Two months in Spain this coming winter. Suggestions.

Just wondering if there are any updates to this thread. With energy prices increasing here in Ireland it might make more sense to spend a couple of winter months in Spain. Are the Spanish reliant on their energy from other countries or do they create their own?
 
I can't really comment on apartment blocks and city living in relation to energy supply and costs

But where I've stayed the last few years and I would believe the norm for inland properties is they don't have a central heating system like we do
They have electricity for running electric appliances and lights but very few would heat their houses with this way, the Spanish view their electricity as been very expensive and as most properties would have a solar panel on the roof for heating water, the immersion is only used in emergencies when like there is no solar gain and like many of us who grew up in the seventies there is a bit of paranoia about leaving it on for longer than required

Most if not all inland properties would have a fireplace or a stove some would have a back burner and central heating but this really is the exception rather than the norm. These are all fuelled by wood, I don't ever recall seeing coal for sale in Spain??. I'm told for a normal winter you would need about two loads at about €300 a pop for the average family home over there, three for a cold winter
When the fire is not lit most people would use super ser's more so than electric radiators and a cylinder of gas would cost in and around the eighteen euro mark depending on where you buy it, most people have it delivered to the door which is the cheapest!!
Somebody told me that gas is Spain is viewed a cheap as the Government subsidise the cost??

Some houses like a friend of mine over there are off grid and rely on solar power for all their electricity and have a generator for back up when there is little or no solar gain, most years he tells me there are about seven to fourteen days a year when he has to use their generator
This year he had a week in December, January and February of no solar gain. March he had two days of solar gain because the weather has been that bad over there

Up to this year I would have said it makes great sense to spend the winter in Spain for a whole host of reasons but this year because one of those reasons for going to Spain was so bad it really was a case of "There's no place like home" and am hoping for next year that normal weather will resume!!
 
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Winters are short in Spain and some villas use oil central heating. Choose your location carefully and the choice of property. If heating is essential then I’d go for oil over electricity as it is expensive.
 
Let's not forget the obvious; the hotter the area the less heat you need. A simple example would be Madrid -V- Southern Spain. Madrid gets very cold for long periods December to February (Norway is probably warmer). The further south on the coast in which you winter the warmer and drier it usually is. But, even ten miles inland can make a big difference in temperatures/rain-fall depending on altitude etc. Cervelo covered this well in his recent reports.

Outside of Covid Mrs Lep and I have been spending a minimum of 2 months at a time between November and March (incl) in Andalucía. There is also a degree of luck. Costa Almeria is now recovering from 3 weeks of heavy rain, sand storms (according to my next door neighbour in Spain never experienced in her lifetime). But, from today on it looks good with mild sunny weather which will probably occur every day. There will be the occasional exception. But, rule of thumb in coastal Costa Almería is shorts and tee shirts from 9.00am to 4.00pm and slacks and jumper after. You could expect to have your breakfast and lunch on your terrace and dinner indoors around 9.00pm. Swimming in the Med is warm enough for us, but be prepared for Spaniards with coats buttoned up to their necks to be wondering about your sanity. Don't assume Costa del Sol is warmest and driest because it isn't.

In Costa Almería (warmest and driest region of mainland Spain) most apartments would not have fireplaces and I have never seen a place with oil powered central heating there, ever. [I am willing to concede that there are some, but I've never seen it]. Electric oil heaters are the main supply of heat when needed in all places where we stayed (including our apartment). Heat can be augmented by switching the aircon for instant heat-provision blast (I'm talking minutes only).

The Costas are laden with retired people from the UK every year during the off season months. Retired Irish people tend to avoid lengthy stays preferring Lanzarote/Gran Canaria/Fuerteventura for a week or two. That's OK too. But, the Brits have this down to a fine art and they book apartments for the same few weeks every year and usually the same apartment too.

Anybody thinking of spending say 8/9 weeks+ in off season Spain should consider much more than the weather e.g. local bus service, walking distance to good supermarket,, walking distance to beach, good walks, the ability to spend long periods reading/walking/wine-tasting/talking/exercising/making friends etc. If your apartment is big enough you may invite somebody to join you for a week or two. You may opt for a healthy exercising holiday e.g. road biking/mountain biking/jogging, but your wife/partner might just want to an unhealthy holiday and relax in as much sun as possible and drink good quality Spanish tinto @ €3.25 per bottle. You can get the plonc we pay €7.29 for in Ireland for €1.00 or less, but the Spaniards wouldn't give it to their dogs.

I didn't mean to provide such an extensive post, but if anybody wants to know my lifestyle in off season Spain just send a PM to me and I'll answer honestly.

Irish television stations are not usually supplied in Spain. But, most (if not all) would have BBC/ITV.
Location is important for the off season holidaymaker too. The last thing you need is a view of the northern end of all of the next block's wall. You need sea and mountain views and of course sunshine when it is bright.

For the Record:- I am not trying to sell anything to anybody (just to get that out of the way).
 
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I find November and December OK in Ireland. It's when we hit January to early April that I really feel the cold. If heading to Spain I would imagine that I would need an apartment with a south facing balcony during those months. I don't think that I would need an open fire because having to source fuel etc. would be problematic.
 
Heating systems, wiring, and insulation are in my experience just not very good in Spain, particularly in tourist areas.

I once spent a week in the Costa del Sol in January and regretted it. Likewise a weekend in January in Seville was 5 or 6 degrees .

Maybe different if you go far south to the coast, I've never been.
 
