Mediterranean Life - General Discussion

[chessiegal]

Your topic to discuss the show Mediterranean Life on HGTV.

[Booklady1017]

What did you all think of the episodes in Portugal and Spain last night? I want to visit those areas so badly. I may get to Spain this year. Here's hoping. 

In the Portugal one, I don't get how they would even consider the train station one. I knew they'd pick the penthouse apartment. It made the most sense, it was move in ready and all. I don't get how they were going to make a living there. She wanted to be a photographer, but she wasn't established there or anything. Was he going to try a new field or did he get a good settlement/ pension or whatever from the police force?

Just now, Booklady1017 said:

What did you all think of the episodes in Portugal and Spain last night? I want to visit those areas so badly. I may get to Spain this year. Here's hoping. 

In the Portugal one, I don't get how they would even consider the train station one. I knew they'd pick the penthouse apartment. It made the most sense, it was move in ready and all. I don't get how they were going to make a living there. She wanted to be a photographer, but she wasn't established there or anything. Was he going to try a new field or did he get a good settlement/ pension or whatever from the police force?

That area of Spain was so nice. I think it's not far from where my brother in law's family has a vacation home. 

Edited April 8, 2019 by Booklady1017

[Booklady1017]

I can't recall which home they picked in Spain. I think it was the second one right? Not the one near the restaurant and the marina. Was that near anything?

[scrb]

Is this from the same producers as HHI?  Similar format but I didn’t like the hunters doing all the talking about the homes.  Maybe this change from HHI for the sake of change isn’t a good one.

Only watched the Portugal one but these both look like resort areas, not so much cities with diversified economies.  Wonder if there would be problems f8nding long term rentals but this Portugal one they are buying a property.

Also technically Portugal is not on the Mediterranean.  Algarve is kind of close to where the Mediterranean opens to the Atlantic

Main thing visually is the camera is always moving.  Makes sense to feature drone shots to show the ocean.  HHI has some but looks like almost every exterior shot is from above on this show.

But they also have what are presumably Steadicam shots, even as they move around inside the properties.  So the camera is always moving around, which certainly sets it apart from HHI but it kind of calls attention to itself.

I totally want to visit Portugal now and see Cabo da Roca, which is suppose to be great for hiking.

[PennyPie18]

Oh dear, since watching this show I have longed to live near the Mediterranean! We were there several years ago, but moving there is just not doable , guess I'll live out my fantasy while watching  this show.☹️

[Booklady1017]

1 hour ago, PennyPie18 said:

Oh dear, since watching this show I have longed to live near the Mediterranean! We were there several years ago, but moving there is just not doable , guess I'll live out my fantasy while watching  this show.☹️

I would love to live near the Mediterranean too. I'd be happy though to visit it at least, (Spain, Portugal, Italy, etc.)

[HerkyJerky]

I just watched the latest episode of this show about the chiropractor and his girlfriend looking for an apartment in Split, Croatia.  Gorgeous locale!  But I did have to laugh because every place they went to,  he had some comment about his back (the mattress was too soft, the drawers were too low, etc)  Physician, heal thyself!

[stcroix]

On 4/3/2020 at 3:05 PM, HerkyJerky said:

I just watched the latest episode of this show about the chiropractor and his girlfriend looking for an apartment in Split, Croatia.  Gorgeous locale!  But I did have to laugh because every place they went to,  he had some comment about his back (the mattress was too soft, the drawers were too low, etc)  Physician, heal thyself!

I just watched this one and was laughing to myself about his comments,too!  Well, maybe he's a good chiropractor, though :)  What a beautiful place to live.  One season of Below Deck Med is filmed off the coast of Split,if I'm not mistaken.  Looks like a great vacation place!

[doodlebug]

20 hours ago, stcroix said:

I just watched this one and was laughing to myself about his comments,too!  Well, maybe he's a good chiropractor, though :)  What a beautiful place to live.  One season of Below Deck Med is filmed off the coast of Split,if I'm not mistaken.  Looks like a great vacation place!

