We’re searching for the “next places” in Spain…
Spain has been a key destination on my global beat for decades. For most of that time my focus has been on the stretch of Spain’s southern Mediterranean coast known as the Costa del Sol…
Every year millions of vacationers flock to the stunning beaches on Spain’s sun-soaked southern Mediterranean coast.
The Costa del Sol is one of the world’s most beautiful and desirable destinations…offering glorious beaches, ancient towns and cities, incredible food, world-class golf courses and marinas, and 320 days of sunshine a year.
It’s also a place where I’ve consistently found incredible deals for members of my Real Estate Trend Alert group. To give you a brief snapshot…
- Gain of €155,000: I brought RETA members a deal to own sea-view homes in a community called Rock Bay. One RETA member bought here in 2018 for €230,000 and sold in 2021 for €385,000. One of my Costa del Sol contacts tells me these homes would now sell for at least €550,000.
- Uplift of €180,100: RETA members got in on a deal to own luxury homes in a golf community called Ibergolf. A RETA member who bought here in 2017 for €189,900 sold last year for €370,000.
- A boost of €223,000: I brought RETA members an opportunity to own in a community called Casares Costa in 2020. A condo that a RETA member bought here for €327,000 was sold in late 2023 for €550,000.
Then there was the new opportunity I brought to RETA members just last week…
This was a flash deal to own stunning sea-view condos only a six-minute stroll from the beach and just a six-minute drive from the thriving town of Estepona, one of the trendiest destinations on the Costa del Sol. I predict these condos will be worth €120,000 more just three years after delivery. (Click here to learn more and join RETA.)
This was a flash deal to own stunning sea-view condos only a six-minute stroll from the beach and just a six-minute drive from the thriving town of Estepona, one of the trendiest destinations on the Costa del Sol. I predict these condos will be worth €120,000 more just three years after delivery. (Click here to learn more.)
This is an incredible opportunity, but deals like these are becoming harder to find on the Costa del Sol. In recent years, particularly since the pandemic, more and more people have been flocking to this coast to live part and full time, and prices have been rising fast.
My team and I continue to track the Costa del Sol closely, but we’re also looking for the next places in Spain.
That’s why I recently asked my senior researcher Margaret Summerfield to scout Spain’s southeastern Mediterranean coast, known as the Costa Blanca…
The Costa Blanca lacks the global name recognition of the Costa del Sol, but it’s been a favored vacation spot among Northern Europeans for decades and it’s home to some of the most beautiful beaches and coastal towns in Spain. Property prices there are also generally more affordable than in the Costa del Sol.
So far, Margaret has reported back to us here in Overseas Dream Home about the cave homes of the Costa Blanca…about the beach town of Aguilas…and about the incredible whitewashed village of Mojácar.
Today, she shares a report from a stunning coastal town on the Costa Blanca that’s experiencing a surge in popularity…
Ronan McMahon, Overseas Real Estate Expert
Is This Paradise?
By Margaret Summerfield
“What do you see, Margaret?”
“A beach…a giant rock…the sea,” I reply.
“No, Margaret. What you see is paradise.”
Pedro, a local broker, had a point. The sea sparkled in the warm sun. Waves lapped up on the soft-sand beach beneath my feet. To my right, the impressive Peñón de Ifach, a giant rock that rises above the sea. To my left, the promenade, swimmers and sunbathers, and small cafés.
Life doesn’t get much better than this.
I was in Calpe (also spelled Calp), a beach town on Spain’s Costa Blanca. It’s an hour’s drive north from Alicante. I wasn’t visiting in high season, but Calpe still had plenty of visitors.
The town of Calpe is on the Costa Blanca, a 120-mile stretch of Spain’s southeastern coast.
The mild offseason weather in Calpe attracts cyclists, hikers and climbers. The cyclists were everywhere. Pushing their featherweight bikes through the lobby of a hotel where I stopped for lunch. In groups on the twisting roads leading into the town. Stopping at cafés to stretch their legs and rehydrate.
Some of the cyclists were with professional teams, lean and training hard. Many were amateurs, emulating the professionals.
Sun, sea, and sand—It’s easy to see what draws so many tourists and second-home buyers to Calpe.
The town’s history goes back to the Bronze Age. The Romans were here, and you can still see Baños de Reina (the Queen’s Baths), an archeological site with mosaics and thermal baths. The Crown of Aragon displaced the ruling Arabs in 1290. Barbary pirates targeted the town in the 1630s. A fishing town, Calpe saw its tourism industry really take off in the 1950s and 1960s.
Calpe’s appeal is its outdoors vibe. Whether you’re a cyclist or jogger, a swimmer or hiker, this is a fantastic part of the world to spend time. Paradise, in short. But the town has other attractions, too.
There’s an Old Town to explore with colorful murals, cafés and restaurants. There’s a marina and fishing port. There are pink flamingos wading in a broad lagoon. And of course, the beautiful beaches, one of the main draws for summer visitors.
