Where to overwinter in spain

L

Life_pondering

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Hello all,

I've been quite taken by Cervelo and Leper's stories and my wife and i are thinking about where are the best places to overwinter in spain.

We've been to Mallorca and the north of Spain on the multiple occasions as well as Barcelona, Seville and Cadiz and all are lovely but not sure what they would be like in winter. Would welcome any thoughts.

Cheers
L_P
 
Rent an apartment in Marbella for three months. Seems to be where most people were heading what they were intending to do when I went out on the ferry in September.

When I was leaving Spain end of September, most motorhomes were moving south to Malaga for the winter. So if it's the social aspect and a busy location, the Malaga area is worth a look.

I was also in Cadiz, that too is a rather nice spot and worth considering. Anywhere along the south coast is shorts and tee shirt weather. Plenty of Youtuber vanlifers out there at the moment and having a ball.

Best of luck
 
If you are looking to spend the colder months in Spain you have plenty of choice. In fact anywhere coastal from Barcelona to the border with Gibraltar is your place. After that it depends on what you want. Costa Almeria is marginally warmer and dryer than CdS. You'll pay dearly for rental in Marbella. If you go a little inland you'll get inexpensive rentals. I think €750 per month (inclusive of all utilities including internet) is a fair price. You will get cheaper/dearer but I think you want some comforts, access, space, views, contact, supermarket, beach, etc.

I know, I go on too much about Spain and its attributes so I'll cut this short:-
1. Book your flights last (if you haven't a destination chosen). Remember you'll have some transfers.
2. Ask the full rental price of your apartment/duplex/villa/house. Enquire if there are add-ons i.e. electricity, water, refuse, complex fees, local taxes, cleaning, finders fee, administration charge (You've been warned!!!!!) - and the new one "Booking Fee Non Refundable). Is the electricity metered for coins? - the last thing you need!!!!!
3. If you are not bringing your car, local bus services become an issue.
4. Don't underestimate the walking distance to the nearest supermarket.
5. If you don't speak Spanish is English spoken throughout?
6. Is there English speaking television provided?
7. Is there sunshine hitting the apartment? Eventhough the sun shines nearly every day some places are in the shade.
8. How much walking distance to the beach?
9. (Not meant to be "funny") Is a washing machine provided?
10. Are there Walking/Cycling clubs?
11. Is it easy to make new friends?

Mrs LifePondering will have more questions. Another aspect to consider is if you wish to spend a month in one place and another month in another.
 
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I presume it boils down to what you want to do or would like to do when you are here, my main reason for picking this part of Spain is the consistency of good warm weather and what that allows me to do re my cycling although this time I feel December was cooler and windier than before and January has defiantly been colder, duller and wetter than any of the previous Januarys I've spent here. Maybe I need to change my rose tinted glasses but currently 9 degrees with a real feel of 3 and pissing rain and that's to continue for the rest of the week


If weather is not high on the list and your more looking at things to do then the big cities like Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia etc etc all offer plenty of all year round things to do re tourist attractions, eating out, going to the cinema and retail therapy should the need arise
When you go outside these areas and into the smaller towns and villages or tourist destinations well then things to do and transport would become an issue and a car or access to a hired car would be advisable as the local bus and train services can be very limited and might not go to where you want to

Leps post above has great points for choosing an area or property to rent for your stay and obviously the the further south you go the better the weather is going to be (hopefully)
 
Spending the colder months in Spain is mainly a Brit thing and many of us Irish tend to look for cons rather than pros when it comes to heading to the sun for more than a fortnight in the off season.