The Croatian coast along the Adriatic is absolutely stunning, even more beautiful in person.  Highly recommend it for a visit.

[ExMathMajor]

Currently watching the Malta episodes from Winterfell, Ohio...trying hard not to cry... 😪

[aghst]

My Tivo recorded two episodes, Split, Croatia and Sardana, Albania.

Only watched the first one and it had a 2020 copyright.  So maybe shot in 2019 or maybe last summer.

 

Show is too sporadic to build up a regular audience but the pandemic could have disrupted any plans they had last year.

[Kenzie]

French Riviera.

A woman and her much younger longtime boyfriend searched for the perfect apartment. It was pretty clear that her higher budget would win over the far inland (but cheap) house with the endless steps. I found myself huffing and puffing for her.

Her new venture would involve expats but I didn't catch what it was.

[Pine]

I have started taping and watching Mediterranean Life, and quite like it.  Nice to see our favourite agent, Adrian Leeds on an episode this week.  And she seems to own a place in Nice!

[aghst]

Ooh, I haven't watched it yet.

[DanaMB]

On 7/14/2021 at 2:19 PM, Pine said:

I have started taping and watching Mediterranean Life, and quite like it.  Nice to see our favourite agent, Adrian Leeds on an episode this week.  And she seems to own a place in Nice!

Are they airing new eps?

[aghst]

Yes, every Sunday, 2 episodes.

They've aired about 6 so far so maybe only like 4 or 6 left

They all seem pre-pandemic, the realtors and hunters are keeping close together, not taking separate cars like in HHI.  In fact in the Nice episode, Adrian rode up on a 4-person elevator with the couple!

BTW, I still prefer the format of HHI better than ML, where the realtor is interacting with them throughout, rather than letting them go through the house and making their own observations.

Of course I love the coastal settings in ML.  I just returned from a trip to the South of France and a couple of days in Barcelona.  The Mediterranean has this pure blue waters which is always entrancing.  My return flight flew over the San Francisco Bay, which has mostly a brackish, unappealing brown color, at least in the southern part of the Bay.  The deeper parts are a darker blue vs. the bright, aquamarine color of the Mediterranean, which seems to actually glow in bright sunlight.

At least they're not pushing the same HHI tropes about city vs. suburbs, bars/restaurants vs. space, charm vs. modern, etc.

 

[LittleIggy]

Valencia: Those two women (who dressed like teenagers) were exhausting. I bet the real estate guy was happy to get away from them. The place she picked: I would hate to have to carry my meals all the way from the kitchen in the back to the front room to eat.

[aghst]

Yeah she had a pretty modest budget so the choices all had compromises.

She said she bought properties and had rental income back in the US.  But she didn't want to spend too much?

But Valencia seems to be a value destination, though a previous episode in Valencia featured a family so they had a big budget IIRC.

[LittleIggy]

I wonder how the internet coverage is on those Greek islands?

[aghst]

For a larger island like that I'm sure it's not a problem.  They have enough residents to run lines out there.  

IIRC cell coverage was good too, though I only went to the popular ones like Mykonos, Santorini and Crete.

The last property with the best views is tempting but sounded like they'd have to drive long ways to the beach or to the main village/town so it would be a PITA.

When HHI go to the Caribbean islands, it's similar, the properties way above the rest of the island have stunning views but they're isolated and the roads to go up to them could be treacherous in bad weather.

I guess being able to spend $120k on a home lets them have a lot of time to themselves?  She wasn't going to work any more and he got to work from home so they could go down to the beach all the time.

 

[aghst]

Single woman looking for a modest apt. in the Italian riviera.

They had to break format and have the realtor actually show her the apartments, rather than having the people walk through the apartment themselves, so this could have been a HHI episode.

$600 apartment with sea views from on high, wow what a bargain.  Tiny place, maybe she would need a car to go to store or restaurants.

[LittleIggy]

I watched an episode On Demand that had two women friends buying a place in Albania. I called them the “Bosom Buddies” because, boy, they enjoyed showing their ample cleavages. 😄 I didn’t know Albania had such a stunning coast. The real estate guy was cute.