Lived in Spain? Did it work out? Would you go back?

Question

I lived there for 5 years, owned a restaurant...bloody hard work. Could'nt trust anyone. Isolated at times. Freeezing in the winter. Not all it cracked out to be.
What are your experiences good or bad?

Answer 1

I live in Spain at the moment and use this site to help people not to go through the bad experiences I have had here.
We had a bar on the coast which we converted from an old chemist shop and without going into too much detail the bar opened 4 mths after the origional planned opening date. How could we let this happen you might ask. Well the owner was in cahoots with a crooked solicitor and we were expected to fail before opening so they could sell it on again. During this time we still had to pay rent for the bar and our accommodation, which was a total nightmare. Although I had a nursing career in the UK I did not want to do it in Spain but was fortunate enough to get a job nursing on nights and worked in the bar during the day. Now that was bloody, bloody.. hard work
I hit on some really good marketing ideas and one of which was serving food later in the night. Bar workers would come in after their shift, then the bar owners and then entertainers. I even had taxis turning up from the local radio station in the middle of the night for take-aways.
We started a breakfast menu which included a Hungry Horse, this would serve up to 6 people and came on an enormous paella dish that the customers could help themselves from. It went down great with families and hungry golfers
Word spread and the bar took off in a big way, so much so that I had to give up the nursing.
Then another disaster, my so called friend was renting our house in the UK, she never paid the rent which covered the small mortgage and so we lost the house.
I hope she falls off the face of the planet.
We sold the bar at a good profit because it was a really good business to take over and we moved inland and bought another.
This bar was just about ticking over when it got burned down on purpose ( Not by Spanish ) but again with the help of friends and neighbours we picked ourselves up and got on with the job. The bar was open again exactly 1 mth to the day and has been open ever since and is doing well.
During the past 6 yrs we have had Mondays off and spent this time finding out about the real Spain, visiting so many towns and whitewashed villages tucked out of the way.
This put me in good stead to work for a large estate agency as the bar has got great staff and to be honest I wanted to do something else. Anyway the way this company treated its staff was appaling, not to mention the unwary clients so I left and decided to work for myself, and lets face it having been through what Ive been through I am in a good position now to help others steer clear of the rogues and the so called know it alls
This looks like a sad sad story but it isn't, I have had many many ups in Spain I love it and wouldn't leave it for the world.
I have lived here now for 8 yrs and still think it was the best move of my life

Answer 2

Lived in Cadiz for a while when I was a small child I dont remember to much. But I toured a few cities in Spain a few years back for about a month spent time in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Toledo, Sevilla. Had a great time. Both of my parents were born in Spain. I would live there in a heart beat if I could. I think we have it a little backwards in somethings in this country, we worry so much about work work work, and spend so little time with family and friends, over there if it doesnt get done today tomorrow or next century will do. I like the fact that they spend time downtown eating, and social drinking with family and friends, talking about the day. I really like the Andalusian region love the flamenco and the upbeat lifestyle.

Answer 3

Yes, still living there, married to a Basque (Nth Spain region), and very happy. I don't live in an English community, therefore only speak english to my parents and sometimes to the other half, and am more than happy to be surrounded by the Basques. Lovely people. To me, Mallorca is nothing more than an ex-pat community who don't make much of an effort to get on with the locals or learn the language. Better to live away from the Costa Del Tacky too. Sorry it didn't work out, but next time (if there is), learn the language first, and find an area where there aren't so many foreigners, you'll be surprised.

Answer 4

I live in Spain and like any country its what you make of it that determines whether you will get on .
my Children 6 and 15 yrs old speak catalan like natives although i have found it hard my wife works in the uk and travels every week back and forth between the two countries. its not easy living in Spain anyone who tells you different are either rich or crooks. work is hard to come by as the Spanish have the job situation pretty well stitched up. i regularily tell people that when you move to Spain make sure you can speak the language ,dont sell up in the uk till your sure its a good move.
And dont believe anything the estate agents tell you step back before you buy and reassess the situation.
The estate agents are not your best friends they get commission and to get on here they can and do tell you what you want to hear.
i live in the country i have water and electricity very rare here usually its Solar and you collect water from a town and transport it point is when people come from the uk they dont even think to ask has the home i want go proper ammenities and what do i do if they havent.
cost of living is rising everyyear and theirs no free meals here no money you starve and with children thats a hard pill to swallow.
but after all this its still better than living in the Uk and once you get used to the different setup here im sure like me it was a worthwhile move.
but as anna has said its definatly more stressful living here and anyone tells you different is not being honest.

Answer 5

I have lived in Spain with my partner for nearly two years, when we came to Spain I worked in a Bar/Restaurant for somebody esle as a chef partime, which I enjoyed very much hardwork not great pay but it was a job. My partner got friendly with an Argentinian who installed Security grills and he started by getting him work from English people and gradually worked his way up to installing the grills as well which was good money. But after a year my arthritis became worse in both my knee and my shoulder so I had no choice but to pack up work.
At the moment there is not much work with the grills as many more companies have jumped on the bandwagon, and I am waiting for a new knee (I'm only 53) in Spain wouldn't go back to UK too many infections. So we'll stick it out here.

Answer 6

Yes, No, Yes.

Without going into details, restaurant and bar hours in Spain are hard. VERY hard. You have no free hours and if you don't speak Spanish, the bad guys (often foreigners) will rip you off again and again.

It does get very cold in the winter as the climate is extreme in some parts.

It IS better to trust nobody as Spanish business practices are different from the UK.
I have even seen false external audit reports from big Spanish audit firms, quoted as accurate by a top three UK firm. So be warned, especially if you are buying a business.

In fact, only a few months ago I did a wee job in Spain and was only there 3 days when the MD asked me to commit tax fraud. (hence the 'no' above). Franco's children are still alive! (Crecen Cuervos). They even stole my pencil!

The country is still awash with 'black' money.............just try to sell a property in Mallorca.

I'm going back as soon as I can!

Answer 7

I lived in Spain (Madrid) for a year as a student in 1987. I returned for 3 months in 1992 and return to visit every few years. I agree that it is hard living in a different culture or moving anywhere new. I really loved living in Spain, learned a ton and love to go back. I met many wonderful people -- some from Spain and many other extranjeros. It is such a rich culture and there are so many different regions to explore. Yes, I'd go back.

Answer 8

Lived here the last five years and happy as a pig in the proverbial. Wouldn´t change it for anything. Ok, like all countries it has its good and bad points and I guess experiences will vary greatly depending on place and profession. I came with no expectations so that helped alot. Ex gf that came with me had the idea that everything would be rosy.... hey, you´ve got to work no matter where you live...

Answer 9

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Answer 10

I've lived in Spain since 1990. It has been great! Got to learn the language and got to try hard for anywhere to work out.