Torrevieja
 

Hi there everyone, my partner and I are moving to Spain on 9th May and have initially rented an apartment in an urbanization near Torrevieja, have been reading about all the crime in that area, does anyone have any personal experience of what it is like in that area?

Re: Torrevieja
 

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=435945

This thread is five years old. I wasn't a forum member then but have lived in Torrevieja for 13 years. I'm going to add 'for commercial reasons', to make sense of it.

Since that link in 2007, the local police forces have been quadrupled in number and crime figures have fallen (from ridiculous levels). but most of what was discussed then still rings true.

What more can I say? It's not for the faint-hearted.

Re: Torrevieja
 

Thankyou HBG

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Might be more police but, I went for a day around last May and it was quite dirty, the promenade was the worst I have ever seen in my life

Re: Torrevieja
 

I feel that I should clarify my earlier post. The thread I quoted was from five years ago, and things have improved considerably since then.

The largest expat population in Spain, mainly Brits, live to the south of Alicante, mostly around the 'greater' Torrevieja area, including La Marina and Orihuela Costa.

The reason for the continuing influx of British expats is quite simple. The housing, whether renting or buying, is cheaper than anywhere else in Spain and the infrastructure is totally geared up for expats. All Spanish businesses, from Banks to Bodegas, speak English, they have to.

There is nothing an expat will miss from back home, from the British Legion to countless slimming clubs. If he needs help of any sort, it will be on his doorstep.

And an extensive Neighbourhood Watch network has cut crime considerably.

Re: Torrevieja
 

Hi
I used to own an apartment in Torrevieja. I loved the bars, there are some great venues.The port is excellent. The infrastructure is good and there are loads of expats all over the area.

The town itself being a grid pattern cannot be described as pretty, and the graffitti in the area was always a big problemo.

The crime problem was an epidemic, and I am glad to hear it is cleaned up a bit.

The property prices are really cheap (thats what attracted us), but they are cheap for a reason.

We sold up and bit the bullet and moved to the CDS where we are genuinely in a wonderful area.
My experience of good old Torre was negative and I do not wish to upset people who live there . PM me if you wish to know more.

Regards
Al

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On that day in May

I hope you had a nice frock on

And didn't drop anything.

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I was there for a couple of days and didn't have the sense that it was full of thieves - other than some of the vendors on the promenade selling overpriced junk - and thought it quite a pleasant promenade. And property was very cheap but looking on google maps there is an awful lot of water surrounding the town and I wonder if it is prone to flooding?

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Re: Torrevieja
 

There are two giant natural salt lakes on the outskirts of Torrevieja, which apart from producing the finest salt quality, have some beneficial side effects on the local population.

First of all, they live longer, the town hall is forever publishing lists of many people over a hundred years old.

Another curious statistic is that the area has the highest birth rate in Spain. The council are always building new schools and extending old ones.

I've known Asthma sufferers come to the area and throw their puffers away after a couple of weeks here. They say it's the amount of iodine produced by the lakes; when the wind blows, the waters turn purple.

But the most curious side effect is the birth rate, and it must have something to do with the iodine laden air quality. They'll find out eventually and probably discover some kind of Viagra fumes in the air.

Come on down.

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The air quality sounds like a good thing as my partner suffers from asthma, dont know about the birth rate though, we are too old to have another child:)

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Hmm, lived here a long time and never the stat about the birth rate.

But yes the salt lakes are very beneficial, and no pollution (no heavy industry) in this area.

Not convinced the crime rate is that bad given the town has 100,000 residents and many more in the summer and naturally tourists attract the scallywags.

But I agree it is not quaint and we have few architectutal gems - it is what it is a a town that has grown very fast and offers most things, whether you want them or not is another matter.

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We lived in several areas just south of Torevieja and used to visit the town regularly, never had any problems, and, in it's defence, the prom was always spotless, with cleaning people going round every day.

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You're right, the silly tranny that posted earlier has obviously never visited the place.

It's not the most perfect place in the world and is riddled with problems, but perfect beaches and a multi-cultural population help to take some of the pain away.

The strip at OC is not for everyone, but whatever you may be looking for is there. I don't know if they're still there, but I remember Rangers and Celtic bars quite near to each other. If you fancied a punch-up, that was the place to go.

