Playa Flamenca

Hi all

Can anyone help.  We have been looking a piccies of an apartment that we are thinking of renting at Villa Golf, Playa Flamenca while we are looking for somewhere to buy.  The apartment looks lovely on the inside but the outside shot that we have seen worries me a little.  Does anyone know this area and can they tell us anything about it?

We will be going over to Spain in Sept and having a look around anyway, but I would really appreciate your thpughts as i dont want to commit to somewhere for later in the year and then find that its really not suitable.

thanks

Auntie Em x

Hi Auntie m

It all depends on what you want from your purchase.

Playa Flamenca is a good holiday area and is a good base for a search,after spending some time there you should know whether it will suit your needs or not!

Are you planning on a holiday home or permanent move?

Georgia, thanks for your reply

we are planning to purchase a holiday home in CB.  We are in no great rush to do so and would rather take our time and get something which suits us.  (Im not too good at being patient so i am writing this to remind myself that i need to be!)  We would like a 2 bed apartment/house, and because we will not be using it all year round but for up to 3 - 4 months a year I think we need it to be somewhere that has the potential for holiday rentals too .... although to be honest im not entirely sure that i would want to rent it out ... this is where me and hubby differ LOL ... financially it will not be imperative.

In the meantime we want to be able to rent somewhere (not too expensive) so that we can look around.  We plan a number of trips in the next 12 months.  Having said that I dont want to be living (even temporarily) in the middle of some crime wave area, or where we have to dodge the ladies of the night to step out for paella and a bottle of vino tinto! 

Does any of this make sense to anyone but me???

hI AUNTIE M,

Yeah,makes perfect sense and a good decision.

The hardest decision that anyone has to make is when you find a property in an area that is good for rental ie holidaymakers,then it may not neccesarily be where you wish to spend any great deal of time yourself.

Also if you do find a property that you love then often you will not like the idea of peolple being in your lovely apartment or villa making a mess.

This is the biggest catch 22 we come across with clients when looking for somewhere.

It depends totally on the dependance of a rental income that drives the location and propspective purchase.

If it is for rental purpose only then the decision should be made with the head,if it is for your own enjoyment and family and friends etc... then you will need to bring your heart into the equation.

I drove back through Cabo Roig,Playa Flamenca etc last night and it is very vibrant and busy but with that comes the ladies who are rather distracting! and the crowds.

Also unless you are front line beach or walking distance guaranteed income is a thing of the past,if anyone promises you any different then i would question there motives,rental is all about marketing and hard work in an ever increasing market place.

In saying that there are many places that would fit your criteria,it just takes a bit of research and some decent advice. 

thanks Georgia

I think "vibrant and busy" did it for me ... bearing in mind that you ARE an estate agent, I think those words tell me that its not really for me.  I like the "entertainment" to be a little bit more distant from where i live and then i can take it or leave it .... or more importantly "leave it" when i have had enough and head home to relative peace and tranquility ... that is if the other half is not trying to be entertaining himself by playing the bagpipes or telling one of his endless drunken stories !

Hi AUNTIE M,

Yeah,it is pretty common knowledge that am an agent and i take that as a compliment.

I think from the brief exchange we have had you have answered some of your own questions as whether you are suited to Playa Flamenca.

I think you are doing a good thing by emersing yourself into the enviroment and that will tell you more than 100 agents put together.

it was meant as a compliment, my friend x

and thanks for the advice and info ... it really is appreciated

Auntie Em x 

Playa Flamenca is a very busy suburb attached to Torrevieja.  It is a part of the Orihuela Costa which has its own town hall (ayuntamiento) and is autonomous from Torrevieja but they thread seamlessly together.  It is a very big area with lots of beaches (La Zenia, Cabo Roig, Campoamar etc) running along one side and takes in smaller places inland up to San Miguel, including Villamartin, Entre Golf, El Galan, Bosque de las Lomas etc etc etc.  It is bisected by the N332, the main coast road.  This road is very busy all year round and is best avoided if at all possible, especially in the summer when it can take up to an hour to travel the 5 or 6 km to Torrevieja (really is bumper to bumper).  Fortunately, other roads lead through the urbanisations to bypass this but it takes some time to get to know how to do it.  Playa Flamenca also has its own market (Saturdays) which is very big and fun to visit. 

The N332 is packed with shops, restaurants, bars etc which are, literally, heaving in the summer months.  A lot of Spanish people have holiday homes/flats there and it can be impossible to get near the beaches in the summer time.  It is a little too lively for me as I get a bit cheesed off with karaoke and football pubs when I'm trying to have a quiet pint.  In the winter months, it is never dead (some bars are but they tend to be the ones that rip the locals and tourists off so don't get much business when the tourists go home). 

There is, unfortunately, quite a bit of crime in the area.  With the high amount of visitors there plus a large immigrant population this isn't too surprising.  However, with the right precautions it is not really something that should keep you awake at nights although a high rate of muggings and pickpockets have been reported around the commercial centres.  I have some friends who live there and they tell me they avoid these areas at night but someone else reported her 15 year old daughter was attacked at 7:30 in the morning. 

Some of the best areas are to be found inland. Los Dolces and Villamartin are only 5 and 10 minutes away respectively and have their own bar/restaurant areas but Villamartin can also be "vibrant and busy" due to its attraction as a golfing centre which attracts a lot of visiting golfers out for a good time.  Villamartin Plaza can be a bit hectic, shall we say.

