Property for sale in Santa Pola

Buying a house in Santa Pola means buying in a town that lives from the sea and not just from tourism. The fishing harbour still works, with a fish auction that draws buyers from far and wide, and the town is flat, with the beach and everyday amenities within walking distance. To the west lie the salt pans, still in production and largely a nature park, with flamingos. On the cape to the north lies Gran Alacant, a residential area that belongs to Santa Pola but has an entirely different character. So here you first choose between town and cape.

In the town you live around the harbour and the town beaches, on flat ground with everything on foot. Along the coast towards the salt pans lie Playa Lisa and Tamarit, and on the cape side Santa Pola del Este, with its own beach. Gran Alacant, on the cape towards Alicante, is not one urbanisation but a collection of dozens of residential areas, each with its own character; so always ask which one an advert means. The beach below Gran Alacant, El Carabassí, is reached by boardwalks through the dunes, and it belongs to the municipality of Elche.

In the town you mainly buy flats, including on the promenade and around the harbour. In Gran Alacant it is mostly bungalows, linked houses and flats in complexes with a shared pool, with the odd detached villa. New homes are being built both in the town and on the cape. With a home on the edge of the nature park or the dunes, restrictions on building and alterations may apply. Have an adviser check what that means for the plot, especially if you want to extend.

Santa Pola suits people who fly back and forth often: the airport is about a quarter of an hour away, and even closer from Gran Alacant. It also suits those looking for a town that revolves around a working harbour, with schools and healthcare nearby. If you want quiet skies, have each address checked for whether the home falls within the airport noise contour; official maps of it exist. Gran Alacant suits those who want to live without a car less well: the areas lie on the hill. And in heavy rain streets in the town flood, so ask about the risk for each address.

Alicante airport is about a quarter of an hour away by car. The CV-92 runs past Gran Alacant to Alicante, and the N-332 heads south along the coast to Guardamar del Segura. For the public hospital Santa Pola falls under Elche; the town has a health centre. British schools are found towards Elche and Alicante, and you play golf in Alicante. Boats sail from the harbour to the island of Tabarca, which belongs to Alicante. Read more about the area on the page about the Costa Blanca South.