Villarrasa, Huelva, or Sevilla?

With my school being located in the tiny town of Villarrasa in between the cities of Huelva and Sevilla, the question is: where to live? Villarrasa, Huelva, Sevilla, or another town closer to Villarrasa?

Villarrasa:
Pros:
Super close to school, more immersion, a small town vibe could be cool.
Cons: As cute as it seems, I’m used to living in much bigger cities, so I think I’d run out of things to do being in a tiny town 24/7.  Commuting in would make me appreciate the small town atmosphere more.

Huelva:
Pros: Much bigger city than Villarrasa, on the water! (though it’s on a bay, not the open water, so it wouldn’t be as beachy, I think), bus ride to Villarrasa would be about €1 cheaper/30 minutes shorter each way, probably a little cheaper than Sevilla, it’s a new area.
Cons: Travel by bus to the rest of Spain and by plane to other places would be a lot less convenient because of its location, smaller than Sevilla, there’s a cellulose factory that apparently stinks up the whole town occasionally.

Sevilla:
Pros: I’ve been there 4 times and love it, there’s a lot to do, there’s an airport (out of which flies the discount airline Ryanair), it’s closer to other cities in Spain by bus, I definitely want to go to Sevilla’s Feria de Abril, there’s a major university which means lots of young people/foreign Europeans, it’s gorgeous.
Cons: Longer/more expensive commute to Villarrasa (but I’ve commuted 1.5 hours each way in L.A. for an internship and a job, so a 1 hour, 15 minute bus ride wouldn’t be bad, and I could sleep or read or just chill), probably somewhat more expensive for housing (but it’s still way cheaper than L.A.).

I was a bit torn between Huelva and Sevilla at first, but it seems pretty clear now that I’d live in Sevilla. Of course, if the commute gets to be too awful, I could move mid-year, but I think I can handle it.

That said, whoa. Sevilla. I may be living in Sevilla in less than 4 months. Sevilla is actually my main inspiration for doing this program. Visiting Andalucía, and in particular Sevilla, I decided I needed to spend more time in the area/city because I loved it too much. Throughout the application process, I was telling people my first choice of city was Sevilla (though later I started to think about how fabulous Málaga or Granada would be), and, hey, I got it! So basically, living in Sevilla would be a dream come true.

I have a secret obsession with apartment hunting way far in advance. I started looking online at apartments in Madrid in August 2008. I didn’t move in until almost October 2009. Silly, I know, since none of these apartments will be available in October, but it’s exhilarating fantasizing about living in a Spanish piso. Tonight, I spent more time looking through photos and descriptions of Sevilla apartments (instead of studying for my last final…but it’s a final in Spanish history, so this is relevant, right?), and, gah, so thrilling!

Sevilla is a beautiful, wonderful, amazing city, and I can’t believe there’s a very real chance I’ll be there in the fall. Stay tuned for a post of the top reasons I love Sevilla.



4 Responses

  1. Sarah Hansen says:

    Hi. I currently in about the same exact situation as yourself. I have currently accepted a teaching position in Huelva, but have a ton of friends in Seville and now I’m debating whether to live in Huelva or Seville. If you could let me know what made you decide, and how you found bus fares and what its going to cost, I would really appreciate your input!! Just email me or reply back. Thanks!!

    • Kirstie says:

      Hey! The ideal plan is to live in Sevilla, although I’ll have to make sure that the bus schedule works out. Right now, there are no buses running from Sevilla to Villarrasa early enough, but I think this may just be the summer schedule. I found the schedule on http://damas-sa.es/ Hopefully it works out for me to live in Sevilla!

      • camuzard says:

        Hi,
        Hope you had a great time in Sevilla.

        As for me, I’m French and looking for information on Huelva, more precisely on Punta umbria, not to settle in but just for holidays. Your mentioning a smelly factory drew my attention and I’m now a bit worried. Would you happen to have more information about it? Could you notice it yourself?

        Best regards,

        Corine

        • Kirstie says:

          Hi Corine,

          I only went to Huelva capital about 3 times, and I didn’t notice it any of those times. I would imagine if it does smell sometimes, it’s only occasionally, although I never heard any auxiliares who were in Huelva this year complain about it! You may be better off talking to someone who’s spent more time there.

          If you’re looking for a nice place on Spain’s coast to spend your holidays, there are other nice, less urban areas in Huelva, such as Matalascañas, as well as lots of fantastic locations in the Cádiz and Málaga provinces.

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