depressingly quiet. The only bit of life was in the hotel we were staying in. The bars and restaurants were empty every evening. Having said that Palma was buzzing. Palma is lovely.
I notice that both Ryanair and Aer Lingus are dropping a lot of their routes at the end of October but increasing the frequency on their Canary Island routes. Something to bear in mind if you have to return home for an emergency.
 
thanks Re Madiera
We have been to madeira twice in the winter fro a week . last time i think 4 years ago. Its a nice spot but not sure there would be much to do there all winter.
Re costs 4 years ago it was relatively cheap compared with dublin but that was 4 years ago...
Re Cape town is it safe ?
re other locations thanks some great ideas here keep them coming
 
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