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MAKING THE RIGHT DECISIONS by Mrs Clark Mr & Mrs Clark
Female Focus
Or were we just lucky? We had always intended to retire to Scotland, to our home overlooking the golf course, beside the North Sea with spectacular views and beautiful gardens. But.. as retirement approached we decided that the costs of keeping warm and the effort of the keeping the gardens beautiful might be too much for us. We started to look around the Mediterranean coast and eventually we had a house built, high on a hillside with stunning views, on the Costa Blanca. Then, 30 happy years, on we began to realise that now we were older it was time to move again. It would be wise to find a more age friendly home to spend our autumn days. Suddenly it had all become to much. We were no longer up to large lunch parties by the pool or even preparing dinner by the fire for a few friends. The terraces in the garden, though still attractive, now were
also dangerous. Even the joy of having our sons and grandchildren to stay was tempered by how tired we got keeping up with their activity. Yes it was time to decide to move on.
Many years ago our neighbours, Ken and Jessie Sutcliffe had moved to Ciudad Patricia. They had been very content there, we remembered. So we decided to investigate. Firstly on the website and then we arranged with Amanda to visit. She devoted a whole morning to take us around and to answering our many questions with great patience. This is the hallmark of all the staff here. They do not just go the extra step but the whole extra mile. We were very impressed with the friendly ambience of Ciudad Patricia, all the facilities and spacious gardens. We decided to put our house on the market. We looked around at other retirement places but none seemed to match the standards of Ciudad Patricia.
Six months later...... another visit. This time it was an open day. Looking around and seeing a newly converted flat made us decide that yes it was the right move for us. We arranged yet another visit and this time we decided to buy. We had hesitated so long that the choice of flat had narrowed but Amanda had one she thought would be right for us…and it was. It was small but bright with a sun room on the terrace. This gave a little more space. The only disappointment was that we could not alter the kitchen as it had recently been replaced. Similarly the shower room had been renewed.
We have now been in residence for 11 months, 11 enjoyable months with no regrets on our decision to change our lifestyle. Our neighbours have been friendly and helpful, advising us on shopping and dining out, where to find a good dentist, accountant and optician. We have enjoyed exploring Albir, its beach and many restaurants. An area we had not discovered before in our years in Spain. We have coffee most mornings in the cafe, talk with neighbours there and read the newspapers. We enjoy lunch in the dining room with new and old friends. In the summer most days we would swim in the outdoor pool and now in the colder weather we enjoy the luxury of the heated indoor pool.
We received considerable help from Amanda and the maintenance staff as we moved in. They were kindly in the face of our indecisions and understanding of our foibles. The final 2 months of 2015 were busy as we decided on what we should bring, what we should buy and what we could do without. Squeezing 400 square metres, 30 years of Spanish life, and over 50 years of married acquisitions into to less than 100 square metres was never going to be easy. Lots of coming and going between our old and new home, new cupboards were built for things we could not possibly leave behind. (Mostly things we have not used since we moved!) We found a place for everything and in the first few weeks seemed to be unable to find anything! However in a remarkably short time the paintings were off the floor and on the walls and the curtains were up. The kitchen cupboards were full and all our clothes in the wardrobes. The family photos displayed. Benjamin did a great job with the extra cupboards. Amanda was always there ensuring everything was as required. Nadine arranged all the fiscal problems with the health service and the ‘padron’. We passed our MOT at the hospital and met Dr Azurga further assuring us we had made the right decision.
Nadine arranges barbecues, dinners, musical entertainment and films, is always there to help with any worries we may think we have and she is always trying to make life easier. She has our problems solved before we realised we had them. Life here is enjoyable and if anything unexpected happens there is wonderful back up which reacts quickly and professionally. We have already had to test that. Yes we made the right decision but also we are very lucky to be spending our retirement years here.
A beautiful place to enjoy your autumn years in comfort and security.
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