One of the questions we are often asked is, ‘Is Villamartin a good place to live?’.
In this article, we’ll give you the lowdown on this sought-after town situated on the Orihuela Costa at the southernmost tip of the Costa Blanca. As you will see, Villamartin is not just a good place to live, rather it’s a great place to live!
A brief overview of Villamartin
Villamartin is a cosmopolitan, Mediterranean resort-style community in the southernmost quarter of the Alicante province, just 12 km southwest of Torrevieja.
It’s one of the most established communities in the area and for buyers and investors alike, there’s an extensive range of properties to choose from ranging from spacious flats, villas with pools, penthouses, townhouses, and of course, golf properties.
The area that makes up Villamartin consists of several individual urbanisations, including Villacosta, Eagles Nest, Montegolf, Las Filipinas, El Presidente, Los Valencias, El Galan, and Blue Lagoon; at the heart of the community is a beautiful traditionally-Spanish plaza and leisure complex.
Although slightly inland, Villamartin is only a 4 km drive to some of the best beaches this beautiful part of the Costa Blanca has to offer, stretching along the Orihuela coastline – perfect for soaking up the sunshine, cooling off with a swim, and enjoying various water sports, such as sailing and windsurfing.
This stunning area of Spain has also become a very popular destination for golfers, partly thanks to the spectacular scenery and sunny climate. If you’ve been bitten by the golf bug, you can fulfil your passion at any one of three championship golf courses, all within a 12 km radius of Villamartin.
Boasting more than 300 days of sunshine a year, the Costa Blanca enjoys long warm summers and short dry winters. Although the average daily temperature is +20 degrees, it can vary between 25 degrees at night to 35 degrees in the daytime during the summer months, from June to the end of September.
Population – a vibrant community
According to official data (2019), the Villamartin population is approximately 30,000 people, many from the UK and other Northern European countries, which make up around 55% of residents. Over the years, this sleepy Spanish town has evolved into a modern, vibrant community, offering enviable lifestyle opportunities.
Whether you’re looking to retire and enjoy endless rounds of golf in the sunshine, start a new ‘less-stressed’ life overseas with a young family, invest in property to rent for tourism purposes, or even take advantage of the Digital Nomad Visa and work remotely, Villamartin has plenty to offer.
The opportunity is ready and waiting, with the professional, experienced team at Micasamo on standby to make it happen.
All the amenities you’ll need on your doorstep
After nearly 50 years of change and development, Villamarin’s expansion has resulted in ample, first-class facilities and attractions to appeal to all ages, making Villamartin an incredible place to live.
All the shops, facilities, and amenities you need for easy day-to-day living are centrally located along Villamartin’s main high street, as well as throughout the individual communities in their commercial centres such as La Fuente Centro Commercial.
- Eating in and dining out
There’s a fantastic selection of restaurants in the most famous of the commercial centres, Villamartin Plaza, which we cover in more detail below.
Whether you like to eat typical Spanish food, Italian, Chinese, Indian, snacks, tapas, or traditional fish and chips, you won’t be disappointed.
Keep an eye out for the Menu del Dia which most restaurants offer, usually at lunchtime. This is a superb value for money, 3-course menu, usually including a drink (wine, beer, or soft drink), for around 10 to 15 euros per person.
If you prefer to eat in, there are plenty of grocery shops to choose from. Some smaller food stores and mini markets are located within the Plaza, with larger supermarkets, including Lidl, Aldi, Mercadona, and Carrefour Hypermarket, within a 15-minute drive.
There are also colourful local markets most days, where you can buy fresh, local produce – meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, olives, bread as well as clothes and household items. They tend to open at 8 am and wind down around 1 pm, and you can be sure of picking up a bargain or two.
- Retail therapy
For those who enjoy a little ‘retail therapy’, there are plenty of desirable shopping destinations to dive into and splurge to your heart’s desire or until your feet get sore!
If you love to spend an entire day shopping, stopping for coffee, lunch, and a refreshing glass of wine before making a beeline for still more shops… you will enjoy the vibe of La Zenia Boulevard, an enticing outdoor shopping experience with over 150 shops plus restaurants, bars, and even a casino!
Other great areas for shopping in the area include the Centro Commercial Villamartin Plaza and Habaneras Centro Commercial.
- Healthcare
Healthcare is always an important consideration for residents and visitors. Villamartin offers impressive public health services and private healthcare options.
For those entitled to free healthcare, the Villamartin Health Centre provides healthcare for the whole family.
Other healthcare providers such as dental services, osteopaths, and private doctors are located on the Plaza or within easy walking distance.
- Banking services
To access your money to pay for all the eating out, shopping, and entertainment on offer, there are plenty of banks and cash points spread around the area, including the big names like CaixaBank, Banco Sabadell, Santander, and BBVA.
Villamartin Plaza: simply a fantastic place to be
This beautiful and traditionally built Spanish Plaza is of typical Spanish architecture, set over two levels, featuring a stunning square with a black and white chessboard pattern. Wrought iron balconies, terracotta and ceramic tiles and spectacular Spanish-style lamps are built around a central courtyard featuring fountains, rockeries, and palm trees.
Residential homes overlook the beautiful central area, with many busy restaurants and bars below. It’s a focal point and a lively oasis at the heart of Villamartin and conveniently located opposite the internationally renowned Villamartin Golf Club.
