When Suzannah (47) and Terry (47) Jordan first got wind of the Costa de la Luz it was on a Channel 4 TV programme and they had to get the encyclopedia out to locate it. Two years on and they’ve not only lock-stock relocated but Suzannah’s also proud owner of a beauty salon in the local village, now the social hub of the community. How did they do it? Answer a lot of hard work and plenty of conviction.
Suzannah picks up the story, “Terry and I were renting in the UK, a beautiful barn converted cottage in Northop, near Chester, but were eager to buy something of our own. Trouble was, every viewing made us realize how spoilt we were by our existing countryside location and we couldn’t find a home to better it. It struck us that perhaps a holiday home abroad could meet the high expectations and give us something Chester never could – a great climate. After conducting a tour of the usual suspects – Cyprus, Balearics, Algarve, and major Costas – we were none the wiser. Until we switched on the TV and were captivated by Western Costa de la Luz.”
Suzannah continues, “Google took us to local real estate specialists, Titan Properties, and we booked an inspection trip to the Huelva coastline. Terry warned our host, Andrew Benitz, that if he pressurized us into making a purchase we’d be on the next flight home. But in the end it was us falling in love with the area and pushing Andrew into tying up the deal on our chosen home, a three bedroom townhouse for 269,000 euros in Nuevo Portil, so we could get out there as soon as possible. I cannot tell you how smoothly the purchase went, not even one hitch. We placed it all in Titan Properties’ hands and only really came over three or four times for the usual signings. Any problems or concerns were answered by Andrew and his team instantly leaving us to get on with life back in North Wales.”
Keys in hand, the Jordans spent a month-long holiday at their new Spanish home and rapidly found that the western Costa de la Luz offered them everything they had been looking for. Traditionally Spanish, open green landscapes, low levels of construction and wide sandy beaches within walking distance of the front door were just some of the factors which prompted Terry to see if he could transfer his career as a self-employed telecommunications engineer over to the area. His vast experience with big names such as 3G, Nokia, O2 and Vodafone secured him a year-long contract in Portugal so Terry took the chance and left Suzannah to her businesses back in the UK.
“I was abandoned in wet North Wales, whilst he worked in the sunshine” jokes Suzannah, “running the small Spa I operated from the barn and also working as a driving instructor in the evenings. After a few months I was eager to join Terry so juggled both jobs as well as re-taking all my beauty exams at day and night school to achieve internationally recognized Diplomas in preparation to set up shop abroad. With my ducks in a row I packed the Spa into a container, got on a plane to Terry and basically put a question mark over myself for the time being. We then spent a happy six months together following Terry on the road in Portugal leaving me plenty of time to ponder my options and get use to the relaxing lifestyle the area offered.”
Decision made, Suzannah took bilingual friend Dawn along to the local town hall, Cartaya (which encompasses their home in Nuevo Portil and neighbouring fishing village El Rompido) and chatted through her start-up beauty salon venture. Having found a vacant premises in El Rompido, Cartaya town hall couldn’t have been more helpful sending along an architect to assess the premises and then offering full support and guidance to make ‘Suzannah’
“I was amazed how easy it was to set up business with the town hall’s support” continues Suzannah, “they had no qualms whatsoever about me being British and in fact actively encourage international investment into their community because they want to attract more tourists. Over the past two or three years I have seen the area grow and change with new five star hotels, first-rate golf courses, marinas and so on. It’s very up-and-coming.”
Offering the full spectrum of beauty treatments from massage to bespoke aromatherapy, facials to waxing, Suzannah’s has been an enormous success from day one. Employing one local Spanish girl who Suzannah is offering professional training to, alongside an English colleague, the salon has all bases covered in terms of language – a good thing as the vast majority of customers are in fact Spanish. Despite having no free time for formal lessons, Suzannah is gradually picking up the lingo and impressed at how willing the locals are to point her in the right direction on words and phrases.
“Are we settled?” questions Suzannah, “Absolutely. We have no plans to move back to the UK. Of course you can never say never but we love it here, it’s so relaxed and chilled out. We mix with Spanish, French, Dutch, the Scandinavians come in the winter to play golf, and of course Brits, but not many, they’re all on the Costa del Sol and the Algarve – they’re really missing out. I guess the biggest give-away is that we now have a dog, Tess, who we acquired from the local Animal Rescue, she’d been found in a carrier bag. Once you have a dog, you know you’re settled.”
Suzannah’s salon in El Rompido can be contacted on 00 34 680 872 430.
Contact Titan Properties on 00 34 959 399 982, UK Freephone 0800 358 7969. Email info@titan-properties.com or visit www.titan-properties.com .
- ends –
for further press information or photography please contact Sarah Drane at sarah@purplecakefactory.com or telephone 00 34 607 564 726
