Want to avoid your fellow countrymen — and the Robin Hood pubs that spring up
around them? Go for somewhere with a low Brit-alert score, such as the Costa
Verde. Looking for a property bargain? Choose a region that scores highly in
terms of value for money: property on the Costa Blanca rates better than on
the highly developed and expensive Costa del Sol.
Costa Brava (north Catalonia)
Home and inspiration to the surrealist artist Salvador Dali, the “wild coast”
is dramatic around places such as Cadaques, at the tail end of the Pyrenees,
where pine-covered hills run down to the clear blue waters of the
Mediterranean. There are also spots such as the picturesque medieval village
of Pals, with its miles of wide-open beach, where you can find your own
private stretch of sand in mid-August.
A little inland, the Emporda region is anything but wild: this is some of
Spain’s most serenely beautiful countryside, leading to comparisons with
Tuscany. It has traditionally been one of the country’s richest regions,
hence the well-tended farms, affluent villages and imposing country
mansions, or masias.
The location is difficult to beat. Just across the border from France, you can
enjoy Gallic delights without having to live among the French. Hill-walking,
mountain-biking and skiing are an hour’s drive away in the Pyrenees, while
Barcelona and Gerona are close enough for culture vultures and shopaholics.
You can fly into either city’s airport, or that of Perpignan in France. Soon
a TGV-style fast train will also link London and Paris with Gerona and
Barcelona.
Prices have risen 16% over the past 12 months, driven by bullish locals
enjoying another year of good economic growth. British buyers are
increasingly those with serious budgets, as Willem Boerhof, of Your House in
Spain, explains. “New luxury villas in Begur costing €1.5m (£1m) are getting
much more attention from buyers than the cheaper stuff. British buyers with
lower budgets are drifting away as they find they can’t afford the area.
Those who can afford it are prepared to pay for something special.”
Good-quality coastal apartments start at €300,000 (£200,000); villas, at
£400,000. Masias in the interior start at about £550,000.
Costa Dorada (south Catalonia)
South of Tarragona, the “golden” coast is still relatively untouched, with
great beaches and pretty seaside towns such as L’Ametlla de Mar. At the
costa’s foot is the Ebro River delta — the biggest Mediterranean delta after
the Nile — a magnificent nature reserve and a paradise for twitchers.
Temperatures are about 5C warmer than on the Costa Brava, so the winter is
short and mild. Inland, the Priorat, Conca de Barbera and Pendes areas are
heaven for wine-lovers and foodies, and the Ebro Valley is perfect for
ramblers.
“Overlooked” is the best term to describe south Catalonia, says Rita Fryer, of
The Property Finders. Though property prices here have risen by only 10%
during the past year, below the national average of 13.4%, Fryer thinks now
is the time to invest. “When you look into what you can get for your money
and what the region has to offer, you see it’s tremendous value,” she says.
Coastal apartments start at £100,000 and good-quality detached villas within
walking distance of the beach are priced from £270,000. Inland, village
properties start at £100,000, though you might find a 250sq m olive press to
refurbish for £35,000. Rustic properties for refurbishment, with a few
hectares of olive groves, start at about £120,000.
Costa Blanca (Valencia region)
This has long been a favourite destination for British buyers. The weather is
warm all year, but the summer heat is more bearable than further south.
Plentiful cheap flights from all over the UK are also why more than 30,000
Brits live in Alicante province: it has the highest concentration of Brits
in all of Spain.
In reality, the Costa Blanca is made up of two very different coasts. South of
Alicante, including places such as Torrevieja (or “Torry” as the resident
Brits call it), there are huge swathes of cheap housing built to
questionable standards. It may look terrible, but it certainly appeals to
thousands of Brits looking for cheap beer and fags in the sunshine. Inland,
around towns like Orihuela, it’s a similar story. Flats start at £40,000 and
detached properties at £80,000.
North of Alicante, especially above Benidorm, you enter a different world.
It’s the posh Costa Blanca, where quality apartments start at £130,000 and
villas at £270,000. Buyers are affluent Spaniards and northern Europeans.
In keeping with other southern coasts, the market is down from the highs of
2003. “There are fewer buyers this year, and they are driving a harder
bargain,” says David Mear, of estate agents VillaMia. “But the quality
appeal of this area means we have a good long-term future.”
Costa Calida (Murcia)
Murcia is Europe’s market garden, with much of the region under plastic
sheeting to ensure uninterrupted winter supplies of fruit and veg to
northern European supermarkets. But with EU subsidies set to fall, Murcia is
betting heavily on selling golf developments to British property buyers for
future wealth and employment.
