My wife and I intend to take a long term rental then intend to buy a property in Spain as soon as the covid dust settles.
BUT....we are having dificulty finding the most suitable area to suit our needs and wondered if anyone could pass on some suggestions from experiences they have gained.
We are both in our 60's generally fit and enjoy walking,swimming and easy cycling.
Can anyone suggest a location that we could consider that may suit the following needs;-
1.Within 20 minutes walking of/or in a coastal area.
2.Easy access to airport ( pref within 1hour by taxi).
3.Mainly on the flat and suitable for safe cycling.
4.Good public transport available.
5.Access to a good size heated swimming pool (Municipal or other) at least 20 metres long and suitable for a serious swimmer.
6.Access to supermarket ,bars,cafes and restaurants (preferably away from main tourist area).
Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated we will fly from Bristol or Cardiff.

Hola

You just described most of coastal Spain! My area (Chiclana) fits the bill as do many others

Start with "Do you want a little England" or prefer "real Spain" and carry on from there

Davexf

Torre del Mar (approx. 30km East of Málaga) would appear to suit your requirements.

1. It's a coastal resort (many Spaniards have second homes there, not many British holidaymakers but increasingly popular with Scandinavian and German tourists and second home owners).
2. Around 40 minutes from Málaga airport by taxi.
3. Is mainly flat. The seaside promenade is 4km long and has a cycle path along it, by crossing a couple of footbridges it's possible to cycle much further East along the coast.
4. Has good bus links to Malaga, Torrox and Nerja and longer distance but much less frequent services to Lanjarón, Granada, Almeria and Algeciras stop there too. A cautionary note though - during the lockdown the frequency of services has been reduced to around one fifth of what we had previously and I have been told in an email from the bus company today that they may never return to previous levels. That may well be true of other areas too.
5. Has a public swimming pool complex (opened in 2014 so still relatively new and in very good condition) with a 25m x 16.5m 8 lane indoor heated pool (very popular with serious swimmers) plus a 25m x 8m shallower recreational pool. It's possible to buy an annual pass for €25 (or €10 if over 65) for swimming during "reduced hours". We don't yet know when the public pools will be re-opened following the lockdown, though.
6. The town is well supplied with supermarkets, restaurants, bars, shops of all kinds, banks, a health centre, etc. and the Hospital Comarcal de la Axarquia is just on the edge of town (served by a local bus service every 15 minutes).

Thank you for such a prompt and helpful reply.
I have never visited this area and will now investigate further.
From your experience is there any particular area you would prefer to live (given the choice) which would be within walking distance of the local authority pool you mentioned.

Thanks .

The pool is on the edge of an urbanisation called El Tomillar, heading inland from Torre del Mar towards Vélez-Málaga. The hospital is at the other end of that urbanisation too, and there are Mercadona and Dia supermarkets at the edge of it too, so very convenient. The large El Ingenio shopping centre is just a bit further up the main road. There are other urbanisations built close to the hospital (which I don't know the names of, sorry) and all of these places are low rise, townhouses or detached villas - not cheap, though. All are quiet residential areas. The only drawback for you might be that they are a bit uphill from the centre, but that's the landscape I'm afraid, the coastal strips tend to be flat with the land rising up behind them. The centre of Torre del Mar is pretty much all apartment blocks, not very appealing to look at but there are some newer built, more attractive ones at the Western edge of town.

LYNN R
Very interesting thanks again.

As Dxf mentioned, most places would probably offer what you are looking for. Not retired and only bought as holiday home but driven all the way down and have explored many areas. After a lot of research, opted for La Selva area near Costa Brava. Not only was it cheaper at the time but looking around, I got bored just seeing sand and dust in many parts further south. Also easier to get there by car and climate is more like Côte d’Azur, which suits us. You can basically walk the coast Cami de Ronda | Hiking and Walking Costa Brava

Moses2013
Thanks for that but looks a bit too hilly for us.

Indeed some parts are very hilly but then again it stretches 200 km. Other parts would be very flat with typical promenades or dunes.

Other areas further down near Cambrils/Vilafortuny have excellent walking options too and flat

What about Alfaz del Pi.It is more residential than Albir which is the beach part of Alfaz.It is called"Little Norway" due to the large numbers of Scandinavians residents but it has a lot of British,Dutch,Germans also & many other nationals in lesser numbers.Unlike Altea,or parts of Albir,it is fairly flat too.Has a good bus service from Benidorm-Top of Altea & the tram service which goes from Benidorm up to Denia(excellent & cheap ).There is a service to Alicante airport from the Casa de Cultura bus stop by coach which you can book locally.And if you yearn for nightlife there is always Benidorm nearby.In Benidorm you can of course pick up coaches & buses to most places in Spain,I go there for the coach to go to La Linea for Gibraltar .The Sports Centre in Alfaz was where the athletes trained for the Seville Olympics on the running track at that time,has a good swimming pool(reduced price for oldies!) but not sure of size.I have owned several properties in the town,still here,for 37 years & watched it grow,often due to the financial clout of the Scandinavians mostly I think.If needed,there is a residential retirement complex,Marie Forum Nostrum,just up from the main street,supermarkets,state schools & Norwegian& British private schooling,health centre,townhall & Casa de Cultura which can host weddings,has a library,bar etc.& other restaurants/bars throughout the town of around 18-20,000 residents.Hope this gives you a picture.

Thanks Dougal03 much appreciated I will research that area.
At the mo Iv found myself looking further south near Fueingerola...chalk and cheese eh ?

At the end of the day you have to be happy. One thing to maybe consider is you budget and are you looking for a small apartment or house/bungalow etc.
Some places might be more affordable than others, so that's something to consider.

This is going to be a BIG learning curve but time is on my side at the mo, so no real pressure.
I recognise the need to find the right area first,then rent (2xbed)then if convinced to look at buying in that area.
On the flat near a good long promenade a good size swimming pool to be available all year round, thats me sorted ! lol