How we found our place under the sun in Andalusia is quite a strange story. In 2012 we, Robert, Pascalle, Joanne and Oek, moved to Brunei for Robert’s work. By the end of April 2016, Robert got a new job. This time the job was based on rotation, which meant we could not join him as a family in his new work country. So…

…We had little time to figure out where we were going to live. Mid-June we had to leave the country because the work permit was due. The year before we had already sold our house in the Netherlands. We were free to go everywhere we wanted. Having this option, it is still difficult to choose. But that is a whole different story.

Do what you want to do, without waiting for the right moment

During a yoga course the idea was born; why not dive into the deep and start working on a plan B; in which we could do something together that we like at a beautiful location? Not long before this, my mom had passed away and that made me aware of the facts. Life can be over before you know it, more reason to do what you want to do without waiting for the right moment.

We chose to go to southern Spain because it’s close to our family and the winter weather is good. Furthermore, you can go skiïng, there are beautiful cultural cities and it has beaches. The only things we needed were an international airport and an international school.

That’s how, via some surfing on the internet, I found a desolate farmhouse on the other side of Álora. Perfect! Robert could put his energy into this house when he was home for a month because relaxing on the sofa was not his thing. And then after a few years, we would open our Bed & Breakfast.

After some more searching, we found Las Nuevas. Wow, what an amazing place. Different, but perfect.

Long story short, we took the jump. We shipped our household to Málaga, without ever been to Andalusia before. We only had been to the Pyrenees and Barcelona.

We booked a holiday home in Alhaurin el Grande for the first days after arrival in Spain and additionally some nights at Casa Carmen at Las Nuevas.

Just in time before the summer holiday started, we visited some schools with the children, we found a rental house in Alhaurin el Grande and we spent days with real estate guys checking houses in the area.

The desolated farmhouse with which our idea started, was a bit too desolated to our taste and also the other house on the property which should have been ready to move in was a disaster. This house was off our list. Besides, we decided to go for holiday homes rather than rooms at a B&B.

Buying a House in Spain

The moment we stepped out of the car of the real estate man at Las Nuevas, that was before we spend a couple of nights here, was unbelievable. A serene peace fell over us. You could hear the silence. No sound of cars or other noises. The views were breathtaking. It felt like a warm blanket.

By then four holiday homes were situated, so that guests could have their privacy. The houses are spacious, totally different from most of the holiday homes, where you always have to fight for a comfortable seat or where you have to change the sofa into a bed at night.   Yes, this is where we see ourselves and what we want to share with others. That this house suited us, we found out during the days we rented this place.   Fair enough, the first time I drove up the mountain, it was a bit exciting. But like our guests, you get used to the road when you have driven it a second time and you know where you are heading to.

A couple of weeks later we had ‘bought’ the house and after more than ten months finally, all the paperwork was done and we were the proud owners of Finca Las Nuevas.

That paperwork can be very complicated here in Spain and so it was. In July we even mentioned stopping the buying process as it seemed the pool was illegal. Holiday houses without a pool weren’t an option for us. Luckily there seemed to be some miscommunication in the town hall and the buying process continued in August.

Happy and content on our mountain

We are enjoying this place a lot. Every season has its charm. We enjoy meeting guests, hearing their stories and providing them with tips for a lovely holiday.

We are always busy with a project, and relaxing on the sofa does not happen. By the time it seems we are running out of work, we’ll find another thing to keep ourselves busy and also to make it even more pleasant for our guests.