Nice towns to consider living near the coast between Almeria and Valencia

 My Husband and I have been trying for a while now to find IT work between Gibraltar and Nerja but to not much avail. We also only know that area of Spain having travelled there around 10 times.

However, we are now considering broadening our search and note that larger towns and cities such as Almeria, Valencia, Murcia, Alicante, Cartagena etc might hold what we are looking for, however we don't know where to start.

Can anyone give me some ideas of which areas in this part of spain would be pleasant to relocate to?

My favorite place in the areas we have been so far is Nerja and so considering that, this is the type of town we would be looking to move to, i.e. a smallish town but one that has everything we need as I don't drive, near to the coast in a picturesque area with a good climate. Also, somewhere that isn't too 'britishafied' would be good.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

 Aguadulce,Almeria. Very nice resort town close to Almeria city. More of a summer resort but not "Britishified" at all.

 Lorca has everything and more with nearby attractive villages. Less than 1 % of population are  Brits so NO Brit run establishments fortunately. 

Max 25 mins to the Spanish coastal towns of Aguilas or San Juan de los Terreros BUT, like most of Spain, there is a great deal of unemployment in the area so unless you speak fluent Spanish think you might have to concentrate your search in the "little Britain" areas of Spain.

Goodluck 

 Have you thought of Sevilla

If you're looking for a larger town or city I recommend Valencia. 

It's got everything - beaches, culture, restaurants, excellent for shopping, architecture, sport and major sporting events.  There are Brits and other nationalities there but it is very much a Spanish place and it's a just a bit more "together" than it's counterparts further south.

Mazarrón is a really nice unspoilt place, with great beaches and Spanish way of life.

 We have a place in La Manga on the Mar Menor, on the La Manga strip, but you may like one of the areas on the mainland side, Los Alcazares, Los Belones etc.

I agree that the Province of Valencia has it all and a much more temperate climate than further south.  And here in the friendly village of  Barraca d'Aguas Vivas it doesn't get much better.  La Barraca, just 30 mins south of Valencia City and 15 minutes from some spectacular blue flag beaches, has all you need for day to day living including health centre, bank, shops, bars, restaurants, International School and private hospital.  The old Arab town of Alzira is 10 minutes in one direction and Tavernes de la Valldigna 10 minutes in the other directionand both towns have train stations with free parking from where Valencia is a short 30 min ride away.   Life in the village is essentially Spanish but there is a nice international community, including a few British people, dotted amongst the verdant, aromatic orange trees in the valley.  Life doesn't get much better than it is here in the Comunidad Valenciana.  If you want to ask more, I will be happy to help.

Newbie

 Hi, I think you are looking for the impossible, near the coast and no winging Brits.

I live in the northern part of Cordoba, 3 hours to Malga, 

I understand that recently a Dutch couple have bought in our "pueblo" but no other foreigners that I know of.

Best of luck in finding your "Shangrila".

Hmm - difficult to find inland towns in Spain with no Brits these days! 

I used to live in Murcia years ago and a few towns worth checking out are Blanca which is situated on a river and surrounded by pine clad mountains. It is in a valley with several other small towns of note that are worth visiting.  

Fortuna is quite pretty as well. I've you like wine, try Jumilla which has lots of bodegas!! For beaches you can't beat Aguilas - it has thirty five of them, some quite small that you can have to yourself on a good day. 

I relocated to Andalucia three years ago and I prefer were I am now.  I live in Olvera which is a blanco and is just charming. The thing I like most is that this part of Spain really has that flamenco soul which I found missing in the Murcia/Valencia region. Apart from Olvera, other good towns to check out here are Algononales, Grazalema (great for walking, biking, birdwatching) and the unfortunately named Moron, which is a hotbed of flamenco!!

In my experience it is worth taking your time to find the right place and lets face it its great fun exploring! Good luck!

 If you are looking for somewhere not overrun by Brits then you need to look further Inland. Alora would be the place to choose.It's a typical Spanish town about 45 minutes on the train or bus to Malaga including excellent connections to the seaside and airport. Ideal for someone who doesn't drive. There is now a regular bus/train service into the mountains of el Chorro another favorite place of mine.

We have free Spanish lessons offered by the local council, a travel agent offering very reasonable coach trips to other areas of southern Spain, 2 large supermarkets, numerous shops to provide for all your needs. There is a Casa de la Cultura that offers informative talks, local art exhibitions and local crafts as well as schools, a college, a theatre and a medical centre.

Every Monday there is a  Market selling everything from local produce to household goods. The train will also take you to Cartama with a regular big Market on every Sunday.

There is also a Cudeca charity shop if you have spare time and want to connect with a cosmopolitan group of people including Brits working for a good cause.

