Life in Marbella

A new life in Marbella – how good does that sound?  For many, and most of those living in cooler climates, buying a home in Marbella is a lifetime dream. Why wouldn’t you want to live all year round in a famous resort. A place that millions of people dream of visiting for two weeks holiday each year.

Imagine being on holiday 52 weeks of the year! Believe me it still feels like this after over 15 years here on the Costa del Sol. But once you live here you do need to adjust to life in Marbella.

The differences between living in Marbella and holidaying in Marbella

Here are a few light hearted observations on adjusting to a new life in Marbella. Given from my perspective after having moved to Marbella from the UK over 15 years ago.

• Let’s dine out in Marbella this evening! When you first arrive to live here you feel like you are on holiday. So many greats restaurants and different foods to try. But you need to quickly get to grips with the fact that you live here. Dining out 5* every night for two weeks is a lot easier on your wallet and your waistline than doing it 365 days a year! Get a Personal Trainer!
• What brilliant weather – It’s been a great day let’s have a drink! When I lived in the UK the whole country seemed to celebrate a warm sunny summers day. Opening a bottle of wine, several cold beers or bottles of champagne/cava. Sunny warm days in the UK did not happen often! If you do this here in Marbella you will be celebrating 320 days each year! It takes a few months to realise this!
• September 1st – Brilliant! Your favourite time of year becomes September. After a lifetime of dreading September and the oncoming cold dark wet winter months now I relish it. The hot summer and the summer crowds are behind you and you are looking forward to a great warm winter. Now’s the best time for hiking, biking, horse riding, tennis, golf, etc!
• It is raining – Brilliant! You get excited when it rains! Your friends from ‘back home’ will continue to post videos and photos each time they have a sunny barbeque. You will now find yourself taking photos and videos of when it rains! Especially true with the first rains of the winter. Having not seen rain for 4 or 5 months you will find yourself running out onto your terrace like an idiot in the rain. Enjoying the sensation of rain falling on you. As exciting and great as this feels the excitement tends to last less than 5 minutes. Then you remember why you moved to a warm dry climate!
• I’ll sit in the shade. You lose the need to sit in the sun every possible minute! When the sun is available 320 days a year you no longer have the need to be in it all the time. When you take your many visitors to the beaches and restaurants you will volunteer to sit in the shade! You can have too much of a good thing.
• Heyyyy – how are you? We love Marbella. It will amaze you how popular you are back ‘home’, well in your old home. Some surprisingly not very close friends may get in touch with messages along the lines of “I hear you have moved to Marbella, it’s an area we have always wanted to visit!”. Manage these hints well! Replies along the lines of “It would be great to catch up for a drink if you come over – the nearest hotel to us is…..”. Close friends you may have feared losing will not take much encouraging to come and visit you.
• Chill out man. Your stress levels will drop, may be after a few rises! It will take you a little while to understand the famous ‘mañana’ Spanish lifestyle. At first you will fight it and it will frustrate you. When I first moved here I though mañana meant tomorrow. Then after a few years I understood it to mean ‘some time in the future’. Now I have it mastered – it means ‘not now’! Accept that things move slowly here in Spain and enjoy the benefits of this way of life. It’s not for nothing the Spanish have very long life expectancies.
• You will get used to the driving! After a few years here I watched a TV news clip from the UK about new traffic laws. It showed about 10 offences which were now punishable with driving licence points. I was used to Spain and I could see nothing wrong with any of them! You soon realise roundabouts are actually great meeting and socialising places. ‘Hazard indicators’ here are usually ‘Do what you want lights’. If you have your hazard lights on it seems you can double park. Or drive the wrong way up a one way, stop to talk to friends in cars coming the other way, etc!
• Party Party! You will learn about and enjoy a host of crazy new celebrations. The Virgin del Carmen with the huge heavy effigies of the Virgin del Carmen carried into the surf. Noche de San Juan, the huge beach parties where you jump over open beach fires and bath in the sea at midnight. Semana Santa’s huge religious parades. The Three Kings parades with the kings throwing sweets into the eager crowds. And the king of them all the Feria. About a week of partying until about 7am. With loud music, dancing, fun fairs and horses riding through the towns. The Spanish really know how to enjoy themselves. Join in and have fun.
• I’ll book a table for dinner at 10:30 pm. Things happen a little later for a good reason. This climate tends to ensure thing happen later in the day due to the heat. Going to beach in mid summer at about 17:00 is a lot more pleasant than going at mid day! The Spanish know best! Same with dining, peak times for dining at lunch is about 14:00 and dinner is about 21:00. Ordering dinner in a Spanish restaurant before 19:00 will usually result in laughter!
• We’ll head out with the kids at 10:00 pm. The Spanish love socialising like no others! Finding nightlife and food in Spain at midnight is no problem. Especially in the summer months. The plazas will be buzzing with all ages, from babies up to elderly relatives’ way past midnight. Family is king here. Don’t worry about taking young children to a bar or restaurant. They will usually receive more attention from the staff than you!
• You really want to sit outside – it’s only 15c! You will become ‘soft’ to cool temperatures. After a few years living here you get used to the heat. When you have visitors you will be horrified that they want to sit and drink outside on an evening in December. On the plus side they may be sweltering while you are comfortable outdoors in the summer months!

Ready for your new life in Marbella?

The Marbella Luxury Villa sales team have all moved to the Marbella area from around the world. Take a look at what the team love about living in Marbella. Contact Marbella Luxury Villa Sales if you would like us to help you make the move. We love enabling others to live the Marbella dream life we all enjoy. And we are here to support pre and post move. Let us help you to adjust to life in Marbella.  But don’t expect us to sit having a drink outside with you when it’s cold in the winter!

Read more about buying an off plan property in Marbella.