Moving to spain

Moving to Pinoso?  

Named after the pine trees that cover the surrounding mountains, Pinoso is a beautiful rural destination with plenty going for it. It may be 60 kilometres away from the coast, but the town is free from the constant traffic and also short on hordes of tourists.

You can simply sit back and enjoy the tranquillity of the natural surroundings, maybe with a glass of the local sweet wine in your hand. Should you require any other distractions, Pinoso is remarkably well equipped for a town of its size with numerous bars, restaurants and shops.

Marble, salt and sweet wine have helped to fund an extremely well-maintained town with excellent public services. In recent years the town has also benefited from an increasing interest from expats looking for an alternative to the towns and resorts of the Costa Blanca.

A predominantly Spanish town of under 8,000 inhabitants, Pinoso is ideal for anyone looking to integrate into a community that feels authentically local. Like most Spanish towns and villages celebratory fiestas play a central role in the calendar of this community and are a great place to get to know the other residents.

Countless bars and restaurants along with supermarkets, greengrocers, fishmongers, bakeries and butchers mean you will always eat well in Pinoso. And for further bargains don’t miss the Saturday market. Leisure facilities are also excellent, with a theatre and sports centre offering tennis, football, swimming and more.

You are around a 45 minute drive from the region’s two main airports of Alicante and Murcia. If you are without transport there is fairly regular bus service to Alicante as well as other surrounding towns and villages.

You can choose your own price in Pinoso. You can renovate a property that needs some updating and live off the land for next to nothing. Invest in a dream villa and dine in the local Michelin starred restaurant. Alternatively opt for something in between and you can find a life that is more reasonable than you will find closer to the coast.

Moving to the Hondon Valley?

Hondon de las Nieves is a small village in the Hondon valley, about a 30 minute drive inland in from the city of Alicante. This unspoilt village along with its sister villages Hondon de los Frailes, La Canalosa and La Solana, form part of the Hondon valley – an area which is famous for its rugged mountain scenery, vineyards and almond groves.

This is authentic Spain: the arid landscape is painted in shades of brown and rich terracotta; dusty roads are bordered with flashes of green from the grapevines spreading out across the lowlands. In spring, the scorched earth sparkles with pink flashes of almond blossom. Midday skies the colour of cobalt fill the valley with changing light, transforming into a rich palette of peach, violet, and gold at dusk. The sun shines 310 days a year here, so this a great place to experience the full measure of life outdoors.

The village itself is well supplied with amenities – with an attractive church, bars and restaurants, butchers, bakers, supermarket, post office, petrol station, and several wine bodegas. Village life is lively, with many fiestas throughout the year. The usually quiet streets fill with life and colour, live music, outrageous costumes, the hustle and bustle of markets and the tantalising aroma of delicious street food.

Head to the square in the centre of the village, where you will find plenty of places to eat and drink, and a good selection of local shops including bakers, butchers, shoe shop, and chemist. Most essential services are available in the village, including a medical centre, dentist, optician, post office, hairdressers, bank, solicitors, ironmonger, electrical goods supplier, and petrol station. There is also a supermarket and shop which is open 24 hours.

A car is going to be essential if you move to this quiet village, but the good news is that the roads are very uncrowded and offer excellent links to nearby cities such as Elche, which is just under 25 minutes away.

Hondon de las Nieves offers great value, with low living costs and plenty of property for your money.

Moving to Sax?

Around 40 minutes inland from Alicante, Sax is a picturesque and historic town best known for its castle. The town is popular with expats, who favour its rustic country fincas and tranquil atmosphere to the hustle and bustle of the busier tourist resorts.

Take a stroll through its narrow, winding streets and you will be struck by the wealth of historic buildings, including the remains of an Iberian necropolis, Roman villas, the 16th century church of the Lady of the Assumption and the chapel of Ermita de San Blas, not to mention an imposing medieval castle, which stands on an exalted elevation over the town. This castle is said to float magically above the town at night thanks to its evening illuminations.

Sax has a friendly and welcoming community comprising a majority of Spanish residents and a smaller expat and international community. The town is very proud of its history and customs, resulting in many excellent fiestas which draw everyone comes together to enjoy the festivities.

Sax offers excellent amenities, with everything you need for daily life and more: supermarkets and shops, bars and restaurants, several swimming pools, parks and even a theatre! There is a weekly market, where you can browse a tempting selection of locally produced fruit and veg, plants, clothing, shoes and more.

Transport links are excellent, with a train station linking to Alicante and Madrid, not to mention regular bus services. The airport, and beaches and city of Alicante are around 30 minutes away.

