Real estate at Costa Blanca
My way to Spain
Our journey to Spain was not an easy one. Firstly we have visited it in 1995. It was our second holiday abroad on the seashore. It was a novelty at this time. In 1994 we had a holiday in Limassol at Cyprus. We liked it. And the next year we decided to continue exploring seaside resorts.
This time the choice fell on Spain, Costa del Sol. We arrived in Malaga. Transfer and we're at the hotel Barracuda: https://www.hotellabarracuda.com/. The hotel did not make a particular impression. The beach wasn't anything unremarkable. The sea was ice-cold in July, you won't swim for a long time
There is the town of Benalmadena neaby, which we liked. We have visited Malaga, Seville, Granada, Michas. It was beautiful, interesting, but in July it was very hot for us. We returned home not very impressed. Since then we've visited many countries and continentsI didn't feel much like going back to Spain. It's only now that I realised that if you want to fall in love with Spain, the Costa del Sol is not the best choice for a first trip. It would be better to start with
Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Girona. And if the coast, then definitely the Costa Blanca or the
Costa Brava near the town of Tossa de Mar.
Our next visit to Spain was many years after the first one, in 2017, 22 years later.
We happened to be in Mallorca. Our son had gone to an Irish school in Dublin and we had
spent a week in that beautiful city, helping him settle into his new place. End of August.
And had to fly home to the Czech Republic. When we bought our return tickets, we were surprised to find that the flight from Dublin to Prague via Majorca was cheap, whereas a direct flight is very expensive. So, thanks to Ryanair, with their bizarre pricing, we were back in Spain again. A day in Mallorca didn't seem to be enough for us, so we stayed for a week (or 10 days, I don't remember exactly). The island fascinated us. Great weather in September, beautiful sea and the cleanest beaches. Excellent roads and infrastructure. Clearly the Germans had a hand in it, Mallorca is very popular in Germany. The following year, a hotel job was found for my son in Tossa de Mar for the summer and we flew to Barcelona to see him. Barcelona won us over at once. The whole family fell in love with it
forever, as well as Tossa, which is unreal. Spent a week with my son and then to Mallorca again. We were hooked on it. Only stopped when my son finished school. So... flew through Barcelona every time because my son spent three summers working in different hotels near Barcelona.
Then Covid came along. Before him, we had already switched from Mallorca-Barcelona to Singapore-Malaysia. We were getting ready for another trip. We booked hotels and flights. But, no such luck. In February 2020, sitting in our suitcases, we heard from our son that he wasn't coming with us. And we, too, strongly advised against it. It was explained to them in Dublin what was going on, whereas in the Czech Republic while in the Czech Republic everyone was melancholic. Like, the usual flu. We refused to go. We didn't want to go as it was a bad idea to go to Asia. We took a quick flight to the Red Sea.
And in autumn, when, after the summer pause, a second wave hit everyone, we again rushed to our beloved Mallorca.
At the beginning of 2021, we each received a Covid. I was in rough shape. Thought that was „Finia la comédie“.
But, someone decided it was too soon.
I had had enough of Mallorca, so I went to Spain having looked Yaroslav Levashov: https://www.youtube.com/c/YaroslavLevashov. Respect to him for first class videos. We rented a car and spent a month exploring the coast from Tarragona to Valencia, going inland for 50 to100 km.
The Costa Dorada (Gold Coast) - Salou, Cambrils, Tarragona, El Pereio, La Pineda. Costa del Azahar (Costa del Azahar, Coast of Orange) - Peñíscola, Benicàssim, Benicarlo, Oropesa del Mar (famous for its spa centre - spa treatments etc.), main town Castellon de la Plana.
Second month we moved to Benidorm. Explored the coast from Valencia to Cartagena, again going inland for 50 to 100 km.
There were a lot of impressions. This is where we really fell in love with Spain. Obviously, we'd only seen only a very small part of it. People told us that the rest of Spain is even more interesting and beautiful. I believe, and will definitely drive through all of Spain.
Not to impose my point of view, but it turns out that the Costa Blanca for us the best option
to live in. In the first place - the climate and the sea. We are interested in February, March, April and October, November, when in the Czech Republic is cool. During these months on the Costa Brava, Costa Dorada, Costa del Azar, and the sea is a bit cold for bathing. Costa del Sol is not considered at all. There the sea is icy all year round. On Costa Blanca we lived in Benidorm and La Mata in February, March, April and October, November. And I can
can testify that it was great. In spring, of course, you can't swim without neoprene. But in the fall it's easy. The weather's great. The most optimal. Locals say 2021 is uncharacteristically cold for these parts. However, it's +18+25C during the day. Very occasionally a little cooler, but not below 15C. Rains occur. In spring a couple of times a month and then only in February, March. In autumn, in November, occasionally. Water – 15 November +20C. True, the sea is chattering a little more often in the second half of November. Vegetables and fruits are bought on local markets Mercadillo. The prices are obscenely low in comparison with the Czech ones.
