Where to live in Costa Blanca? - Page 2

Hello - Denia is a little different to the Costa Blanca South in that the surrounding area consists of fairly low density urbanisations which house mainly Brits, Germans, Dutch and Belgians. So yes there are Brits around although the place is not overrun with them. If you wanted more contact with British people areas like Javea and Jalon have a higher density of British people along with British stores and a higher number of british restaurants. All the areas are also served by British communities e.g. http://u3valldepop.com/. 

School wise you didn't give ages or whether you want them to go to a Spanish school but the local English school is http://en.laudeladyelizabeth.com/ 

If you need any more help shout . 

We live in Playa Flamenca great social life very good schools both primary and secondary, how ever you will need a good income as things are moderately priced you will 1000- 2000 euros a month to live as a family comfortably from my experience.School book etc all have to be paid for as well trips.

Personally I would look at schools first and then look around for a house nearby, everyone loves where they live as all are beautiful, I visited lots befor I bought in Villamartin near the Plaza, I also loved La Zenia, Cabo Roig and Playa Flamenca I was totally spoilt for choice, don’t hesitate to contact me if you need/ want more detailed information xx

I live in Torrevieja, La Rosaleda near Los Locos beach.   Its very quiet and yet it is near the town lots of interesting shops

Its very cosmopolitan and all types of people.   great place.    You never get bored.   Plenty of schools around. 

Good luck

North and south Costa Blanca are very different in some ways, but both have ex-pat communities and both have international and Spanish schools.  If you like mountains go north, if you prefer flatter areas with a slightly warmer winter then head south.  The northern areas of Costa Blanca were popular with ex-pats 30+ years ago whereas the south was a few years behind in popularity so that is reflected in the ages of some of the properties.  Older properties can be a nightmare to keep warm in winter.  There are 'nice' and 'not so nice' areas in both, so it's personal choice.

With regard to property, well there are good priced properties in both areas, the 'more Spanish' towns tend to be lower priced and in both cases inland is cheaper than on the coast.  With children the ages they are I presume you will also need jobs so that is an important factor.  If you don't speak Spanish yet and are relying on working within the ex-pat community then the coast is probably better than inland and you will need an area that is busy all year round to keep a job all year round.

Choose an area with your head, not just your heart - a great view wont put food on the table or pay you electricity bill.  If you will need to work then look into job opportunities first, and take into account that wages in Spain are lower than in the UK.  

Bev

Thanks for the helpful message Bev it gives us lots to consider. We are both self employed and my husband can just bring his business with us but I will need to be in anexpat area for my job.

Thanks Carmen, I have been looking at torrevieja and liked the sound of it so I think it will be one of the places we look at. The only thing is I saw an article which mentioned it had a high burglary rate, have you found this to be the case? 

Thanks for the advice Tony, Bernie and Peter, you've all been a great help. Can't wait to get out there and have a good look around now!