1. What I said in my previous post regarding add-ons of price is something to be wary of. There's nothing worse than being ripped off by an estate agent who sounds like he was educated in Oxbridge. These guys can talk and you've been talked into a more expensive stay than you initially thought. I recommend you rent from an Irish private holiday home owner who most likely is just trying to recover costs.
2. So, you are going to Spain/Portugal/Italy/Cyprus. What's going on there in the off season? Likely there are walking groups who meet up at a specific place and time and head into the countryside. There are no joining fees; all you need is a good pair of walking shoes and if you want Nordic poles just pop into the nearest Chinese shop and buy two. You need a baseball cap too. Most groups are delighted to meet you. If the walk is outside of the resort you might be asked for a €1.00 towards petrol. Moderate fitness is enough for the walks. Last walk I participated we came across wild boars, foxes, goats and more local wildlife. There are cycling groups too, but you would need to be experienced flying with them. A Raleigh two small wheel bike with a wicker basket attached to the handlebars would be out of place. Golf - available almost everywhere. I'm not a golfer so somebody else might throw some light on it.
3. What do I enjoy? (a) Breakfast on the terrace (b) Reading my brains out on the same terrace (c) Swimming in the Med as pools will be cold (d) Shorts and tee shirts until 4.00pm (e) Group walking and ordinary walking (f) Visiting nearby towns (markets) using the bus service (g) Sightseeing (h) Drinking good coffee with a small doughnut and a savoury with water and orange juice and all for €1.50 + tip (i) Visiting garden centres where you can view magnificent flowers and other plants in full bloom (j) Eating out (k) Losing weight passively (l) Drinking cans of lager @ 0.29c each, cheaper if you buy a slab (m) Real orange/lemon juice squeezed by yourself from unwaxed fruit (n) Meeting more Irish after Mass on Sunday (o) Going to the local bar to see live GAA club/county games.
4. Will you have Brits tantalising you? - No, repeat No. They are not lager louts. Like you they enjoy conversation (don't mention Brexit or Boris or Randy Andy although they'll probably bring up Randy Andy). You'll be invited to their terrace to share some wine during lunch time (1.00pm - 2.30pm, you'd be expected to leave at 2.30 and invite them to your terrace some other day where they'll arrive with a decent bottle of Tinto (good red wine and Spanish costing no less than €3.20). Conversations usually are light and once you've got over their Tory feelings you're away in a hack.
5. So, now you're thinking about going to Spain for the darker months. Don't think about it - do it! If you haven't done it before try it for a month and enjoy.
 
Brilliant, love it, especially the "small donut"
 
Eithneangela said:
Leper. Is there a website/link to Irish owners in Spain? Your posts are very informative and useful.
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Hi Eithneangela, I don't know of any holiday home website which deals exclusively with Irish holiday home owners. But, DoneDeal looks pretty good and likely most advertisers there are Irish.

The notice board in your local supermarket might prove fruitful too. But, you can't beat word-of-mouth.

I seldom advertise our holiday home on DoneDeal but I have done so. Most Irish holiday home owners I know don't use any website.
 
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Love Leper's posts, always brilliant & Cervelos too
 
Brilliant as always Leper
 
Sunnygirl69 said:
Brilliant as always Leper
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And if you want to add a few healthy years to your life dont forget when you have the opportunity to to indulge in the famous healthy mediterranean diet.Freshly caught fish,Out of this world salads,lots of olive oil,fruit and vegetables, Red wine, [Rioja is my favourate in Spain.]etc.etc.Sadly a lot of the natives seem to have succumbed to the normal western diet of junk food and processed food.The walking etc,and general natural lack of stress lifestyle will also help, in my humble opinion.[I am Costa Blanca,Costa Calida fan]
 
