Have you had a look at Albatera. Close to the coast but far enough away to still be a good Spanish town and only 35 min from Alicante by the A7 motorway
We have friends that have kids in the local scools and they get on very well. Quite a lot of English amongst the other non- Spanish in the area, and then there are the Spanish who are very friendly and helpfull.
As we are not far from the coast and the big English communities, opportunity for work, pleasure etc are all there for those that seek it..
Take a look at Shars site on
http://www.livespainforlife.com/ a good source of info. on the area.