Life in the Altea Area - Page 3

markdweaver wrote on Wed Feb 17, 2021 12:25pm:

Hello all,

My wife and I are looking at possibly relocating from Barcelona to the Altea area. We are coming down next week to view apartments to rent and I would like to know how you would assess the convenience of living in Altea, such as, distance to grocery stores, are there more preferable areas or...

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... neighborhoods to live, is a car required to get around, are there communities or clubs that we can become members of?

Thanks in advance,

Mark & Karina

sue69 wrote on Wed Feb 17, 2021 12:37pm:

Hi , car essential for Altea hills.Altea old town is car restricted so sometimes difficult with shopping ,deliveries etc.There are 2 tram stations and regular buses which are both very cheap.Bus to benidorm from the center of town every 15 minutes.I stayed there for 12 months and lived at the bot...

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...tom of the old town in a one bedroom apartment for 500 euros per month.I also looked for ex pat groups without any luck but made lots of friends by going out walking ,to the beach and stopping for coffee .Most people will stop and talk .

Mich77 wrote on Wed Feb 24, 2021 9:38pm:

Hi Altea is a great choice. We have been coming here for 8 years and live in Bellaguarda the oldest part of Altea. It’s a very cosmopolitan town but still very Spanish. There is a concert hall, a university of fine arts, Social centre with free cinema and all sorts of classes. We drive from UK ...

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...but I rarely drive as I can walk everywhere. Some of the bars have social events in the evenings and language exchange groups. It’s best to live in Altea as eg Altea hills outside is quite isolated and you need a car to get anywhere. Good luck

Chrisjk wrote on Wed Feb 24, 2021 11:51pm:

Hi Mark, Another Vote for Albir Here. As Mentioned before It Has Numerous Supermarkets etc, and there is a Social Club there Called the " Companions " they do Various Activities, and they did meet at the Rober Palace Hotel once a Week at around 10-30 am, Sorry but I can't Remember the Day.  ...

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... Regards   Chris

Chrisjk wrote on Wed Feb 24, 2021 11:57pm:

Hi Sue, If You are Still Looking for a "Social Club" then there is One in Albir, called the Companions. See My Reply to Mark for Details  Regards    Chris

Jeff22 wrote on Fri Feb 19, 2021 5:37pm:

Hi Mark & Karina

We bought our home three years ago. We had fallen in love with Altea many years ago and had frequently visited the town before we committed to buying and living here.

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First of all, Altea is a very vibrant lively town with a very cosmopolitan feel, during the summer months many tourists descend on the town to enjoy the many varied and colourful fiestas. During the winter the town is still very much alive with plenty of facilities for residents. Most of the very best restaurants remain open during the winter and it is a delight to toma un café whilst enjoying the warm winter sunshine looking over the sea.

Where to buy

This will of course depend on what use the property will serve you (i.e. holiday home or permanent residence). We retired here from the UK and have no intentions of ever going back to the UK other than for visits. Although we are fairly fit and active, we wanted to ensure that the property we purchased met all the criteria on our property wish list. Property in the town close to amenities, swimming pool, secure parking, well kept grounds and gardens, storage space and plenty of living space. We achieved this and are very happy living in a large apartment in the Garganes area of Altea.

We hardly use our car as everything is very local. There are many groups and clubs for various pursuits around Altea. The town is also well served by the local tram and a regular bus service. After being here for three years we very much feel apart of the town and whenever we walk out we meet and talk with other local Alteanos. At present we are still trying to learn Spanish to help with our integration to the town.  

Altea Hills and Mascarat are nice selective areas, however these are residential, mainly holiday homes and the areas feel isolated and cut off from the still very vibrant town of Altea during the winter months.

If you intend retiring to Altea a good tip would be to rent for a while whilst you establish what suits you best before committing to a purchase.

Like many other towns Altea is very quite during these COVID times, however we will all be in a better condition by summer and Altea will fiesta like it has never fiestas before.  

I do hope this helps

Best regards 

Jeff