# Looking for charming, uncrowded, expat friendly town on Med Coast



## GaijinBuddhist (Mar 10, 2012)

Hi, I'm a new arrival in Spain, currently in Valencia. I'm looking for my dream location to live - do you know of any charming and uncrowded towns that are expat friendly on (or near) the Mediterranean coast?

My ideal is... 

- a smaller city - Valencia is bigger than I'd like. I like a small town feel but big enough to have all the conveniences of modern life, like fast internet and good restaurants.

- not too touristy - I understand Benidorm is beautiful, but also packed with tourists. Not interested in that.

- expat friendly - I speak some Spanish, but some English speakers and an expat friendly community would be ideal.

- on or near the Mediterranean coast

- nice weather - I'd love a place with a bit milder weather. Is the north coast less hot in the summer?

So, anyone know of a charming and uncrowded town that is expat friendly?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

GaijinBuddhist said:


> Hi, I'm a new arrival in Spain, currently in Valencia. I'm looking for my dream location to live - do you know of any charming and uncrowded towns that are expat friendly on (or near) the Mediterranean coast?
> 
> My ideal is...
> 
> ...


Portal Turístico de Xàbia - Ayuntamiento de Xàbia 

July & August it can get a bit crowded, but you'll get that pretty much anywhere on the Med coast


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Alhaurin de la Torre, near Malaga??? Its about 5 miles inland, not touristy, but clean and modern

Jo xxx


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

A lot of the small towns between Valencia and Gandia on the coast are really quiet in the winter months, because there are so many holiday homes there which are often only used for a month or so a year! I wouldnt call them charming though

Charming and quiet, eh ..... hmm ... I could name a few villages further inland, but I just dont think they will tick all your boxes

Im afraid the word Oxymoron jumps to mind
Look it up, it's probably not what you think 

And not very helpful


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Stravinsky said:


> A lot of the small towns between Valencia and Gandia on the coast are really quiet in the winter months, because there are so many holiday homes there which are often only used for a month or so a year! I wouldnt call them charming though
> 
> Charming and quiet, eh ..... hmm ... I could name a few villages further inland, but I just dont think they will tick all your boxes
> 
> ...


you're right - you're not likely to find charming, quiet, expat friendly & easy access to services all in one place

I reckon Jávea comes pretty close though - just a normal not too big not too small town most of the year - until July & August

parts of it (port/pueblo) are charming - & amazing views too

expat friendly for sure

no train station - but just about everything within the town or within less than 30 mins drive

not too hot or too cold - does get rather humid though if I'm honest


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## rebeccabardet (Apr 14, 2012)

Hi - How about Estepona? We loooooved it there (15 min bus ride from Malaga). On the sea, 'real' Spaniards sitting at cafés, but the menus are also in English and everyone is very friendly. We met an Expat Brit who retired there and highly recommended living there.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

rebeccabardet said:


> Hi - How about Estepona? We loooooved it there (15 min bus ride from Malaga). On the sea, 'real' Spaniards sitting at cafés, but the menus are also in English and everyone is very friendly. We met an Expat Brit who retired there and highly recommended living there.



Oh God no, *real* Spaniards .......... the dont live in* real *Spain then


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Stravinsky said:


> Oh God no, *real* Spaniards .......... the dont live in* real *Spain then


don't start 


I wonder if my next door neighbours realise they're 'real' Spaniards




or maybe they aren't :confused2:

I mean, they were only born here, live here, work here.................


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## GaijinBuddhist (Mar 10, 2012)

*thanks*

Thanks for your replies. I will check out some of these places. Any other ideas, please let me know! 

What about Altea?

Please don't steer my post in another direction. Especially if you're a moderator - give me a break. I didn't say I don't want to live with Spaniards. I said I want to live somewhere Expat friendly, meaning I'm not the only expat there and maybe a few people in the town can speak English.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

GaijinBuddhist said:


> Please don't steer my post in another direction. Especially if you're a moderator - give me a break. I didn't say I don't want to live with Spaniards. I said I want to live somewhere Expat friendly, meaning I'm not the only expat there and maybe a few people in the town can speak English.


 I think my co mods comments were addressing this post


rebeccabardet said:


> Hi - How about Estepona? We loooooved it there (15 min bus ride from Malaga). On the sea, 'real' Spaniards sitting at cafés, but the menus are also in English and everyone is very friendly. We met an Expat Brit who retired there and highly recommended living there.


