# Advice needed on nice areas to rent in Costa Blanca south / Costa Calida



## destinedforspain (Feb 2, 2009)

You might remember my posts from last year expressing my desperate wish to spend next winter in Spain.

Well, after another frankly hellish Scottish winter, during which my health was the worst it has ever been, we are one step closer to organising this.

As it stands, the plan is for myself and my mother to spend mid-Oct-2011 to mid-Feb-2012 on the Costa Blanca / Costa Calida in a rental property, somewhere in the Murcia region from Torrevieja in the north to Aguilas in the south.

At the moment we are not sure which type of property would be most suitable, e.g. an apartment in a gated community, an apartment on a 'Golf Complex', etc. Most important considerations are close proximity to amenities (doctor, chemist, supermarket, etc) and an English (or part-English) speaking community. We don't want to be in a really busy built-up area, but from a security perspective also don't want to be too isolated. 

As I have walking difficulties, geographic location is also important in terms of being able to walk around the local area and not be faced with steep gradients, dirt tracks etc. This is not so important for the property itself as I can manage steps, and in fact from a security perspective I think we'd prefer NOT to have a ground-floor apartment. Besides, a south-facing verranda or roof-terrace is number ONE on the list of priorities. 

My mother is flying out to Murcia for 5 days at Easter on a reconnaissance to check out potential areas. She is staying at Hotel La Cumbre and will be meeting up with an estate agent in Mazarron to try to find out more about suitable areas.

It would however be useful to gather some advice from those on the forum who live on the Costa Blanca / Costa Colida with regards to which areas you would recommend my mother looks at whilst over there? Your thoughts would be much appreciated...


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Well Puerto de Mazarron would have the largest British community & easier for level access to doctors, chemist, etc. Far less so in Águilas , where the Brits. tend to live out in the campo . Going east from P de Mazarron you have Isla Plana, which is a lovely spot but the road is a bit hilly & winding + it does have a resident foreign population but it's very quiet in the autmn /winter. The same applies to the next one round La Azohia, stunning but exceedingly quiet in that period.


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## destinedforspain (Feb 2, 2009)

gus-lopez said:


> Well Puerto de Mazarron would have the largest British community & easier for level access to doctors, chemist, etc. Far less so in Águilas , where the Brits. tend to live out in the campo . Going east from P de Mazarron you have Isla Plana, which is a lovely spot but the road is a bit hilly & winding + it does have a resident foreign population but it's very quiet in the autmn /winter. The same applies to the next one round La Azohia, stunning but exceedingly quiet in that period.


Thank you for bringing Puerto de Mazarron to my attention, I will add this area to my list.

Can anyone recommend any websites for sourcing mid/long-term rental properties in the Costa Blanca region? 

The most comprehensive website I've found thus far focuses on areas closer to Murcia, e.g. Sucina and La Torre Golf Resort.

Google searches for rentals around the Puerto de Mazarron areas mainly brings back holiday rentals which are let out by the week, rather than the month, and are therefore significantly more expensive. Although I have located a few longer-term rentals on the Camposol Golf Resort, which is more in-land.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

destinedforspain said:


> Thank you for bringing Puerto de Mazarron to my attention, I will add this area to my list.
> 
> Can anyone recommend any websites for sourcing mid/long-term rental properties in the Costa Blanca region?
> 
> ...


have a look in the 'useful links' sticky at the top, post #65


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## destinedforspain (Feb 2, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> have a look in the 'useful links' sticky at the top, post #65


Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!


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## bristolbrett (Oct 30, 2010)

destinedforspain said:


> Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!


A couple of things that we have found when we have been looking to rent a 'holiday let' for longer than a couple of weeks, particularly off season.

To get an idea of a good price to pay go to a regular letting agent's website from the area (google 'inmobiliaria location x') you want and look at what the locals are being charged for accommodation on a monthly basis. This will give you a baseline monthly typical rent to look at.

Most short term lets will give you discounts (even if their websites don't mention this) if you are staying for more than a couple of weeks. Spanish website owners often don't work in the same way that UK ones do. You often have to email them and ask them for longer-term rates etc. rather than just booking directly. This can work in your favour if you are looking for something outside the usual holiday periods. Typical longer term rents are 1/2 - 1/3 less than the cost of the published weekly rent. Offer them closer to the monthly average for the area and see what they say. 

