# Costa Blanca North inland location



## Alank (Oct 23, 2017)

We are on our first buying trip to Costa Blanca North in January 2018. We have lots of properties to view in several different towns.

I know a few places like Javea, Calpe, Alfas del Pi, Busot, Camello etc etc but we will be looking slightly further inland.

Any one on here live or have knowledge of Cocentaina, Pedruguer, Parcent and Ontinyent. There will be more places to add. 


We are hoping for a rural location with a plot of land, Finca or country house but I suppose more importantly, An expats (community) where we can drive out to socialise with both Spanish and Ex pats.

I get the impression that lots of seasoned expats who buy on the coast soon move inland. I am guessing this is to get away from the crowds but probably to get a better climate, ie cooler in summer?


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

No idea about those areas but I would say the more inland you go the hotter it is going to be in summer, plus you may even get snow in the winter which probably is a nice change to just being cold and windy. The coastal weather is much milder.


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

Of those I know Pedreguer and Parcent. You could find the kind of home you are looking for near either. It's quicker and easier to get to the coast and some amenities from Pedreguer than from Parcent, although I must admit the latter would be my choice of choosing a rural life.

Also, in both you will find plenty of expats to mix and socialise with, and Spanish too of course. Although, in my experience it's easy to form relationships with Spanish if you have the language but if not you'll find you spend all socialising time with expats. And, this being the Valencia region, you'll find that the further inland you go, the more Valenciano speaking you will encounter. The coasts have a lot of Spanish people from other parts of Spain who don't speak Valenciano.

Got to say, I haven't come across many people who have gone from the coast to inland. The most well trodden path is the one from villa to apartment as people get too old to manage gardens (and realise that villas are money pits).




Alank said:


> We are on our first buying trip to Costa Blanca North in January 2018. We have lots of properties to view in several different towns.
> 
> I know a few places like Javea, Calpe, Alfas del Pi, Busot, Camello etc etc but we will be looking slightly further inland.
> 
> ...


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

My family and I have lived in Ontinyent for over 11 years now. Please ask any questions you like.

We chose to live inland from day one as we prefer to stay away from the 'tourists'.

Ontinyent is a fairly typical Spanish town yet there are now a few foreigners here (Brits, Dutch etc.).

We love it here as do our three children who now are more Spanish than English.


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## Rabbitcat (Aug 31, 2014)

Can thoroughly recommend our town and area, Orba, Orba Valley

If you need any info happy to help


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## Alank (Oct 23, 2017)

Horlics said:


> (and realise that villas are money pits).


Thanks for your reply Horlics, why do you say villa's are money pits?


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## Alank (Oct 23, 2017)

snikpoh said:


> My family and I have lived in Ontinyent for over 11 years now. Please ask any questions you like.
> 
> We chose to live inland from day one as we prefer to stay away from the 'tourists'.
> 
> ...


Thanks snikpoh, my kids have all but flown the nest now so we will be moving over alone. We will have to learn the language on the go, we have started with duo lingo as a starting point, is Valenciano's much different from Spanish. Sorry if that's a daft question but all my time in Spain has been spent near to coastal areas.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

Alank said:


> We are on our first buying trip to Costa Blanca North in January 2018. We have lots of properties to view in several different towns.
> 
> I know a few places like Javea, Calpe, Alfas del Pi, Busot, Camello etc etc but we will be looking slightly further inland.
> 
> ...


Ten years ago this week we were viewing properties in inland Costa Blanca and made an offer on the house we currently live in. We took possession in March 2008 and have never looked back. Our house overlooks Cocentaina but is in the mountains about 4km drive from the town. When we first arrived there were quite a few Brits in the area, even supporting two English bars, one Irish bar and a fish and chip shop! The bars and the chippy have long gone and there is now no real evidence of an expat community as such, although we know a few British, Dutch and Belgians who live in the area. The weather here is generally colder than the coast in the winter and hotter in the summer, with spring and autumn temperatures much the same. There is often snow on the mountains in the winter and on rare occasions there is a light covering at lower levels. The mountain scenery in this area is breathtaking and local hotels and guest houses cater for mountain walkers of all nationalities. It´s a very peaceful area and, although you can see the coast from the top of Montcabrer (1,390 metres), it´s hard to believe that Cocentaina and Benidorm are in the same country! Let me know if you need any further information.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Alank said:


> Thanks snikpoh, my kids have all but flown the nest now so we will be moving over alone. We will have to learn the language on the go, we have started with duo lingo as a starting point, is Valenciano's much different from Spanish. Sorry if that's a daft question but all my time in Spain has been spent near to coastal areas.


Spanish and Valencian are completely separate languages. Some will try and tell you that Valencian is a dialect - it's not!

Many do speak Valencian but soon will talk to you in Spanish once they realise you are struggling - really not an issue.

I disagree with @Horlics - IMHO Villas are NOT money pits. Just like houses back in UK, they cost money to maintain but certainly no more than one would expect.


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

Alank said:


> Thanks for your reply Horlics, why do you say villa's are money pits?


I know 3 people who complain constantly about the amount of money their villas have cost them. 2 work so don't have time for gardening, so they pay out for a service and also have the pools to run.

They all bought villas between 30 and 40 years old and had to spend quite a lot to get them up to the standard they required, which for some reason they hadn't realised they would need to do.

They also pay quite a lot in rates, but they are in Javea and have large plots. Large plots they wanted but now wonder why. 

And keeping big villas warm and comfortable on bottled gas and/or electric is costly.

Here's an example from a friend who moved a couple of months ago. The heating boiler is on the outside wall and the pipes run 15 feet on an outside wall before they are eventually routed inside. And they're not lagged or covered in any way. He's paying to get the boiler relocated.

All that said, a modern build in a reasonable sized plot is no different to a normal house in the UK. The villas I am talking about in these cases were in excess of 200 sq m living space and landscaped plots of over 2500, so very different to an average person's house in the UK.


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