Spain: British expat questions enforcement of Covid passes

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Nick Anders lives in Nerja, a coastal beach town on Spain’s sunny Costa del Sol. The “disillusioned” expat said he “can’t wait to get out” in an unearthed forum post.

Nick said he originally moved to Spain’s Costa del Sol in search of a new life and loved it at first.

He said: “I’ve had enough, get me out of here – whatever your choice – the end result is the same.

“There are lots of downsides to living in Spain and I just didn’t know about these when I moved to Spain.”

Nick said: “An expat’s life in Spain can be a constant struggle, make sure you are prepared for all this.”

Although he moved to Spain with £15,000 in savings he said he now only has the “shirt on my back”.

“I figured that with so many expats living in Spain that there must be a bundle of new business opportunities or companies looking for staff,” he added in the post first published in 2013.

“I was so wrong! I soon found that jobs and opportunities in Spain were few and far between apart from the obvious ones.

“I hate villa cleaning, I hate cleaning pools, I hate working in bars until 2am waiting for the last drunken expat to leave.

“I hate building work in the baking midday sun!”

Nick added: “I hate getting anything done in Spain. Often I end up going to the local town hall and being sent from one department to another where I am told conflicting advice.

“The paperwork and bureaucracy are horrendous. If you are coming to live in Spain, bring a photocopier!”

Nick also struggled with getting around in Spain and said the country’s roads had pushed him to leave.

He said: “I hate the lack of infrastructure in Spain. The motorways are superb as a lot of EU money has been given to Spain but locally our roads are terrible.

“The amount of tyres we go through because of holes in the road is ridiculous.”

He added: “There is no drainage so when it rains heavily places get flooded and roads are washed away.

“Areas that used to soak up the water have been built on due to pure greed. The councils just don’t seem to invest back in the community.”

Nick said: “I wish I had never moved to Spain and I urge anyone thinking of Spain seriously to consider my story.

“Don’t even think about moving to Spain if you have no money, it is not the cheap place to live that it used to be, the cost of living in Spain continues to match UK levels.

“If you really must try living in Spain then don’t sell your house in the UK, don’t burn your bridges, try to live in Spain for one month or a year by renting a house for that length of time.”

However, one expat disagreed with Nick on Spain’s roads, telling Spain Made Simple: “Spanish roads have a high quality if you compare them with French or English ones.”

Another expat called Shirley said she loved living in Spain. She said: “I am always happy with the service I get in local shops and restaurants.”

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