British expat in Costa del Sol says it ‘is still real Spain’ – despite British ‘enclave’

For those who decided to stick it out and navigate the new rules, life as an expat on the Costa del Sol was great, said Mark.

While “there are various areas where the Brits have amassed”, Costa del sol was still “real Spain”, he said.

He explained: “I always argue that where we live is still real Spain.

“It’s not just 150 years history, it’s got roman remains and paleo Christian remains, so you have a whole history which dates back 3,000 years and it’s very present.

“So yes, it’s real Spain. But this coast and most of the other Spanish coasts have large expat communities.

“Obviously a lot of Spaniards own holiday properties in our immediate area, but since the 50s and 60s, you’ve had large influxes of Europeans, and the British came into those communities and it became very much multicultural.”