Have a friend with a campervan and he's moving around the Southern of Spain area since last Nov. Tells me the weather in general has been woeful this time around. He's met lots of Irish over the past 6 weeks who have been on a week and 2 weeks holiday, it's been a total wash out for them. Be careful where you go to. For me, the safest bet has to be one of the Canary Islands, even then a bit of luck is needed. Easter's coming up and i've no doubt thousands of Irish families and individuals are heading for Mainland Spain and similar. Might be coming back with sad tales to tell as regards sun, sea, and sand.
 
Spent two weeks for Christmas in Lanzarote few years ago. Days were warm (19- 20 C), bright and long but nights were colder (13-14 C) as houses are not built to retain heat so a 13 degree outside means almost similar inside the house which feels cold. Would never chance mainland Spain though.
 
Based on minimum of 4 weeks off season stay:-
Benalmadena - High Rise, Busy, Cost of Living not cheap. No shortage of lager loving, tattooed patrons.
Málaga - High Rise, Golfers' Paradise, Fine city, but costs. You may need to speak some Spanish.
Marbella - Very Expensive, unlikely you'll get an affordable place within 5 mins walk of beach. If money is an issue, forget!
Costa Almeria -Mostly Low Rise, Warmest and Driest of mainland Spain and likely cheapest accommodation + cheaper cost of living. Quiet though.
Canary Islands:- Confined space, Expensive accommodation, Warmest + Driest of all. Very Busy.

NoProblem's point above is valid. My next door neighbour in C.Almería informed me they have just got over three weeks of continuous heavy rain the like of which nobody can remember. Do not bank on every day being sunny and enjoy the sun while it is there. Continuous Sunshine is not guaranteed anywhere.
 
Another thing to remember guys is you don't have to do it all consecutively, if your normal holiday routine is one or two weeks, suddenly increasing that to two or three months might seem like a great idea but you might regret it after three or four weeks for a whole host of reasons that you might not have thought about. It might be a better idea to break it up into two or three smaller trips maybe even to different areas each time
eg. first three weeks of January in Malaga, two weeks at home to feed the cat and walk the dog then last three weeks in February back in Malaga or somewhere else
 

At end of June we are going to Spain on another of our scoping out trips. Hoping to split our time between Mojacar Playa & Cabo Roig. Am interested to hear what folk (in particular @Leper & @Cervelo) would indicate as main differences for them in these 2 spots? TIA
 
Hi Sunnygirl69,
Can't speak of Cabo Roig as I don't ever remember been there but the general area of Alicante, Murcia and Cartagena would (IMO) be a very built up area compared to Mojacar or the Almeria region which in it's self is not a bad thing!!

I love Mojacar and the surrounding area mainly for one reason, the cycling but after that for me it's hit and miss and this year certainly highlighted the misses for me, which I've mentioned in other threads here so I won't go into them again but the two things that jump out at me in comparing the 2 spots is ease of access and for want of a better term "things to do".

Cabo Roig is a under an hour from Alicante compared to two plus hours to Mojacar, it's also only half an hour from Cartagena and 40 mins from Murcia while in Mojacar you're at least 60 mins away from the two nearest biggish cities Lorca and Almeria and a good 3 hour drive to Malaga airport and been so close to these three cities also gives you greater options in the "things to do" department like tourist attractions, historical sites, retail therapy etc etc and presumably a better public transport system if you don't have access to a car

I'm sure Lep will be on to give a more detailed opinion as compared to him I'm only a blow in
 
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Anyone tried Greece or other southern Med coastal destinations for extended Winter breaks? I'm not sure I'd like the scene in Spain, maybe too many English speakers....
 
Thank u @Cervelo.... That's what I keep coming up with too.... Alicante area 10/10 accessibility & we do not plan to drive while there. Mojacar 10/10 pure beauty of area.... I will have to go read your other threads re misses now.... Thanks so much
 
David_Dublin said:
Anyone tried Greece or other southern Med coastal destinations for extended Winter breaks? I'm not sure I'd like the scene in Spain, maybe too many English speakers..
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I think you'll find most places people get away to for winter breaks will start having more and more English speakers.
As for other Med countries and people going there for winter breaks? I know a few who have been to the Alanya area of Turkey, and the island of Cyprus. It can be very wet in November and December, cool too, but very cold after Xmas. Cyprus and Alanya start to warm up from March onwards. This past year hasn't been great weatherwise and for whatever reason most Med countries have been this way. Turkey is a fair bit cheaper than Ireland, they use a currency caller the Turkish Lira, it happens to be a very unstable currency at the moment, as does the political situation in that country. Cyprus uses the Euro, drive on the same side of the road as us, most speak English, lots of English relocate there but Brexit may change that. Both areas are aprox 4 1/2 hrs from Dublin, Ryanair fly to Paphos, but not to Larnaca. Turkish airlines regularly fly to Turkey, as do a few others. Cheap to live in Alanya, a bit cheaper than here to live in Cyprus. One word of warning, it gets H-O-T from mid June to mid Sept. April, May, Mid Sept and October are lovely warm balmy months to holiday there
 
Energy bill for 100m2 apartment, two adults, two young kids, Valencia Community. Gas water heater, incl shower. Gas bottle normally about 18€ Delivered to door - lasts about 3 weeks depending on time of year. May June July have discounts ...no idea why.
ABRIL 202289.57 €
MARZO 2022149.77 €
FEBRERO 2022125.63 €
ENERO 2022209.16 €
DICIEMBRE 2021173.15 €
NOVIEMBRE 2021110.95 €
OCTUBRE 202158.86 €
SEPTIEMBRE 202157.17 €
AGOSTO 202146.50 €
JULIO 20211.52 €
JUNIO 2021-1.25 €
JULIO 202150.30 €
MAYO 2021-0.49 €
JUNIO 202150.30 €
ABRIL 202156.22 €
MAYO 202150.30 €
 
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