My husband & I completed April 2005 on a new house on El Raso, by the La Mata salt lake, outside Guardamar, which is a seaside town about 45 mins drive south of Alicante airport. (Costa Blanca ) Murcia airport is the same distance roughly to the south of us. We like to fly to Murcia from Bristol. We are only a five minute drive to the fabulous beach of Guardamar. We have lots now springing up around us. It's a new area where we live so it's taking its time. Shops on the urb are in the process of being built, we have bars, restaurants, an English shop (Thomas Green), an estate agent, soon to be a vets there. CamBank is opening & there's going to be a Laurel & Hardy's restaurant. Guardamar itself is great with bars, restaurants, beach, park, A HALIFAX BANK TOO ! Good Wednesday market. Masses of shops. Torrevieja is about a 15 minute drive. We have Quesada nearby which is quite a community, like a town with everything imagineable there.
By our urb there's the best Sunday market with 36 cafes & 373 stalls .. we pop over for a late breakfast or a lunch or just to meet friends from our urb to chat over a pint sitting in the sunshine .. look at the following link, go to the Campo de Guardamar market on a Sunday.
http://www.costablanca-pubs.com/info/markets.html#playaflamenca
Janice