Anna Tobin meets the couple who gave up high-powered careers to set up a family-friendly oasis in the hills above Valencia.
Four years ago, Sarah Robinson’s high-powered job at Bloomberg Europe had her flying to meetings in different countries on a daily basis. Now she rarely leaves her hilltop retreat in eastern Spain.
“I worked long hours,” says Sarah of her old life. “There was lots of travelling away from home. But I managed to juggle it with my first two children and, although I had a lot of responsibility, I was very happy doing what I did.”
Then, in the run up to Michael Bloomberg becoming mayor of New York, Sarah was promoted to deputy managing director. “A few months in the job was enough to show me that the view from the top isn’t always as good as it is looking upwards, and long-term it wasn’t an option for me. I had hired lots of smart young things and I was ready to let them do the hard work.”
Sarah and her husband Johnny, who was working as a sales director for a software company, started to reassess their priorities. They both realised they wanted to spend more time together as a family.
“We wanted to live in a better environment, where the children would have the freedom to roam safely, to explore and to be more independent,” says Sarah. “Our family time at the weekend was usually rushed, and holidays seemed to be the only time we were together in a relaxed environment. We wanted to break out of our repetitive routines and find a new life with new experiences, people and challenges. We had dreams and ideas and this was an ideal opportunity to pursue them, build our own enterprise as a family and carve our own future, rather than working for someone else for the rest of our lives. As individuals, we wanted to stay fresh and experience a different lifestyle.”
With the decision made to leave the rat race and sell their home in Wandsworth, they started to think about where they could go to realise their dreams. Spain ticked all the boxes, says Sarah, starting with the climate. “We wanted the luxury of being able to live an outdoor life. Beautiful sunshine lifts your spirits and the extended summer gives family life a wide range of activities.”
A further appeal was the people. “Our experience of the Spanish is that they are genuinely welcoming and friendly. They adore children and enjoy strong family values. Each town has a strong civic pride and there is a great sense of community.”
The family was also attracted to the great landscape. “Spain is one of the biggest countries in Europe: it has wide, open spaces and endless miles of coastline. It’s also a mountainous country, giving a wonderful diversity of landscapes and flora and fauna,” says Sarah. “It also has a wonderful culture and a rich history. The Moors occupied Spain for almost a thousand years at a time when Europe was living in a dark age. This link with the intellectual life of the ancient world enabled Europe to develop navigation that led to the discovery of the new world and other ideas that the likes of Newton built on to create a more enlightened age. UNESCO lists more sites in Spain than any other country except Italy.”
So, with Spain decided on as their new home, Johnny spent a year planning the move and researching where they should base themselves. When he learned that the World Health Organisation recognised the Costa Blanca as having one of the healthiest climates in the world, he focused on that area. “We wanted to live within striking distance of the coast, but far enough away to avoid summer crowds. We wanted a peaceful area in the countryside where the children would have the freedom to roam safely. We wanted a picturesque location that would make an impact on visiting guests and a Mediterranean climate. The location had to have good infrastructure – access to airports, good roads, established towns, shops, restaurants and the facilities to run a growing business. We looked at all the coastal areas, including the Balearic Islands, and found the best combination of these factors here,” says Sarah.
As the whole idea behind the move was to spend more time together as a family, they knew that they wanted to earn their living from a home-centred business and so it made sense to go into tourism. But the Robinsons didn’t just want to run a hotel – they wanted to create the ideal holiday base for families.
“We have travelled widely, both with and without children,” says Sarah. “As a young family, the most memorable holidays were camping in beautiful places. It was always easy. We were independent from structured meal times and feeling that we might be inconveniencing other people if our children were noisy or messy. We were self-contained and enjoyed being together in our own environment.
“On the other hand, we found hotels restrictive – irrespective of whether they were luxury or budget. Bedrooms were usually far away from dining facilities and outside play areas, and children were tolerated rather than welcomed.
“We had an idea that combined the best of the type of accommodation we enjoyed before having children, with an environment for families where children could feel more at home.”
They used a local estate agent to scout around for a suitable property, although Sarah says that it was pure luck that they found Caserío del Mirador, near the town of Jalon. It was exactly what they wanted – in an absolutely stunning location. “The house is unequalled by anything else on this coastline. It has a magical quality. We were lucky to find it and not have to build it.”
Johnny spent the first three years that the family were out in Spain working as an estate agent until the business got onto a firm footing. “Giving up the monthly pay check was tough and it was as if we were jumping into the abyss,’ says Sarah. ‘The big difference now is that it is up to us to make the project work. We have taken a radical decision given up many of the safety nets people take for granted and will live by the decisions we make. It can be scary, but it is also very fulfilling knowing that you are determining your own future.”
When the family moved to Spain, Sarah was pregnant with their son Charlie. Their daughter Florence was just three at the time and too young to understand, but her elder sister Poppy was six and apprehensive at first, although she adjusted in no time. “It was actually easier for the children that it was for us at first,” says Sarah. “Children are naturally adaptable.”
They are now all completely at home in Spain, although Sarah and Johnny still need to get to grips with the language. “We have done nearly a year of lessons, but making the time when you are trying to get a business off the ground is difficult. We have enough Spanish to get by, but need to keep working at it so that it comes naturally. Living in an expat bubble is not want we wanted.
“Locally the people speak Valenciano in preference to Castellano, so being accepted on equal terms is always going to be a challenge. But the locals are fabulous – we feel truly honoured to be welcomed and supported by the local community. I am obsessive about using local suppliers and promoting local specialities to our guests and this is appreciated in the town.”
Their new life now has different stresses, but Sarah would rather have to cope with serving paella to 25 people than spend her time compiling sales figures any day of the week.
