Get away for winter

Hi, I'm new on Gransnet - only joined today!! This conversation is of particular interest to me. 18 months ago, I started a small business trying to do long winter rentals in Cyprus for the over 55's. We have a place in Cyprus (I work in a rental related business in the UK, plus I was in the holiday business before). I was doing really well, got some great properties on, then mum became ill and I just couldn't pursue it - now I am going to be a Nanny in June for the first time, I still can't pursue it like I wanted to, plus through all the dramas of the past year or so, I have lost my mojo and confidence . . . . Ah well! But I am more than happy to help advise anyone thinking of taking this sort of step for the winter, wherever you want to go (basic principles apply) . . . . it is a brilliant idea, but without a doubt there are some draw backs, I've looked into everything! Also Cyprus is another lovely place in the Winter to consider! Why not try and live the dream! All you can say is, "we tried it, but it wasn't for us", but at least you tried it!

My DH and I always winter away to Southern Spain (Alicante area, Orihuela Coast. Like others have said you need to book well in advance. Loads of sites that advertise properties abroad, when you get the property you think you want, write a quick note to the owners and ask if there is a discount for long term renters. We have very rarely been disappointed with properties chosen. We also go to the Canary Islands, for winter sun. We usually go for anything from 1 month to 3 months.

After looking at having a friend drive me and the dog to Spain and then him driving back I have decided to send the dog by pet transporter and fly down with my friend.
Either way it's going to be around £1000 to get us there! That doesn't include the cost of a pet passport.
Good thing I adore my mutt and couldn't contemplate going without him.

kissngate regarding the journey, which we have done many times, these would be my tips. Try to make sure two of your travelling days are Saturday and Sunday. We always try to do the Spanish part on a Sunday as there are hardly any trucks on the road in Spain then and it makes a massive difference.

There are several routes through France but we avoid going the central route in winter. We also have a disc on the car window which allows us to just drive through the tolls and then our bank account is directly debited. Much easier.

Allow plenty of time to find your hotel for the night the sat navs are not always totally accurate.

The roads down through France and Spain are excellent. They are nearly all dual carriageway and a lot of them are empty.

Thanks everyone for responses it's made interesting reading. We too dont want little England, my OH would prefer inland but I want somewhere within 30 mins walking distance to a beach. We dont really know southern Spain that well although when we were young did visit tourist resorts along the coast which are not us now.

My major concern is the journey down. We've only ever driven twice abroad (camping in northern France and hire car in Majorca) and both times we got lost or drove on wrong side of road and said never again. Our large elderly dog has to come with us so it's a big issue.

I'll start by emailing estate agents and take it from there. Very open to suggestions about areas to look at, good and bad. Also good local transport links are a must as we do like to explore.

We didn't want to go to a 'little England ' town but there is a lot of Belgians ( French is the most spoken language here ..after Spanish) and a massive Scandinavian population. But we still like it.

My ex husband rents a small apartment on mainland Spain for 500 euros a month from November to March. Saves lots on heating bill and has less aches and pains as weather is so much more milder. He’s met lots of British people out there that do the same every winter.

I saw the apartment when on trip last year then found it on the internet and am dealing direct with the owner.
Lots to do,dog passport,insurance for house and me and dog,travel plans(probably car and ferry) but it's so exciting having an adventure to look forward to at 69.I also have to show income and proof of address in England.
I'm meeting the owner and staying in the apartment in March so will find out about any extras e.g. wifi,British t.v., heating.
I'll post when I get back.

We are slightly different. This is our second year renting in the South of France, Marseillan Village this year and we have been here since October. We rent a small house with 3 bedrooms if possible so that our family can visit. I am not keen on very hot weather so this suits us perfectly. Also I couldn't bear it in the height of summer to hot and too many people. There are lovely restaurants here, and amazing places to visit. The wine is good and we are a few yards from the local Cave. Our outlook is the Etang and boats galore. We drive from Scotland take a few days to get here and visit some of our favourite places on route. We drive a lot here and try to see as much of the region as possible and I understand this is not suitable for everyone. Sadly we go home next week and will dust of the caravan and tootle round Scotland during the summer months, assuming we have any.

