Gecko Towers
When we first arrived to settle in Marbella, nearly twenty years ago, I was, for a number of months still commuting to work in London. We arrived in July so a weekly commute during the summer months was particularly strange.
I would block book and travel Easyjet to Gatwick on a Monday night and, usually, return on a Thursday night to Málaga. There was quite a community of those who, prior to working/working from home (WFH) became a thing, were regular travel companions. I recently bumped into one music business entrepreneur who was one of our regular gang and reminisced about our version of “strap-hanging”. Indeed, it was our version of a commute and, frankly, cost about the same as a British Rail Southern Region season ticket from Guilford to Waterloo.
The real problem was that I was neither living a London nor Spanish life so I couldn’t quite work out when returning to Marbella whether I was going on holiday or returning “home”. The confusion passed as we decided as a family to settle to the rhythm of our real life in Marbella. We became an early adopter for the WFH culture and ensured that each home we lived in during succeeding years had a dedicated “office” space. It has proven a reliable and productive method for me. I cannot tell you how often we are asked whether we’d “return home”. Our reply is often definitive, even with our Northern European roots, as we feel we are already “home”.
But what is “real life” in Marbella really like? I guess the answer to this question really lies in of whom you are asking it.
If you are retired then the rhythm of your new life in Marbella will be centered around some form of juggling. This will involve your partner and home, your hobbies and pastimes, collecting groceries, attending to local administration of paying bills and completing paperwork, hosting visits from friends and family, your social life and your commitment to those causes that you feel particularly passionate about. Many retired people often report that they really don’t know how they previously had time to work. Staying active and exercising moderately is certainly easier where the climate mitigates towards and outdoor life.
Many people feel a commitment to learn to speak at least passable Spanish to get more out of their new environment. It’s not obligatory, of course, but it makes life in Marbella much more enjoyable and a little less frustrating if you have the power to both understand and respond. As non-Mother Tongue speakers only rarely is our Spanish completely fluent but it is reasonably easy to respond in grammatically shakey Spanish that is, at least, understanable!
Our Scandinavian and Dutch friends, for example, who seem to have a real gift for languages often accomplish a level of fluency far more quickly than us Brits – which I have always envied. But it’s also a matter of emersion, listening to Spanish radio – it gets easier I swear – reading a Spanish newspaper or online news service all starts to make better sense slowly. The effort, and some frustration, is well worth it.
If you have a young family, as we did when we first arrived, then your life will be centered around the usual daily herding that goes on, getting children up, fed and on their way to school. Many elements of a new life in Marbella embrace new experiences – none more so than breakfast. The kids will love a bowl of “rellenos de leche” – crispy mini pillows in two compelling flavours chocolate or vanilla – with chilled semi-skimmed milk. You may opt for a healthy bowl of granola or if you are being more traditional a lightly toasted piece of split baguette spread with olive oil and chopped raw tomato, sprinkled with a dusting of salt. Or some spicy poached eggs? Delicious!
The school run may be the same but the rhythm to your day may be distinctly different to that you lived in the UK – or from wherever you previously lived – and while the weather has something to do with it that’s not all.
You may then have a bit of downtime to enjoy a sport or do some exercise before you start a day that may involve attending to your own online world of business or staying in touch with friends and family, organizing trips etc. I am a big advocate of beach combing it gives you a walk on sand – apparently great for muscle tone – but its also fascinating to see what the waves have cast ashore.
If you have a dog – and you need to check the local rules about dogs and beaches – they seem to love the beach life but please clear up after them! As with having children, being a caring “dog parent” is a great way to meet like minded souls who immediately have something in common as their pups sniff each other!
Spain is, may be confusingly when you compare it to Portugal, on a similar longitude to the UK yet as a result of a decision in the last century for reasons best known to previous governments, the time was set one hour ahead of London or Dublin – including shifts for daylight saving etc. So when you start your day at say 7.30 am the majority of the UK and Eire are still mid-slumber. This means when you get to your work station at 9.00 am you are ahead and can get a lot of “paperwork” administration out of the way ahead of the first Zoom calls – or similar – in the mid-morning.
At the other end of the day there is also a noticeable change. Typically from the early Spring to late Autumn there is good sunlight until 9.00 or 10.00 pm which means finishing a business day at say 5.00 means you have another four hours plus of daylight to enjoy a bike ride, a visit to the beach, a game of tennis or a horse ride. Or for those who enjoy a sea swim before dinner, the cooler part of the day is simply gorgeous to refresh in the cool salt water.
