Huercal Overa - flies & pig farms

Hi,  We are looking at property in and around Huercal Overa but have heard reports of problems with flies due to the surrounding pig farms.  Can anyone tell me areas to avoid or where the pig farms are?

If u drive the area u will  smell them. They are everywhere. 

You don't get a problem at the pig farm, just the surroundings !

I would like to suggest Vera Playa area which is about 15 minutes down the highway. No pig farms that I have seen or smelt.

ewwww Vera Playa is nasty, a large sprawling concrete jungle and in some areas the empty apartment blocks look like a war zone, terrible area to stay.  We're off to visit friends in Huercal Overa in Feb and luckily I have no sense of smell lol.

I agree with Neil, Vera Playa is a lovely area & nothing like Foxilady describes.

Noreen

hahahahahaha no empty buildings eh!  gimmee a break puleeeeeeeeeeeeeeez

I didn't say that there are no empty buildings but your view is obviously tarnished.

Vera Playa is not a concrete jungle

Vera Playa is not Nasty

Vera Playa does not resemble a War Zone

Vera Playa is not a terrible place to stay

Every resort area along the coast has empty apartment blocks, a sad reflection of the difficult financial era that we are all experiencing.

You obviously have an issue with Vera Playa but at least be objective in your criticism & not vicious & nasty.

Enjoy Huercal Overa & all it has to offer. I hope it meets your expectations.

Oh well we will have to agree to disagree, as I think  it is nasty concrete jungle.  Hard to be objective about a place that just doesn't tick any boxes for me.   Each to their own i guess, one mans meat etc.

Vera Playa is a very pleasant area. Long, very wide clean beaches with a few bars on and alongside the beach. As for smells in Huercal Overa I can honestly say I have never smelt them (and my nose does work). My property is about 10 miles away and I visit HO quite often and Vera Playa is the first place that I will take myself and the offspring for beach day.

 Vera Playa for me does not have the appeal of Mojacar Playa, and being relatively new has suffered disproportionately in the down turn  BUT, and it is a very big but, it is within walking distance of Garrucha, via a very pleasant promenade, and Garrucha is surely one of the jewels in the whole area.   Also within a stones throw of Vera itself which is very nice, and of course Mojacar.   So no, it is not a nasty unpleasant place to stay, especially if you want to be by the Med.   

We stayed in Vera once and have to say never again.  We stayed on a complex which we realise wasn't for us.  On driving into the area my heart sank, as it was a sprawling mass of complexes.  We explored the area when we stayed and I have to agree with Foxi, as we did observe many very run down estates that looked dirty and deserted.   Such a shame really, as it does seem the dreams of many have been shattered.  But looking at areas like Vera one cannot help observe that the area was overbuilt, much like Ireland in its hay day in places like Limerick and Galway.  Who on earth was going to buy all these properties, other than get rich quick merchants  who planned on renting them out, and some as pension plans.  We were ourselves tempted back in 2005 but luckily changed our minds when we saw the mass building that was going on.  It frightened us off as we thought that one day we may want to sell.   Too much development went on in Vera with fairly unattractive and less thought out design.  So I do agree Vera is not eye candy when one approaches and on close inspection we didn't like it.  We did however like Garrucha and Mojaca, both very attractive with an older and established feel and would return to either for a holiday.  Let's hope that one day Spain and other places get back on their feet.

We've been going to Vera and the surrounding area for over thirty years and have seen the Vera Playa area change from a scrubby back beach area to the concrete jungle it is now. I can't say that I like the change but not all of the apartment complexes are unattractive and, from what we see on occasional visits to the beach there, the area is well tended and kept clean and tidy.

The american road has expanded to a dual carriageway with lots of annoying roundabouts, and now the development is heading off into the campo towards Vera itself. It will be interesting to see where the AVE line runs and whether it will represent the northerly / westerly limit to the housing.

Many of the apartments / villas are empty but that is much the same all along the playa extending even to Playa Macenas at the other end of Mojacar Playa where they seem to have given up building altogether. Vera Playa has been good for Vera as it brings in much needed income in the way of taxes and has allowed Vera to improve the town immensely and build new civic buildings (they may finish the theatre one day)

As to Huercal Overa I can't say that I have ever noticed that it is particularly smelly. HO is a very nice town when you get away from the old N340 and up into the centre. Lots of nice buildings, pleasant people, and much lower prices than on the coast.

Huercal Overa is lovely and no problems with smells and flies.   The problems are a few K's away namely Urcal - I did some work there on a regular basis and dare not open my mouth for the amount of flies, all year round.  Whilst driving around this area you will see all the pig farms within approx 8k of H>O>

 Would recommend Mojacar over Vera and Huercal Overa, however you must try before you buy as what one likes another doesnt.

Also good are Antas, Turre, Los Gallardos, Lubrin and Uleila del Campo.

Speak from experience, I grew up in Almeria.

We just returned from 5 weeks in Spain.  Stayed in Huercal Overa and didnt like it, so moved down to Mojacar, which was FABULOUS so i agree fully with costa del sky.  Last year we stayed in Vera and named that "concrete city" - need i say more?   We also liked Villaricos.   Therefore, any future visits to that part of Spain will be Mojacar.  Meanwhile we're just organising a trip now to India yaaaaaaaaaaaaay.