I have visited some of the places you mention including Nerja. I too love  Nerja but having given up driving my choice ended up being Alora. It's lovely,picturesque little town with a lot of culture and its own a castle with lots of fiestas and  pretty Summer and Christmas markets.

Take a look at Alora through Google or let me know and I'll send you some photos. Good luck with your search.

Torre de la Horadada, at the southernmost end of Costa Blanca, would be an excellent choice. The area is very flat, so easy to get around on foot or by bike, beautiful promenades, best beaches in the area, plenty of bars and restaurants, supermarkets, spa. The local leisura center is only a 10-miute bike ride away.

moriara is a lovely place it has a diverse community with lots of different nationalities,lots of good restuarants a nice beach with some nice little coves aswell,plenty of supermarkets and shops with a good market on sundays it is an hour up the coast from alicante and valencia is about a nother hour along the coast so ideal for either.

I agree with Aquadulce - good location.

Spanish holiday resort with a few hotels and a good selection of bars and restaurants. Coastal town with beautiful well kept beaches, marina, shops/supermarkets. The larger resort of Roquetas is nearby for shopping centres, there are also some British bars and restaurants in the urbanisation if you wanted - not many Brits left there now, more of a Spanish holiday resort and still quite a few German owners in the area! Almerimar is a little further along the coast. 2 markets nearby (Vicar and Roquetas). Good bus links for the surrounding area, shops and Almeria City.

It's close to the coastal motorway. Plenty of golf courses around - if you are golfers. If you like to walk the promenade starts in Aquadulce and ends in Almerimar going via the nature reserve - I believe it takes at least 6 hours to do the walk..........never done it myself though!

Pretty much got everything you need in or around the resort. if you get on the beach side of town it has more of a village feel to it. Evenings around the marina are lovely and very popular with Spanish - local and visitors.

Good luck with your search - there are plenty of suggestions on here to keep you busy!

I am putting my penny on the table as I traveled to some towns and cities in the pursue of acquiring a small property. Puerto de Mazarron (in region./province of Murcia) is a good town with some English speaking people living around it. I walked many streets and noticed most people are calm and properties price average. Not very cheap (poor managed), and not very expensive (luxury) . There are some real estate agents. There are couple of hotels and hostels to stay for a short visit, and nice beach to enjoy the outdoor activities. I personally do not recommend Cartagena and Torrevieja (for work may be) as both are big cities and noisy. Torrevieja is very large and scattered city. I visited Los Alcazares which is small town and comparing it to San Pedro de Pinater (few kilometers to the north of it), I prefer the latter as it is a little bigger. I am single and retired. My objection was a bungalow style property at a price range of about 50.000 euro which I located several around Mazarron and Puerto de Mazarron. I wanted a property in an area of a population of not less than 20.000 and not more than 40.000. I wanted an area no more than 40 kilometer away from very large city. In the case of PDM, it is 45 minutes (by bus) to Cartagena and Murcia. PDM also has good English speaking lawyers in the case a person needs one. They also told me that in near future the Paramount pictures will open up a theme park in that area which is good to visit should a gust drops by (or to work for?). The temperature was good at the end of March and beginning of April. I could walk with long sleeve shirt not feeling cold. I saw many people sun bathing as it was Semana Santa. Also at beach of PDM I saw apartments at some five story buildings facing Mediterranean sea with Se Vende and Se Alquile sign on them.     

Adward9999, I can't put my finger on it, but there is touch of deja vu to your post.

 Why not try Orihuela, historic City, no Brit urbs, 30mins to Murcia, 30mins to beaches,mountains everywhere, Lovely.

What am I doing!!

You won't like it, all the shops shut from 2.00 till 5.00PM (apart from supermarkets)  You might prefer Torrevieja, yeah

Desamparados

I definitely think Spain. I found that life in Valencia was the most relaxed that I have experienced. The city is cheap, there are many beaches, and the weather is generally nice all year round, especially during summer. I managed to learn Spanish at a language school if you guys would like to brush up on it, (Taronja School: w ww.spanishcoursespain-valencia. com), where I was also able to experience the real Spanish lifestyle, as the students were taken on traditional Spanish excursions all around Valencia, the night life, the traditional cuisine, and because of the school, I managed to make so many friends. We visited many of the sites, eg, the Cathedral, City of Arts and Sciences, the Mercardo Central and took part in the yearly festival of Las Fallas. The services in Valencia are cheap, like the taxis and metros and everything is within close proximity of one another. I’d highly recommend this place for everyone. For your children also, there are many educational institutions within close proximity of all neighbourhoods. Teaching methods in Spain are more effective than those in the UK too. Definitey recommend this

I agree with you, Spain is my all time favorite.  I discovered that lifestyle in Valencia was the most comfortable that I have knowledgeable. The town is inexpensive, there are many seashores.