Lanzarote Relocation

It is always good to hear about people who have moved to Lanzarote… their experiences… their views etc. So it is with pleasure that we provide our latest case study to you – Mike Chapman. Welcome to Lanzarote, Mike!

Name:
Mike Chapman (21)

Where did you move from:
We came from UK, Manchester

When was this:
May 2009

Where on the island do you live now:
Tias but probably moving to Costa Teguise

Did anyone move over with you:
Me, my dad and my brother (who is 18)

Why did you decide to move to Lanzarote:
Change of climate, hope for a better life, we all wanted a fresh start

How long before deciding you wanted to move did you actually arrive:
Been coming to Lanzarote for 8 years on holiday and decided about a year ago it was the ideal place to try

Did you rent or buy your first house here:
Rented we were buying a business and so our money was used for this to start with

Is there anything you miss from the UK:
My mates, my car, HMV, Nandos, Pizza Hut

How often have you been home since moving here:
Not yet but want to look to see my friends around Christmas time

What are the real benefits to you personally having made the move:
I’m my own boss, if I’m late for work so what. It’s safer out here I don’t have to worry about violence or watch my back wherever I walk

Your friends in Lanzarote, where do they come from:
It’s early days and so no real friends yet just people I know! Oh except for my girlfriend!

Could you speak Spanish before you arrived:
No, I did try Rosetta Stone but it did my head in!

How is your Spanish now:
I’m getting there with the basics and what I need to say to help people when they rent the bikes from us

Is your lifestyle healthier … or less healthier … since moving to Lanzarote:
Yes there is no Nandos or Pizza Hut. Plus I’m now always out on one of our bikes.

In hindsight is there anything you would have done differently:
Learnt more Spanish before we came out. Probably waited until I was a bit older.

Tell us about Evolution Bikes and why you started the business:
Well we didn’t start the business we bought a small operation and then gave it a kick-start. We bought a small bike rental business down in Costa Teguise through Lanzarote Business Sales and talked through with Phil what we wanted to do. We set it up as a limited company so that our investments would go against the takings for the first few years as we grow (it also allows us to then rent other vehicles in the future). We wanted to offer an alternative to the normal bike rental in Costa Teguise which is only owned by one person although he has two shops with different names. We could see that people wanted to enjoy a bit of leisure time whilst on their holiday and so have put together different types of bikes to try including Surrey Bikes (5 or 8 seater) from €10 per hour, stepper bikes from €5 per hour (long enough trust me), small kid electronic rides and then classic mountain bikes from €5 for 1/2 day. By opening up behind the main beach it means that if it is a cloudy day people can always still entertain themselves and a lot of the bars and cafes in Costa Teguise are happy that we keep people on the front on these days as well!
We want to be known as the fun rental bike place we want our customers (mainly families) to have some good family fun by renting some stuff or a big surrey bike together and enjoy their holidays just as we did as kids! We’ll always help anyone out and so we even offer people the chance for us to chauffeur them around and recently with more of the older couples my brother (Adam) and I have been taking them out for an hour on the big surrey bike and letting them see more than they would have on their own two feet (we don’t even charge any more than the normal rental but sometime we’ll get bought an ice-cream!). We are expecting a quieter time now as the winter comes in and that means we’ll have to just work harder at what we are doing. But hopefully as a family run business we can always find something for any family to enjoy with us whatever money they have in their pocket!

Tell us about the work you did before you set up the business:
All of us were hospital porters in the Royal Oldham hospital so although our customers are still getting wheeled about it really is quite different. But seeing kids come back and have their photos taken on the driving seat of the Surrey bike makes me smile just as much as bringing back some of our loved patients from the operating theatre.

Will you be staying in Lanzarote:
We hope so it has been tough going so far but we do believe that families still want that bonding time on holiday and what better than to rent some bikes together

What is your website address where people can contact you:
We don’t have a website yet but to book a bike (and we’ll bring it to wherever people are staying if they want) they can call me on (0034) 634 096 760

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