# Benicassim, Costa del Azahar, life there, property prices etc..



## dancingspider (Mar 4, 2018)

I´m of a mind that I might relocate to Benicassim or thereabouts along the coast.

I have been to Castellon de la Plana and I found it a bit small and quiet to be honest. I guess a lot of these places just about turn into ghost towns in winter.

Also when I look at the house prices in these locations I find the prices quite inflated...

This stretch of coast is not the most popular or indeed as well served by airports etc, so not as accessible for foreigners as other locations, so I can´t imagine the demand from overseas buyers is as great. Nor are there any great employment prospects for Spanish there either, so I can´t imagine there would be that much demand from Spanish property buyers either.

Any wisdom anyone can share about Benicassim and its surroundings, on any of the above points, please do and I am all ears.


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## ccm47 (Oct 15, 2013)

My thoughts about Castellon as we've visited a couple of times:
It has a very busy port which imports and exports throughout the year, hence jobs which spin off from those activities. There's also rice growing and fruit farming to consider. Wiki tells me the population is 170k and the fourth largest community in the Valencian community.
There is also the Jaume university so there should be cultural activities to attend.
The holiday type accommodation gets taken over by those seeking winter sun. My OH needed to stay overnight in our camping car about 8 weeks ago so aimed for the Aire which is beside the beach: he couldn't get in, nor were there spaces anywhere nearby. He drove on.

Valencia airport is just under an hour's drive from Castellon so major shopping centres will be about the same.


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## dancingspider (Mar 4, 2018)

CCM, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I’ve been through Castellon de la Plana airport once and Valencia airport a few times. The mind boggles why someone put Castellon de la Plana airport where it is located, remote to anything. Clearly, Valentia is a good centre and one I am also considering also, but Valencia as a place to live and what it has to offer is a topic that is well covered. I been to Valencia numerous times so have a good feel for the city.


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## timwip (Feb 27, 2017)

My wife's family owns a piso in Benicassim. As a result, I have been there off and on for 40 years. During the summer, it is a very lively place; however, during the off-season, it turns into a ghost town. In fact, most restaurants, are closed. As a result, if you think Castellón is too quiet, you willl think Benicassim is horrible for 8 months per year.

With respect to Castellón, believe it or not, there is a lot of money there. Most of the people have made their money on ceramic tiles.


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## dancingspider (Mar 4, 2018)

Tim, that is the sort of insight I was looking for!

Having seen a few these places along the coast during the winter they become ghost towns off-season and that was my concern about Benicassim. I will still visit the place and have a look around but it doesn’t really sound like I place I want to splash out on a property and spend the rest of my days.

On the ceramics industry, yes, I see jobs that relate to that industry advertised in the region on a regular basis.

How about the final point I raised which relates to how inflated the house prices are when you see them on the likes of idealista for Benicassim?


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## timwip (Feb 27, 2017)

The whole coast between Valencia and Tarragona has a bunch of very nice resort towns (Oropesa del Mar, as an example); however, all with the same problem of going dead during the off-season. With respect to the prices in the area, I would not say it is inflated. This is the area where rich Spaniards have their summer homes. Generally, the expats have their homes south of Valencia. As a result, you just hear more about the areas south of Valencia but the coastal area north of Valencia is still very popular. If you want the best combination of beach and real city, I would consider Tarragona, Valencia and Alicante. I particularly like Valencia. My mother-in-law was from Valencia. I used to visit her parents often in Valencia. My grandfather-in-law was a judge and he used to take me to the Water Tribunals. He taught me how to love Spain.


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## dancingspider (Mar 4, 2018)

Work wise the only option due to the daily commute that would be possible would be Valencia. 

All round, I rate it as the top spot to live in Spain. It has everything, good climate, on the coast, good transport links, more bang for your buck when it comes to buying property if compared with Barcelona or Madrid.


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