The assortment is crazy. The quality is incomparable. In the Czech Republic we eat rubber and plastic, but here we eat real ones.
We have only seen such things in Morocco and Malaysia. Meat, fish, cheeses, olives, seafood. Very tasty and inexpensive.
For the first time we were interested in Spanish property.
The first bell rang when Warren Buffett bought a Spanish realtor. On 10/02/2019 there was
report that LARVIA, one of the major real estate agencies in Spain, associated with the development of Spanish real estate for 55 years, is starting operations as a member of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. The company, with offices in Madrid and Barcelona, will henceforth operate as Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices LARVIA. Buffett is known to be a very cautious and conservative investor. He and his analysts are very careful in choosing companies to invest in.
The second bell rang in the Czech Republic, when all the real estate cheaper then 100 000 euros in Mariánské Lázně was swept up, which was the last time in 2008. It's the same story in the US and many Western European countries. This wind of change has not yet reached Spain. Real estate in Spain on the Costa Blanca today looks clearly undervalued. The main demand is formed by Western Europeans from England, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, France, Holland, accustomed to much higher prices. Gradually Poles are catching on, who are getting rich quicker.
First-class new flat in a new modern complex in the centre of Torrevieja (Costa Blanca), 94 sq.m. you can buy for 215 000 euros, located 200 meters from the beach and promenade with cafes and restaurants. The flat is finished and ready to move in, there is a high-speed lift in the building, central air conditioning, video phone, heated sea water pool, Finnish sauna with relaxation area, PVC windows with waterproofing and noise insulation, built-in wardrobes in the bedrooms, armoured Italian doors, kitchen furniture and a complete set of kitchen appliances as a gift, finished bathrooms with a set of furniture, showers, plumbing and floor heating. The stylish facade of the house is made with the best materials, glazed terraces with mirror coating and insulated walls.
Get to know the owner of the company builds such wonderful, stylish homes?
We think it is the best that is being built in Torreveja.
We have been involved in real estate in the Czech Republic for a long time and now also work with a Spanish developer.
Would you like to live in a luxury apartment?
One of Spain's major woes is noise.
The people who inhabit this country are extremely noisy. And builders prefer to build houses without soundproofing. The main sources of noise inside houses are loud music, TV, loud singing, loud speech, showers, flushing toilets, slamming doors, moving furniture, suitcases, prams, bicycles and toys across tiled floors (and in Spain all floors are tiled), washing machines and dishwashers running, walking on tiles in street shoes. Street noises - rubbish bins being taken out (usually in the early hours of the morning from 5 o'clock), motorbikes and cars with damaged or missing mufflers, restaurants, cafes, bars, dogs, cats, singing, loud talking, architectural acoustics. We lived in Spain for 4 months this year. Each month we changed locations and lived in five different apartments. This was not in the "high season" but in winter, spring and autumn. We started with the town of Orepeza del Mar. Apartamento 1ra linea con vista al mar, edificio Costa Marina II, piso 6: https://www.airbnb.ru/rooms/29203527?source_impression_id=p3_1637438808_JkY1Pa0c2B2RR%2B6X The apartment is good, underground parking, level service, sea close by. In the beginning it was completely quiet. Lockdown. Covid. The house was empty. We were the only ones in the entrance. Then an elderly couple arrived and moved in, as luck would have it, in the apartment next door, across the wall. During the night they both coughed intensely. Almost the whole night. It is inappropriate to make a comment or call the police. People are sick. The audibility was such that it was as if there was no wall between us and they were sleeping in the bed next to each other. Thank God, they only lived for a week and then they left. Then we thought it was an isolated incident. Just a poorly built house. And this would be an exception. We did not like Oropesa at all and the next month we moved to the city of Calp. Address:Partida Manzanera, 1, Calpe, Comunidad Valenciana 03710, Spain, cala Manzanera, vistas 117.It was a townhouse apartment. Cabins like this abound in Spain. They have been built over the years and are still being built today. Externally they look ugly, but bearable. The so-called "Spanish" style. Decided to try for ourselves: what it is like to live in a Spanish townhouse. Neighbours, who apparently live permanently, life begins early in the morning. Rumble, like in a barracks after the command "Wake up!". Then silence and siesta. And the concert continued late into the evening and into the night. To the noise they generated was added the smell. They were cooking in the evening and the stench was so bad that the completely barred windows and doors of our apartment could not protect us from the smell. The clatter of dishes, music, loud conversations, constantly working toilet and sink, plus the stench, got us out of the apartment very quickly. We spent one night there. The next month we stayed in Benidorm. We found out on the internet that it is not worth living in the Llevant beach area. It is an area of nightlife of young and not so young, but equally noisy tourists from England and other "civilized" countries. There are a large