# Alicante



## joe T (Jun 24, 2020)

Hi All

New to site so bare with me
Am coming up to retirement lived across the world in my work Looking at Spain because of the good weather and good transport links to UK 

Had a question on about were to live in Spain which was a bit of a open question and looking back a bit silly I paid for it in some of the reply's 

I hope to have a look around the Alicante area around sept this year

Looking for any few tips on estate agents transport car hire and anything else you feel my help me in my property search
A sore one what areas to avoid ? if any, Not looking for property's inland but walking distance to beach shops etc Up to 50km from Airport if possible

Any recommendations or views on any of the above would be great 

Thanks :juggle:


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

joe T said:


> Hi All
> 
> New to site so bare with me
> Am coming up to retirement lived across the world in my work Looking at Spain because of the good weather and good transport links to UK
> ...


The weather isn't always good. You can get storms and although in Alicant you are less likely to get snow, it does happen. If you want to look around places go to Google Earth and drag the little orange man to where you want to look and you will see street views.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Book your hire car when you book your flight, is my recommendation. And wait until you arrive before contacting estate agents.

We've all got different ideas on what makes the perfect place to live. It's a good idea to come over for a look round first, ideally rent somewhere for a few months before buying to make sure it's right for you. But bear in mind that retiring to Spain is going to be a whole lot more difficult (and expensive!) for British people when the Brexit transition period ends on 31 January 2020.

If your budget will run to it, have you considered buying a small holiday home here and keeping your main residence in the UK? You would be able to come over for up to three months in any six month period, so can pick the times that suit you best, but you'd still benefit from being able to use the NHS and any pension or other benefits that you might be eligible for as a UK resident.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Alcalaina said:


> Book your hire car when you book your flight, is my recommendation.


and go with a reputable one such as Avis or Hertz. You may pay a little extra but they won't try to con you with extra insurance or screw you about a minor scratch that was on the car when you rented it and make sure you take pictures of any marks before you leave the car-hire garage.


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

baldilocks said:


> The weather isn't always good. You can get storms and although in Alicant you are less likely to get snow, it does happen. If you want to look around places go to Google Earth and drag the little orange man to where you want to look and you will see street views.


It does snow inland in Alicante. Up on the mountain near Guadalest the villages north usually get cut off most years and there were some bad snow falls last year.

January last year it rained constantly where we have our place for a week. But the year before it was 22c everyday.

To the OP.

We are about to move to the North of Alicante but not near a beach (live next to one here in the Uk and rarely go there)

Car hire, sort this at Alicante airport, there are lots but I prefer the bigger ones as they rarely con you. 
If you book your flight with easy thing you can get car hire cheaper than going direct, or they also do a good damage insurance if you want to get the car yourself.

Coast wise, Im a fan of Albir. 
Its a nice town with a good sea front but not as busy as Benidorm etc. 
Altea, Calpe are also nice. 

Have not been much south of Benidorm so cannot comment.

Google maps will be your friend here. But do a search of coastal towns and then do a further search as to population sizes, costs, nationalities etc.

Good luck with your search.


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## RobGre (May 11, 2020)

I live in Valencia and although it isn't sunny here every single, it is night and day when compared to the UK weather. Just so much more sunshine, you'll appreciate it


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## Rich & Wendy (May 28, 2018)

We love the Albur area too, we're coming out property searching in september.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Yes be careful in areas around Alicante especially if you are tempted by secluded inland properties. The last 2 years have had at least 3 major flooding. Locals usually know about specific areas but unfortunately foreigners dont. Many a Brit has bought fincas inland on ground that is essentially a basin. These floods and rains are torrential compared with uk and within hours while areas can become flooded to the point that houses are evacuated


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## Phil Squares (Jan 13, 2017)

We live just south of Alicante and are extremely happy with Elche. It takes about 20-25 minutes to get into Alicante, 12 minutes to the airport and 15 minutes to the beaches. We have had no flooding last year, although the older parts of Elche did. There are ongoing improvements to the storm drain system but where we are located that was done during the development phase. 

However, if you are not a Spanish speaker you will become one very quickly as most locals are very reluctant to speak English. But if you try to speak Spanish they will very quickly help you and speak a little English. Elche is slightly more expensive than Alicante but the medical, both private and government facilities are outstanding. 

We have found winters fairly moderate and we do have heating in our house and in the last 3 winters we have used it one time.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Phil Squares said:


> We live just south of Alicante and are extremely happy with Elche. It takes about 20-25 minutes to get into Alicante, 12 minutes to the airport and 15 minutes to the beaches. We have had no flooding last year, although the older parts of Elche did. There are ongoing improvements to the storm drain system but where we are located that was done during the development phase.
> 
> However, if you are not a Spanish speaker you will become one very quickly as most locals are very reluctant to speak English. But if you try to speak Spanish they will very quickly help you and speak a little English. Elche is slightly more expensive than Alicante but the medical, both private and government facilities are outstanding.
> 
> ...



You must have an extremely modern eco house only have used your heating once. It is usually colder inside here in Alicante than in uk and although it might not last as long I have to expect at least 3 months or more of heating.


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## melanikoko (Jun 3, 2020)

Certainly weather isn't always good. a reputable place to rent a car are Avis or 8rental, and the best to move is the North of Alicante but not near a beach


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## Phil Squares (Jan 13, 2017)

It is a relatively new house. Our highest A/C bill during the summer is about 110 Euros for 2 zones and on 24/7 at 24C.


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