05 Feb 2025
We first saw Kate on an episode of James in Spain on YouTube. My partner and I immediately thought she could be a great resource as we made our scouting trip to the area in preparation for our move later this summer. What Kate was able to provide us was worth every Euro.
Before we even got started, Kate had us meet via WhatsApp and did a great job of finding our hot buttons. More importantly, she helped us (me, specifically) broaden our thinking about where we thought we wanted to be in Spain. While not discouraging some of the communities our research had led us to, she gave us some local insight that helped us ultimately eliminate some of those areas from our prospective home search. She also gave us some ideas to help us open our thinking and boy, am I glad she did. In fact, one of those towns she recommended is now the epicenter of our home search.
Kate picked us up on time from the hotel and gave us a quick tour around town. She was attentive to our needs. Specifically, we didn't want our limited time to be consumed with tourist stuff. That will come, but this trip was not that. She then pointed us north of Valencia and introduced my partner and me to a world that we fell in love with.
But it wasn't all work and no play. Kate took us to supper at a local restaurant where we enjoyed our first authentic Valencian paella. With the croquettes and other tapas, we were well fed to continue our journeys. At one point, my partner and I noted that Kate is very much “our kind” of people - great sense of humor, well versed in her craft, and someone who is fun to be around. Notably, Kate helped me figure out how to order coffee that wasn't a latte. For us hard-core, old-school coffee drinkers that's of utmost importance.
We certainly logged some kilometers as we toured Sagunto, Porto Sagunto, Puzol, El Puig de Santa Maria and more. Kate's local knowledge was invaluable in helping us understand some of the local culture, terminology and generally - how things work. While we’ve been doing tons of internet research, the day with Kate gave us more good info than weeks of YouTube videos.
So, all I can say is Wow. Kate far exceeded our expectations and I hope she becomes part of our circle of friends when we finally get settled in.