Enjoy our quick guide to Los Altos, a suburb of Torrevieja with its location at around 5km from the town centre.
Los Altos boasts a number of fantastic beaches, all of which being awarded with a European Blue Flag. These include the beaches of Los Náufragos, El Acequión, El Cura, Los Locos and La Mata.
Whether you’re going on a summer beach holiday or a relaxing retreat in the winter, Los Altos will never fail to impress. Reaching an average of 320 days of sunshine in a year, the town of Los Altos is recognized as having the healthiest climate in the European region by the World Health Organisation.
Moreover, recent improvements have been made to the motorway network which allowed Los Altos to be easily accessible. It is a mere 40-minute drive from Alicante airport while traveling from the Murcia San Javier airport will only take 20 minutes.
Below we feature an expat interview with Rachel Bellamy of Smartsell who covers the Los Altos area.
Specifically, we wanted to learn from Rachel the many reasons why people should consider moving to this area and the value for money they can get once they decide to stay permanently.
Rachel, thanks for helping our readers. I guess we should start off by asking what would you say would be the advantages to living in Los Altos compared to other Costa Blanca towns?
Los Altos is a suburb of Torrevieja. It lies to the south of the main town and is made up of mainly 2-storey properties, villas, townhouses and apartments.
Would the area not suit certain types of people, i.e. are there any possible downsides?
Los Altos means “the heights” and some parts of Los Altos are uphill which gives great views of the surrounding area, but may not be suitable for people with walking issues.
What proportion of the local population are Spanish?
The population has changed over the years. It used to be predominantly Spanish but now you will find it heavilymixed with English, Swedish, Irish, German and even Russians now live in the area.
What are your favourite things to do in the area?
The salt lakes of Torrevieja are the main feature of Los Altos, plus the beaches of Torrevieja are popular for both sunbathing and water sports, plus fishing.
Can you give us some insider tips to the best bars or restaurants?
The main commercial area is the Filton centre, which is home to some excellent bars and restaurants. Such as The Courtyard, Restaurante Don Camilo and the Filton restaurant.
Are there many facilities such as doctors and dentists, shops etc?
There are numerous shops plus an excellent supermarket, a pharmacy and petrol station are just some of the services on offer in the area.
Are there smaller villages nearby that you might also recommend?
If you like the idea of Los Altos but prefer a more village atmosphere then San Miguel de Salinas, which is only a couple of kilometres away, would be more suitable.
What are the nearest international schools and how good are they?
There are a number of schools in the area. One of which is the English international school El Limonarwhich is based in Villamartinand is approximately 4km from Los Altos. There is also the Spanish national school in Los Altos called Collegio Romualdo Ballester.
Is crime an issue for expats?
Crime is no worse here than any other coastal region in Spain. However you do get the odd opportunist thief if you let your guard down. Holidaymakers tend to make themselves a target by leaving doors and windows open (to let air in) and leaving towels hanging out on display. Just remember to keep security grills locked and you’ll be fine.
Coming onto buying property, what is the market like now in terms of prices going up, or down or staying the same?
Property prices are starting to increase now that Spain finally comes out of the financial slump. New construction has started again and the area has seen an increase in buyers looking to both emigrate here full time and also buyers looking to invest in a holiday property.
Is this a good time to buy and are there any repossessions or very cheap properties still available to buy?
The trend is saying that property prices in the area are set to continue to increase. Now is a great time to invest in this area as any purchase you make is set to go up in value over the next few years. There are still one or two bargains to be found and if you are interested, please contact us for further information.
What urbanisations are there and can you describe each one and how they might differ from each other?
Los Altos has 2 main types of urbanization. First, you have the older established communities, with traditional Spanish style properties around a community area with community swimming pool. These urbanizations are around 15-25 years in age and have a selection of properties including apartments, townhouses and villas. Then you have the modern urbanization with newly constructed properties. These tend to be styled in a modern square shape with lots of glass shields. These communities are around a community pool. They have ground floor and top floor apartment and houses.
How much are the typical property prices in Los Altos for apartments, villas etc?
The older style properties are cheaper than the modern properties. For example older style apartments with 2 bedrooms would be from 80-100,000 Euros, whereas a newly constructed 2-bedroom apartment would be 130-150,000 Euros.
Any tips and advice to people looking to buy in Los Altos or surrounding area?
Why buy in the Los Altos area, what does Los Altos have to offer:
Within Spain, the Costas remain one of the top destinations for British and other overseas buyers, so what has made this beautiful coastline so popular over the years to buyers and investors from all over the globe.
The Costas have undoubtedly the best climate in the whole of Europe, with an average 325 days of sunshine each year. This is surely one of the best reasons for choosing this area. A property situated in a sunny warm climate makes good financial sense as it will always be a sort after destination for both holiday makers and future prospective buyers. Imagine when the rest of Northern Europe is shivering in cold, wet, cloudy and gloomy conditions. The Costas are usually basking in glorious sun shine and that’s just the winter season!!.
The Spanish Coast offers an incredible lifestyle. The activities available on the Costas are to coin a well used phrase “there is actually something for everyone.” Many other resorts report to offer the same but usually falls far short of the choices available here.
Relaxing days out at one of the many beaches isa must, enjoying some of the most beautiful, clean and safe beaches on offer, with the Blue Flag of Merit being awarded on many occasions. Beach activities include waterskiing, boating, diving, going on fishing trips and yacht charter. Other major sports such as tennis, bowling, football are also all popular and expertly catered to.
Many of the sports activities are a very popular pastime to local residents and tourists alike. The most popular of these is golf with the town being simply a golfer’s paradise. There are literally hundredsof golf courses, some of which are ranked in the top 10 in Europe. Add that to a fantastic all year round climate and you are in golfing heaven!!
Rachel, thank you so much for taking the time to help our readers with your experiences in Spain. If you want to contact her, you can find her details below.
Via Park II, Local 22
Playa Flamenca
Tel.+34 966 730 540 (office); and
+34 686 860 589 (mobile)
Email: info@smartsell.es
Website: www.smartsell.es
Here is an interesting tourist video showing the best places in Los Altos.
Contact us to be featured – we want more expat interviews for our newsletter and website. You don’t need to be an estate agent, we want to hear from anyone who lives in Spain whether you are working or retired.
About the Author
Mark Eastwood
Main author and owner of SpainMadeSimple.com which was started in 2004 when I first moved to Spain.
Spain Made Simple features expert advice on all aspects of moving to and living in Spain as well as useful tourist information and travel tips.
As well as my own articles we have many contributions from professionally qualified experts in varied occupations in Spain.
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