A Dutch family packed their bags and left for Southern Spain to start over. Read their story here!
 
A New Start
In the summer of 2004, Norbert van Onna decided to leave his life in Holland to start over in Southern Spain. Together with his wife and two teenage daughters he is now in the process of developing a rural hotel in the Lecrin Valley. "In May 2004 we started house hunting in the region of Malaga, to find a good location to start a hotel", he says. "Back home we already thought about setting up our own business, but in Holland there is such a lack of space, and also regulations are very complex. Slowly we got used to the idea of leaving the country to start over in Spain." "We really liked the open mentality of the Spanish people" his wife Carla adds. "This, combined with the culture and the good climate made us choose this country. It is a huge step to emigrate, and really something one must do little by little. In our case with two daughters in their teens, you need to think things through very carefully. We got to know the country during various holidays and it had grown on us. Also it is not too far away from Holland, it would have been quite different if we left for Australia for example."
 
 
 
 
Our destination "Also it is very important", Norbert continues, "To choose a place where you think you will find what you are looking for, and not just because it might be better then in your home country. Because what you leave behind won't matter anymore once you're away.
After looking along the coast from Torremolinos towards Granada we met Danielle. She showed us different properties from old mills to large country homes, all with different pros and cons. But because we did not find the ideal property for us, she suggested we consider the possibility of buying a plot of land and build our own dream project. Up until then, we had not really thought about that option, but because all the existing properties needed so much work and money to modernize, for us it was a very good idea. Finally we found our dream spot; a rustic plot of land planted with fruit and olive trees, of 13000m2 in Pinos del Valle, a village in the Lecrin Valley, 30 km south of Granada.
 
Dream Spot "If we show people the location we usually start at the bottom, the terraced land with fruit trees, finishing at the top, where the hotel will be built. Every single time we find ourselves speechless because of the beauty, the endlessness of the views and the feeling of freedom, it is just overwhelming. This location is exactly what we were looking for, here we can offer our guests the ideal environment to relax and de-stress from their daily life.
 
The Environment Norbert is a fanatic cyclist and the valley is a superb environment for cycling, as there are countless routes for both road racing and mountain biking. "The desire to dominate the mountains, its just thrilling. Also the changing of the seasons is spectacular as it makes a trip different every time. The accessibility of this area is also very good, as it is close to a large city, not too far away from the coast and the natural environment is so idyllic.
 
 
 
Business Another great advantage of starting up a business here is the collaboration with all the different people you need during a process like this. We have accomplished a very good relationship with a Spanish banker who is going to provide part of the finance and with Mark, our Architect. Our Builder Joske and our Spanish accountant who leads us through the legal process. It's a dynamic process and it takes a lot of time and energy, but very satisfying and interesting too. Of course we have had some difficulties to overcome, especially with the planning, as some steps took much longer than we anticipated. But overall we are still very pleased we made the jump!
 
Family "Our daughters now speak the language and will start in a Spanish school in Granada this September. We picked a school in the city as it suits them better than the schools in the village. All these kind of things you better organize once you get here, as you need to visit the schools and see what they offer.
For more information about Casa de la Sonrisa, please check their website:
 
www.casadelasonrisa.com