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View Full Version : Other Is there an English speaking, ex-pat, community in Puerto de la Cruz?



Sweetpea
26-02-2014, 20:43
We are moving from France (UK ex-pats) and trying to decide between North Costa Blanca and North Tenerife (Puerto de la Cruz) The thing that has most disappointed in France is the lack of an active ex-pat community. We know that we can find
that in Moraira (Spain) but I would much prefer the climate in Puerto, however it would be great to be able to meet up with 40/50 somethings from time to time.
We aren't fully retired and would like to carry on working part time, we also have dogs. We would like to know if anyone can help point us in thee direction of active English speaking ex-pats in Puerto.

Best regards to all out there and a huge thanks in advance!

Sweetpea

canarybird
27-02-2014, 10:59
Hello Sweetpea and welcome to the forum.

Here are a couple of links to activities of the ex-pat community in Puerto de la Cruz.

The British Games Club has activities which usually center around Alvaro's Tennis Club in the La Paz area, near Hotel Botanico.
You can read about their activities here on their website. (http://britishgamesclub.hol.es/index.html)

Another center for British ex-pat activity is The English Library, (http://www.englishlibrary.mytenerife.eu/)constructed in 1903,

which is near to the All Saints Anglican church (http://www.allsaintstenerife.com/) where an active community also participates in car boot sales, luncheons and bazaars.

Friends of Tenerife (http://www.friendsoftenerife.com/) is another group which holds social activities for the purpose of raising funds to help people in need on the island.

I hope this is of some help to you and that you'll find a friendly group if you do decide to settle here.

Canarybird

Sweetpea
27-02-2014, 12:56
Thank you Canarybird,

Really useful info, but even better I enjoyed reading your Tenerife Journal and as they say "A picture paints a thousand words".

Regards
Sweetpea

Minerva
17-10-2014, 22:36
It sounds like these clubs are all British. And as a non-Brit I might be too shy to join: I spent over 30 years in USA, so my English is American, not British, as are my mannerisms. Are they any international English (American, Australian, ESL) speaking clubs there?

canarybird
18-10-2014, 00:34
You shouldn't feel so different just because you speak American English or have North American habits Minerva. I'm Canadian and have managed to get along very well with my British friends over the years. Mind you, I've never quite got used to trying to figure out their body weight when they weigh themselves in 'stones' rather than kilos or pounds, lol! But you would find they are friendly and easy to get along with.

No clubs that I know of just for non-British and Americans and Canadians are few and far between mainly because we are not EU citizens so residence and work permits are much more difficult to obtain. I've only met one Australian while living here, but I'm sure there are some more somewhere on the island.

Minerva
18-10-2014, 08:37
Ouch, I did not intend to discriminate against the Brits (no matter how foolish I feel when I have no idea what a marmite is, lol), I just wondered if other English speakers, including ESL frequent these clubs. I lived in Andalucia and there was a British Legion and an American International Club. They were some Brits in the American club, but I was told no non-Brits in the British Legion, so I wondered. There were also tons of other national clubs (Swedes had two of them, lol) using their languages during their events, but if you wanted to chat in English, there was only the American international, and it was fun, because of the wide mix of nationalities present.

canarybird
18-10-2014, 10:02
Minerva I wasn't criticizing you at all, and am sorry if my post sounded as though I were doing so.

I was only trying to assure you that you wouldn't feel out of place with the local English-speaking residents, mainly British.

There are some residents or part time residents here from other countries, such as South Africa who also speak English, but no clubs for other native English speaking nationalities that I know of here.

And as for Marmite....well you either love it or hate it! I love it and just had some spread on my toast this morning. :)