The Costa Blanca stretches from Valencia down Spain´s southeastern coast to Cartagena, offering different landscapes from flat marshes to rugged coastlines. There is only one larger city, Alicante, where charter flights from Britain, Scandinavia and Central Europe spill their mostly sun-seeking clientele.
My wife has always been one of these constantly freezing snowbirds who fears the continental Austrian winters, she doesn´t indulge in winter sports at all and would love to spend her life in a zone where temperatures never fall below 22°C...
This is just to explain why one freezing December morning she came up with a realty ad from our paper that offered an appartement near Torrevieja on the Playa Flamenca (which has nothing to do with the Spanish national dance, it refers to a bunch of Flamish Belgians who were the first to "settle" there). Well, to make the story short, three months later we were the proud owners of this brand new and very affordable small flat in the "primera linea" right on the beach.
As our home abroad we used the flat whenever permitting, about 3-4 times a year, enjoying the mild and healthy climate (the temperature in winter is around 15-20°C), playing golf, doing long walks on the coast, having breakfast on the sunny terrace and taking day-trips with our Benz roadster into the mountainous back-country of the Alicante province.
Meanwhile we are both retired and spend the months from October to April in our "segunda patria". Cost of living is about 30% less than at home in Austria and as an ardent seafood lover I roam the fishmongers in the supermarkets for sole, giant shrimps and other goodies fresh from the sea.
Recommended cities in the region to visit are Murcia with its cathedral, Elche with its impressive palm gardens, Cartagena and the Mar Menor (an inland sea), Alicante with its fortress high above the city and Alcoy and Jijona (almond capital) in the mountains.
Farther north there is incredible Benidorm, little Manhattan with highrisers, where I wouldn´t want to stay for free. The newest attraction there is "Terra Mitica", a historic Disney-like funpark, where you can ride roller coasters, sail into the harbour of ancient Alexandria, watch a ship battle with pirates and get wet at gigantic slides.....lots prettier are the smaller towns of Calpe, Moraira, Javea and Denia, but even there massive construction work due to affordable property prices is taking over.
These settlements are called "Urbanizaciones" and some 500.000 (!) Europeans mostly from northern countries have found their retirement dream on or rather near the balmy white coast. Problems with water supply cannot be solved any more, the Spaniards are even thinking of building a canal from the Ebro river (!) to meet the constant rise in demand. Traffic also has grown so fast that the coastal N332 is dreaded for its regular jams in August when travellers and the Spanish people themselves rush for the coast.
Again, I strongly advise to visit from February til June or from September to December, January is the wettest and coldest month.
""Hasta Luego!"
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We propose some unforgettable holidays in "El Capistrano Villages", in Nerja, the privileged balcony of the Costa del Sol. "El Capistrano Villages" is, possibly, the most beautiful and exclusive Urbanisation on the Costa del Sol.
Apr 29th, 2002
(Mar 12th, 2007)
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