Cost of living is low here, especially when compared to the more expensive tourist resorts of the coast.

Moving to La Romana? 

Unlike the towns nearer the coast, La Romana is a relaxed town defined less by its tourists and rather by the production of wine, almonds and marble from the local mines. Despite its size, you’ll find many restaurants and bars serving local delicacies. Head out into the surrounding countryside and walk in the foothills of the Serra del Reclot or explore almond orchards which turn pink and white each February as the ground is thickly carpeted in almond blossom.

While the village has become increasingly popular with expats in recent years, La Romana remains a resolutely Spanish Village with 95% of its 2,500 habitants coming from Spain. Like many traditional villages, it is extremely welcoming to people settling from outside.

For a small village La Romana is remarkably well served by supermarkets, butchers, bakers and a large furniture store. The local market each sells fresh fruit, vegetables and meat along with clothes and souvenirs every Saturday. For exercise, you can visit the communal swimming pool and tennis courts set in a relaxing wooded parkland.

You’ll feel away from it all in La Romana but Alicante and its airport are only around 30 minutes drive. If you are without your own transport, there are buses to the region’s capital, local towns and villages.

Away from the tourist areas of the Costa Blanca, prices tend to be a little cheaper and with a good range of local shops and markets you should be able to keep prices down even further.

Moving to Elche?

Just under 20 minutes away from Alicante airport lies the ancient city of Elche. Situated seven miles inland, this historic city is often missed by tourists, who tend to head straight to the coastal resorts of the Costa Blanca. You won’t find many mentions of it in the travel section of your weekly newspaper or blog either, which is a shame, as the city is overflowing with history and culture with three sites listed in UNESCO’s World Heritage lists: the Historic Palm Grove, the Mystery Play of Elcheand the Pusol School Museum.

The Historic Palm Grove is arguably the site for which Elche is best-known. This Edenesque garden of more than 200,000 palm trees is believed to have been planted by the Carthaginians around the 5th century BC and is the only one of its kind anywhere in Europe.

Elche itself is also believed to have been founded in the 5th century BC and is the site of many archaeological discoveries. These include the Lady of Elche, one of the most famous artifacts in Spain. You can view a replica in the Museo Arqueológico y de Historia de Elche which is based in the beautiful 12th century Palace of Altamira. Here, you will also be able to view a treasure trove of the city’s antiques and historical artifacts.

Elche is an authentic Spanish city and this is reflected in its community. You will find people of various nationalities in Elche but the majority of the city’s population is comprised of native Spanish residents. Elche has one of the lowest crime rates in Alicante.

You’ll find everything you need in Elche with most of the neighborhoods offering shops of various kinds. However, you’ll find the widest range of shops in the city center and the popular L’Aljub Commercial Center. There are lots of bars and restaurants in the city and also cinemas, museums and theatres. The nearest beach is only a 15 minute drive from the city.

Elche has excellent transport links and is within easy reach of two international airports: Alicante and Murcia. The city has two train stations and you’ll find regular buses in the area in addition to easy motorway links to nearby Torrevieja and Cartagena.

You’ll find Elche cheaper than other Spanish cities and even some of the busier tourist resorts on the Costa Blanca.

Moving to Castalla?

Perched on a hill around 30 minutes inland from Alicante, this rustic fortress town offers a spectacular vantage point from which to view the surrounding countryside. This pretty whitewashed town is full of history including a 13th Century hermitage, a 16th Century church, a 17th Century Renaissance style town hall and a magnificent 11th Century walled castle.

You must tear yourself away from sightseeing sometimes though in order to head to one of the many local eateries; the town has some excellent cuisine with ingredients sourced from both land and sea. The food is a fusion of thousands of years of cultural influences: Celtic, Iberian, Greek, Roman, Muslim and Christian. 

In the local restaurants you will find many menus feature home-cooked dishes of rabbit, lamb and chorizo. The desserts are equally tempting: delicious little pastries and nougat ice creams made from locally sourced almonds.

Castalla has a majority Spanish population. Just outside the town there is an international urbanisation with many British expats. There is a strong community spirit and residents have been featured in the press as a ‘model community’ for their outstanding work supporting vulnerable residents.

Everything you need for daily life can be found within the town: supermarkets, shops, car repair and garages, and plenty of bars and restaurants.

There are regular buses to Alicante and there is also an English speaking taxi service. By car, you are only 30 minutes from Alicante International airport and just over an hour away from Murcia airport.

Cost of living is low here compared to other parts of Valencia, particularly the popular coastal resorts.