EVER returned from a summer holiday, vowing to retire there some day? Well, that’s exactly what Mal Netley and her husband Bill did.
Now, they spend most afternoons having a leisurely beer in the sun at a Benidorm beachside bar. And here, she reveals how they made their dream a reality.
Mal loves the sun and spends afternoons enjoying a cocktail or a coffee by the sea[/caption]
Mal and husband, Bill, love their relaxed life in Spain[/caption]
Albir is lesser-known to Brits but is only five minutes from Benidom[/caption]
Having lived in London’s Stratford and then East Ham since they were kids, Mal, 72, said moving to Spain was always the plan.
She told Sun Travel: “We love the sun and tried to get out to Spain most years when we could.
“The Spanish way of life is just more relaxed and we can spend every day outside. It wasn’t like that where we lived in London.”
With over 300 days of sun a year, living out your later years in Spain is a very tempting idea – and around 130,000 British over-60s are already doing just that.
“It was our dream to buy somewhere, so we had been saving up for years, until it was the right time,” says Mal.
In 2002, Mal and Bill, 74, bought a two-bed apartment in a small area close to Benidorm called Albir. The plan was to use the property as a holiday home until they retired.
Mal said: “We had never heard of this place before. Obviously we knew of Benidorm, but we didn’t want to be right in the middle of a tourist area.
“The idea was to be close enough to enjoy it when we wanted to, but live in a quieter, residential area with more of a local community.
“At first, we considered moving to Tenerife, because the weather is more consistent all year round with winter sun, but we wanted to settle somewhere in mainland Spain so that we could drive back and forth to the UK, rather than fly.
“That way, we could keep our own car to get around and cut down on flight costs when we went back to the UK to see our daughters and grandchildren.
“Plus, we’re not too old for adventures, so we often head off on road trips to France and other areas in Spain. We have a lot of freedom.”
Hot to go – buzzing Benidorm is still popular with the pensioner crowd
The province of Alicante, where Benidorm is located on the east coast of Spain, is the most popular spot for Brits to relocate to, with 76,739 living there full time, according to the 2023 local census.
Millene Adaime – who works for relocation experts, Movinn, which helps people move to Spain and Portugal from overseas – told The Sun: “The cost of living here is more affordable, and, of course, we have a fantastic climate.
“Brits tend to favour areas they already know, like Benidorm, and due to the popularity of British movers to the area, the suburbs outside the tourist hub are very nice and very desirable.”
Friends in the Costa del Sol were denied entry to bars for being English
And far from being unwelcome, Mal said they’ve never come under fire for being Brits.
Mal said: “We have some friends who decided to buy in the Costa del Sol [on the south coast], and they have been denied entry into bars and restaurants there for being English, so we made a good choice.”
To find their pad, Mal and Bill did a road trip along the coast, finally stopping off in Albir for a cup of tea.
She said: “We had never even heard of it, but we fell in love straight away. It’s really relaxed, with pretty beaches and not over-commercial or touristy, like Benidorm.
Bill with his grandson, Zac, in Albir[/caption]
Albir, in the province of Alicante, has a gorgeous location along the coast[/caption]
Benidorm, which is still very popular with Brits who want to move to Spain, is a five-minute drive away[/caption]
“But Benidorm is only a half-hour bus ride away or just five minutes in the car, so we get the best of both worlds here.”
Remortgaging their home in London, they bought their two-bed Spanish apartment in a small complex, just five minutes from the beach, for £120,000. Today, it would cost around £270,000.
Over the next eight years, they used the apartment as a holiday home, before selling up in London and retiring there.
“It’s perfect for us. We can walk into town or get the bus to Benidorm, which we often do. We grab a table at a beach bar and have cheap tapas and a bottle of beer for €1 (£1.20).
“That would be about £6 in east London now.
“There are some Spanish residents in our building, but the largest ex-pat community is Scandinavian. All our friends and neighbours are Scandinavian or Dutch.
“The complex has a shared pool, so we usually socialise by the pool or on our balconies. We’ve also joined a Padel club, so we play twice a week with our friends for only €3 (£3.50) each.
“Locals will say the cost of living has gone up in Spain, but it’s still cheaper than in the UK.
“We’ve definitely noticed our supermarket bills are higher, but eating and drinking out here is so cheap.
“In Benidorm, you can get a three-course meal with a bottle of wine for €20 (£16) per person.
“Five minutes from the flat, there’s an eat-and-drink-all-you-want Chinese buffet for €18 (£15) per person, just steps from the beach.”
Bills on the couple’s apartment are very small, costing €142 (£130) every three months for electric and water bills and the community charge, which includes maintenance on the buiding, the pool and gardens.
Playa del Albir beach is much calmer and quieter than Benidorm[/caption]
Residents like Mal and Bill can hit the beach whenever they want, but the couple also love relaxing at their apartment[/caption]
The non-resident tax they pay on the property is €150 (£160) per year.
Mal explained: “We don’t have a resident visa to live in Spain yet. Before Brexit, we used to come out here and stay for as long as we wanted to, but now we can only stay for 90 days at a time, due to the Schengen 90/180 rule.”
Since they sold their London home, they had to look at options back in 2020 when the new rule came in, and the couple decided to split their time between Spain and London.
She told us: “We couldn’t afford two big places so when we are back in the UK, we live in our caravan in Sussex.
“We’ve owned the little plot longer than our Spanish home and it’s just lovely, right on the beach with a lot of land around it.
“We spend summer and winter here in the UK, and use it to spend quality time with our children and grandsons. We also catch up with our Brit mates, many who have relocated to Sussex and Kent too.
“It’s special to be able to spend Christmas with our family, especially while the kids are young.
“The caravan keeps living costs low here too, so we really do have the best of both worlds”.
However, as their family are growing up, Mal and Bill are considering applying for the visa and moving to Spain permanently.
“It’s in the back of our minds,” Mal said.
For the couple, life in Spain isn’t that different to retirement here, apart from the weather.
“We do love to go into Benidorm for a cheeky drink and to experience the holiday atmosphere, but we are usually in bed by 10pm.
“We’re just as likely to be in our flat watching TV than dancing to the Macarena, but it’s great to have the option. We’re still young at heart!”
Retiring to Spain? Everything you need to know:
8 things to consider if you’re planning to retire in Spain full time
If you’re a non-EU citizen, you will need a non-lucrative visa, sometimes called a residence visa. This initially lasts for one year, and when renewed, lasts for a further two years. This can cost between £450-£600 for the application and fees.
You will be asked to prove you have enough money to support yourself without income from employment. The minimum figure for this is or this is £1959 per month or just over £27,000 per calendar year.
For extra people, such as a spouse, you would need to add £6,778 per year.
To qualify for the minimum Spanish state pension, you’ll need to have made social security contributions in Spain for at least 15 years. You may be able to transfer your British state pension, but it depends on the type of plan. You will also pay around 25% tax to transfer.
You will need to pay tax on your pension and this varies depending on the region and the value of the pension. The UK-Spain double taxation agreement prevents double taxation, so you’ll no longer pay tax on your UK pension in Spain once you become a Spanish tax resident.
Residents must also have private healthcare in Spain, which does not have an NHS system. This health insurance will need approval by the Spanish government before your visa is accepted.
UK state pension holders retiring in Spain are entitled to apply for a certificate of entitlement to receive Spanish state healthcare, ultimately paid for by the UK health service. This is called an S1 form.
The ‘Golden Visa’ for those wishing to obtain a visa by investing in property or a business in Spain is no longer available.