. Which is a strange statement to make when talking about a town in spain - simply because all towns in Spain, have "real" spaniards and they do sit in cafes from time to time lol

Jo xxx


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

GaijinBuddhist said:


> Thanks for your replies. I will check out some of these places. Any other ideas, please let me know!
> 
> What about Altea?
> 
> Please don't steer my post in another direction. Especially if you're a moderator - give me a break. I didn't say I don't want to live with Spaniards. I said I want to live somewhere Expat friendly, meaning I'm not the only expat there and maybe a few people in the town can speak English.


sorry  - it wasn't aimed at you if you look at the thread

it's just that we get _so many_ comments about 'real Spain' that it tickles us 


Altea......... hmm 

you'll hear a lot of German spoken there


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

I don't like Altea, too near Benidorm. How about Denia, Moraira, El Portet, Javea, anywhere in that general area is attractive. My Father lived there a long time ago and I was attracted also, it is very pretty, however the pull of the Canary Islands was stronger so this is where I now find myself.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Well, I'd have to sell Nerja. Many small villages just to the north a lot of those have many expats. Nerja like all med towns is very busy in July August. Also, in the south it is very very hot. In the north it is cooler but the winters are considerably colder and wetter. If you have the time I'd recommend an extensive tour starting in Galicia and ending in Andalucia taking the coastal route and Spanish/French border. If nothing else you'll have a brilliant holiday.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

GaijinBuddhist said:


> Thanks for your replies. I will check out some of these places. Any other ideas, please let me know!
> 
> What about Altea?
> 
> Please don't steer my post in another direction. Especially if you're a moderator - give me a break. I didn't say I don't want to live with Spaniards. I said I want to live somewhere Expat friendly, meaning I'm not the only expat there and maybe a few people in the town can speak English.


I think you must have misunderstood, I'm not steering the thread anywhere. I actually replied to you if you look again  And Im quite aware of what being a moderator means as I have been helping prospective ex pats as one for 6 years now 

As regards Altea we go there fairly regularly. Again, its not a quiet place and it is quite touristy. We did consider it ourselves when we moved here but didnt take it any further. I'm glad we didnt because its now become overbuilt in my opinion. I like going there for a trip, but I wouldnt think it would fit your bill


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Yes, you misunderstood...It's a kind of 'in' joke

We had a post recently from some silly and rather pretentious person who implied that parts of Spain weren't actually Spain at all....
There are people who think that living next to two donkeys and a tomato patch is more 'Spanish' than Benidorm or Alicante, not to mention the Costa del Sol which of course all the locals evacuated years ago when the first British voice was heard....

You are quite right about Estepona. It is indeed a beautiful town. I don't live there but I'm a short journey away and spend a lot of time shopping,doing business and socialising there.


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## country boy (Mar 10, 2010)

rebeccabardet said:


> Hi - How about Estepona? We loooooved it there (15 min bus ride from Malaga).


Gosh...that is some Bus!! Whoosh.......


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## GaijinBuddhist (Mar 10, 2012)

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I'll be taking some road trips to check these places out. It seems a lot of favorable towns are in the same few areas so that helps narrow it down. 

Sorry - I just didn't want the thread to get sidetracked. It seems every time I go on a forum someone starts making a lot of jokes and then the original question is completely forgotten. I appreciate the help.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

country boy said:


> Gosh...that is some Bus!! Whoosh.......



Indeed!! It will take a good hour from Malaga City to Estepona Bus Station, longer in summer.
Half an hour or more from Marbella to Estepona.
I know...I ride the bus..


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> Indeed!! It will take a good hour from Malaga City to Estepona Bus Station, longer in summer.
> Half an hour or more from Marbella to Estepona.
> I know...I ride the bus..


so where was the poster then, if she was 15 mins from Málaga?


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## GaijinBuddhist (Mar 10, 2012)

*any other ideas?*

So everyone has suggested the same two areas: Around Javea and around Malaga. 
I guess these are the gems of coastal spain?

Any nice places between Valencia and Barcelona?


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

xabiachica said:


> so where was the poster then, if she was 15 mins from Málaga?


Dunno....but thinking about it, it takes around an hour from Marbella to Estepona some days. Traffic at San Pedro can slow you down. Then from Malaga to Marbeklla...a good hour in itself.

So I'd say two hours by bus from Malaga to Estepona.


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## JJnilla (May 13, 2012)

The big cities like Torrevieja, Benidorm etc tend to be very touristy, but if you look at the smaller towns and villages around them you get the charming and uncrowded feeling. So the choice tends to be to live in the city and visit the villages or visa versa.

