A PPL, as stated above is a licence to learn. Anyone who says you should spend ages getting it is talking nonsense. There are minimum hours and tests required - that's it. To say that there is a difference in ability or understanding between someone who did it in 45 days and someone who did it it 45 weeks is ridiculous - we're all different. There is only one good reason to spread your training out longer than you need to - because that's your only option. If you can afford it - do it in as short a period as you can. The main reason for this is skill fade - you'll forget less in a day than you will in a week. Of course, if you go abroad to do the course, quicker=cheaper. My advice: get all the exams done first then concentrate on just the flying. If you plan to fly once a week, you probably end up flying once a fortnight. Much better to plan twice a day and make hay while the sun shines.
Now for the FAA bit: The cold hard truth is that the weather is generally better for flying in Florida and Arizona then the UK. In the UK a lot of your lessons will be cancelled due to weather (more likely of you did it all over a year). Everyone wants to fly on the sunny days. People will tell you that you need an EASA licence, so train in Europe. People will tell you that if you go to the US, you need to train for an EASA licence at an EASA school. Again: nonsense.
If you go to the US, just get an FAA certificate - the whole point of going is better weather and cheaper flying, so don't limit yourself to the most expensive schools! The UK CAA will (for about £45) validate your FAA certificate to give you exactly the same privileges as an EASA one. Remember: it's just a licence to learn.