WE MOVED TO… TENERIFE

Friday 1st December 2006

From Bolton to Tenerife Joy Liddell and Joe Cawley made a move to the Canary Islands to run a bar…

Why Tenerife?
We were just looking for a change. Joe's stepfather owned an apartment in Tenerife and when the bar came up for sale he suggested we buy it. It was a drastic life change, swapping our jobs at Bolton fish market for a life in the sun running the Smugglers Tavern. It didn't take long for us to say yes.

How do your homes compare?
We lived with my parents in a four-bedroom house on a busy road. Our home now also has four bedrooms but we have goats as neighbours, and a clear view of the ocean.

Do you still have the bar?
We sold the bar after seven years and I now work as a book-keeper for a tour operator. Joe is a travel writer and author. His first book, More Ketchup Than Salsa (Summersdale Publishers, £7.99), is a funny look at swapping a career in fish entrails for a life as a bar owner abroad.

How do property prices compare with the UK?
When we arrived in 1991, you could snap up an oceanfront apartment for £40,000. The same homes now sell for £200,000. Property prices are not much less than in the UK.

What about the cost of living?
It's much cheaper, although prices have increased since the euro was introduced. But you can still have a good quality of life for less, which is especially important now we have two children – Molly, three, and Sam, two. Things that make the difference are lower heating bills, less need to buy clothes and 'free' leisure activities, like going to the beach or lazing by someone's pool. Eating out is cheaper too. We can enjoy a three-course meal with wine for less than £8 a head.

Is your diet any different?
We never buy processed food any more. We eat more fresh veg and fruit and use more olive oil now. We used to miss fish and chips, but I think our tastes have changed over time and we don't miss anything now. We still cook a Sunday roast, though.