An alternative to winter camping.

[The Nomad]

At those prices, is it worth dragging a car down here. So for 865 Emus per month you get a beachfront 3 bed apartment and car hire. Add to that the £40 return flights to the UK every 90 days, to keep things legal, cheap food and drink and you would be hard pressed to stay in the UK during the winter for that sort of money.

That's exactly why many tens of thousands of retired Northern Europeans spend 3 or 4 months on the Costa Eastern and southern coasts of Spain in long term rental flats/accommodation every winter.....it's often actually cheaper than staying at home and paying winter heating etc bills there.

 

[moulin 87]

That's exactly why many tens of thousands of retired Northern Europeans spend 3 or 4 months on the Costa Eastern and southern coasts of Spain in long term rental flats/accommodation every winter.....it's often actually cheaper than staying at home and paying winter heating etc bills there.

And the weather is generally warm and dry so you are not locked inside for weeks on end stuck on forums...

 

[pyro]

At those prices, is it worth dragging a car down here. So for 865 Emus per month you get a beachfront 3 bed apartment and car hire. Add to that the £40 return flights to the UK every 90 days, to keep things legal, cheap food and drink and you would be hard pressed to stay in the UK during the winter for that sort of money.

Seems very sensible to me, I like your way of thinking and you have got a great deal in a great location.

In the bit about keeping it legal, and given the 90 day rule, wouldn't it be possible to (say) take a trip over the Portugal, stay overnight and then re-enter Spain?

 

[Snowbird]

Seems very sensible to me, I like your way of thinking and you have got a great deal in a great location.

In the bit about keeping it legal, and given the 90 day rule, wouldn't it be possible to (say) take a trip over the Portugal, stay overnight and then re-enter Spain?

Am not sure about that. My travel insurance states I only have cover for trips of up to 90 days. So to keep things in order I keep my boarding cards. As long as I touch base every 90 days its a good un. We fly back for 4 days in March at £40 return each, Alicante/Liverpool. Then back to play.

 

[buttons]

Just for a change this year instead of bringing a large motorhome down to Benidorm with all the inherent costs of travel we thought we would rent a beachfront apartment. The main reason for this was we have family flying in for a 10 day visit followed by more of the family arriving later for 3 weeks. We have a three bedroom, two bathroom beachfront apartment with balcony overlooking Levante beach for the princely sum of 800 Emus per month all in. We have been paying 450 Emus per month on the camping, plus gas and a little electricity and another 20 Emus per month for wifi, and this is only for a patch of dirt. When you start to add up the little extras like a campsite wash for laundry and all the bits and pieces I dont think there will be much difference in price, and the view is to die for. For a family, its a no brainer.View attachment 135839

You are preaching to the converted Snowman. Great view and location, well done...

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[buttons]

It looks very tempting, might give Benidorm a try this year....

 

[Snowbird]

You are preaching to the converted Snowman. Great view and location, well done...

Your leaving it a bit late for this year Buttocks .

 

[pyro]

Am not sure about that. My travel insurance states I only have cover for trips of up to 90 days. So to keep things in order I keep my boarding cards. As long as I touch base every 90 days its a good un. We fly back for 4 days in March at £40 return each, Alicante/Liverpool. Then back to play.

Beg pardon. I wasn't thinking about insurance, although that is a very good point..

My understanding was that EU citizens are only allowed to visit another EU country for 90 days at a time, after which you are (officially) required to register with the local town hall. Certainly that is the case on Portugal, and this site suggests the same in Spain: http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizen...alities/reporting-presence/spain/index_en.htm

 

[Snowbird]

Beg pardon. I wasn't thinking about insurance, although that is a very good point..

My understanding was that EU citizens are only allowed to visit another EU country for 90 days at a time, after which you are (officially) required to register with the local town hall. Certainly that is the case on Portugal, and this site suggests the same in Spain: http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizen...alities/reporting-presence/spain/index_en.htm

It may well be a requirement, how many take notice of it am not so sure. Either way am covered for all eventualities .

 

[buttons]

Your leaving it a bit late for this year Buttocks .

Nah we will be hoteling it snowbird, might give the Solana a try......

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[Snowbird]

Nah we will be hoteling it snowbird, might give the Solana a try......

The Solana is very good I believe, we are going to a gala night there soon, so may bump into you. I would like to dismiss the rumour that you and Shifty are one and the same .

 

[The Nomad]

Beg pardon. I wasn't thinking about insurance, although that is a very good point..

My understanding was that EU citizens are only allowed to visit another EU country for 90 days at a time, after which you are (officially) required to register with the local town hall. Certainly that is the case on Portugal, and this site suggests the same in Spain: http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizen...alities/reporting-presence/spain/index_en.htm

Hundreds of thousands of northern Europeans stay in Spain for many months if not years. Not a single one bothers with that utterly obscure and moribund old regulation, a hangover from the old Franco days.

 

[sedge]

The other thing of course should you happen to be on any repeat medication, that a GP is only allowed (by NHS rules) to prescribe up to 3 months worth (90 days) of it at a time and in fact if you aren't UK resident after the 90 days they are supposed to remove you from their patient list since otherwise they will get 'per capita' payment for you when you can't actually use their services.

(Mind you the way things are going you'll soon have to wait 3 months to see a ruddy GP at all!)

 

[gus-lopez]

Seems very sensible to me, I like your way of thinking and you have got a great deal in a great location.

In the bit about keeping it legal, and given the 90 day rule, wouldn't it be possible to (say) take a trip over the Portugal, stay overnight and then re-enter Spain?

Yes 89 days & then leave to any other EU state & when you return the clock starts again. Registering for residency is consecutive , whereas for being a tax resident it is cumulative, You can be a resident without being a tax resident & vice versa.