Altea is lovely, but a bit pricey for me, but then I live inland a bit where it's a lot more rural and less touristy so the prices reflect that. As do the amenities on offer. 

Also as *xabiachica* has mentioned most places get crazy for July and August, but are much more tolerable for the rest of the year. Be aware that even places like Torrevieja can feel like a ghost town with most businesses closed during the off season.


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## toast (Oct 19, 2007)

Take a look at Santa Pola, 10 km south of alicante international airport, with a nice marine reserve, fishermans village, bussy in summer but not "empty" in winter....
Guía Turística de Santa Pola. (INGLES )


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

Try the villages of Las Alpujarras in Granada and Almeria Provinces, although they might be too far inland for you.

But quiet, pretty, traditonal and expat friendly (although almost 100% Spanish speaking, you will find some expats in most of them).

If you are looking to buy a house, I can personally recommend one in Bubion and one in Yegen.

http://www.andalucia.com/villages/alpujarras.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpujarras


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## shoemanpete (Jan 4, 2010)

Seeing as no-one has flown the flag for my town....here goes.
Alhaurin El Grande is 21km inland from Fuengirola, a thriving busy large town with Barclays and Lloyds banks, train station to Malaga, bus station to everywhere. 

A el G is half hour to Malaga airport and Marbella. It is a buzzing spanish town with a large expat population. We have banks, supermarkets, good library, health centre, buses to Malaga and F'ola, shops of all descriptions, weekly market and restaurants galore. 

There are several very lovely urbanisations on the outskirts. If you are not doing so, I suggest renting for a year first if you can until you are sure of the area. There are too many sad tales of people who now cannot sell.

There are two U3A groups each with around 300 members, one in F'ola and the other split between A el G and Marbella. A varied full programme of activities on offer and everyone and I mean everyone is always so welcoming and friendly. Both have websites you can look at. We have made more friends here in 2 years than we did in the UK in 10! 

F'ola is of course a VERY touristy town but hey, you only go there for main shopping and social and then you can leave it behind.

Coin (pronounced co-een) is about 10km further inland from A el G and also has many ex-pats, not as big and didn't appeal to us. 

I reckon I have done a good selling job here, don't rate the other attempts much


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

shoemanpete said:


> Seeing as no-one has flown the flag for my town....here goes.
> Alhaurin El Grande is 21km inland from Fuengirola, a thriving busy large town with Barclays and Lloyds banks, train station to Malaga, bus station to everywhere.
> 
> A el G is half hour to Malaga airport and Marbella. It is a buzzing spanish town with a large expat population. We have banks, supermarkets, good library, health centre, buses to Malaga and F'ola, shops of all descriptions, weekly market and restaurants galore.
> ...



Hhhmmm, El Grande doesnt have a train Station, the nearest is at Cartama Estacion which is a good 10 minute drive away. I wouldnt have said it was a buzzing Spanish town either. The last time I was there, it was a bit of a ghost town since most of the Brits seemed to have left and lets face it, El Grande was conquered by expats. When we first went there 5 years ago we struggled to find anyone Spanish and there were issues between the Brits and the Spanish gypsies lol! - However Pete, not wishing to knock what you obviously love, it is very "typically spanish" looking and in a good situation for the costas, mountains, campo, airport etc. Certainly worth a look. Things change!

jo xxx


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## shoemanpete (Jan 4, 2010)

Hiya Jo, you need to re-visit then. A ghost town it isn't, I assure you. Yes many Brits left a few years ago, but I am reliably informed those were the Brits that were somewhat 'different' to those here nowadays. 
Struggled to find anyone Spanish? not these days. You only hear English spoken in some cafes and bars that have become the 'regular'.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

shoemanpete said:


> Hiya Jo, you need to re-visit then. A ghost town it isn't, I assure you. Yes many Brits left a few years ago, but I am reliably informed those were the Brits that were somewhat 'different' to those here nowadays.
> Struggled to find anyone Spanish? not these days. You only hear English spoken in some cafes and bars that have become the 'regular'.


 I'm pleased to hear it!! I have to say that knowing you and knowing what I heard it used to be like there, I'm sure it has changed for the better! It used to be very rough! 

Jo xxx


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## cmiz (Jun 19, 2012)

Torrevieja - or rather urbanizations surrounding this town are quite charming, some of them. It is worth visiting and hiring a car and looking around at the places nearby. Buses in this area I find are a good service.


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