jay71 - 29 July 2008 02:27 AM
My wife and i are looking to move to Spain next year and visited Nerja earlier this year. We loved it and was impressed with Frigiliana. What are the other little Spanish villages like around this area? Do they have good schools? Are their any sports clubs?
I live near La Cala, 8 kms east of Malaga in Axarquia.
You may like Rincon De La Victoria, same council as mine, small fishing village on the sea front, beach is ok.
Torre Del Mar again quiet nice with Velez Malaga close, its a nice town, good shops etc etc.
There are lots of retired and second home expats around Lake Vinuela area, its pretty, but quiet isolated, most expats have villa`s and finca`s outside of the towns.
Most of the towns are very Spanish, so you will get stared at when you arrive in most bars, Axarquia area isn`t touristy as the west of Malaga is, but brits are stereotyped as being drunken scum or as a Spaniard I heard in a bar yesterday described Brits as the cancer of Europe.
Not that there bad people, just that gossip spreads and many of the towns folk don`t venture beyond there town`s community, its more common further inland in basic farming villages.
You`d be supprised how many Malaganians don`t venture outside of the region they live, leaving Spain is something for people from the big cities such as Madrid, its quiet funny how some people speak.
Schools can depend, our kids had a bad one and we managed to fiddle the system into a good one, depends but on general the schools are typical Spanish, not a great deal of Expat children, mostly South Americans.
In one way Spanish schools are good without lots of expat kids, but in another kids being kids can be cruel and nationality stereotyping is common, I wouldn`t go as far as bullying, more silly comments and snide remarks, our kids have had to grow thick skins and pick friends carefully.
As for sports clubs depends on the sport, most areas have swimming, football,tennis activities etc etc.
Axarquia is a nice region, if you want more variety and a social life, stick on the coastal towns and villages not to far East from Malaga city, the further inland the more restricting it can be, and hotter too.
