I am interested in purchasing a property in Torrevieja in the next couple of months and I would like to know the best areas and the possible pitfalls of purchasing/ renting out a 2 bedroom apartment. Any suggestions would be useful before I get across to Spain. Thanks Peter

Firstly what do you mean by Torrevieja? Expats seem to mean the town and surrounding places like Villamartin, La Zenia etc. The Spanish mean the actual town.
Secondly the town doesn't really have good and bad areas per se. Most of the expats I meet find the town dirty and ugly. But in reality it is a working area which is predominately populated by Spanish. My kid walks to school and was only yesterday telling me about how he doesn't like walking through Molina at 7.00 am because of the putas and junkies who hang out in the park. In other words it ain't Javea!

The actual town of Torrevieja is a bit like Marmite - some love it others hate it. It has around 100,000 permanent residents (on the padron) with most nationalities throughout the world represented. In many ways it is a bit scruffy and disorganised probably because it grew so quick in the boom (2000-8) There are some very dodgy areas but if you don't get involved with those people they won't bother you.

So as with all areas take your time, talk to locals and find an area that will suit you (there are some urbanisations out the back of the town which are fairly pleasant) - or if nothing does make a Plan B. Remember during July/August the town is overflowing as every empty flat is suddenly packed with holidaying Madrilenos so you can't park (buy a space) get a table in a restaurant or sleep (noise) but its all part of the fun (or so I thought when I lived there)

I agree with the last poster. Torrevieja is not everyone's cup of tea. It is very Spanish compared to outlying zones. It is very busy and noisy in the summer and it looks like there have been a small number of explosions in some areas. That said it has a genuine soul and atmosphere to it which some of the more foreigner areas don't. It damn cheap too!!!

There are some nice areas in Torrevieja. There are some truly awful areas. You really need to visit and make up your own mind. Suggest you rent a property and look around before committing to a purchase you may regret.

I've been in Torrevieja for a couple of months, I think we missed the busiest time but the place is still buzzing. We initially stayed in an airbnb that was described as a "beach house". This felt a bit ambitious as it was a 50 minute walk to any beach. I personally didn't like this area, there was a strong water/sewage smell around our house and in the kitchen and bathroom. When it rained the smell of dog excrement and bad drains became really strong. This was up between the water park and the large lake to the left. It's small houses which are really tightly packed and I would personally avoid staying or buying here.

We've been closer to the beach in two different apartments for the last month and it's much better. I love going down to the beach and promenade, even now in October it's lively. Loads of restaurants and bars and the main accents appear to be Yorkshire and South London. There's a lot of dogs (and dog mess), it's noisy and yes a bit dirty as you walk up from the beach but it's also vibrant and lively and full of character. I feel safe but I'd take the same precautions I would take in any UK city with my person and property. I haven't needed a car as everything is easy to get to, numerous supermarkets and the bus station to get you to Alicante airport are just a few minutes away.

There's a lot of estate agents, I've been browsing the windows as I'm pondering buying a holiday/rental apartment in the near future. I think you do need to come and stay to get a feel for what you like. I don't know enough about the purchasing and rental market but for areas, I'd suggest you try and get as close to the beach as you can, that said there's a noisy beach and quieter one further up the coast so quite a few decisions to make on that alone.

The main accents are English?

This is the area of Torrevieja,
This is part of the area of Orihuela Costa, just south of Torrevieja and nothing to do with the town. It is often confused with Torrevieja by holiday makers, and yes, here, a good percentage of the accents would be from UK.


Many people not resident in Torrevieja confuse the borders of the 2 areas and mistakenly label Torrevieja as "little England", whereas it is a very lovely Spanish town, (with a few warts, granted), as has been previously reported.

I found so many people were English but I got speaking to a couple of people today when I went a bit further south and they told me that Torrevieja is VERY spanish. They were quite surprised when I said I heard predominantly english accents. Maybe it's just the time of day or something that I chose to venture out.

It depends where you go more than when, the main town is very Spanish, the beaches more of a mix and certain areas seem to attract different nationalities. If you walk around you will find all sorts and for a good part of the central area everyone will be talking in Spanish, with varying success!