Connecting in Malaga
 

Coming from Canada and although well traveled,I've never been to Spain before. I have rented an apartment in the historical area of Malaga for the month of February with the view of researching long winter stays for the future. I'll be on my own and hoping to make contact with the English and English/Spanish speaking community in a meaningful way: individuals, dining clubs, social groups, retirement communities, hiking and other activity and interest groups. Any suggestions?

I would like to organize a Fodors GTG while in Malaga or area and would appreciate any help from locals or expats with that.

Have you googled the two words "Malaga Expats"? Tons of returns.

Yes I have. Often these are English expats helping eachother with tax or licencing issues by home owners. I will keep searching them of course but hoping for less general suggestions and actual contact information. Thanks anyway

this is kind of general, also, but you could search meetup.com They often have expat groups on there in various cities. And of course, other kinds of groups for other activities.

I'm on Meetup and I see that in Malaga they have a Spanish-English group that goes for walks together and chats (Vamos a Caminar y Charlar). They are meeting Sunday Jan 14th.

They also have a Toastmasters Malaga meeting in February.

While I cannot give any advice regarding your initial question, maybe just the remark that the expat/ snowbird community is scattered all along the Costa del Sol - and not necessarily focused on Málaga (city) proper. I'd assume that more native English speakers reside in the area of Nerja during the winter months than in all of Málaga (city). For Europeans, Málaga (city) is not a prime holiday destination. It is the gateway to the region, but I don't think many snowbirds have their apartments or bungalows in the urban region.
So when in search of groups, you may want to expand your search to the other coastal communities, from Marbella and Torremolinos to Nerja.

Thanks Cowboy. That's just the kind of on the ground research I'll be doing there for a future possible base. Sometimes it just takes one or two contacts or even a coffeeshop/local to get steered in the right direction. I've heard nice things about Nerja.
One or two week holidayers are not my target demographic and neither are high rise condos my style. I chose central historic Malaga as a good cultural base to visit museums and tapas bars, be close to trains and explore from.

For reasons of affordability there are many expats (mostly Brits) living in small towns and villages in the region. We had a week's vacation rental in Orgiva, a non-descript rural little town, and every morning from about 10AM a section of the main drag, with a bar or two, was Expat Central. Meeting, greeting, shooting the bull, getting drunk by lunchtime - not a pretty sight.

So beware - there are expats and then there are expats. Good luck in finding the right kind. The Canadian consular staff might be of help, too.

Thanks for the concern. I'll be discriminating in who I choose to socialize with.

As Cowboy said, most expats don't live in Malaga. They mainly go there to buy stuff they can't find elsewhere. It is a metropolis. There used to be an American Club in Torremolinos which you could search for on the web and am sure there are others strung out in other coastal communities. You'll find plenty of people with whom you can socialize. It will take you some time to find a place in which to base yourself, but that's a part of the fun of exploring.

Attending English-speaking church service is a good way to meet kindly expats who will be pleased to help you get settled and find your way in Spain. Some may be connected with the tourist industry but most are not, often married to a local Spaniard and have brought up family there. Even if you aren't particularly 'religious', it's a good way to meet helpful people.
http://www.stgeorgemalaga.org/
http://www.st-andrewscofe-spain.org/