number of nightclubs, bars, restaurants, and other hotspots. You won't get a chance to relax and the front rooms will be used as toilets. So we rented an expensive apartment on the first line of Poniente beach. The beach is gorgeous, the place is quiet and there are no bars or restaurants nearby. In front of the house there is a nice little square. The house is modern and beautiful. The apartment, according to different estimates, is worth around 300-350 thousand euros. All was quiet and well until a family from continental Spain with children moved into the apartment above, right above ours. All Spaniards have a shift in time, relative to more northern countries. They are active when it's not hot. In the morning, in the evening and at night. They have a siesta in the afternoon. The Spaniards came with children who rocked the evening and night until one, two o'clock. They played football, rode bicycles and had a great time. The situation puzzled us. Complaining to the police about the kids was somehow not comme il faut. We had to put up with it. We have found out with surprise, that this apartment for 300-350 thousand euro in a new, modern, but Spanish house, has been built without any sound insulation. However... Shop fruit in Spain is as bad as ours in Czech Republic, so in Benidorm we went to the market, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, which is next to the nearby beach La Cala. We liked the beach and the area and for the next month we moved to an apartment next to this market and the beach. https://www.airbnb.ru/rooms/31661381bev_ref=&c=.pi80.pkYm9va2luZy92MV9taWdyYXRpb24vcmVzZXJ2YXRpb25fcmVtaW5kZXJfZ3Vlc3RfdjI%3D&eal_exp=1635150046&eal_sig=31d259da64b6b5966d98f0f154d58668a4e2ace6a6f3384ba5f7dc8907396ee8&eal_uid=9600207&euid=861ad0f0-f7da-b57f-f96d-5f0a9002c37e&photo=&s=&user_id=&source_impression_id=p3_1637441030_m7S%2FYDZvo9VsSnkk The house and the apartment looked good. The apartment is large and expensive. A similar apartment, right below us, was for sale for 225,000 euros. Two large terraces overlooking the sea. The residence consists of four houses, with a large communal pool and tennis court. The beach of Platja de La Cala de Finestrat is 300 metres away. The neighbours, luckily, were not noisy, although they changed every week. And we relaxed, but not for long. At five in the morning - rubbish collection. The residence is big and there are rubbish bins all around. There was such a rumble that the bins seemed to be thrown down from our seventh floor. The next day there was a bazaar. Again from five in the morning the trucks started arriving, unloading and assembling the iron frames of the market sheds. The proximity of the market was not a plus at all. Then the "tourists" started arriving. Despite the proximity of the sea and the temperature of the water +23 C, they preferred to swim and play in the pool after 00-00. Each time it was necessary to cause the concierge to pacify them and to close access to the pool. The acoustics are excellent. Spaniards should not build houses, but concert halls. Then finally the noisy neighbours arrived and we discovered that this house was also built without a hint of soundproofing. Fortunately, the month was coming to an end and we had moved elsewhere. This time our choice was La Mata, Platja les Ortigues. We thought the previous apartment was not expensive enough so without soundproofing and this time we have rented a luxury apartment at 50 m from the beach at approximate price of 300 thousand euros. Sea view, lovely new modern residence. We thought we had accounted for all our previous mistakes. No rubbish bins under the windows. The street is dead-end, only residents' cars. No cafes, bars, restaurants nearby. No street market under the window. But, alas, even this time we were disappointed. Interesting neighbours moved in the other day. Young lads, lovers of Arabic pop music. At one o'clock in the morning the concert started. They woke up. Went to deal with the choir members. The door was not opened. Came back to bedroom. Silence. Five minutes later, after intermission, screams, singing, music. Went in again. Rang the bell, banged on the door. Silence. Early in the morning, noise of showers, music, singing toilets. It turns out that this expensive apartment in a new, modern residence is also built without soundproofing. I do not want to generalize and claim that all the houses on the Costa Blanca are built by Spaniards without sound insulation, but our statistics are this. After studying the developers of the local market, met with a company that builds quality houses on the Costa Blanca. At our request, we were given a tour of the houses built and under construction. We liked the houses. They showed us a first-class new flat in a new modern complex in the centre of Torrevieja (Costa Blanca), an area of 94 sq.m. Now it can be bought for 215,000 euros. Distance to the beach and seafront with cafes and restaurants 200 meters. The flat is finished and ready to move in, there is a high-speed lift in the house, central air conditioning, video intercom, seawater swimming pool and heated, Finnish sauna in the house, PVC windows with waterproofing and noise insulation, built-in wardrobes in the bedrooms, armoured Italian entrance door, kitchen furniture and a complete set of kitchen appliances as a gift, completed bathrooms with a set of furniture, shower cabins, sanitary ware and heating. The stylish facade of the house is made with the finest materials, mirrored glazed terraces and insulated walls.
We were pleasantly surprised. This means they know how to build in Spain! True, the company is not Spanish, but rather international, although the contractors are Spanish.
