Property in Cabo Roig Blog | Property in La Zenia Blog

Great news for those of us who live permanently in the Orihuela Costa, and that which benefits us, naturally benefits the holiday makers and sunshine seekers that regulary visit our coastlines.

Orihuela Town Council approved a Sports Centre some time ago and work has commenced on this.

The Coast’s Sports Centre will consist of two tennis courts, three paddle courts, two Multisport courts and a full size football field including a grandstand with capacity for 400 spectators.

Also for the fitness minded invidual – a jogging track that circles the entire site, measuring 550 meters in length.

With facilities enough for 4 football teams and officials, plus another area for the users of all the other facilities, this is a huge undertaking and guaranteed to offer residents the opportunity to keep fit and active (or for some, to simply work off the over-indulgence which can be a by-product of living in the sun and having a leisurely lifestyle. Lets face it, with an abundance of bars and restaurants, and a need to stay out of the sun during those midday hours, who amongst us can hold up their hand truthfully and say that they haven’t overindulged ever so slightly since moving here?)

No more excuses, then. Specially adapted for wheelchair users, this sports centre really is for everyone. The semi-olympic size swimming pool will be a great advantage to the area over the winter months especially, but even in summer it’s good to go for a swim in the covered pool, as all that sunshine is not conducive to actual exercise, only to making us all more tanned!

I woke up the other morning with nothing to do so I decided that since I am now living in Spain in the Orihuela Costa, let’s do something Spanish. I spent most of the morning trying to decide what we had in the area that was truly Spanish, but to no avail. I live in Villamartin which is the largest ”Little England” in Spain, you don’t even have to speak Spanish to live here and the grocery stores sell mostly English products. Even the local English newspapers are on offer although at an exorbitant price and we pay it! But then all in this area of La Zenia and Cabo Roig things are dearer s it is a tourist haunt.

Back to something Spanish and the only thing I could come up with that is not to far away is the village of San Miguel de Salinas. I have ventured here on numerous occasions and to date have never been disappointed in anything that I chose to do. Today I thought that a visit to one of my old haunts was in order so off I went to the Nut House, not that anybody is crazy there or do you have to be to go there. It’s because they give you peanuts and crisp with your drinks, that’s right it’s a bar or more to the point a Spanish Bar and not far from home in La Zenia.

To reach your destination is a drive through the countryside on a little windy road surrounded by citrus groves and some vegetable plots, there is even some almond trees along the way to enjoy. This is way out of the normal scenery in my area of Cabo Roig and La Zenia. Once you reach the village you will find the Nut House down a little back street off of the village square. You are best to find a place to park your car as parking at the Nut House is at best non-existence. When you walk along the narrow streets you begin to get into that Spanish mood as you watch the little old ladies setting on the stoop preparing vegetables for the evening meal while the men do their job of smoking and talking about the day and anything else that comes to mind. As you walk along, in your own little world, the aromas coming from the kitchens sets your taste buds alight and the snatches of conversations you hear lets you know exactly where you are, in Spain and not some imitation of it.

Upon reaching the bar you are greeted by the owner, Antonio, who has never met a stranger in his life. From the first time you visit the place to the last time he will always remember you. It’s not the tidiest of places and Antonio could use some sprucing up on occasion but you have got to look beyond all of that and you will soon fall in love with the place as I have. Now I have a hard time walking and need a sturdy chair to sit in so when Antonio Jr. sees me approach he rushes inside and brings out a metal chair with a cushion to replace one of the red plastic ones to make it more comfortable for me. Where else could you expect or receive this kind of service. This place reminds me of the ”Cheers Bar” where everybody knows your name, at least the people who work here remember your face. This is a place where you can set for hours outside, slowly sipping your drink while taking in the mountain views or just soak up the atmosphere for this is an example of what you expect to find in Spain, its heritage and its culture. Now that you have found your seat try to speak a little Spanish when you order your drinks as it will be greatly appreciated. Antonio Jr. speaks a little English so with that in mind you can get what you need. The drinks are served, which are of generous portions and inexpensive compared to the area where I live. You also get a plate of crisp and peanuts to wash down with your drinks. Now if you stay a while, let’s say three rounds of drinks, from no where there appears plates of melon, tomatoes, ham or cheese all for free just to show Antonio’s appreciation for your patronage. It’s these little things that makes the Nut House a place to remember. It’s the people that own or work in this place that make it what it is and they are trying to hold onto this uniquely Spanish tradition that makes this bar stand out. I know that there are other places around that practice this culture and tradition as this is Spain but I have yet to find one around here.