Hundreds of thousands of northern Europeans stay in Spain for many months if not years. Not a single one bothers with that utterly obscure and moribund old regulation, a hangover from the old Franco days.

Yes but the EU regulation is 90 consecutive days. Even for holiday makers.Then you are a resident , whether you register or not. The fine in Spain is for failing to apply to register. It is up to you to prove you haven't been here that long not for them to prove you have.
UK vehicles give them away normally & every now & again next door in Almeria they will pull overstayers & issue them with re-matriculate the vehicles/register as resident notices.

As a Spanish registered permanent resident I always try to make sure I am out of the UK within the 90 days as it isn't worth the aggro if you get a pull.
We are fortunate that in most countries the authorities have no idea what the actual rules are.

 

[Snowbird]

The other thing of course should you happen to be on any repeat medication, that a GP is only allowed (by NHS rules) to prescribe up to 3 months worth (90 days) of it at a time and in fact if you aren't UK resident after the 90 days they are supposed to remove you from their patient list since otherwise they will get 'per capita' payment for you when you can't actually use their services.

(Mind you the way things are going you'll soon have to wait 3 months to see a ruddy GP at all!)

This is another reason I have to return every 90 days. I order my repeat prescriptions online the week before I am due to arrive in the UK and hey presto my 3 months of life support is awaiting collection. Ah, the joys of the internet.

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[sedge]

Absolutely the way to do it now. Just as well we can do it that way since doctors appointments are so scarce and in any case, they don't use their brains with simple things eg I take two different BP meds which because I started one later than the other, the repeats expire at different times. So one expires which requires me to tell them what my BP is at the mo, so I do - but when the other one runs out - I have to do it again despite the first one being within the last couple of months which IS actually the requirement. (and being within tolerance of course anyway)

The stuff that actually keeps me alive - ie insulin and test strips - is NEVER a prob - just the stuff that keeps me HEALTHY not simply alive !

 

[pyro]

Yes 89 days & then leave to any other EU state & when you return the clock starts again. Registering for residency is consecutive , whereas for being a tax resident it is cumulative, You can be a resident without being a tax resident & vice versa.
Yes but the EU regulation is 90 consecutive days. Even for holiday makers.Then you are a resident , whether you register or not. The fine in Spain is for failing to apply to register. It is up to you to prove you haven't been here that long not for them to prove you have.
UK vehicles give them away normally & every now & again next door in Almeria they will pull overstayers & issue them with re-matriculate the vehicles/register as resident notices.

As a Spanish registered permanent resident I always try to make sure I am out of the UK within the 90 days as it isn't worth the aggro if you get a pull.
We are fortunate that in most countries the authorities have no idea what the actual rules are.

@gus-lopez Good answer, thanks for confirming that. I was sure it wasn't some Franco throwback, as I have heard anecdotal evidence about people who have been cautioned and threatened with quite hefty fines for failing to register in Portugal after the 90 days are up.

I was told at first hand by one person was stopped on a routine drink/drive check, which he breezed though, but his vehicle was confiscated as he was not just visiting. The same thing happened to a neighbour of ours in the UK, a Polish lad doing some work for them was stopped driving on Polish plates, and he told them that he had been in the UK for 18 months.

I asked a chap I know who is in the GNR, and he mentioned that there was a 6 month limit for visitors using UK registered vehicles, but that didn't apply to ex pats resident in Portugal.

I'm sure thousands get away without any problems on both duration of stay and long term use of UK registered vehicles, but better to be safe than sorry
.

 

[gus-lopez]

@gus-lopez

I asked a chap I know who is in the GNR, and he mentioned that there was a 6 month limit for visitors using UK registered vehicles, but that didn't apply to ex pats resident in Portugal.

I'm sure thousands get away without any problems on both duration of stay and long term use of UK registered vehicles, but better to be safe than sorry
.

Yes it is 6 months for visitors & I was even told that at Dover. When I pointed out that after 90 days i would be a resident & illegally driving the motorhome I was met with a glazed look. I wish I hadn't bothered as It then took another 40 minutes before he understood fully.

 

[Suecclassic]

We were going to go to Portugal in January 2016 for 8 weeks. The cost with ferry fares, fuel and pitch was about £2000 and that didn't include food etc. We eventually booked 8 weeks in a 4* hotel fully inclusive for £2400. As you said "A no brainer".

 

[injebreck99]

We have booked a month in a posh hotel, (Servigroup Venus) on a full board basis for 1900 Euros for both of us, Feb 6th to March 6th, it will be our wedding anniversary while we are there so we treated ourselves, flights and car hire will be on top of that.

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[NeilEmma]

What about the camping community side of things with an apartment?

 

[Snowbird]

What about the camping community side of things with an apartment?

They are still there I believe although a little wet.

 

[Emmit]

BF do a one month Aparthotel deal during the winter. I think it starts at about £460 per person for the month but that also includes return ferry, Portsmouth/Plymouth to Bilbao/Santander with the car and a cabin both ways.

I have made enquiries and you can 'upgrade to take the 'van at the appropriate increase in fare and have the month as part of a longer trip.

 

[denisejoe]

We were going to go to Portugal in January 2016 for 8 weeks. The cost with ferry fares, fuel and pitch was about £2000 and that didn't include food etc. We eventually booked 8 weeks in a 4* hotel fully inclusive for £2400. As you said "A no brainer".

Where did you find a deal like that? Seems really good value.

Denise

 

[bobandjanie]

What about the camping community side of things with an apartment?

As Dave says they are still there, it's very handy visiting the campsite and having coffee and cake or a beer, the trouble starts when they come round here. Bob.

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