Looking for information about Catral - Page 2

Hi,

I can tell you our story on Catral.

If you had asked me 4 years ago if we would ever live here I would have said not on your nelly!.....but.....everything happens for a reason they say!

We found a house on the internet and brought blind....without knowing the area, town etc even the house , all brought only on photos! Now Iam quiet experienced in this field and Iam happy to take risks etc and I know it’s not for everyone but I would definitely recommend to visit and view any house/area prior to buying.

It was one of the many illegal builds that seem to have plagued Catral and the surrounding area since the 2000s and prior to the crash . Again do not let this put you off unnecessary buying an illegal house as the valencian govt has vowed not to demolish any standing house which has a roof upon it! 

The legislations differ from house to house and we took 18 x months and somewhere  around 6-7 k to make it all fully legalized complete with habitation certificate which is important for re sale purposes etc. all this will depend on how much you like a house and the price paid etc Iam guessing?

So far we have had 4 years of fun and enjoyment of living in Catral and exploring the local areas and towns n villages.

We have had no problems with flooding...and we have had 3 x months rain in 24 hours last December,sure we had 4 inch’s rain sitting in the garden fo a day but gone the next day and most houses are about approx 1x mt above the ground level anyway!

We have had no problems with mozzies....no different to anywhere else where they come out at dusk and attracted to light etc so maybe a spray of Colvin aqua (1-2 euros from supermarkets) works well for us if we sit out or eat out in the evenings!

Catral square lacks any real atmosphere apart from a church day or event although quite nice to have a coffee in. The main strip is a bit more lively. It has a mixture of Argentian,Indian restaurants,Chinese ,Italian,tapas bars,pizza restaurants and a mix of Spainish and euro bars. Not Benidorm or magaluf ( nor do you want it to be) but not a bad offering for a small town! Also has a couple  disco bars/ clubs if you have your dancing shoes on! Has at least three supermarkets and a large Chinese shop which sells most things and also a weekly Saturday market which is great for your local fresh produce etc .

They have a yearly carnival in mid June which has a 2-3 hour road procession through town and also a yearly motorbike race around the industrial part of town.

Taxes are very cheap and the cost of living is amongst the best in Europe we believe for quality and value. Most areas are well policed and from what we have seen apart from the graffiti most youngsters are respectful. Catral has schools and a municipal sports hall and swimming pool as well, along with a large park which also has a bar within it for when your taking the kids/ grandkids there...sometimes a stiff drink is required lol.

All the neighboring towns and villages have different things going for them and we have gone upto an hour away in different directions exploring and to be honest you can experience many different landscapes all within that timeframe...mountains,greenery,desert like,white sandy beaches,rocky coves,fruit orchards,vineyards etc etc it’s all here ! Temperatures vary from uncomfortable high 30s/ low 40 in the summer down to just above freezing in the depths of winter at night. Spainish houses typically lack insulation and are designed and built more to be kept cooled rather then warm but iam sure most people will tell you you need heating for 3/4 months of the year...mainly just in the evenings and we have found our log burners the best and economically way of heating. Most AC is reversible and will blow warm air in the winter as well but again Iam sure many people will say they wear slippers and extra layers from dec thru to March? Saying all that the sun is out most days and daytime temps can hit 20 plus so overall it’s still very pleasant and for the last couple of years we have walked along Guardamar beach Christmas Day in tee shirts!

Just to recap....look before you buy, maybe rent locally first to get the feel of the area etc, I wouldn’t bother renting your own place out as too much red tape to do legally and not much money in it anyway!  Get a decent solicitor on board and only trust estate agents at face value until you have done your homework! But  most of all just do it as your only ever here once eh? Enjoy and good luck!

Hi

Thank you so much for your detailed reply. Certainly a truthful explanation of the questions I wanted answered. We already have an apartment  in Punta Prima which we presently use for holidays and holiday lets but are thinking of looking for a more substantial property for retirement in a couple of years time. Looking north of Torrevieja because of the imminent closure of Murcia and from our local airport here in the UK (Stansted) not sure who will be flying into the Corvea airport so assuming we will start to use Alicante more. We are familiar with south of Torrevieja and have explored a good bit there but not familiar with the area above Torrevieja. Catral appealed as we could have a decent size property and      land for our money! Visiting in September to look around but the agents seem to want to direct us to Quesada area etc. How far is the drive to   the beach from Catral?

Thanks again :-)

Hi,

Guardamar is about 15-20 mins away and la marina playa is a little nearer say 15 mins!

We prefer santa pola as our beach as more spainish, less crowded more choice etc and hardly any looky likey men👍

It’s about 20/25 mins to airport from here as we are right by autoroute which is free to airport and elche n Alicante etc and once you know the route south from here la zenia Blvd etc is free as well coming off a junction or two beforehand!

We prefer big shopping in elche or Alicante as much less busy and more choice without the hassle of parking and queuing etc!

I think I read that the new airport was meant to be doing more routes in the future ? Our friends are in la zenia area and they split journeys from gatwick to Murcia or Ali where we normally always do Alicante!

Again good luck and funny enough we rented for two months in punta prime after we had brought here to make it livable etc! Small world eh?

Yes, small world and lots of coincidences there. Feeling quite excited now about the area and will definitely visit in September to get more of a feel for the place. Lots of research to do but we have to start somewhere!

Thank you so much for your messages :-)

Hi we bought a country property near Daya Vieja which is nearer to Quesada, Benijofar/Benimar & Rojales where there is more life (would not live in Quesada if I can help it). 

We used to live in a Finca in Guardamar & so glad we moved away because it was hard work, expensive & too hot to look after 3&a half thousand square meters of land when there is loads to do & see once you get to know people. Social outings/events/meals out every day if you want to. So much so that we now set aside one to 2 days a week for ourselves 🤣🤣. 

There are other areas beside Catral for affordable land & housing. It all depends on what you both want. No hurry to buy especialy as you already have a holiday home.

Good luck x

Myself and my husband are looking to relocate to Catral next year, we have already viewed a few houses here and love the feel of the town. As we are both in our 40,s we will still need to work. Currently my husband is a roofer by trade but runs a successful handyman business working mostly for estate agents. We are thinking of doing the same in Catral, do you think there would be a market for roofing/handyman services. I myself work in rentals and property management so hoping to also find work in the surrounding areas. We have a 15 year old son who will also be coming with us.  Any advice from catral residents will be appreciated. Thank you

Drop into Cafe Uno...they are British run and made us very welcome...made some good friends there...dont think there are 500 Moroccans around Catral...maybe in Dolores...