As Antonio is getting older he talks about selling up and retiring, which I can’t blame him for, but not before my time is up. If he does sell the place it will probably be to some English type person who will put in loud music and TV screens showing all the football games that will destroy this lovely place. Now we only have the odd musician playing his guitar and singing Spanish songs for a short time and then they move on. When you get ready to leave you won’t go unnoticed they really want you to come back and not just for the business. This is the people, the culture and heritage we came in search of when we moved to Spain and what do we do, we create our own little England so we don’t have to associate with the locals!

Where do we start with the mobile phone! First it has got to be the most intrusive thing ever invented. Stop and think about it, what other reason would a snooker match being televised world wide be brought to
a complete halt when a mobile phone starts to ring. This is not the only display of disrespect that people have. I bet you could think of a lot more, I know I could but there are just to many to mention, well maybe there are one or two. Have ever been in a doctors office or the hospital in Torrevieja when a phone goes off? I thought they were to be turned off upon entrance as they reportedly interfere with some of the electronic
equipment. I hope that you are not hooked up to a machine when it starts to malfunction. Once again ” No Respect”, I guess you could put that on someones headstone.

Remember when the first telephone box was installed on your street. All you had to do was walk outside and you were able to call the doctor or a taxi, what a result. Then the phone was installed in your hallway, now all you had to do was leave your easy chair in the front room to answer the phone in the hallway. In a few years the houses were wired throughout for phones. They could be installed anywhere in the house and no need to get up to answer the phone as it was close to  hand anywhere you wanted. But now comes the dreaded mobile phone and you are sitting in your easy chair when it goes off. What do you do but of course you grab it and race outside and lean against the old phone box to answer the thing.

We have progressed so far now that I am sure that there is one out there that will wipe your nose for you with out even asking it to. We do not even want to talk about the use of mobile phones in cars as that
is a story in it’s self!. The one thing I want to know is how the Spanish use a mobile phone as we all know they can’t talk without using their hands to amplify what they are saying.
If you are by yourself you can cruise the Internet or just play games on it. If you don’t have any friends that you can text or call, not to worry  all you have to do is join something called facebook on the Internet which you should have on your new blueberry, what ever that is. Now you can make new friends, tell them where you live and what your schedule is so you can go to meet up and the whole time they are over at your house robbing you. Do you really need a mobile phone or should you leave it at home so they can steal it too!

Have you ever been dressed to the nines when you walk out of the house
 and step directly into a pile of excrement in your brand new shoes.
 Maybe you were unloading the weekly shopping from the car in La Zenia and with out 
knowing it you stepped into some and tracked it into the house. It 
just makes your day doesn’t it! As a matter of fact it really puts the mockers on the rest of your day. There are really people out there that have no respect for anyone
 else except maybe for them self. I just don’t understand why it is so 
hard to take a plastic bag, they have loads at the grocery store in Cabo Roig where I shop, with you and pick up behind your dog. These people let their dogs off of the
lead to run freely in the parks and play grounds to leave their 
little, sometimes huge, deposits all over the place.

The park I like to visit in Playa Flamenca is a great example. Don’t these people know that these deposits contain germs which are easy picked up by children who are innocently playing in the park. These germs can make them go blind, amongst other terrible things, as if that is not
 enough. Wouldn’t it be something if one of these disrespectful people 
happen to find a pile of this on there front door step. How do you change them or attempt to train them,obviously their mother couldn’t so what chance do we have. All you 
have to do is look at their dog, they say that after a while the
master looks like the dog. I wonder if they also act like them and poo 
in the street as well.
The other thing we are getting here are pet’s left behind. When you move
to Spain take into consideration that at some point you may move back
to where you came from. With the increased cost of living and the
decline in value of the pound, people are finding it hard to live here.
Because of this some people have to return home but they neglect to
make arrangements for their pets. Whether it be because of financial
responsibilities or they just don’t care we will never know. Don’t they realise that the
 animals will not be able to survive here and they need to go home as well.
 Some are lucky, they find a home before it is to late and some just
 give up and wait for the eventual end.

If you happen to be at one of the local markets (in Torrevieja, San Miguel or Playa Flamenca) and you see a person standing at the entrance with a clipboard, you will note they are offering “FREE” coach trips. This is not a gimmick and they are totally “FREE” to one of several destination’s, All you have to do is show up at one of the bus stops for the trip.
The stop I have used is the La Zenia bus stop as it is the closest for me. To make this trip worth while for the sponsor, everyone must spend
approximately one to one and one half hours at a mattress factory listening to them as they try to sell you some of their products. You don’t have to buy any thing just listen. Once this is finished you board the bus and it’s off to a predetermined destination, mine was Guadalest. After the factory bit, this is how the rest of the trip went, maybe not for everyone, but for me.

