Relocating to the area

Bus service in Guardamar really only goes north/south, Torrevieja a little better with some inland routes, Orihuela Costa local routes are a bit of hit and miss and north/south goes through La Zenia , so a small bit of choice.

Inland in Rojales, Quesada, Formentura, San Miguel etc bus services are quite abysmal with sometimes only 1 morning bus to Torrevieja or Orihuela and 1 back in the evening with no weekend service.

Compounding this is the scarcity of taxis both in Torrevieja and Orihuela districts.

Have a look at the La Mata area, heading towards Torrevieja. 3 bus routes (costal, central and along N332) to Torrevieja and easy connections onward from there.

Hospital Quiron is local, good shops, restaurants and bars etc.

Anywhere inland is going to require a car.

I  would  agree  with  previous  post,  Torrevieja   got  a  bit  more going  for  it,  as  you  will  survive  better  without  a  Car  somewhat  better  in Torrevieja  than  out  around  Rojales  and Quesada  areas, Some  parts  of Quesada  on  the Hilly  side  if  you  intend  to avoid  purchasing  a Car,Yes  Quesada  is  a nice  area,

Torrevieja  has  direct  Bus  link  to  Alicante  Airport, You  have  Carrefour  and Habernasa Shopping centre  at  Start 905  dual  carriage  way,The Quirion  hospital  is a  Private hospital, Plenty of  expats  in  San Luis,  La  Siesta, El Chapparl,   Torreta 1,2,3,,  they are  also  fairly  Flat  landscape  ideal  for  Walking,  There  is  also  a fantastic Sports City  in  Torrevieja  and  a 50m  Pool  if  you are interested  Swimming,   Have a  look  Torrevieja. 3org   for  social  outing and  making  contact  with  like  minded  people. 

Some  parts  of Torreta  are very  reasonable  prices  for  Property  and  also  a  reasonable  Bus  service 

Be careful if you find a too good to be true priced property in Guardamar close to the front. Someone mentioned on here a while back that they were about to complete on a property when they found it was subject to the Ley de Costas which means that after so many years it will be demolished, at your own expense and with no compensation.
La Mata is getting very expensive now unfortunately so I think that to have all the services nearby Torrevieja is your only choice. Mañana, a new bus station will be built opposite the Habaneras shopping centre/Lidl.
Good luck

Should  have  also mentioned  The  wonderful  Sea  front  Promenade  and a  new  Shopping  centre  in  process of  been  built,  but  finishing  date  is like  the  Sea  tide  it's  keeps  going  out,  but  it will be  finished ,  some  day,  If  put  your Budget  here I  am sure you will  get  pointed to  nice  area,  I  would  personally  avoid  Centre of Torrevieja,  it  getting  expensive   but  you  will  have  noise  left  and  right,  under  and above  you, and  exterior  noise and  some Traffic  pollution,   and  possibly  no   Community  swimming  pool

Thanks for all helpful replies. I have already been over numerous times checking places out. Don't fancy centre Torrevieja, and at present I drive, am just thinking ahead to when I'm maybe not able to....as you get older these things have to be considered. Long term rent us an option, but not very secure these days ..don't want to have a place sold from under me!! 

Rents  have  risen  a  lot  over  last  2  years and appears  to  going  in 1  direction,  have  come  across  a  few  Ex pat  like   yourself  relocating  from  Costa  del Sol   and  Andalusia  to Torrevieja  due  to  affordable   prices ,  Try  to  rent  or   purchase  in  gated  Community  with  allocated  Parking  very  important, 

Next time you come over, get a bus timetable and routes. When I was thinking of moving to Torrie area I got an old fashioned map and marked all the bus routes on it, plus supermarkets I like to shop in, the health centre, the sports centre which has both indoor and outdoor pools, the hospital etc.

 It would also help if we knew your budget, not being nosy but it could help us know which areas you can afford.
Cheaper areas are often older properties and there are also all the irregular additions and extensions to be aware of.
Could you let us know where you have looked at, liked and can afford and where you definitely don't like.

I've looked at Rojales, Guardamar (my fave as I have always lived on the coast), Formentera, Santa Pola, also Torrevieja centre (too busy) I have also been to Murcia, Cartagena, Almeria, Aguilas, Roquetas,  and even around Málaga 

My top budget is €75k which is becoming increasingly hard, and I need a place that doesn't need major reform and is not illegal. Now you see my problem 🤣I never dreamt of buying originally but as owners have increasingly told tenants to go as they want to sell I feel it's safer

Quesada has everything (almost) you could want. Over 80 restaurants and bars in one area, all the major supermarkets in walking distance if you pick the right place. Lots of it is pretty flat from the natural lakes up through Dona Pepa 1 and 2 and Lo Marabu. An excellent GP surgery and so on. Lots of gated communities which makes it pretty safe.

What ain't we got? We ain't got buses. A very few each day to Torrevieja or Elche but they don't match up with coming back, you're either there for 40 minutes or quite a few hours. Buses were laid on to Guardamar and Rojales itself but very often went past empty or very few onboard so they were withdrawn due to not being commercially viable. Fair distance to the nearest rail station but no means to get there except by car. Hospital a good 12 to 15km away (depending on route) and, again, no means of getting there except by car unless it's urgent and they provide ambulances. Like most places away from the coastal region the public transport is terrible. Taxis are expensive and not that reliable in some cases. If you have a friend to take you to the airport all well and good but a car is a necessity. The other towns in the area are pretty similar but Quesada has more infrastructure for restaurants, supermarkets and even a water park. 

New builds are getting a bit out of hand, IMHO. At least 400 properties have been constructed over the past year but no extra medical facilities. 24 hour service at Rojales but, again, need a car or taxi to get you there. 

A budget of 75k could possibly get you an apartment but, in Torrevieja, the ones for that price are in not very nice places although the bus service is very good. 

We started off just outside Villamartin but not much around there then and very much a seasonal and golfing venue. Quesada is an all year round town and gets very busy in the holiday seasons but stays busy throughout. We moved to Los Altos but, again, only a few centres and very hilly so moved to Quesada some 15 years ago and love it but, like you, am a bit worried about getting too old to drive. OK walking to the supermarkets (and we have 5 big ones in walking distance) but carrying stuff back would be the problem although the supermarkets do a delivery service. A boon now the temperatures are going up. We have a few bars, an English restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, an Indian restaurant and an Italian restaurant all within easy walking distance (about half a k away). Rojales has a lot going for it and is very Spanish compared to Quesada which has over three quarters of the population from other countries (many and varied).