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I like to visit Torre with the bustle and multi cultural atmosphere, I have not witnessed any bad behavior or crime there myself tho.
I have known quite a few people that have lived there and love it but I must admit that I do like to retreat to my quiet place inland,:D

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They are really cheap.. indeed... I went to the property show A Place in the Sun 2-3 weeks ago and probably the cheaper properties in the show were those in Torrevieja. Probably the crime rate is a factor but it is true that Torrevieja is still being a relevant destination.

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The reason properties are cheaper there is that there are thousands on unsold ones, especially as you go south towards Playa Flamenca and Campoamor. When we moved there there were huge numbers of urbanisations being built, and then the bubble burst, leaving huge areas of completed houses, and no-one to buy, between Playa Flamenca and Punta Prima there are a lot of fully completed urbanisations, with very few people living there.

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The low prices are not always related to crime levels - more the over supply, it is a town with 100,000+ permanent residents and has seen a huge building boom - many are unsold from new , mortgage repossessions or being sold by Spanish who can no longer afford to keep 2 properties (many live in Madid etc and had holiday homes) so there is currently plenty of supply holding down the prices.
Mind you I am not saying it is all desirable or quality - you get what you pay for but prices are obviously down from the boom peak of 5 years ago.

Re: Torrevieja
 

Definitely the oversupply is a factor. I was very surprise when seeing prices such as €46k for a 2 bedroom apartment. Probably it is not the best location but if you are looking for your own place close to a sunny beach, Spanish bars, open spaces where to have long walks and travel around the province exploring other villages... Torrevieja seems to be a cheap option to get that.

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A hell hole. Sorry but it is, I lived just outside it for some time and worked in a well known bar and also a nightclub there and I am not easily shocked by much but the drug crime there was shocking and judging by the comments of friends who still live there when I speak to them it still is. It is an easy entry point for drugs to Spain and the crime that goes with that import export culture is evident if you scratch the surface slightly.

I will say however, there are some great Urbs south of Torre and some lovely campo inland but I just couldn't ever dream of going back there again... (((shudder)))

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Of course we don't know where the people who think it's posh come from do we?

That may be one reason others have overlooked that they see it as a wonderful place?

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Come on Matt, when you were there the drug dealers were still riding around on donkeys. It's changed a bit since then, they're riding about in BMWs now, with blacked-out windows.

I don't blame you for not wanting to come back, wasn't the place you were working in closed down for drug dealing?

And it couldn't have been pleasant to arrive in a boat and be greeted by the Guardia Civil with machine guns thinking you were a drug dealer?

No wonder you're shuddering.

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I do think your being hard on the place, many of us who visit never are aware of any of this seedy place described.
WE dont frequent night clubs or late night bars tho. just enjoy the place during the day and early evening.
I think this is true of many visitors, as mentioned before I live further inland in one of the small villages.
Everywhere if you scratch the surface these days you will find crime and drugs Im afraid to say thats the way of the world these days but you dont have to be a part of it.
Yes there is crime and drugs probably, but you can get mugged or robbed anywhere these days you really dont have to be in Torre its happening all over UK and Europe.
Just avoid circumstances that may make you a target, and take sensible precautions, you can do no more, its a lottery.

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All true, although the bar was never closed down completely, in the end we had a Guardia on the door. Last time I was there it was still open and last time I spoke to a friend connected with it all was still the same, however the dealers were driving around the best cars their filthy money could get hold of even then and there were plenty of police officers in their pockets.

Re: Torrevieja
 

In my time in Torre, every person was affected by crime. In my block EVERY person had either had a breakin or was mugged or had their car broken into.

I was afraid of sending people to rent our place cause of the level of crime.

On the surface the area is nice but just scrape the surface and it is terrible.

There is definitely an oversupply of houses but the area is far less desirable than other places in Spain

Sorry
Al

Re: Torrevieja
 

It would be daft for me to disagree about the levels of crime, especially as I've just come back from walking the Doberman.

And drugs? The place is awash with them, and every time a major gang is busted, Brits and police officers seem to be involved.

And the ridiculous over-building for many years has led to houses now being as cheap as chips. You can get an apartment for the price of a car.

So why have by far the largest population of expats come to live in this part of Spain?