In the Spring to Autumn the golf courses have a natural sun-driven rhythm to their day. Early morning is a lovely time to hit the fairway. As the day warms early afternoon to around 6.00 pm is worth avoiding and a day finishing with 9 or 18 holes as the sun goes down can be superb.
Mealtimes will also change, perhaps the most noticeable is that you’ll eat dinner later. The heat of the day will often subside at sunset and that’s a perfect time to fire up the barbecue and exercise the pagan right of man to burn meat!
Booking a table in a favorite restaurant or chiringuito from 7.00 pm is likely to be a reasonably lonely experience. Making a reservation for 8.30 pm or later and most popular restaurants will be buzzing with activity, the smells of fresh cooking and the glow of happy patrons.
As your experience of your local environment deepens, you will notice that there are times of day when a visit to the Post Office to collect a registered mail or a missed Amazon delivery will be time better spent. Well organized and disciplined queuing is not just the preserve of the British but if you don’t fancy lining up to collect mail, use a cash machine or pay parking fine there are often better times to do it. Many Spanish people will seek to be home for lunch around 2.00 pm so there is noticeably less traffic at that time. Early morning visits to the bank or Post Office are also very sensible time management.
Settling anywhere new takes time. Identifying your favourite cafes and restaurants, the smaller less commercial shops you enjoy buying your fruit and vegetables in. Your favourite new clothes shop and those wonderful “style” shops that appeal to your inner hippie.
For those who have happily settled in the Marbella region there is often a natural inclination to gravitate towards those who may have similar interests to your own. Making friends in a unfamiliar environment is not always that easy. Most attest to making the most of their communities meeting new faces at their Urbanisation, at a sports club or by joining an organisation like a Lion’s Club or similar. Meeting individuals for a coffee and a chat is a great way to identify like minds.
As many parents will know, and particularly, the international schools in the Marbella region, extend a warm welcome to the parents of their pupils. Meeting fellow parents is a great way to expand your social life and your offspring may even be in the same class or friends already. Attending sports matches and swimming galas are not only great fun but you also get to meet others attached the school or sports club.
For a number of years, our son, was a keen participant with the Marbella Rugby Club based over the road from the Costa del Sol Hospital – I always felt there was some natural synergy in that – but there was a great community of parents from all over the world various shrieking at some injustice on the pitch or hailing some brilliant tackle or try. We became quite tribal!
One of the issues that I have regular discussed with fellow members of the local business community is that we fear a loss of detailed knowledge and experience from those who retire and hang up their work boots. I am a firm believer in the power of the Eminence Grise to deliver incite, experience and mentoring. The mentoring of younger members of the business community has been shown to be a highly effective business development tool. I am very interested by an initiative, “Eminencia Gris”, that seeks to connect those with a vast depth of experience in a particular field with those who can thrive off the sharing of that experience.
There is also, of course, a familiar normality to living in Marbella, buying groceries – many stores now offer home delivery services – getting a haircut, filling the car’s tank – before the draw of a hybrid/EV becomes too strong, taking out the rubbish and doing the recycling. The less familiar will quickly become the more familiar and those elements that cause apprehension dealing with utility companies will soon become manageable.
I guarantee that your friends from your old home will soon be saying they too wished they’d had your drive to relocate. It doesn’t take a super human to confront the alien and move forward but it does require a modicum of patience and respect for the less familiar. Naturally, the reasons why you may wish to locate should be genuinely felt but in my experience relocation to the Costa del Sol often invigorates causing the relocater to gain a new optimism, a sunnier demeanor and more positive.
It would be naive to think that the majority of people who gravitate to the Marbella coast are looking to replicate their hectic and perhaps uber stressful former lives in one of the world’s commercial hotspots. Marbella is by its very nature and deep within its DNA is the antidote to many of the pressures of other parts of the world. As a result the rhythm of real life in Marbella is more chilled and designed to be cherished and enjoyed, sipped and not gulped. It is a delightful balance that warmly welcomes those who seek a more balance, less cluttered and better managed lifestyle.
Should you be interested in discussing the legal process involved in buying a property in the Marbella region, we would be delighted to assist you. Our multi-disciplinary team of bi-lingual, highly experienced and wholly independent Abogados and Asesores Fiscales are ready to help you.
Please call me, Mark FR Wilkins, during usual business hours on +34 600 343 917 or, if you prefer, or e-mail me at mark@roslegal.es
Please note that our posts are for general interest. There is no substitute for proper legal advice tailored to your specific circumstances as provided by a qualified Abogado who is experienced in the application of the Spanish Law.
Nothing contained in this article should be seen or taken as the writer or the publisher providing legal or financial advice.
© Mark FR Wilkins 2022. All rights reserved.