Retired Gay American Expats in Spain?

@RickyP3

Rick,

We live in Palm Springs and plan to move to Spain next year. We have a trip scheduled in November to Valencia and Malaga, as those are our top choices right now. We were in Barcelona and found it too touristy. We should keep in touch.

PJ

@RickyP3

There are many comfortable/nice (smaller) cities in Spain that you could consider, and plenty of desirable Costas. Not just Valencia, but Marbella/Malaga, Zaragoza, Tarragona, Murcia, Seville, Bilboa, San Sebastian, Alicante, Granada, Mallorca/Ibiza.

There are also lots of popular towns just outside the big cities which offer a very comfortable lifestyle with easy access to big city amenities. This could widen your search even further. For example (as I once lived in the area), Cambrils (south of Tarragona) and Sitges and Blanes/Lloret de Mar (near Barcelona).

We're currently living in Elche, which is next door to Alicante (and Alicante-Elche Airport). Alicante is a lovely city with some very upscale districts such as Playa San Juan. It's hard to go wrong with Alicante or anywhere on the Costa Blanca. UNESCO-listed (for its palm groves) Elche is smaller and more traditional than its neighbour, but it has a very pretty downtown and a beautiful riverside walk (along the Rio Vinalopo). We have the airport and great beaches 20 minutes away, and all city amenities - but we paid a fraction of the price of a downtown Alicante apartment.

Thanks for these responses! They are very helpful and I look forward to hearing more on moving to Spain.

@gwynj

Thanks for your response - great in-depth info. Alicante keeps showing up for real estate research. The prices there seem quite reasonable for new builds, so hearing of even better price options nearby is very intriguing. Although we would just rent first if we end up moving to Spain.

@gapshelpers25

Thanks PJ, please see my message.

@RickyP3 Hi Rick.  My husband and I have made the move to Spain.  Message me*** LOTS of things to consider, this move is not for the faint of heart.  Social media makes it seem like "everybody's doing it and it's all fun"...but as we all know social media doesn't represent reality.

@RickyP3 My wife ans I are a retired straight couple from NJ. last August we visited Barcelona and had the same reaction as you. so a few months later I read a really positive article about Valencia. i did a search for propErty not realizing that Valencia is a state in Spain. A property in Daimuz, a small tiwn  near the city of Gandia. we saw a house we loved, made an offer and close on 12-9. Gandia is about an hour south of Valencia and an hour north of Alicante. it’s right along 140 miles of Mediterranean beaches. The realtor is Vanessa. Website is Hello2Spain.

@Eric Carlson

Would love to learn more about your experience.

Check out Stiges, gay capital of Europe

We’re checking out Girona in April after recommendation from friends. Does anyone have LGBTQ experience in this area?

I just read an article on CNN about an American couple from Miami who bought a house in Spain. After about a year, they decided they had made a mistake. Here is the link for those intere4sted.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/american-wom … turns-home

My wife and I currently live in NJ. We bought a house in Spain. Small town on the Mediterranean called Daimus. We love the house and we love being close too beaches, but living away from the beachfront condos. We have only been there for short periods of time during the buying process. We sell our house in NJ this year and go in May. I have considered their objections, but still think this move is right for us. I guess we'll find out this summer. Intere4sted to hear other thoughts.

@njadwriter

This article says far more about Christina than Spain. :-) It would appear that she hates Siestas, Late Dinners with Family, Public Healthcare and other deeply Socialist inventions. I doubt that you have anything to worry about.

Our apartment is near Alicante, and UNESCO-listed Elche is a very charming Spanish city with plentiful palm groves and a pretty historic centre. The winter is dry and very mild. The summer is brutally hot, but we installed AC units (and I walk at dawn rather than midday). I too rarely eat Paella (I like seafood, but not prawns), but Spain has a ton of other healthy options. Indeed, the two countries have given rise to two famous diets: Spain has the Mediterranean Diet, while USA has the SAD, or Standard American Diet. The former is known for promoting health and longevity, the latter for making us obese, diabetic with sky-high cholesterol. :-)

@njadwriter

I knew a couple from America that moved to Austria. They loved having holidays in the country but found it awful to live full time. They hated there was no 24 hour shops, shops closed on Sundays. People really have to understand that things are totally different from having a holiday to actually living full time.

@RickyP3

Hi Rick: My wife and I just bought a house in Spain from a gay make British/NZ couple who moved to Australia. It is a 90 year old town house in a small village, Daimús, Spain about 90 minutes south of Valencia. It is in a residential neighborhood about a mile from the Mediterranean beaches. Those beaches are wonderful and as in FL the backdrop looking away from the ocean is hi-rise condo after hi-rise condo. Locals tell us they are mostly owned by Spaniards from Madrid who come in July and August. Daimus is next to a larger city, Gandia that has all the shopping and other services you would ever need. That whole stretch from Valencia south to Alicante has beautiful beaches along the Mediterranean. If you’re accustomed to FL and CA I imagine you’ll like the prices as well. Hope this helps, Bob

Hi @RickyP3, did you find any help/resources here.  Have you made your move yet?  My husband and I (along with our 22-year old son) are looking to move to Spain or Portugal and it would be good to connect with someone who has or is on the journey to do the same thing.

@RickyP3

Hi, my name is James, Have you explored Malaga and the Costa del Sol?  Large gay community in Torremolinos, though while not a very pretty town may have what you are looking for.  There a many good points : (1) ideal climate (2) major train station nearby (3)  proximity to Malaga city  (4) Malaga airport very close (5) gay vibe on the beach  (6) sizeable expat communiy.

My husband and I are planning to move to Torremolinos in the fall of 2025.

Sitges is a beautiful town but very expensive to rent or buy!  Málaga province is mostly gay friendly too. We  have a married male couple that run a successful cafe and another male couple that run a British food shop in the same street. I don't think there is any need to regard yourselves as a different species unless you plan on making love in public areas 🙂 Good luck ☘️🇮🇪