Hi Expat Community!
My name is Lita and I'll be moving to the Barcelona/Costa Brava area in August/September. I'm a 40+ , single, and will be working remotely as a business development manager/project manager. I speak English, Spanish, French, and some Portuguese. I grew up in Panama, am American educated.
I like to hike, sail, ski, read, enjoy dancing, hanging out in cafes and chatting with friends, museums, films, music, art exhibits, cooking, writing, watching futbol (Barca fan), and immersing myself in local culture, local artisans. I'm looking forward to making new friends who are like minded.
I'm looking to move and be closer to the sea so I can run/walk. I love shopping in open markets, and am looking for a slower pace than living in the states. Any suggestions for a single, 40+woman who works remotely as to what would be a good place to live. It would be nice to be able to hop on a train and be in Barcelona in an hour if possible. I've been looking at Lloret de Mar (heard it is pretty touristy and a party town) vs. someplace like St. Feliu Guixols.
One of the most important things I NEED for work is a good internet connection. It would be great to be able to walk to the weekly open market, run near the sea, have access to a good mani/pedi, etc. I'd really appreciate any suggestions and views. Thanks bunches.
Cheers!
Moving to Barcelona Area in August/September
Hi!
Sounds like you're moving to the right area for all your needs! We moved to the Costa Brava in April. We lived in Platja D'Aro for a while, then Banyoles and we'll be settle down in Calonge from next month for the foreseeable future.
We drove up and down the coast looking for the right place to live. I'd say Palamos is a firm favourite for me - it feels really Spanish and there's enough going on there to not feel isolated. It's close to the town of Platja which is always busy, Pals/Begur for a bit of culture and Palafrugal with its heaving Sunday market where you can buy your weekly groceries!
Platja D'Aro is a great town with a good vibe - we lived there in April, so out of season and it never felt dead. A lot of these coastal town shut down out of season or become so quiet they can be a little unnerving if you're not used to it!
Castell D'Aro I loved too- a lot quieter but again within reach of the busier town of Platja and really beautiful.
Towards Lloret I really liked Canyelles - it was really beautiful there. You're close to Lloret too if you needed to pop in for amenities or a bit of 'life' - but it is very touristy. I personally didn't feel like Lloret felt like it was in Spain - whereas further up the coast felt more traditional and 'real'.
We settled in Calonge in the end because we couldn't find anything suitable within our price range in Platja or Palamos yet it was close enough to the larger towns which I wanted for schooling for the kids and for a bit of 'life' for a new mum!
Hoped some of that helped!
Good luck with the move and let us know if you come up the coast :-)
Hi Vanessa,
Thanks so much for the synopsis on living on the Costa Brava. I honestly love the Costa Brava area. I've been to Madrid several times, but felt the people were cold and reserved, not very welcoming. I want to be able to see the sea and go running without having allergies or an asthma attack because of pollen and pollution.
I had been thinking about Lloret, but it doesn't sound like my cup of tea. I lived in Paris for 4 years and I lived in a typical Parisian neighborhood without tourists, loved it! I'm hoping to settle in Spain and be surrounded by Catalanes/Spanish people. I speak Spanish so that isn't a problem. I have to learn Catalan.
So you're saying St. Antoni de Calonge, Platja de Aro, and Palamos are nice. Thanks so much! I'll look into those areas. I love Begur, but I was there in November and it was basically dead. I'm not interested in the touristy thing, but I do want to see people, and be able to shop weekly at an open market.
I'm taking your suggestions to heart. Thank you again! Maybe we'll run into each other. That would be nice to make some new friends also.
Cheers!
Lita
I lived in Lloret de Mar for a couple of years - it's not too bad if you don't live in the middle of town, where it gets a bit crazy for a few months. If you're keen on the area, I'd recommend looking into the neighbouring town of Fenals, which is only a few minutes away on foot. It's much more residential and quiet but still gives you access to Lloret if you want somewhere lively. It's a very beautiful area despite the summer party culture.
It isn't very well connected to Barcelona though unless you have a car - as the nearest train station is in Blanes, so you either need to get the bus to Blanes or all the way to Barcelona .. which takes a while.
If you're looking for somewhere well connected to Barcelona, I'd suggest looking at Malgrat de Mar (where I also lived for a year) or Calella. Malgrat is a bit quieter, but also very nice, with the tourists tending to be more families rather than youngsters looking to party. Calella is a bit more like Lloret, there's a lot there, but it's not quite as crazy in the summer. Both of those towns though are on the Barcelona train line so you can be in the city in just over an hour, and both of them are served by a night bus route from Barcelona which is handy because all of these towns get a bit quiet out of season.
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