Calpe also has supermarkets and banks, a good selection of places to eat, and a fish market. It’s a half-hour drive to the larger town of Benidorm if you’re looking for buzzing nightlife. And it’s about a 10-minute drive to the town of Altea, known for its pristine, whitewashed houses.
Playa de la Fossa in Calpe, a gorgeous beach for swimming or sunbathing.
The real estate market in Calpe is on a tear. Average real estate sale prices in Calpe have risen strongly since the pandemic. There are new buildings dotted around town, along with cranes and signs announcing upcoming projects.
One developer told me that their last one-bed condo, close to the beach and with sea views, had just sold for €450,000 ($489,000). When they started selling, the price was below €200,000 ($217,000). And the project is still a site, nothing built or delivered.
So, what’s available for sale in Calpe today? Here are some current listings. Please note, I haven’t viewed them or done any due diligence on them.
There’s this two-bed, two-bath condo spanning 1,087 square feet. It’s about 100 yards from the beach and is fully furnished. It could do with a refresh—built in 2009, it’s a little dated—but the sea views from the balcony are lovely. It’s listed at €247,000 ($268,000).
This new-build condo with two bedrooms and bathrooms with a large terrace is listed at €495,000 ($537,000). This one has really nice sea views.
This much larger duplex condo spans more than 2,990 square feet spread across 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and five terraces. It’s listed at €534,000 ($579,000) and comes fully furnished. There are nice sea views from one terrace and it’s just over 100 yards to the beach.
This duplex offers stunning views out over the Calpe’s impressive coastline. Listing here.
Beware: I did see listings for penthouses with sea views, and low sticker prices, but they were in buildings with no elevators. Going up and down stairs multiple times a day, with groceries and anything else you need, soon loses its novelty.
If you’re happy to go farther back from the beach, you’ll get more space for your money.
For example, this 4-bed, 3.5-bath house is a mile from the beach. Inside, it’s bright and neutral, with an updated kitchen and bathrooms. There are sea views from a rooftop solarium, a garage, swimming pool, terraces, and gardens. It’s listed at €580,000 ($629,000). And it’s located in a quiet neighborhood.
The promenade and pine trees in Calpe are reminiscent of the French Riviera.
Is everything rosy in paradise? I’d wonder if the crazy pace of price growth can continue. It’s hard to say.
This area is international, attracting a broad sweep of buyers. Wealthy Ukrainians are buying here, driven out by the war in their home country. Polish buyers are strong right now too, thanks to a burgeoning home economy. British, Irish, Scandinavian, Danish, Dutch, French…the list goes on. If one demographic dips, another arrives to take its place.
It’s worth pointing out that on this trip, from the Costa de Almeria to the Costa Blanca, sales reps told me that most of their buyers pay cash.
On the rental front, there are concerns about the town’s growing popularity. Its appeal in winter for sporting types means there’s pretty much year-round rental demand. Many owners have pushed their properties onto the short-term rental market. That’s left slim pickings on the long-term market and led to rumblings of discontent from locals.
To rent a home for tourist, leisure or vacation purposes, you need a touristic license. If there’s enough pressure from unhappy locals, then there’s a risk that local authorities will ban new licenses in areas under the most pressure, as we’ve seen in other parts of Spain.
But for now, Calpe is a paradise for anyone looking for a winter getaway or a second home in the sun. I could happily while away the winter months here myself.
Ronan says: I have a guilty pleasure…one I generally indulge on lazy Sunday mornings or late at night from the privacy of my terrace. I go to YouTube and get sucked down a rabbit hole of luxury homes and villas.
Long before Margaret sent me her report from Calpe, YouTube brought me down a rabbit hole of luxury listings along this stretch of coast. You’ll find lots of these in Calpe. And you’ll find even more of them in a town called Jávea, also called Xabia, about 30 minutes north, and in the luxury Altea Hills community only 11 minutes to the south. This is a place where you can buy luxury villas with infinity pools and drop-dead gorgeous views for a lot less that you would expect.
The incredible quality and price tags of these homes shows the kinds of opportunities you’ll find here, and it shows why we’ll continue to scout this sun-soaked region.
Here’s an example of one of these videos showing a stunning mansion in Jávea…
This five-bed, six-bath villa spans over 3,000 square feet and has a private pool.
And here’s an example of a villa on the market in Calpe. It’s less luxurious than the listing above in Jávea, but it sits on a cliff, overlooking the sea, with breathtaking views.
This villa in Calpe offers panoramic sea views from its main living spaces.
Your Daily Dream Home
Stenstorp, Falköping, Sweden
Located in the charming town of Stenstorp in the Falköping region of western Sweden, this property has a hall leading to a living room with a fireplace, a kitchen, a dining room, three bedrooms and two bathrooms on the first floor.
A staircase in the kitchen brings you to a loft which has been renovated into an extra bedroom.
The property also has an outdoor seating area overlooking the garden and surrounding Swedish countryside.
Remember, we don’t make money from any listing shared here in the Your Daily Dream Home section. We have no dog in the fight. We’re just sharing cool properties we’ve found.
I haven’t visited this property or done due diligence on it. If you’re interested in the listing, you should hire an attorney and do your own due diligence.
