Welcome to our home
Hello and welcome to our home! We think you’ll be just as happy here as we are. We look forward to you staying with us and can’t wait to show you all the delights that you can look forward to at Casa La Alegria.
Here is an introduction to us, the owners of Casa La Alegria and how we found ourselves here, in this little piece of paradise in rural Andalusia.
Paul Schafer
I enjoyed a career in Catering and Facilities Management for over 40 years, so in some ways this was an obvious and natural transition to make. In other ways, it couldn’t be more different to anything I have previously experienced!
I have owned a property on the Costa del Sol since 2000 and have been visiting Spain with my partner Jon for the last 8 years. In 2021 Jon and I took the decision to take a year out of work, leaving our home in Bristol to make the most of our apartment in Calahonda.
At the time we (especially Jon) believed that we would return back to Bristol after the year was up. Little did we know that 6 months later, we would make the decision to sell our home in Bristol and purchase a property in rural Andalusia so that we could experience life in the ‘real Spain.’ We dreamed of immersing ourselves in the culture, learning the language, and finally crack that work life balance that’s all so difficult to achieve back in the UK.
The property we set our hopes and dreams on ultimately needed to be a place where we could host guests and eventually have our own horses and a couple of dogs and so here, we are at La Casa Alegria!
It’s not been easy and we have many humorous tales to tell from our journey so far. It’s especially tricky when you do not speak the language and are trying to navigate the bureaucratic hoops in setting up a business, but so far, it’s been well worth it. We feel very lucky, life is good, and we love the area we have chosen for the next chapter in our lives together.
The property we set our hopes and dreams on ultimately needed to be a place where we could host guests and eventually have our own horses and a couple of dogs and so here, we are at Casa La Alegria!
It’s not been easy and we have many humorous tales to tell from our journey so far. It’s especially tricky when you do not speak the language and are trying to navigate the bureaucratic hoops in setting up a business, but so far, it’s been well worth it. We feel very lucky, life is good, and we love the area we have chosen for the next chapter in our lives together.
Jon Savage
Like Paul, I have spent many years in corporate management positions. From retail management to training management and area management. Whilst I never imagined finding myself living in Spain on a long term basis, within 3 months of being here, I was bitten by the Spanish bug; the culture, people, country and of course the relaxed way of life.
Whilst in Spain I decided to complete my TEFL training (Teaching English as a Foreign Language.) I achieved a distinction in my course and landed a job working with a great company called “Mad About Furniture” in Estepona. Here I have been helping to design interiors for those on the Costa Del Sol, creating dream homes for those also embarking on their life in Spain.
Like Paul, I am so excited to welcome guests to Casa La Alegria. We hope you get to experience what it feels like to truly relax and enjoy all that Villanueva de Tapia has to offer.