The region has come relatively late to the development game, so there is still
a fair amount of virgin coastline and deserted beaches, with the obvious
exception of the La Manga strip.
Inland, the landscape is expansive and wild, similar in places to the South
African bushveld. Small British “Voortrekker” communities are forming in and
around attractive market towns such as Lorca, Caravaca and Mula, and
refurbished town houses in their old quarters can be bought for less than
£70,000. The region still has an authentic Spanish feel to it, and scarcely
a word of English is spoken by locals.
“After a few good years, the coastal property market is now flat,” explains
Murcia-based Andrew Lupton, of Stacks Relocation Spain. “Savvy buyers have
gone inland, looking for year-round communities, traditional values, good
quality of life, a cheap cost of living and lower property prices.”
After four years of 20%-30% property price inflation, prices have risen by
12.8% over the past 12 months, below the national average. Small coastal
flats start at £60,000; villas just a stroll from the beach cost from
£190,000. A reasonably sized rural property with land can be yours for
£114,000.
Costa Almeria (eastern Andalusia)
Almeria is hilly and barren, with lots of sunshine and not much rain. Sunshine
and low costs mean that lots of Brits have relocated here, especially around
towns such as Albox, many living on shoestring budgets. In the past 12
months, property prices have risen by 16.2%, a little above the national
average, and probably due in large part to British buyers.
“The best of Almeria includes towns such as Huercal-Overa, an inland town with
an attractive old historic centre,” says Lupton, who also covers Almeria.
“On the coast there is Mojacar and Carboneras, just on the edge of the Cabo
de Gata national park. These towns are alive all year round, which is
important if you are relocating.”
Apartments on the coast in Carboneras start at £70,000. There’s a lack of
detached properties, so those that are available are expensive: they are
priced from about £170,000. Go 10 minutes inland, and detached properties
can be found for £125,000; 45 minutes inland, and rural properties needing
refurbishing cost about £55,000.
Costa del Sol (central Andalusia)
Marbella was put on the map in the 1950s and 1960s by Euro-aristos such as
Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe, founder of the stylish Marbella Club. In the
1970s it became known as the Costa del Crime, as East End criminals moved
there to evade the long arm of the law. Nowadays, the Costa del Sol is the
most popular holiday home and relocation destination for affluent
middle-aged people from all over northern Europe, as well as mega-rich Arabs
and Russians. The British are the biggest group of property buyers after the
Spanish (who include film star Antonio Banderas).
There’s no single reason behind the Costa del Sol’s status as the No 1
destination for British buyers. Of course, there’s a clue in the name, and
the best weather in mainland Europe plays a big part in making the “sunny”
coast the first choice for so many Brits. Then there’s also the best golf in
Spain (40 courses in Malaga province alone), good medical services, leisure
facilities, tourist attractions, infrastructure and a wide choice of
properties.
Financial services and technology businesses have been taking off around
Marbella and Puerto Banus, as young professionals and entrepreneurs head
south for a better quality of life, and this is creating plenty of job
opportunities.
As the coast has filled to bursting point, with prices to match, British
buyers have started moving to the beautiful inland around Antequera, Iznajar
and Gaucin, looking for country cottages (cortijos). So long as one doesn’t
stray too far from the coast and keeps to low altitudes, the winter climate
is still good.
Chris McCarthy, of Viva Estates, believes the market is between 40% and 60%
down on 2003, but points out this is just a return to 2001’s respectable
levels. Rhona Hutchinson, of Stacks Andalusia, says the coastal market is
down but things are better inland. In the 12 months to the end of September,
prices stagnated in Malaga province, which recorded the worst performance in
Spain over that period.
Apartments on the coast start at about £140,000, though in the current
over-supplied climate it may be possible to pick up bargains from distressed
investors. Coastal villas start at £480,000 and inland rural properties
needing refurbishment start at £140,000.
Costa de la Luz (western Andalusia)
The Huelva and Cadiz provinces of western Andalusia are now firmly established
as destinations for British buyers.
The coast faces out to the Atlantic, a serious ocean that makes the Med look
like a pond in comparison. There’s an enormous horizon, beautiful light, big
breakers and strong winds. It’s not really the place for lazing on the
beach. It is paradise, though, for those who like wetsuits, with some of the
best wind- and kitesurfing in Europe. Surfers established a hip expat
community around Tarifa, now one of the trendiest places in Spain, with high
prices to match.
Inland, there is beautiful, verdant countryside, with hills and lakes that
will appeal to those who aren’t interested in lying on a beach. And there is
Seville, a city that Barbara Wood, of The Property Finders, tips as one of
Europe’s hottest cities. “Seville is becoming so cool. It’s like Barcelona
10 years ago.” She sees Seville as offering some of the best investment
potential in Spain.
