Hi, I am relocating to Madrid for two years at the end of September with my company. Their office is on Doctor Esquerdo (east side of Madrid). I want to know where the best places to live would be for myself, my wife, and our three young children. We will receive 1400 euro's per month to rent a place - will that get us a house, or a flat? Are there any "no go" areas where it's best not to live? Best and easiest places to commute from? Any help / comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Hey ste, welcome to the board.

Congrats on the move!!!

Well, your question is a tough one, it depends on many things...

� What type of living you desire? (city, coutry, suburbs, etc...).

� Do you want to live near your work (ie. within walking distance or do you prefer a driving commute?

� How many bedrooms will you need for you, your wife and 3 kids?

� Kids schooling will also play a role. Are they going to public school here or will you have them in a private school? If private, the school location will influence your decision as well.

I will say that 1,400 Euros/month for rent is a ton-o-cash so you will be able to get a nice place no matter where you decide to live.

Hope others pop in here as well to help you out.

Saludos,
jer...

Thanks for the quick response !!

I currently live in the country in the UK, and quite enjoy that, however we're easy as to where we live in Madrid

My company are giving me 900 euro's per month for a car - another question, I suppose, is where I can arrange a long-term lease for cars? any help appreciated !.

As regards commuting, again I'm pretty easy on this one - I'm used to travelling 45KM each way at the moment, but as there's a half-decent Metro in Madrid, it might be better to travel on that.

Kids are 7, 3, and 1, so only the eldest is going to school during the first year. My company is paying for private schooling, and as yet we haven't looked at where they are located.

I'm looking for a minimum if 3 bedrooms, but ideally 4.

Please continue with your help - best areas / worst areas / etc, etc, etc.
Cheers

In MiraSierra there are nice urbanisations with huge flats,which have nice gardens and pools. Private schools tend to have buses that pick up the kids.... Also try pozuelo, majadahonda and Las Rozas....nice places which are calm and tend to have places with pools and garden. This will be nice for the kids, cause living in the city can be dificult, they can't go out and play withou you being there with them..traffic etc..

hope this helps,
salu2,
serge

ps. i'll try and find out about a lease company

Hey, ok, now we are getting someplace.

One question, if that "900 euro's per month for a car" was not a typo, why on earth would you lease whenb you could buy one and easily pay it off in the 2 years you are to be here?

Ok, it would be a normal car, no luxury.

If you want a lux. car, then the long-term lease would be better.

Try www.aerocity.com for the lease, not sure if they do it but worht a shot.

You can also e-mail Juan Ortig�ela at Aerocity ( juan@aerocity.com ) and enquire about such a lease.

If they can't do it they can surely recommend someone who can.

Saludos,
jer...

Hola Ste,

We were looking on the east side last summer and saw some nice places up and down Arturo Soria (some a bit too pricey for us! our Company isn't paying, you jammy *****! ) Also Palomas, next door, is another nice area and both are not 'city centre' but not too far either, a few minutes drive to Dr Esquerdo.
Like the others say, it all depends on what you want! (pool/balcony/garage/house/flat/metro/etc.) I been told there's an English school somewhere on Arturo Soria too.
Hey, and our area's quite nice as well (& new), Corralejos, on the opposite side of Parque Juan Carlos from Palomas. Bit of a walk to the metro though although plenty of buses! and handy for el aeropuerto too, in case you need to make a quick getaway!

Always room for another Manc!! (if that's what you are)(as long as you're not from the blue side, that is!! )

Edit: & 900� for a car!! Who do I work for??

Great responses:-

Sergeholandes - I'll look at MiraSierra,pozuelo, majadahonda and Las Rozas: Thanks.

Jer - no, the 900Euro's was not a typo: in the UK, I have a fully expensed company car, yet my company don't offer this in Spain. therefore, they agreed to give me an allowance and I was staggered when they told me the amount: I'd like a lux. car, so the lease would make better sense, and also if I was buying one, I'd want to bring it back to the UK eventually, and the steering wheel would be on the wrong side!

