We are planning on retiring to Hungary because we have family there, Budapest is a lovely city and summers are hot and sunny. We have to decide on an area to settle in. We have been told Balaton is a nice place to live and its reassuring to know there are other ex-pats living in the area because we don't speak Hungarian yet.
If we buy our house in Balaton area it would be quite a long journey to Budapest whenever we wanted to visit the family, so we need to know there's enough in Balaton to keep us busy. We're outdoor types enjoying walking cycling gardening, but we also like to be able to hear and speak our own language.
We'd appreciate any info about what its like for ex-pats in Balaton, especially during the different seasons, it must be a lot quieter there in winter after all the summer visitors are gone and the lake is frozen!
Hope to hear from someone soon !  

hi logger

I live in balatonszentgyorgy as the crow flys 4k from the lake. we moved here 4 years ago to retire. we are in the county of somogy and when we went for our residents permit we were told we were the only british residents in the county (there were other but just holiday homes).
in the four years we have been here we now have 5 couples within 4 k of us and more are comming every month. two couples are now very good friends of ours.

yes the summers fantastic and last from may till the middle of october but we do get cold winters. yes in the tourist area a lot of shops and restaurants close and they do become ghost towns.

from anywhere along the south side of the lake the M7 is now finished and is no more than 3-4 k away from the lake and takes you into budapest. to the outskirts anything from 1 hour to 1i/2 hours depending where you live.

after 4 years we are still having trouble with the language and dont think we will ever get the hang of it.

all around the lake it is made up of different areas. like towns for living in. tourists areas.holiday home areas and places you can't excess the lake.

we are what they term as in the country. in a small village with 3/4 acre of garden. keeps us busy all summer.

but there are some very good walks and they have now built a cycle track almost all the way round the lake

can give you lots more info if you want to PM me
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You get more love from animals than most humans 

Hi hotpot

Thanks for the prompt response and all the useful info. You’re something of a pioneer being the first ex-pat to establish residency in your county, wish I’d been a fly on the wall of government offices during the process, bet there was a ton of paperwork flying around !

My old map shows M7 barely extending as far as the northern tip of Balaton, will pencil in the new extension, the trip to Budapest less of a hassle. Has it brought broadband to your area yet ?

The bit about different towns serving different types of people and functions is really interesting and reassuring. We may be retired, but we don’t feel ethereal enough yet to want to live in a ghost town !

Its good to know there are tracks round the lake, what about opportunities for sailing ?

Pleased you’ve been able to make friends with other ex-pats in the area, important to be able to shoot the breeze in one’s own language when all around is foreign ! Will PM you shortly with more specific questions.  

hi logger

yes we have had broadband for 3 years now.

when we came here it was costing us £30 for 3 hours a day on the internet with the old dial up service. but now the broadband and telephone(rental charge) is £28 and can use it 24/7. its also available via satellite and television but we have not gone into that yet.

losts of sailing and water sports all round the lake with an area of 592 km² you dont bump into many boats. if you are into swimming then you can enter the annual mass race across the lake.
the lake is 77 k long and at the widest point 4k and its also very shallow. when it freezes in the winter a few brave people play many games on the ice.
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You get more love from animals than most humans 

hi hotpot

Your lucky having broadband saving on those telephone bills, whats the TV and radio reception like in your area, what kind of equipment do you need to pick up BBC/ITV programs ?

The winter games on the ice could be fun. You must be able to walk across from one side of the lake to the other avoiding of course any dodgy spots. Depending on how hard the winter was this, could be an opportuinity to strike up all sorts of new friendships, but youd have to watch out for sudden thaws in case you got caught on the wrong side of the lake.

Do you get much snow and does it get in the way of running errands shopping do they clear the streets ? Are the houses well insulated and what kind of heating is available. Are wood stoves used a lot and is there a good supply of wood ?
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logger 

hi logger

the lake is usually frozen solid for at least 2 months. as it is very shallow with little movement it does freeze quickly.
winters can be so different as one year we had thick snow for 1 day and for the next 2 months it did not get above freezing so that snow hung around for months. this year we have had about 12 days of snow but day time temps have only been below freezing twice all winter so the snow did not last longer than a day.

the roads are cleared very quickly but some side roads take a little longer. but every household has to keep their own pavement clear of snow so that people can get out to the shops.

the newer houses are better insulated than the old ones but i think every house has double or secondry glazing. all houses have roller shutters to keep out the cold in winter and also for security if you leave the house unattended for several weeks.

you can get all forms of heating. we have gas heating but now the govn do not subsidise the gas it has gone up a lot. we have a wood burning fire cost is anything from £150 upwards and plenty of wood 3 cubic meters cost about £110 which will last 3/4 months

any more questions just ask its no problem answering the
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You get more love from animals than most humans 

hi hotpot

Quite a lot of questions but only one or two in mind at a time could take a little while. Trying to imagine what its like living in Hungary. Weve been to Budpest several times on holiday done the tourist stuff like szentendre but never been to Balaton. The idea of living near a big lake is very appealing even better than the sea, the water must be a lot warmer and no jellyfish or lake sharks.

The big issue for us is the language. Everyone says Hungarian is the most difficult language in the world. Its one thing dealing with the simple things in life like the weekly shopping just put the things in the trolley and pay at the checkout, maybe point and smile a lot in the smaller shops. For more complicated stuff like seeing the doctor trying to describe a peculair pain or condition pointing doesnt get you so far. Do doctors solicitors and government officials speak English ? How do you cope with the more complicated issues in life when you dont speak Hungarian ? Would appreciate your comments and insights.
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logger