Olaespania

Thanks, it is so frustrating wanting to get on with the search and not being able to do so. However, I realise that pales into insignificance when weighed against the current global pandemic and the issues arising from it.

I will check out those places and the others that have been mentioned as best I can given the limitations we are under.

Moses2013

You have to be happy and everyone has different needs and views. Personally I wouldn't just think of the holiday plans and what if you do want to spend longer there? When we bought, it was clear that it would never be an apartment and somewhere with a bit more green. We didn't have your budget at the time and bought a plot of land to build. But even after all costs and planned pool which we would like later, we would still be under your budget for a 2 bed detached house around 8 mins drive from coast.

Olaespania

Which area are you in?

I suppose we *might* be prepared to sacrifice sea views as long as we in a small town/large village with all the socialising amenities which was quite close to the coast.

We are also open to Marina living.

Loafing Along

Costa del Sol not a bad area to research more. excellent access via Malaga airport , better than Murcia . Also due to overbuild there are plenty of properties to chose from , some of which may meet your budget criteria. Don't get hung up on a private pool, there are plenty of small communities that will have a good-sized pool which you can enjoy without all the hassle fo looking after it yourself. Calahonda is a typical example, expat community and activities, plenty fo shops and restuarants, short walk to the beach. Further south very popular is Duquesa, south of Estepona so a longer drive from the airport and properties cheaper. In both there are plenty of agents but much better for you is to visit first - agnets tend to point you towards what they want to sell not necessarily what you want to buy. Bufdget about 12% on top of purchase price for buying fees, taxes etc.

Whatever you do , if you are seriously thinking of buying you should rent in your region of choice first to see that it really matches your requirements.

Moses2013

It's only holiday home and we're not far from Tossa de Mar between Vidreres Lloret. The urbanisations are very quiet and it's mainly detached houses with green area but when you've been to the beach every day and can no longer see crowded beaches during summer, it's nice to escape. Bus stop is 2 minutes from us and you have everything you need 10 mins away like Aldi, Lidl etc. Main benefit for us is the easy drive down and med climate, so never really too hot and still pleasant during winter with stunning coastline.

Olaespania

Thank you. We have seen a couple we like in Duquesa but as we don't know the area we weren't sure if they were a good buy. How far is it from Estepona?

We are really not beach people, so it is not that which is the draw of the sea view, it is the sounds of the waves and the sea air which we love preferably from the comfort of a people-watching spot in a seafront bar! I know that is very stereotypical PLace in the Sun speak!

Loafing Along

About 15 minutes

Fred James

Yes Calahonda is is on the Granada coast. Basically anything west of Adra is worth looking at. Much cheaper than further west. The prices go up as you get nearer to Málaga. Nerja is overpriced and crowded. Some cheaper places west of Nerja. Torrox isn’t bad, lots of beachside apartments.

SanNico

If your search area is not fixed and you're looking for a holiday home as opposed to a retirement home, I would suggest an important deciding factor for your location would be flight routes, frequency and cost from your local airport. The lesser served routes run the risk of being cut altogether, so try to look for airports with multiple carriers serving your route.

Olaespania

Thank you, that is something we hadn't really considered. We are in the north of England so could fly from Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, or EMA at a push. I will check which routes are most widely covered.

Loafing Along

Malaga will be the best destination airport

Olaespania

Can anyone offer any insight into the developments around Duchesa? We like the Marina area of it but does that have a specific name when searching or are all the developments close to it?

Loafing Along

If you use a site like : https://www.idealista.com/en/venta-v...va/la-duquesa/
You can see a map of the area covered. Majority of "good" developments tend to be on the coastal side of the A7. Going inland there you tend to find several large developments which were either never completed or never really sold many of the properties.
A combination of checking individual properties and then cross-realting to Google Maps should help answer your question

Pulaski

I found a roundabout connect to two fancy-looking roads with a central reservation, presumably for flowering bushes, total length about 800m, but both are dead ends. There are some narrow roads and tracks for access.

Loafing Along

there are some worse examples than that , complete road systems with street lights and nothing but over-grown. On one golf course I recall over 500 apartments of which about 50 occupied .