Articles :: Citrus Cycling: Life Change for Alex and Adam
We all think about it, but Alex and Adam did more! They moved from their 100 year old house in the beautiful New Forest in Hampshire, to Benidoleig which is situated between Pedreguer and Orba. The lure? Running their own Cycle training business.
Alex and Adam decided to purchase a new house in Spain essentially for the climate during the winter/spring months as this is essential for their cycling training business, essential factors were and are the way of life, good flight connection from the UK, which are inexpensive and easy for their clients.
They originally began the property search in March 2006. Both Alex and Adam out for a week after previously being in touch with three agents who had made, and arranged appointments for them. After only a week searching, they found their new home, in Benidoleig which is a small village and is well known for it’s prehistoric caves. There are many fiestas in Benidoleig and the surrounding villages during the summer months. They moved out lock stock and barrel in October 2006, and took on the mammoth job of completely re styling their new home.
Alex and Adam purchased the property through an estate agent in Oliva. They had a total budget of 250,000 Stirling but ended up spending 225,000 Stirling, this included all building work.
How did you furnish the property?
“When It came to furnishing the house & apartment we brought the majority of furnishings with us from England. Most of this was our original furniture, I also purchased all the bedding & towels from England too as this tend to be much more expensive here in Spain. We did however, purchase seven beds, large dining table & chairs, a small sofa, leather sofas, TV Cabinet, coffee table and various other items here in Spain. I searched local business for the best prices!”
What did you both consider to be the priorities?
“As the house was to be our new home, plus our business the priorities where enough bedrooms, bathrooms, good location plus telephone line & broadband – yes, to our surprise in some places you cannot get a phone line. We wanted to be inland slightly but not too far from the sea as this would be good for triathlon training side of the business, but mainly to be in a good cycling area for varied rides, hilly and flat routes”
The property has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms and boasts a separate apartment, which has 3 of the bedrooms and 2 of the bathrooms. The main house has 2 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms, one ensuite – this is Alex and Adams room!! The business can cater for eight people on the cycling side, Adam says “if we have a booking for eight, two stay upstairs with us, but all socialising side would be together in the apartment”.
The apartment has 3 bedrooms and sleeps 6; one bedroom has ensuite shower room. It also has a fully fitted kitchen, a dining area, lounge area & front terrace.
What is the garden area like?
“We have a front & back garden both well established with Palms, Olive trees and other mature shrubs. There are also approx 25 pots containing various flowers, plants & Cactus, these were all purchase in the house deal”.
Did you hit any snags?
“All in all we didn’t come across any problems or surprises when purchasing, as the couple we bought from were very helpful all the way and of course we got a good solicitor – very important!!”
What was the most impressive thing in making the move?
“As the original house was only a 2 bedroom property we had our entire underbuild converted into an apartment as this was the only way to fit the bill for our requirements for the money. We got an excellent recommendation for a builder and it took him 9 weeks build time to do this – fab job!”
The appeal of this area for both Alex and Adam is living on a mountain, Aldea de las Cuevas (Village of the Caves) above the village of Benidoleig in the beautiful and scenic Orba valley.
“The views from the house are spectacular! To the side are the mountains which change colour at different time of the day and according to the weather & to the front of the property, you look down the valley to the sea. There are two community pools close to the apartment, one with pool bar serving snacks and drinks and tennis courts that are for the exclusive use of residents and guests.”
For nautical sports there is Denia’s Yacht club and marina that offer yacht charter, deep-sea fishing, diving & sailing courses. There are daily ferries to both Ibiza & Majorca, also from Denia port. For walking, hiking and cycling(our business), the Vall de Laguar, Segaria mountain range and the Jalon valley provide excellent routes. There are several riding stables within a 15-20 km radius. Denia also has a vast choice of bars and restaurants to choose from but there are plenty of good restaurants in the valley which are great value for money. You can take leisurely trips to surrounding Spanish villages and also visit some of the areas headlands for wonderful views and sheltered coves. For the more active there are three good golf course close to Benidoleig, La Salla (Denia) designed by Jose Maria Olazabel is an 18 hole par 72 , Don Cayo (Altea) is an 18 hole par 72 and is approx 40 mins by car and Oliva Nova (Oliva) an 18 hole par 72 approx 20 mins by car. Other activities include a safari park, Terra Mitica Theme Park and Aqualandia water park, all approx 30-40 mins from the apartment.
A 20 min drive through the orange groves to one of the nearest beaches, the town of Denia, where the beach stretches for 10 miles to the north – here all types of water sports can be found. The blue flag beaches of Javea and Calpe are only approx 25 mins by car. The quaint fishing coastal village of Moriaira is approx 30 mins by car
So Alex, Adam what do you feel about the move? And have you any advice?
“The things that make this property special is what I mentioned before – the views! It is also very quiet and peaceful which all our cycling guests have commented on – great to unwind at the end of a hard days training. We have no street lights up here which makes the sky at night glorious.
Our neighbours all seem very friendly, and a very we have made good friends with. It is a mix of ex-pats, Germans and we do have a Spanish family living on the mountain too!
Any advice I would offer to people thinking and buying or moving to Spain is firstly, do your homework, area, laws etc, then get yourself a good reputable solicitor!
Is their any down side?
“ Just missing our friends that we left back in the UK – mind you they have rented the apartment for holidays already – when we have not had cycling guests in of course!”
Alex and Adam can be found so easily, so why not contact them at:
or telephone on:
0034 966404315
©2007 Association of UK Property Owners