Cheapness is probably at the top of the agenda, followed by an existing infrastructure that makes life easy for them. Everything an expat needs is in place and has been for years. The expats themselves have established an army of volunteers to help each other, and expats have been voted on to local councils all over the place.

In other parts of Spain you are likely to be met by surly and unhelpful officials when approaching authorities, but not so much here; town halls won't employ them unless they speak English, or German.

Supermarkets and other Spanish businesses all have English speakers on their staff, they wouldn't survive otherwise.

It leads to the thorny subject of integration, a much misunderstood phenomenon. All I can say is that the Spanish are trying their best to integrate with us.

Heaven or hell, you can take your pick.

Re: Torrevieja
 

Well if you lived there you must know better than myself, its such a shame.:(
I obviously havent attempted to scratch the surface and dont look tooo hard
.But I can only say what I have found there.
If thats the case I feel sorry for the people who live there.:(

Re: Torrevieja
 

We lived just south, and had only one personal experiance of crime when I was distracted in a bank and my bank card stolen from the slot, I had just withdrawn my limit for the day, and the idiots left the money still in the slot, nicked my card, which was maxed out for the day, and left me with the €10 they had dropped on the floor as a distraction. I had the card cancelled withing 10 mins, so they got was a useless card, and I gained €10. So not all criminals are that clever. Never had a problem in Torre though, although we only visited during the day. I did see a Spanish TV programme about the drug and drink problem there, and they were showing onr of the industriaal estates where there was an English snooker bar, the drug dealing was going on in the street just outside. During the day it was a safe area, and the garage that did my car servicing was on the next street, so I was there a few times.

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Most crims are not bright. Often they carry out the same crimes, using the same M.O. and then wonder why they eventually get caught. The problem is it's this type of criminal who will affect most of us, whether it's being robbed in the street or breaking into your house.
The smart crook on the other hand targets those who have money. Why risk going to jail for £150 when the bigger job is worth $2 million?

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Crimes one thing, why don't they invest in a presure washer on the prom?:confused:

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yes I agree with this !!!!!!!!
it does look as if it needs a good power wash sometimes .
It would look so much better.
:thumbdown: With council cut backs I dont think it would be very high on the list of priorities for them.As they havent done it before not likely to start now

Re: Torrevieja
 

Thankyou everyone who has contributed to this thread, it seems the crime is still a big problem in Torrevieja, unfortunately we are on a limited income which is one of the reasons we are looking to settle in the area, are there any parts of Torrevieja that are safer to be in or is it all the same? Can anyone recommend any other areas that are reasonably priced for rentals but dont have such high crime levels?

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You can buy cheaper in land in a lovely Spanish village not too far from the coast but much further south than Torrevieja hence better weather if you take time to look and of course if you wouldn't mind a quieter and more crime free lifestyle

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Hi anonimouse, we would like a quieter crime free life, we wont be having a car though, do you have any particular towns, villiages we could look at that would be accessible without a car?

Thanks

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Try the smaller places just south of Torre, Punta Prima, Playa Flamenca, Campoamor. All will have plenty of places for rental, and should be cheap as there is a huge surplus of housing there.

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Thanks mike

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Gosh, sorry no, Try looking on Google maps for an area you fancy then go to google and google in property for sale in....where ever it, is see what you think, check the prices and if it looks good take a look at street level then if it looks promising take a a visit and do a little research on the place, works for me, best of luck with it.

Re: Torrevieja
 

consider the CDS, this area is fantastic for an expat.

Sadly it is dearer property wise, both renting and buying.

but the area offers so much. At the mo it must be cheap renting in Manilva, Calahonda and Torrequebrada.

Los Boliches is fantastic but dearer

Consider it, this area is the Spain a Brit dreams of!!

regards
al

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Thanks anonimouse and Lospacashombre

Re: Torrevieja
 

The largest and safest urbanisation about five kms from Torrevieja is actually three in one, La Siesta, El Chaparal and San Luis, all joined up. They have their own police station and everything else in place, including a very efficient Neighbourhood Watch.

30,000 people live there, expats as well as Spanish people.

I hate to say this because it will upset locals, and friends, but the Torretas, Calas Blancas, a lot of Nueva Torrevieja are not as safe, and although people have mentioned Orihuela Costa, some parts of it are not all that nice.

You can't win when giving advice, people are different and expect different things in life.