I wouldn't look at a typical Brit resort. Were we stay is a working Spanish seaside town with very few Brit bars but enough English speakers to not miss home. Almunecar has a population of about 30000 in winter but treble that in July and August when the Spanish descend! Most of the rentals are owned by Spanish from inland Spain escaping the 40c and over heat, who spend 2 months at the coast then rent them out for the winter. All shops chemists etc. are open and most restaurants except a few on the beach stay open for the very lucrative winter trade.

Yes but I would advise to book a dog friendly cabin and book early as they go very quickly. There are kennels and an exercise area but most dog owners I have spoken to prefer their own cabin especially with a small dog.

Aviva for Travel. Saga for car. The flat gets checked daily by our lovely neighbour and my daughter uses it as a weekend getaway so technically it's not empty.

GardenofEngland it sounds absolutely idyllic what you are doing and it’s exactly what my DH and myself have been wanting to do for years. I’m sitting here in wet and windy Devon and realising that life is too short not to do this next winter. Thank you for the information you have provided, I’m going to show my DH what you’ve said and start arranging next winter now. Could I just ask one question please, I have a small dog, do you happen to know whether I can take him on the ferry from Portsmouth? Enjoy the rest of your winter.

I have questions about insurance.

Travel insurance. Which company do you find to insure you for more than 30 days and how much does it cost extra?

The same question for home insurance. How much extra do you have to pay to have your home covered for an absence of 3 months and which companies allow this?

We have always limited our trips to 30 days because our insurances only cover us for that time.

We have been renting in Spain for 3 months from Jan to end of March for 5 years. I am sitting on the balcony in sunny Almunecar as I am replying. We carefully researched the driest warmest places and the Costa Tropical ticked all the boxes.We originally rented an old stone house in town even on a warm day it was freezing and we left after 15 days and nearly came home.. an expensive mistake! We managed to find a lovely apartment with a sunny balcony but it was 3 miles out of town but we did use it twice a year till this year. This year we are renting a smaller property in town with sea views which I found through friends who live in Spain. The important thing is make sure any accommodation is south facing and gets sun during the day and has heating. It is really cold when that sun goes down. We drive, take ferry Portsmouth to Santander so we do take some home comforts. It's a great life and we have made many friends and it's an affordable way to live in Spain but still live in England. We never stay over the 90 days as you have to register with the town hall and prove you have the funds to support yourself. Rentals vary but we pay around €600 monthly which is normal for off season rentals, but in October, (the best weather still hot and able to swim) we rent a bigger place €900 as you will find out how popular you are for family to visit. Almunecar is just over 1 hour to Malaga and 1 hour from Granada with plenty of cheap flights. Hope this helps and recommend to give it a try!

Kissngate and all lovely helpful advice from you all. I am like many solo traveler. 75 years healthy and active (thank god ) but like many at my age hate cold and sore bones☹️ Have booked 3weeks Torremolinos April 6th until 27th Hotel Cervantes ,I do the same around October another sun spot . have been doing this each year as 3weeks enough at a time for me . Ladies or Gentlemen if any out at that time would love to meet up for coffee r glass vino The offer from Hotel excellent and includes flight from Belfast , don't mind on my own like many am used to this and as Costa can go train each day if I wish to so many places This is first time to post so would be delighted to hear from any other gransnet members Take Care DDOR

We Canadians head south to Florida for the winter months. They call us snowbirds.Its bliss to be away from snow and ice for a few weeks ❄️☀️

Up until this year we’ve spent a couple of winter months in either Tenerife or Lanzarote and it has been wonderful. Of the two islands we prefer Tenerife because there is generally less wind. A constant, strong wind did mar our last stay in Playa Blanca somewhat.