Over the past 12 months, average prices in Cadiz province have risen by 17.6%,
well above the national average and second only to Granada province in
Andalusia. Many of Spain’s big land-owners have their estates here, so it
can be difficult to find small rural holdings.
A refurbished two-bed flat in the old town of Tarifa will set you back
£200,000. A similar property in Seville’s old town will cost about £240,000.
Costa Verde (Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria)
The northwest coast, taking in Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria, is often
referred to as “Green Spain”, which can only mean one thing: rain. Many of
the inclement weather fronts coming off the Atlantic ocean visit the
country’s top left corner en route to the Bay of Biscay. Such weather might
not impress sun-worshippers, but for many Brits it means better winters than
in Devon or Cornwall, and summers that are broadly similar. Quite bearable,
in other words. A bit of rain in Spain has its advantages. The water
shortages menacing the south are not a problem here, and there’s no mass
tourism and overdevelopment. The coastline is wild and beautiful, and the
seafood is superb. With its beaches and the breathtaking Picos de Europa
mountains, the area is a paradise for outdoor types looking for a healthy
lifestyle for half of what it would cost in the UK. Clive Robbins, of
property consultants Blakemore Walker, sees an increasing variety of Brits
looking here, from first-time buyers who want to get on the property ladder
but can’t afford homes in the UK, to young families relocating, to
middle-aged holiday home buyers. Attention is shifting from Galicia towards
Asturias and Cantabria, partly in response to property prices and
infrastructure projects. “The motorway now runs all the way along the top of
the coast from France to the Galician border,” explains Robbins. “You can
get in and out of this area by car, ferry or plane, more quickly and cheaply
than ever before.” An apartment in a popular coastal location such as
Villaviciosa in Asturias might cost £95,000; traditional stone country
houses in need of some refurbishment, cost from £55,000.
Costa Verde
WEATHER 3
ACCESSIBILITY 5
FOOD 10
SPORTS 7
CULTURE 6
SCENIC BEAUTY 8
BRIT ALERT 2
QUALITY OF HOUSING 7
VALUE FOR MONEY 9
POTENTIAL GROWTH 8
Costa de la Luz
WEATHER 7
ACCESSIBILITY 5
FOOD 8
SPORTS 8
CULTURE 7
SCENIC BEAUTY 8
BRIT ALERT 6
QUALITY OF HOUSING 6
VALUE FOR MONEY 6
POTENTIAL GROWTH 7
Costa del Sol
WEATHER 9
ACCESSIBILITY 9
FOOD 8
SPORTS 9
CULTURE 7
SCENIC BEAUTY 6
BRIT ALERT 10
QUALITY OF HOUSING 7
VALUE FOR MONEY 4
POTENTIAL GROWTH 7
Costa Almeria
WEATHER 8
ACCESSIBILITY 5
FOOD 8
SPORTS 8
CULTURE 5
SCENIC BEAUTY 6
BRIT ALERT 7
QUALITY OF HOUSING 6
VALUE FOR MONEY 8
POTENTIAL GROWTH 6
Costa Calida
WEATHER 8
ACCESSIBILITY 6
FOOD 5
SPORTS 7
CULTURE 5
SCENIC BEAUTY 7
BRIT ALERT 7
QUALITY OF HOUSING 6
VALUE FOR MONEY 8
POTENTIAL GROWTH 7
Costa Blanca
WEATHER 8
ACCESSIBILITY 8
FOOD 7
SPORTS 7
CULTURE 7
SCENIC BEAUTY 7
BRIT ALERT 9
QUALITY OF HOUSING 7
VALUE FOR MONEY 7
POTENTIAL GROWTH 6
Costa Brava
WEATHER 6
ACCESSIBILITY 10
FOOD 9
SPORTS 7
CULTURE 9
SCENIC BEAUTY 9
BRIT ALERT 4
QUALITY OF HOUSING 7
VALUE FOR MONEY 4
POTENTIAL GROWTH 7
Costa Dorada
WEATHER 7
ACCESSIBILITY 6
FOOD 8
SPORTS 6
CULTURE 8
SCENIC BEAUTY 8
BRIT ALERT 2
QUALITY OF HOUSING 7
VALUE FOR MONEY 8
POTENTIAL GROWTH 8
For a free copy of The Sunday Times Guide to Buying a New Home on the
Costa del Sol, call freephone 0800 783 0175
Next week: Part Two: our guide to the Canaries and the Balearic islands
