Property for sale in Villajoyosa

Buying a house in Villajoyosa means buying in a town that runs all year, not only in summer. Villajoyosa, La Vila Joiosa in Valencian, is the historic capital of the Marina Baixa and lies by the sea between Benidorm and El Campello. The river Amadorio runs through the town to the beach, and the fishing port is still working. The centre is almost flat, with the town beach, the shops and the health centre within walking distance. Buying here means choosing a town with a life of its own and the beach on the doorstep, rather than a quiet urbanisation.

In the old centre you live among the coloured houses by the river and the port, with the town beach and the tram within walking distance. On the coast to the south lie Paradís and the coves below the cliffs, where the council is releasing new building plots on the seafront. Montíboli is a hill with residential areas and sea views, higher and quieter than the centre. Towards Finestrat and Benidorm lies the beach of El Torres. Inland there are scattered villas and plots in the countryside, where you can do little without a car.

In the centre you mainly find flats and older townhouses in narrow streets, sometimes with a roof terrace. Along the coast and on Montíboli there are apartment complexes with a pool and villas on the slope, and new sectors such as La Tellerola and Paradís are adding buildings. If you are buying for the sea view, also check what may still be built in front of the property. With a townhouse in the old centre, rules on facade and colour may apply; have an adviser check what you are allowed to renovate. The projects under construction are on the new-build page for Villajoyosa.

Villajoyosa suits people who want to live all year in a real town, with the tram, the hospital and the beach close by. From the centre you do most things without a car. It suits those looking for silence, a large garden or plenty of distance from the neighbours less well; for that you go to the hills or inland. Mind the water too: along the Amadorio, the river Torres and the Barranco del Refoio there are official flood zones, and the council has put a new drain for the Refoio out to tender. Have it checked per address whether a home lies in such a zone.

The public hospital of the Marina Baixa is in the municipality itself and has its own tram stop; its link to the N-332 is being improved. The coastal tram runs through Villajoyosa to Alicante and to Benidorm, where you change towards Altea and Dénia. By road you are quickly in Benidorm or Alicante via the N-332 and the AP-7, and the airport is a good half hour to three quarters of an hour away by car. British international schools are found in La Nucía and Benidorm, among other places. To the south lies El Campello, on the same coastal tram.