Over the years we learned that it was important to find a ‘home from home’ apartment or villa because long stays are more like just living somewhere else for a while rather than being on holiday. It’s also important to find a property which gets some sun - not only for the basking in but also so that the property benefits from the warmth. Evenings can be cool and some means of ‘just in case’ heating is a must. We often took a small fan heater and although we didn’t often use it it was good to know that it was there.

And unless you’re normally quite happy without a TV or plan to go out every evening, a TV with English channels (and not just Sky news!) is a must.

Another thing which was important to me is the longer daylight hours in the Canaries than in Spain. It’s so good to know that when you’re still enjoying a bright sunny day, it’s already been dark in the UK for a couple of hours.

We found that, to get a long rental of a good property, we had to book a year in advance, generally booking while we were there for the following year. Which also meant that we could usually view the property before making a booking decision.

It’s only poor health which has kept us at home this year.

My son and his family were able to spend three months not far from Alicante last year, and I have a friend who has an apartment in the same area. We stayed with our son for a bit and I’m not a fan of Spain but I did like Alicante (out of season). I could also see that everything was a bit cheaper, they are dog friendly and quite welcoming to brits (good custom I guess). Benidorm even at that time of year, was (to me) dreadful...and full of drunks in the middle of the day, although there were some attractive bits to it. My friend has pointed out how volatile the weather can be there through the winter, sometimes rainy, or stormy, and they can even have snow...I would choose your area carefully, maybe go further south than that.

Spain and Portugal are lovely to over winter in, although we found that Spain tended to be cheaper cost of living wise. If you are taking a dog it pays to do your homework on the seasonal caterpillars (processionaries) that are problematic for dogs (and humans) just so that you are aware of them and can avoid any unpleasant encounters.

My partner bought an apartment on the island of La Palma in September. We went out at the start of November and I have just returned last week after almost 4 months. The weather was fabulous and there wasn’t a day when I couldn’t swim in the sea. The climate is fabulous and it was lovely to get away from the British winter. My partner speaks fluent Spanish and few of the locals speak English. The food and wine and relaxed lifestyle was lovely.
However I was dreadfully lonely, I missed the day to day banter in the shops and with local friends. I missed my family a great deal and didn’t find that Skype made up for it. On return my house was damp and cold despite a friend looking after it. I have vowed not to do this again for such a long period away. One month at a time would be lovely but for me no longer. The chilling out and relaxing with a book on a sun bed is fab for a short holiday but not as a lifestyle choice.

Be sure to check your home insurance if going away for any length of time we had to drain water system for instance.

Winter away from the UK is a wonderful idea and a great way to escape the weather. However, to stay anywhere in the Schengen area of Europe you can only stay for 90 days out of 180 without becoming resident. So, if you go to Spain lovingit please bear in mind that your stay is limited to 90 days as a non-resident. You would then have to return to the UK for 90 days before you could return for another 90 days! This has always been the case in Spain, it just hasn't been enforced until now! If you spend a total of 183 days in Spain in the year you are deemed to be a resident and must register, pay tax etc.

I lived in Southern Iberia for many years. The climate is obviously much more forgiving in winter; however it can be cool and is often damp*, and the vast majority of Spanish housing doesn't have heating. If there's air conditioning it can usually be run in reverse to provide warm air heating. And many villas have fireplaces or woodburning stoves. Do check though, it could be miserable sitting in a damp hovel with no way to warm yourself up.

* The Costa del Sol gets as much rain as London but it falls much more concentratedly, over 40 days rather than 300. And of course most of that is in winter.

If you are looking at the Alicante area I would suggest |Moraira, Javea or Denia, all good resorts that don't close down in Winter.

As for the dog, we always took ours by car. All the Ibi, Camponile etc hotels are dog friendly and there are plenty of places to stop for exercise. We usually went through the tunnel but also did the boat to Caen which has dog friendly cabins.

One thing I would stress is to check anywhere you rent has decent heating. Apartments and villas in Spain can be icy cold inside, with all the tiled floors and very little insulation. It is often much colder inside than out.