Winters aren't necessarily HOT so try to get somewhere with heating - calefaccion or aire acondicionado frío/calor - so that you won't freeze on the days when it might be a bit chilly.

Some agents may try to get you to give an 'aval bancario' which is basically a bank deposit. Avoid this if you can and insist on 1 month's deposit and no more. They are basically trying it on and it is one of the ways that landlords get to keep your money. The chances are that the more money you give them as a deposit the more you stand to lose - so it'd better be a fantastic place if you are willing to risk more than a month's deposit on it.


The sticky links are good for flat hunting. If you want any particular info about particular ads you find just pop me a PM. If you have an e-mail address for a particular agency or 'owner' then google the adress or put the e-mail address + 'reviews' into google and see if anything comes up. You'd be amazed at how many scams do get reported and if the e-mail address is linked to a scam then chances are it will get a hit at google. This is particularly useful for the idealista website which is a great site if the owner is genuine, but it can have some dodgy ones on there. We are just about getting used to how few Spanish accommodation booking sites take credit cards or Paypal, which gives some peace of mind, and learning to live with the anxiety of hoping that the booking is genuine. Remember, IF IT SEEMS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT PROBABLY IS and just leave it well alone.

As your booking will be for longer and you're coming to see things beforehand it will probably be a bit easier for you.

Good luck with your search - and have a great winter here next year. We certainly wouldn't live another winter in the UK.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

destinedforspain said:


> Thank you for bringing Puerto de Mazarron to my attention, I will add this area to my list.
> 
> Google searches for rentals around the Puerto de Mazarron areas mainly brings back holiday rentals which are let out by the week, rather than the month, and are therefore significantly more expensive. Although I have located a few longer-term rentals on the Camposol Golf Resort, which is more in-land.



Puerto de Mazarron & Mazarron are two different places & from your 1st post found the hotel your mother will be staying in is actually in Puerto de Mazarron. Mazarron is about 4 or 5 km inland from the port & Camposol is even farther inland. I'd be wary on Camposol as Sector A is quite hilly , B is around the commercial centre,& C is the other side of the Rambla near to the golf course, & D is not worth considering for you as it's even farther away up & down a hill & a car is a must as there are no shops & it's a 20 min walk, at least, for a fit person back to the commercial centre on B. There are shops on A & B. The port is the best & flattest in those areas & with the most to do & see.


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## destinedforspain (Feb 2, 2009)

bristolbrett said:


> A couple of things that we have found when we have been looking to rent a 'holiday let' for longer than a couple of weeks, particularly off season.
> 
> To get an idea of a good price to pay go to a regular letting agent's website from the area (google 'inmobiliaria location x') you want and look at what the locals are being charged for accommodation on a monthly basis. This will give you a baseline monthly typical rent to look at.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the advice, I will bear these points in mind!


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## destinedforspain (Feb 2, 2009)

A couple of questions that just sprung to mind:

- Is mold/dampness generally a problem during the winter on the Costa Calida? And can this be prevented by using electric heaters and an electric de-humidifier, or is an air-ventilation installation system advised?

- What's internet access like in this region with regards to cost and reliability? Here in Scotland I get unlimited 5meg broadband with Virgin. I don't expect, nor do I need, this speed of connection in Spain, as I won't be doing any major downloading, only webpage surfing. But I need a fairly reliable connection (i.e. I couldn't cope if the connection was down for more than a few days). Would a dongle be the way to go?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

bristolbrett said:


> A couple of things that we have found when we have been looking to rent a 'holiday let' for longer than a couple of weeks, particularly off season.
> 
> To get an idea of a good price to pay go to a regular letting agent's website from the area (google 'inmobiliaria location x') you want and look at what the locals are being charged for accommodation on a monthly basis. This will give you a baseline monthly typical rent to look at.
> 
> ...


Really good advice. Glad to see that the OP has taken note.


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## fourgotospain (May 4, 2009)

Hi there,

Have a look at 'noticeboard' sites like Home. The properties are fro rent by owner so you can email them individually to discuss what you want. A mid-term winter let is not uncommon in Spain and as properties can't command the high weekly holiday rentals then, lots of owners would rather have someone living in it from a security point of view as well as controlling the ventilation aspect. Spainsih houses do not 'like' being shut up for months at a time.

Definately rent a property with heating of some sort and definatley rent on in a sunny spot - it makes SO much difference in the winter. 

On the north Costa Blanca we have had a very mild dry winter this year - long may they continue!


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