Guadalest, also known as The Eagles Nest, is located approximately 25 km from Altea. If you can find the River Guadalest and travel inland you will discover a wide valley that has been cut there by erosion over the centuries. Here you find a village perched precariously on the pinnacle of a mountain. The views here are great as are the ones driving up the mountain, that is if you like high places. As for me I was setting on the wrong side of the bus on my trip there and all I could see was straight down, not a lot of fun.. If I could, I would have walked and followed the river.

As you board the bus keep what I said in mind as to which side to set on. You start at the bottom, which is the best place to begin a journey, and then it’s upward through twisting roads. I must admit that the views are more than breathtaking and well worth the anxiety caused by the heights. As for me, my brother was setting next to me, I was in the window seat, and as time went on I was almost setting in his seat. As on my side it was straight down which scared the be-Jesus out of me, anyway we reached the village and the story begins.

The moors, while enjoying the view, decided that this would be a fantastic place to build a castle for the defence of the area. I wonder if they had the odd tourist back in those days? Maybe a weary
traveller looking for a place to stay and what better place than a castle.

The Moors built these castles to stay for all time which proved to be true as they have been bombarded through out history and they are still standing or at least part of them are. If you look up at the
mountain face there you will find the Penon de la Alcala, the old bell tower clinging to the edge. This is the image you will find on most post cards in the market.

If you have endured the trip up the mountain then the last part of the journey is the easiest. All you have to do is walk through a tunnel carved from the rock to reach the old village and it’s castle. When you first set foot in the ancient village automatically you are in another world of long, long ago. Here, along the cobbled streets, you will find shops, restaurants, lookout points.

Take the time to visit the museums here so that you can learn more about the history of the place. There are only 200 people that live here with no other visible means of support other than tourism. I wonder what they do when the last person is gone and the doors are shut and locked. If you are ever so quiet you can almost hear a Knight dawn his uniform and helmet, slide his sword into its sheath, saddle his trusty steed and prepare to do battle once again to protect his village and as the sun rises over the mountains he will once again transform himself into that mundane shop keeper ready to serve the general public. Only he will know where he has been and what he has done. Is this just another day out, or is it, I wonder.

It sounds like someone needs to make a booking for that free bus trip, but where to you say, there is only one place and that is Guadalest.

There is something out there that all of us need. It is not
 only for people who live in Spain or even the Orihuela Costa permanently, but also the holiday makers as it affects one and all. What we are talking about is security.

The
 security of our most treasured possessions, our home and life in general. You
 may not think that this is important because it hasn’t happen to you.
 Well let me tell you what happens when one night your laying in 
your bed all snuggled up next to your wife with not a thought in the
 world other than the dream you’re having about your next door neighbour. 
All of a sudden there are two strangers in your ”home” riffling 
through every nook and cranny looking for something of value that can
 be sold quickly. They are not being careful as you would be but they
 move quietly with the precision of a cat going through all your
 personal possessions, actually touching things.
 They leave a trail of destruction as they go through your
 home. Your home has just become a house, apartment or a villa, never to
 be your home again as it’s dirty and unclean. If you wake up what do you do, but just lay there with gritted teeth and hope for their speedy 
departure or are you stupid enough to try and prove yourself to be
 more than a man and charge into the middle of the may-lay throwing
 caution to the wind. Are they serious, do they have weapons, will they 
use them. Let me tell you they are serious and if they don’t have a
 weapon they can soon get one as there are loads in your kitchen. Just
 remember if you approach a cornered rat what is he going to do if he 
is hungry, fight like hell for what he came for and not just run away. How do you know 
this you ask, well I was that person lying there in my bed one 
beautiful night when all of this happened to me. Luckily I did not awake
 during the robbery in our home in La Zenia. I believe that we were gassed after they broke 
into our home, as I didn’t even get up to go to the toilet as per
usual in the night. When I awoke I new that something was wrong as my 
clothes were not at the side of the bed. When I asked my wife where they
 were she accused me of forgetting where I had put them. This is when I
 got up and cautiously ventured down the hall at which time I noticed 
the front door was open. Then it dawned on me we had been robbed. It 
was a mess and there was not one place that they had not looked and 
touched. Our possessions were strewn all over the place and out side 
as well where they had emptied my wife’s handbag on the ground. That was six
 months ago and we live like as in a prison at night. No more
enjoying the nice cool summers evenings because we have to lock and
bolt every entrance and we still find it hard to go to sleep now knowing
 that someone could once again enter our house, not our home.
 What do you do you ask, well there is a simple solution to all of 
this. At the next annual general meeting of your urbanization bring up the
 question of security. It can be had for as little as 10 euros per
month per house based on the size of the area covered. It was voted down at our last AGM and we have had 6 break-ins in our area during the summer. You say it’s up to the police to provide security, well it is but only up to a point. The police
 force in this area, the La Zenia to Cabo Roig area, is stretched to its limits as a result of cut backs and no telling what they are going to do with a predicted cut back 
nation wide of 15 billion euros in the national budget. How this is going to 
effect us, we will just have to wait and see. Back to security, in the areas that have security here in the Orihuela Costa, the crime rate has dropped to all most zero. For the price of a pizza each month where would you like to live, I know where I would if I could.

