Playa Flamenca is a large coastal area with rocky coves, large cliffs, sandy beaches and fabulous views of the Mediterranean sea. It is easily accessed by two airports, Alicante Airport about 30 minutes away and San Javier Airport (Murcia) 20 minutes, it is accessed via the AP7 motorway or the N332 Road network.
Boasting four main commercial centres and several smaller ones, it also has several beautiful sheltered beaches to enjoy the sunshine and water sports, this is a very desirable area to live or holiday in for us ex patriots. You don’t have to travel far to get all you need and it has been voted as one of the healthiest places to live in by the World Health Organisation due to the fabulous climate, more than 320 days of sunshine each year, average temperatures of 21 degrees, the healthy Mediterranean diet and the relaxed pace of life. According to the medical "Journal Lancet” people living in Spain have a life expectancy of 2 years more than Britain and Ireland. Therefore- Don’t you think it’s time you were buying a property in Playa Flamenca?
Beautiful white washed houses in quiet and elegant urbanisations are just several minutes stroll away from the lively nightlife, of Playa Flamenca (and even Cabo Roig / La Zenia) excellent shopping, sports facilities and of course, the gorgeous sands of the local beaches.
Playa Flamenca beach front commercial centre is full of fabulous little bars, delicious restaurants and many shops. Located just a 2 minute stroll from the sheltered Playa Flamenca Beach, Playa Flamenca has clear unspoilt views across the Mediterranean Sea and also towards the city of Torrevieja. You can walk from here through La Zenia and on to Cabo Roig all along the beautiful coast or cliff walk. This walk is very popular and is highly scenic, not to mention good for you after indulging in the beautiful pastries, sangria and other delicacies on offer in the local eateries. Located in this centre is the famous Lobster Restaurant, occupying a front line position with glorious sea views, this cosy restaurant offers modern, gastronomic cuisine. It is famous for its lobster probably for the past ten years and seafood offerings but they do have a selection of meat dishes also. They open for lunch and dinner but they are happy to serve a cup of delicious Italian coffee if you just want to enjoy the ambiance and sea views. Around the corner from the Lobster Restaurant you will find Surfers Bar & Grill. Surfers also enjoys clear sea views and tourists return here year after year for the lovely reasonably priced menu, quality food, friendly staff and the children’s menu. There is also a pool table in the bar which is great fun for the whole family after a pleasant day at the beach. Another lovely spot on this commercial centre is Sunny Jim’s Bar Cafe. This has the feel of your local café at home, offers snacks, coffee and drinks and friendly banter across the tables or with the lovely friendly staff.
We really have to give a quick mention to Anthony in Cafe Del Mar too- Between the lobster restaurant the Surfers- It’s small, tiny in fact, but if you get lucky and grab a seat, the service is only matched by the view- Fantastic!!
On the other side of the centre is The Mail Room which is Irish owned and operated and offers stationery, gifts, postage and rental of post boxes- Like Mail boxes etc would do in the U.S. It is very conveniently located right next to the Main Post Office (Correos) of the region. If you are in a hurry do not even think about the post office- Speedy service is not a thing they will be accused of. This centre also has a beautician/hair salon, Belgian Butcher, speciality gift shop with a selection of stone jewellery and spiritual pendants and ornaments plus a preloved clothing store. (actually a charity shop, we often frequent!!) During the summer evenings there is a market set up on the promenade in front of this commercial centre which is a very nice way to pass an evening. Often there will be Spanish music live on the stage too.
Overhead of this centre are apartments with the best views on the Costa Blanca. These apartments are always snapped up very quickly if they come to market and it would be rare to see one advertised for longer than a couple of weeks.
Flamenca Beach Commercial Centre is located on the opposite side of the N332 and is a very lively centre with an abundance of excellent entertainment available nightly in the lively bars and restaurants. Two of the great late night bars are Legends Bar and The Lansdowne Bar, both Irish bars that offer live bands nightly and also have a happy hour so you can get even better value for your money. Holidaymakers travel from distance to enjoy the exciting, madcap atmosphere that these two bars offer and to partake in the Karaoke which several of the bars offer. You can dine upstairs in this centre in the well-known Spud Murphys, an upmarket chippy that offers both sit down and takeaway and include home-made chips on their menu – delicious! It’s run by Irish ex pats Shawn and Lisa and a very friendly welcome awaits you if you do choose to visit them.
Close by is the very popular The Papaya Tree Restaurant. It is advisable to make reservations at The Papaya Tree as it is often fully booked out several days in advance and the Thai food is absolutely authentic and full of flavour.
This is a large commercial centre and has hairdressers, beauticians, Laundry, Hire Shop for Children’s equipment and a range of clothing and gift shops. Here you can have great fun buying your "Michael Kors’ fake or a genuine "fake Rolex’ from the traders who call to the bars and restaurants with their wares. There is plenty of terrace space and a children’s play area making this a family friendly centre with children making new friends on the playground as their parents look on. As there is no passing traffic, Parents really can relax while keeping one eye on the kids and one eye on the entertainment!