Laidback - yes, you guessed it, I'm a Manc ! (And a RED - in fact, my current office is in Trafford Park, and I'm walking to the ManU V Wolves match at Old Trafford tonight!!!)

quote:

Always room for another Manc!! (if that's what you are)(as long as you're not from the blue side, that is!!

Saludos,
jer...

quote:

also if I was buying one, I'd want to bring it back to the UK eventually, and the steering wheel would be on the wrong side!

Oooooooor, you COULD donate it to multimadrid (AKA me) when you leave

Saludos,
jer...

quote:

Always room for another Manc!! (if that's what you are)(as long as you're not from the blue side, that is!!

A MANC is someone from Manchester, England. Someone from the Blue side supports Manchester City Football Club. Someone from the Red side supports Manchester United Football Club.
FYI, I'm a Red !

With regards to long term car leasings, you may look at Many Cars, the car leasing firm owned by "El Corte Ingl�s". Besides that, all the main car brands have their own leasing programs (I am completely sure about Ford and Renault; and almost sure about all VW group -VW, Audi, Seat- and Opel).

With regards to your house, I live in your office area. It is very nice, but you would have to live in a flat (unless you get a cottage in the "Colonia del Retiro" - this cottage development is the closest to downtown in the city).
Anyway, you may find big flats in this area, like in the "Barrio de la Estrella", or in the "Colonia del Ni�o Jes�s" - by the way, this development is between Doctor Esquerdo street and the Retiro park,... it seems like a nice location, doesn't it?

P.S. If you want to look for these areas in a map (Callejero Lanetro, Mappy), ask for these streets, which are, more or less, in the centre of these neighbourhoods:
-"Titulcia" for the "Colonia del Retiro",
-"Estrella Polar" for the "Barrio de la Estrella",
-"Portal de Bel�n" for the "Colonia del Ni�o Jes�s".

I forgot your children: if you don't mind about a Spanish and Catholic school, one of the best in Spain is in the "Colonia del Ni�o Jes�s": "Colegio del Pilar".

Hi Ste and congratulations for moving to Madrid! I�m sure you will love it !

Ok, regarding the best areas for living, here are my oppinions: Mirasierra is a great place for living, big flats with pools, gardens, etc.

Places like Majadahonda, Las Rozas, Pozuelo de Alarc�n, etc, all located on N-VI Road North-West are nice places too, but you have to consider the anount of time you will spend in the car getting into the city everyday. I work in that area, and traffic in the morning is dreadful, it can take you more than an hour.

Inside the city, you can find lovely places like El Viso (in the Chamart�n disctric), quite streets, nice buildings and chalets inside the city). Great location, lots of public transport.

Arturo Soria is another great place. Parque del Conde de Orgaz is quite nice, but most rents will be over 1400 € per month.

All this areas have private schools, but as Sergeholandes says, most of them have a bus service.

In general, best places are North Madrid (except areas like Bravo Murillo), and South Madrid is more "working class".

As for the car subject, my father�s company car is from Dial Spania, and they are very happy with them. Can�t find the web page, but the address is :
Dial Spania
Principe de Vergara 132
Telephone : 914230500
My father�s car was stolen on the street and next day he had a new one at home.

Another option could be to choose the car you like, for example BMW, and choose something like a lease plan, you pay an anount every month that includes such things as tecnical service, insurance, etc, and when the contract is over, you choose to give the car back, to get a new one, or purchase it.

I just came back from a 3 weeks long holiday doing nothing in particular besides of lying under the sun , so I think my English today is not as good as it should be, I hope you can understand what I mean !! If you have more questions, just ask !

Cheers, Max: :cheers:
Excellent info - I'm working in Madrid for 3 days next week, so I'll have a walk to the areas you suggest and have a look. Thanks.

He peeps, don't forget we are talking about a limited budget here for living i n the centre. If you want a chalet or likewise in el viso or around the retiro area you will pay a fortune, a bit more then 1400 a moth.....I live around Ruben Dario and I am paying a bit more than 900, just for renting a 2 bedroom app.(really nice, but just 100m2) this means I also have to pay gas, phone, electric, etc....

so in my opinion the best option is outside of madrid. Arturo Soria is nice, but I don't know the prices there...never looked for a house there

salu2,
serge