Picture yourself setting at a bar in Cabo Roig or Playa Flamenca on the seafront sipping sangria with a few friends after a hard day of sight seeing and the conversation turns to what are we going to do tomorrow. This is where you show your friends that you
have some knowledge of the area as you suggest a trip to La Manga for 
the entire family. As you proceed to tell them some of the history and what there is to do there, not all as you want to keep a little to yourself, they readily agree to the venture, so let the journey begin.

To determine the location of La Manga, you first have to look for the Mar Menor (little sea), on the east coast of Spain and within the region of Murcia just above the
city of Cartagena. Mar Menor is part of the Costa Calida. The small
strip of land that separates the Mar Menor from the Mediterranean is
known as La Manga (the sleeve). This area forms the largest salt water
lake in Europe and comprises an area of 170 sq. km.

As for the history of the area it dates back to prehistoric times but
most of the archaeological surveys carried out in the area suggest
that most of the remains point to the Roman and Arabic periods.
History indicates that the Romans valued the area for the mining of
salt. The area appears much the same as it did 1000 years ago so you
 can imagine the Romans going about their work here. The Romans even 
gave it a name which was ”Belich,” a port of refuge. It was a lot 
deeper at that time and could accommodate larger vessels than it
 can today. Over the last hundred years or so it has become a tourist
 destination.

The name La Manga is probably better known for its award winning La Manga Club. If you have euro’s to burn then this is the place to come to enjoy some serious self indulgence in this 1,400 acre holiday-makers paradise. This is the place to come if you
 want to be waited on hand and foot with all of the possible luxuries you 
could ask for. As you enter the La Manga strip (The Gran Via) the 
first thing you notice is the lighthouse (Cabo de Palos), this thin
coastal strip of hotels and houses run the length (28 kilometers) of
the lake. At the far end of the strip next to the yacht club (Tomas
 Maestre) is the other lighthouse (Punta del Cocedo). In between there
is lots of sandy breaches having spots for relaxing on both sides of
 the road. There are a lot of villages and other beaches to explore as well and to
name a few you can start with the famous beach spots like the Playa Honda,
Playa de Los Nietos or the Playa de Plato close to San Javier.

 No matter where you decide to spend your time on the Mar Menor, it is
 definitely worth a visit. If it is too cool in the Mediterranean then 
try the Mar Menor side as it is approximately 5 deg. Warmer. It is
 also a good place to bring the family as the beach is safe and child
friendly with lifeguards and there is a slow gradient in the depth of
 the water. If you feel the need for a little therapy then try the mud
baths close by known as ”Lo Pagan” which are believed to have 
healing properties. So you can really get down and dirty and when you are 
finished just run across the road and wash off.

 Last but not least, while you are in the area check out the bird lift
 on the salt-pans to the north of the Mar Menor. This area is
considered to be a place of great importance in Europe, as the
wetlands here contain a tremendous amount of wildlife species. Not
only is there a lot of local bird life here but based on the flight
patterns there is a amazing amount of migratory birds as well.

Sounds like a great adventure, you have convinced your friends to go, so all you have to do now is get going. What are you waiting for Christmas, well why not the weather is still good at that time of year for another visit.

I was on my way home yesterday wondering just what I was going to write about the next day when out of the blue it came to me in the form of a white van. Yes you heard right, the hated white van that takes no prisoners. This happened at the new roundabout that appeared overnight as usual on the road from the N332 up from the little Carrefour.

At this new roundabout, cars travelling from the N332 direction used to have the right of way at this junction but now have to give way to anyone in the roundabout. Now back to this white van was going hell bent for leather. It was not about to slow down for anything or anybody. I leisurely set there waiting knowing full well what was going to happen and sure enough he barrelled through with out a second thought. It was only three weeks ago that there was nothing there but some plastic saw horses and a few plastic cones but now it’s a full blown round about with plastic piles, paint and all that one equates with a roundabout. Now that it’s here lets respect it and give way.