Entre Golf, again about 5 minutes away from the beaches, is a new area which is just starting up.  A further 5 minutes up the road are the communities of El Galan, Bosque de las Lomas and others.  These areas have been up and running for several years and have a good spread of restaurants and bars plus shopping centres.  They also have a lot of (not the majority, though)  permanent residents from all over Europe and, although you still get the karaoke and football bars, there are other options.  These are situated within 3 golf courses (though not intrusive like Villamartin) which helps with the rental aspect and tend to be "gated" communities which helps on the security side (though not foolproof) and often include secure, off road parking.  There are also several markets in the area ranging from huge (San Miguel) to a few stalls set out on the side of the road.

Whichever area you look at, you will see huge building sites everywhere.  The housing slump doesn't appear to have gotten through to the developers in these areas although there are many bargains to be had in each location.  Remember, if you buy new (off plan) you have to bear in mind that these house will not come completed.  You will have to budget for security grilles, an ample sized water heater (new houses tend to have small heaters which are not really suitable if you use the bath instead of the shower all the time), aircon, lighting (new houses come with bare wires hanging out of the ceilings) and things like balustrades etc will not be painted.  Buying a resale, which used to be more expensive, may have everything included that you want.  In all cases, you should allow for about 11% of the cost on top for taxes and legal fees.

Hope you have a great time exploring and looking around.  I'm going out in August with 2 of my grandkids, aged 6 and 9, and they absolutely love the area (we have a great upper duplex in between the golf courses with huge sun terrace and nice balconies).  We find the whole area very child friendly and they are never at a loss for things to do.  We also have 3 pools to choose from with attached park areas (quite small) and they are happy to spend a day there if I don't feel like driving (or get up too late to get a parking space near the beach).  They also love eating out and I'm very fortunate in that they're very well behaved.

Edited bit:  I may have given the impression I wasn't impressed with Playa Flamenca.  Nothing could be further from the truth as I like the area a lot and often use the restaurants and shopping centres around there.  It just gets a bit too busy for me in the summer (especially August) and that darn N332 is the stuff of nightmares.  It is well worth looking into as it close to everything but try and look away from the main road if you can.

Hi

Thanks so much for taking the time to send all that information ... it is really really interesting and helpful ... we will print it out so that we can keep it for reference (as well as taking time to inwardly digest!)  There really is so much to learn, but while there are people like yourself willing to share their knowledge and experience i am sure that we will do okay

thanks again

Auntie Em x

Hi all, we have two properties in  Playa Flamenca. One for Friends and family one for rental. We are far enough away from the Commercial Centre to enjoy a good nights sleep. All security systems up and running!! Our 17 year old daughter is there right now. I feel safe that she is safe in the house(as she can be) and she has a local taxi number to get her home safely from the commercial centre.Which is obviously where teenagers want to be. We have tried to please both us for permanent living, and our daughters for a fun holiday! Yes the N332 has ladies of the night, but we just didn't stop!!!! Hull, too has them!

As for rentals, the house we bought for family and friends is actually somewhere I would live (as we were hoping to buy in Almoradi.............Thats another story!!) We have just had some good friends staying in our house and the key holders have advised us not to let them stay in that one again. NO ONE treats your home as their home it now seems, much to our upsetment!!!

Playa Flamenca has many British living there, but  our nextdoor neighbours are a lovely Spanish couple, that we get on with really well!

So, I for one love Playa Flamenca, but its all down to taste. We love going to Pacha nightclub, then we also love a nice quiet night watching a film or the soaps, ( if I can get hold of the remotes)

Regards

John and Trish x

Thanks for that John and Trish x

Are there any particular parts of Playa Flamenca that you would recommend (on the quieter side) or any particular areas that you would say wouldnt be suited to us (or should i say "me" incase hubby is reading)  as they are the more "vibrant and busy" area and maybe more suited to the young at heart ... my hubby tells me that i am a boring old f*rt !!

regards
Auntie Em x 

Hi Auntie Em, there are lots of quiet areas in Playa Flamenca. You need to be back from the N332. I may be totally wrong here, but Playa Flamenca has different areas ( only just bought here). We have found that there are many areas within areas! But we still think we are in Playa Flamenca!!. We are 25min walk from the Centro Commercial Centre. There are lovely restaraunts and bars within 5-10mins walk from our house.

So, just dont buy near N332 if you want it quiet, but within walking distance!

Trish x

Thanks Trish

I am glad that I bought a very large notebook ... there are so many things to remember.

It so much fun looking for a new "somewhere over the rainbow!, isnt it?

Auntie Em x

Crikey Auntie Em

You are all over the place..... tracked you down, good day at work dear??

GINA !!!!  MWAH MWAH

I have had a LONG day at work, but very entertaining .... no-one fell asleep (well if you dont count me!)

How are you doing?  Feeling better?  Seen any good movies?

After you started that thread i went off and downloaded Dirty Dancing again so i could DROOL ......

Em xxx

Hi Em

Not bad thanks, getting better slowly. Dirty Dancing, great film.  Get some more in the film review thread I made.

Hi,

I have a three bedroom property in Playa Flamenca that I advertise on this website (click on property for sale direct, Alicante, Orihuela, villa). It's on the market for 133,000 Euro but  in English pounds £115,000).  We have owned the property for six years and had absolutely no problems renting it out year after year. 

Maybe we have been very lucky but we have made many friends through renting who return each year.  The property is in a great location overlooking the pool with really good neighbours.  If you want night life and hustle and bustle then you will get all this down on the beaches and around the shopping areas but the actual property location is as quiet as anyone would wish.  

I would suggest renting somewhere first for a few weeks and then make up your own mind.  When we purchased our property it was on a whim - I went to visit my brother who owned a property nearby and purchased ours the same week!  As I said, we were very lucky that it turned out to be an excellent decision but looking back I think luck was on our side and not something I would recomend..!!  

Good luck with your search.

Maureen