Property for sale in Altea

Buying a house in Altea is first of all a choice between convenience and view. Around the centre on the bay the ground is almost flat, with the beach, the school and the shops close together. The further you go up the slopes of the Sierra de Bernia, the steeper the plots, the wider the view and the longer the trip to the baker. Altea belongs to the Marina Baixa, which among other things decides which hospital you go to. The old town on the hill is protected: if you buy there, you buy a facade you cannot simply change.

The centre and the seafront are the part where you do everything on foot. Inland lies Altea la Vella, a proper village with its own school, pharmacy and shop, but no sea round the corner. Up against the mountain are the villa urbanisations, with Altea Hills high on the slope: plenty of view, and a drive for everyday errands. Mascarat, in the north by the marina, belongs to Altea but leans on Calpe for daily life: that is where the nearest shops, the GP and the primary school are.

In the old town it is village houses and restored buildings; because the townscape is protected, have an adviser find out what is allowed before any renovation. Around the centre and on the seafront there are flats. In Altea la Vella and Altea Hills almost everything for sale is a villa, while in Mascarat it is mostly flats, with the odd penthouse. With a villa on a steep slope, the retaining walls, the drainage and the driveway deserve as much attention as the pool. What is being built now is on the new-build page for Altea.

Altea is right for people looking for a smaller town with a lively centre, a marina and the mountains on the doorstep. It disappoints those who expect a sandy beach: the coast is pebbles, coves and cliffs. Outside the centre the plots are steep and you need the car for everything. During fiestas and events, streets in the old town close to traffic, and then you can only get in with a residents’ card. In summer the N-332 through Altea gets busy. And if you live high in the hills, bread and post mean a drive down.

The AP-7 and the N-332 run past the municipality. The coastal tram between Benidorm and Dénia runs along the whole line again, with new viaducts over the Algar and at Mascarat; you change in Benidorm for Alicante. The public hospital of the Marina Baixa is in La Vila Joiosa, and Altea itself has a health centre. The British schools are in the neighbouring municipalities of l’Alfàs del Pi and La Nucía, including the school that carries Altea in its name. You can read more about the areas and daily life on Living in Altea.