This reminds me about a time when I was living in Nigeria. A friend of mine, lets call him jack, was driving down the road when he approached an intersection with a police man in the middle directing traffic. As my friend attempted to cross the road the police man jumped out in front of Jack and shouted “what colour am I”! Jack not wanting to be raciest didn’t know what to say, but the police man shouted again “what colour am I”! By this time Jack didn’t know what to do so he said “Black”. The police man then responded that he was red as he held up his hands that had gloves on them with one side red and the other side green. He began to explain, much to Jack’s embarrassment, that when he held up the red side of the glove the driver was required to stop.

Back to the round about. There is also a zebra crossings across on each road leading to the round about. I would assume they are for the safety of the pedestrian. I have noticed that the only time anyone stops at them is if there is a car in front of them and not just to let the people cross. Just maybe we need someone here with red gloves. So if you are a pedestrian, don’t assume anyone will stop to let you cross as once they have you in their sights they will try to mow you down, I am not sure how many points you get for each one that you take out but surely you get more for the younger ones. I wonder if they have a swap meet where they can trade their points in. Never mind, all I know is that the Driver’s of these death mobiles have a lot to answer for.

The government is trying to improve the traffic flow in the Cabo Roig area by revamping the N332. Also they are installing a number of new foot bridges for additional safety but you have to ask the question, will anyone use them or will they play chicken and dodge the cars as they run across the road as always in the past. I remember when I lived in Nigeria and travelled a road much like the N332. This road ran from the airport to the city of Lagos some 20 miles away. Like the N332 this road was also a multi-lane affair. The people lined up on both sides ready for the race with death. They would dart back and fourth across the road until one did not make it. Is this what we are aspiring to on the N332 or are we going to see sense.

The other day I was driving down the N332 when I spotted someone trying to cross the road. As I got closer I realised that it was a woman pushing a carriage. I stopped to let her cross thinking or rather hoped that the carriage was full of groceries and not a baby. All of this raced through my mind as she pushed the carriage boldly in front of her across the street in complete defiance of the traffic. I guess she believed that a baby carriage would stop traffic and it did. But what about that person that had that one too many drinks or was just not paying attention. What happens to the baby, never mind the woman, she was still on the verge with the carriage on the road.

I believe that there is still going to be that element of people that drink to much and decide to play dodge ball with cars but this is ridiculous. At least the Nigerians had an excuse, they didn’t have a bridge to cross over on, perhaps the government should address the cause of the danger (eg dangerous / drunk drivers) rather then implement bridges that people just arnt using, perhaps they should make the roads themselves safer and not larger and faster.

Lets take a trip back in time, not to far only 10 years or so, and see what happen with reference to what we could have or should have done.

The year is around 1999 and the market is stable, they are not building that many more new houses than is required. This is boosting the house price, because the construction industry is the guiding force in the Spanish economy. This moment in time remains in a some what flat growth period with minor price adjustments up to the year of 2002, or there about, at this time the market reacted to the buying
pressure and sent the price of houses up by 10 to 15 per cent during this span of time. Then in approximately 2005 the market started its downward spiral loosing all the points that it had gained over the years plus a few. This brings us to the present day with the house price leveling out with a 15 to 20 percent loss.

You ask who is this good for, first it’s good for the cash buyer as there are untold bargains out there to be had. Remember the golden rule, those who have the gold make the rules, and now is the time to
make the rules ie cheaper purchase prices. We may have been in a downward spiral but now all the indications are that we are on the cusp of a flat period for a little while with an upward turn in the
near future. If you are looking for a home to live in or one to rent now is the time to start looking for that ever elusive property.

The majority of the price fluctuation is the direct result of over build. During this time the money was cheap and building permits easy to come by as a result every body and anybody got into the building
business. What we need to do is stop the building and let the demand catch up with the supply. This is basic economics, the price is based supply and demand, in order for the price of houses to go up there
needs to be less houses on the market.

The rental market has not been affected that much with reference to prices paid by renters. There seams to be more people renting than buying because of the restricted mortgage market that could take some time to correct. So the rental market seems to be a good area to venture into at the present time where you can make a better return on your money than you can in a bank. For the family home purchase there is no better time than now to buy it as we are looking at comparable prices of the early 1990’s. So you missed the buying boom in Spain now is your time to catch up. All you need to do now is make a trip down to Comaskey.com and make a deal.