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Have been in Fuerteventura for the past couple of weeks, going home on Tuesday. Stayed in a small town, El Cotillo. The weather has been absolutely beautiful each and every day, 21/23 deg, gets cooler in the evenings. Not too many Irish here, mostly Spanish and Germans with a sprinkling of Brits. Age profile is middle to older age groups but there's plenty of 35/40ish one parent couples here too. A nice choice of eating places, no great ones but all are in the €40 meal for 2 price range with a glass or 2 of wine inc. Travel from Dublin Airport was very straightforward, did so on Feb 1st, so no tests needed for departing or arriving on the Island. Yes, our vaccination /booster cert was required and checked in both Irl (once), and also the QR code for Fuerteventura (3 seperate checks). No delays at customs in either country, but very important to have everything in order for Spain or you will be pulled aside. What happens when that occurs I don't know, but a No of people were taken away from the arrivals in Fuerteventura from our flight. Not the older ones, but couples with school going children. Why was I not surprised?
Lovely break away, and great to get the weeks we did with the not so nice weather you guys had to put up with. If people are wondering if they should travel, I say go and do it. Everyone wears masks indoor in shops, etc, outdoor it's up to yourself, beaches the same but everyone was being very responsible and we encountered no issues at all.
 
We left Ireland on Jan 6th and spent a week in Malaga. We wanted to see if paying a little more for accommodation in Gran Canaria in January was worthwhile or would we be happy with the temperature in Malaga. It was perfect during the day and we enjoyed walking cycling and very reasonable food and drinks. We then headed off to Gran Canaria for 4 weeks. There was a big difference in the evening temperatures as when the sun went down in Malaga it was cold and you would need heating in your apartment. Also I enjoyed swimming in the sea in Gran Canaria where as I did not venture in to sea in Malaga. But either way which ever you choose I would say that two months or more in either Spain or further is definitely recommended.
We enjoyed the north of Gran Canaria where we could walk for miles and swim daily and also do bus trips around the island. We could see ourselves returning to the same area next year or exploring somewhere else. But it is lovely to spend January and February outside in very pleasant temperatures.
 
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I think @horse? Is interested in more Spanish locations than anything else and fair enough spending several weeks away requires some (but not much) planning. Horse could do worse than reading all my previous posts on renting to spend the colder months in Spain.

We used to advertise our Spanish holiday apartment in Cork but I got more enquiries about the double glazed aluminium framed door to one of the terraces than the resort or apartment itself. You think I’m joking? - I’m not. It’s easier to deal with queries from pensioners in the UK.

Some Random Tips from El Lepro:-
1. Choose low rise. Ground floor apartments are generally colder so first floor might suit better.
2. Do you need a car? - Very handy.
3. How do you want to spend your time?
4. Does Terrace Life suit you?
5. Do you enjoy your own company?
6. How does your spouse feel about spending time away?
7. @holidayqueen raised some real issues above - Well Done to her; she knows what she wants in winter/spring. Most don’t.
8. Costa del Sol is not the warmest or driest area in mainland Spain. Comparably it’s more expensive than other areas too.
9. If you enjoy reading, walking, drinking cheaper alcohol, eating out, making new friends, learning Spanish etc, Spain is for you.
9. Please read all my posts on renting in Spain. Take notes and minimise what could go wrong. I can’t stress this point more.
10. So, you’d love to get out of Ireland in the colder weeks but you are concerned you might be doing doing the wrong thing. Then give it a try for one month or less.
11. The foregoing could be hell on earth for some. Every winter we meet Irish women looking for some peace in Spain whose husbands wouldn’t dream of leaving the oul sod.
 
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Fibbernacci said:
where in the north of Gran Canaria did you stay? Was there much cloud/rain?
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We stayed in the Las Canteres beach area of Las Palmas. It has 3km of sandy beach and lots of walks near by. There is also a great and cheap bus system to travel the island. It has a good mix of locals and tourists a lot from Northern Europe Sweden Denmark. We spent 4.5 weeks there and the weather was around 22/24 deg most days. We had about 3 cloudy days and 2 days had some rain that lasted less than a half an hour.
Most of Irish and British tourists stay in the south of the island and will say that it is much warmer, but we were very happy with the temps. Many nights we could walk out without a jacket and on other nights a jacket was required.
 
Has anyone any experience of spending winter in Italy?

Regions to go to, Irish community etc. It doesn’t seem to have the same draw as Spain.
 
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