Looking To Buy An Apartment In Spain. What Is The Region Of Almeria Like?

Question

I'm considering purchasing an apartment in Spain. I retire in five years and I want somewhere to spend the winters to get away from the UK chill.

Someone told me that the region of Almeria is nice and is in fact the driest place in the whole of Europe due a mountain range which fends off weather systems.

Obviously I will visit the region several times before making a decision but could anyone give me any preliminary indications of whether this would be a good area to look in terms of climate, facilities, friendliness of locals, British contingent and of course price of property relative to other areas of Spain.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

we've just bought a house inland, near iznajar, north of malaga. at the same time my brother has bought off plan in almerimar, just west of almeria. they are completely different. mine has no english people, no english language, very big old farmhouse with lots of land in a little village.

his is a small apartment, surrounded by brits, near the beach. no land.

he paid more. he's happy, so am i.

hope you are too!

Answer 2

Properties are very cheap in Almeria because it's not a nice place to live. I think you'd better try the Costa del Sol inland as Almogia, Casarabonela, Alhaurín,Monda,Guaro,etc.

Answer 3

almeria is one of the driest parts of spain, property is cheaper there than most places. there are not too many brits around there, mostly because of the convenience of getting there, only recently has some airlines started to fly to almeria. you will find that it is mainly spanish, so you will need to learn the language, i mean fluently. it is very very dry, most the year everywhere is brown, not green. i lived in the mountains near lake vinuela up until feb, came back to uk for alot of reasons, if anything happens healthwise you are stuck unless you are really fluent, even silly things like giving an ambulance directions to your house, the hospitals are not the best either, if we hadnt come back in feb, then i could have been seriously ill or worse, there were lots of things unanswered and not done. also when buying things like tiles, bricks, concrete etc, there is one price for the spanish and one price for the english. please be very careful and also when you come to sell your property, it takes about 18 months to sell because there are so many for sale, it took us 11 months and we were told we were lucky to do it so quickly. we got terribly home sick, but if you are able to keep a property in the uk like you say, this will not happen to you. on e last thing, be careful in spain there is alot of corruption in planning and permissions, sorry but they are not like the english, in the area where we sold, there was an old law, that the road which was only a dirt track, had to be 20 metres wide, and they were going to inforce this, we were lucky because our property was laid back from road, but alot of our neighbours came unstuck, some lost their gardens and some their propertys, because they couldnt sell, couldnt let so they became stuck with them, and this wasnt valencia it was andalucia. please think twice, once you have paid a deposit of 10 per cent, if you pull out, you lose that money, sorry if this sounds as though i am trying to put you off, but spain isnt as sunny as it seems. be careful please

Answer 4

Almería has the only desert in Europe. There are areas like Mojacar and Vera which have great English speaking communities and services and are beautiful with stunning beaches. The climate is 360 days of sunshine a year.

The only down sides I would say there are if you are looking to live there all year round is that there isn't any bustling city life. Most of the areas where there are English communities are nowhere near the city of Almería and are near the beaches. As such, most places empty out in winter and if you like good shops, restaurants and cultural activities, these will be scarce outside the summer months.

Murcia which is just next to Almería is more accessible from the UK (there are more flights to Alicante and Murcia which are local airports so you can shop around for cheap flights).

On top of that, Murcia city is accessible from most communities and is a wonderful city. It is small enough to know your way around but large enough to have great shops, restaurants and fiestas which are fun in the winter.

Answer 5

cheap

Answer 6

hi,

I'm used to pass my summer in Almeria... its a beautiful but dry region in Spain.

one of the most beautiful village in Almeria is mojacar, with big beaches. in mojacer and his zone there are a lof of brithis state properties maybe in google you can looking for information.

some webs of the zone:

http://www.almeria-turismo.org/

http://www.turismodealmeria.com

http://www.dipalme.org/Servicios/Municip...

http://www.almeriturismo.com

Answer 7

hello there!

The area around Almeria is very nice and indeed it does get the best weather in Spain, also because by the time those rain clouds cross the country, there's not much left for Almeria!

The coastline has some nice areas and is not as developped as places like the costa de sol and costa blanca. There is also a protected park called Cabo de Gata which has some very nice beaches and fishing villages.

Of course, because the area doesnt get much rain, don't except large areas of greenery. In fact you will even find that in the interior, lies Europe's only desert area which resembles the Wild West.

On the East coast I particularly like the Cabo de Gata area and the village of Mojacar which is very pretty...and even the south coast has some nice beaches and if you make it down to the costa tropical you will find some banana plantations, more nice beaches and some more andalusian style villages!

Great move to make! I'm sure you'll enjoy Spain!