On the upper floor of this centre is another lovely family run international restaurant called Rustica. Only newly opened this restaurant is already making its name as a place for great food, attentive service and a very welcoming attitude. They have a selection of children’s meals including pizza which is amazing, my own favourites at this restaurant are the goat’s cheese starter and the duck but the menu is superb and caters to all tastes and prices are affordable for such quality wholesome food.
Further along from this centre, parallel to the N332 is Rocky’s Arena Bar, a fast food outlook with spectacular views across palm trees to the sea. This is very popular with younger members of the family. Also the "sports bar” on the corner is good fun, especially if Newcastle are playing on the TV. The whole area is serviced very well with supermarkets including Mercadona, Consum, Lidl and Al Campo along with numerous small grocery shops.
In addition to the numerous commercial centres Playa Flamenca is also home to Zenia Boulevard Shopping Mall. Only three years old this mall has more than 150 shops and retail outlets. There is a stage area on the ground floor and there are different performances here regularly, including shows, dancing, live Bands and Parades. At Christmas, Santa visits, at Easter, it’s the Easter bunny- you get the idea.
There is plenty of seating areas around the centre to take in the colourful scenes as people go about the business of shopping, and you can watch the little children squealing in delight as they dash through the little waterfalls on a hot summer day. In this shopping mall there is everything you need for your home from mats to ornaments to furniture. Here is housed the largest Primark store in Europe, they tell me. There is underground parking available as well as plentiful parking on each side of this large shopping centre. It is beautifully laid out and it is lovely to spend a day here even if you have no intention of buying anything.
Just beyond the Zenia Boulevard Shopping Mall is the location of the world famous "Playa Flamenca Saturday Market”. This market holds happy memories for tourists for the past twenty years and continues to be a very popular destination on a Saturday morning as the marketers begin their stall set ups from 7 am and trade continues to about 3 pm. It’s just past the Celtic Isle bar. You can do all your weekly grocery shopping with a variety of fabulous fresh fruits and vegetable stalls competing for your custom. The olives stall will give you free tastings as will some of the fruit stalls to show you how sweet and succulent their naturally grown fruits are. There are various coffee stalls with seating available along the route and I’d highly recommend stopping for a coffee and just watching the hustle and bustle of a busy market on a gorgeous day with blue skies and not a cloud to be seen. T-shirts, shorts, leather jackets & goods, table cloths, toys, kitchen utensils, plants, flowers, home baking are some of the excellent goods on offer. Here you can buy your paella dish and get an authentic recipe for the best paella of the region!
For families who relocate to Playa Flamenca there is an excellent Spanish school there, at the top of the Saturday Market Street, close to Zenia Boulevard. This school which is made up of both Spanish and foreign nationals offers a wide range of subjects within the Spanish education system to children from age 3 to 17. For those who would like their children to sit exams in the English System doing GCSE’s and A Level examinations, there is El Limonar International School at Villamartin, a 10 minute drive from Playa Flamenca.
Another excellent facility in Playa Flamenca is the CDM Sports Centre. This centre was opened in 2010 and offers swimming, football, tennis, basketball, soccer, handball and paddle. It also offers classes in the following; pilates, yoga, aerobics, keep fit, zumba, etc. You can also practice activities in the heated indoor swimming pool, not just the swimming, but also Aquagym, Aquaerobic, Aquazumba, etc. There’s no excuse not to keep fit in the Playa Flamenca region of the Costa Blanca- you can never blame the weather or the facilities, that’s for sure.
For the adventurous there is a Go kart track along the N332 which offers the excitement of motor racing with the fun of a little competition among the drivers. There is a café bar attached for those who take their leisure time a bit more relaxed. For the golf enthusiast there are three main Golf Courses within a 10 minute drive, Villamartin, Las Colinas and Las Ramblas- We’ve spoken about them before on this web site. These courses are world class and Las Colinas has recently been voted "Best Golf Course in Spain’ at the World Golf Awards in Portugal. High Season on the golf courses is from Mid-February to May and from Mid-September to November, when the price is a bit more expensive but the weather is a little cooler. In La Zenia, next to the newest office we have a golf shop where you can get really good priced golf all up and down the Costa Blanca.
Torrevieja City is only 4 km away and is a lovely Spanish cultural city. It has a lovely marina where you can wile away a few hours of an evening looking at the amazing catamarans and yachts that make Torrevieja their home during the summer months. Just in front of the marina is an amusement park with all the fun your children would ever want! Bumper Cars, Chair-o-planes, swing boats and the rest… Torrevieja is built on the coast and the town planners have made the most of their natural beauty by building a beautiful promenade along the edge of the city by the sea, there each evening you can see people out for their stroll. At the end of the promenade there are traditional huts selling all types of things where you can haggle to get yourself a nice bargain. The promenade has lovely bars, cafes and restaurants where you can stop for a coffee or a nice colourful cocktail or indeed have your evening meal out with splendid views. In Torrevieja also there is a wonderful Water Park, Aquapolis, with its many slides and pools for fun and laughter for all the family.
In closing, Playa Flamenca, is close enough to all the action on the Costa Blanca to be fun, young and exciting yet detached enough to be quiet and peaceful for families and retirees as well.
We sell new builds (new developments) as well as re sales properties- If you are thinking of buying a property in Spain, why not consider Playa Flamenca, Costa Blanca?