There is always something happening in the Villamartin Plaza and during the summer months, you can enjoy a variety of outdoor live music. Over the past few years, international stars such as Tony Christie and Paul Young have entertained visitors as well as fresh local talent from Spain.
With a superb array of lively bars and quality restaurants offering an incredible range of mouth-watering food, from snacks and tapas to a range of local delicacies, international cuisine, and fine dining, there is no doubt Villamartin Plaza is the place to be to soak up the vibrant atmosphere, make new friends, have fun and enjoy life to the max!
Three championship golf courses to choose from
It’s not just the residents that enjoy playing golf in this region of Costa Blanca.
Increasing numbers of golfers from the UK and Europe take advantage of the sublime warm winter climate – according to the ‘World Health Organisation’, one of the healthiest on earth.
- The Villamartin Golf Club: home to the oldest course on the Costa Blanca
The Villamartin Golf Club was constructed and built by Robert Dean Putmann and opened in June 1972. It provides a championship course, having played host to the Mediterranean Open.
The course is very diverse and suitable for golfers of all abilities. Old olive and pine trees present natural challenges along the fairways. When playing off some holes, it’s easy to get distracted by the incredible views of the sparkling Mediterranean sea.
Villamartin Golf is part of La Finca Golf Resort.
- La Finca Golf Resort: ‘an Oasis of Calm’ where golf lovers can enjoy the superb quality of its courses
With magnificent greens and open fairways flanked by palm trees, pines, and lakes, La Finca Golf Resort is a regular refuge for golf lovers.
La Finca golf course was opened in 2002 and was created by the famous designer Pepe Gancedo, with an Arizona-style layout. It is now firmly established as one of the best in the region.
- Las Ramblas: one of the most prestigious courses in Spain
Built into the beautiful landscape of Mediterranean pines, Las Ramblas Golf Course was again designed by Pepe Gancedo and opened in May 1991.
This exciting course with slick greens provides a challenging layout. Expect to be distracted by more magnificent views of the Mediterranean sea. Accuracy is required!
Pro Tip: For excellent reasons, the Villamartin area is becoming increasingly popular for golfers as a superb winter golfing destination. It’s less crowded than the Costa del Sol or the Algarve and less expensive. Add into the potent mix spectacular scenery, an abundant choice of superb restaurants, and lively, welcoming bars and you come up with several fabulous reasons to live here, purchase a second home to escape the British winter, or perhaps buy an investment property that can be rented out for holidaymakers.
Exploring the area around Villamartin
Although slightly inland, Villamartin is part of Orihuela, only 3 km away from the Orihuela Costa and the shimmering Mediterranean sea.
It’s close to many other outstanding locations in this great region of the Costa Blanca, including:
- Torrevieja (20 minutes) – Shopping, museums, markets, eating, nightlife, and, of course, beaches galore.
- Alicante (50 minutes) – Beaches, Santa Bárbara Castle, monuments and historic buildings, museums and cultural centres, promenades, and gardens.
- Murcia (45 minutes) – Historical tours, a breathtaking cathedral, chapels and monuments, theatre, and tapas routes!
- Cartagena (40 minutes) – a city with more than 2,500 years of history. A port and port tour, Roman theatre and museum, Naval museum.
* All times are by car although there is an excellent choice of public transport, covered in the next section.
Excellent transport links make it easy to get around
Villamartin is very well connected and served by public transport.
The Mediterranean Motorway (A7), the National Highway (332), and the Toll Motorway (AP-7) provide exceptional road routes for cars, taxis, and buses alike.
If you need to take a train or plane, all airports and train stations are less than an hour’s drive away, including:
- Murcia International (20 min) – Easyjet, Ryanair, Jet2.com, Tui, Vueling – check for others.
- Alicante Airport (50 min) – All national and international airlines operate from here, as it’s the fifth largest airport in Spain.
- Orihuela Train Station (20 min).
- Murcia Train Station (30 min).
- Alicante Train Station (50 min).
Details of local bus services can be found in this comprehensive Guide to Public Transport on South Costa Blanca.
There are several taxi ranks distributed around the town. Availability in the summer can be limited and we would always recommend booking, particularly for airport transfers.
Almost our last words
We started with the question, ‘Is Villamartin a good place to live?’. Here’s a quick summary of what we’ve covered in our reply, to help you make up your own mind!
- A cosmopolitan urbanisation with a village feel.
- An extensive range of properties to choose from.
- Easy access to beautiful Blue Flag beaches and surrounding countryside.
- One of the best climates in Spain.
- All facilities and amenities are within easy reach for day-to-day living, leisure and entertainment for the whole family.
- Superb healthcare.
- A lively and vibrant community featuring the Villamartin Plaza as the place to be.
- A choice of three championship golf courses.
- Within easy reach of other outstanding areas of Spain to explore.
- Excellent travel links within Spain and to airports for international travel.
And finally
In our opinion, Villamartin is an amazing place to live (and visit) and, if we’ve piqued your interest, we invite you to take a look at some of the beautiful, modern villas and apartments we have available in and around Villamartin.
We also invite you to meet our team. Between us, we have more decades of experience than we care to mention in helping our clients find the right property to meet their requirements for a new life in Spain – and to achieve their dream lifestyle.
We provide an end-to-end service, including; free consultation with legal advisors, financial advisors, residency advisors, relocation advice, property consultancy to establish your right fit property, exclusive property viewing trips to show you the area and suitable properties, an ongoing first-class after-sales service, and more.
If you’re looking for the perfect home in Spain, talk to us today, and we can make it happen.
