A Case Study – Mark and Pauline

A big thank you to Mark and Pauline, who have kindly shared their experiences of moving to Lanzarote with us – we wish them all the very best for the future, and we are certainly going to be amongst their most regular customers at their brand new Terrace Bistro in Playa Blanca!

Where did you relocate to Lanzarote from? Dubai

Where on the Island do you live now? Playa Blanca

Who came with you? (Kids? Pets? Spouse?) Husband and wife only

Why did you decide to move to Lanzarote? We have always loved Spain and have visited the Canaries for quite a few years and after spending 8 years   in Dubai we did not feel we could go back to the UK and face the winters there anymore.

How long before deciding to move, did you actually arrive? It took approx 2 years from the idea stage of opening a bar to actually moving here

Did you rent or buy your first home here? We are currently renting but will be looking to buy in the future

How did you choose your home? And what were your experiences? We wanted a villa but not too large or expensive but somewhere we could relax after working hard all day, we looked at a few with a local estate agent, They were excellent as nothing was too much trouble for them. We finally found the one we decided on through Carlos.  Looking for a home was made very easy, a really enjoyable experience.

Why did you choose Lanzarote? We like the ambience of Lanzarote, there is so much to do and the different areas are all unique, we especially like Playa Blanca because it is so friendly.

Is there anything you miss from your old home? Only the friends we left behind. Living in Dubai is multi cultural and we had made so many friends of different nationalities.

What are the real benefits to you personally in having made the move? When we moved to Dubai 8 years ago it was like a small town, it was clean, gfriendly and a joy to live there, but as in most places in the world it has grown and grown and is now a city. We personally do not like living in cities as you lose the personal touch and life becomes tedious. Moving to Playa Blanca is (for us) very similar to how Dubai was.

What are the downsides if any, of having made the move? At the moment we do not have any

Your friends in Lanzarote – what country are they from, predominantly? Mainly English

Could you speak Spanish before you arrived? Very very basic

Have you had Spanish lessons since you arrived? No but I have bought a dictionary!

How often do you return to your old home? Not really applicable as we have just moved here but potential plans are once a year

Are you working here? If so, what line of work are you in? We have purchased a cafe bar, and are opening it as a Bistro in Playa Blanca on 16th March 2009. Phil Burch from Lanzarote Business Sales held our hands throughout the whole buying process. It wasn’t as simple or speedy as we would have liked due to circumstances off the Island – but Phil was excellent and pulled strings we would not have though possible.

Is this the same line of work that you were in previously? No this is a new venture for us. Mark has always loved home cooking and has had a dream of owing his own bar, and preparing and cooking the same food.

Are you working shorter/longer/same hours as before? The hours we plan to be open would be longer than we are used to, but we will be working for ourselves rather than other people

Did you retire in Lanzarote? I wish we could now but it definitely on the cards for the future

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