Choosing a location, let alone a property, is often a case of heart over head – the emotional response to places and houses is impossible to ignore. So it was for us, and while we saw more than one property that could have fitted our needs, there was only one that got it’s claws into us right from first sight.

We had never heard of the Costa Azahar before our first house-hunting trip in January of 2020. In fact it is a glorious stretch of Mediterranean coast running from Valencia up to the Catalonian border and takes its name from the swathes of orange trees that blanket the fertile levels between mountains and sea – literally it is the Orange Blossom Coast. For us, it has a pleasing lush and verdant feel in contrast to some more southerly parts of Spain, whilst still being distinctively Spanish. Equally importantly for us it was not a haven for ex-pats, as some of the other Costas could be. 

No disrespect at all to our country of birth, but if we were going to get away and live in Spain, we wanted it to be authentic and real. In at the deep-end, so to speak! 

One house in particular intrigued us from the first moment we saw it on the internet. Huge picture-windows framed views across the valley towards the little town of Traiguera and the mountains beyond.  It sat alone on the western slope of the hill, giving it privacy and seclusion without being remote. In spite of being wildly over budget, we felt it had to be viewed.

Reality was not a let-down (even on a stormy January day), and as we drove up the hill to the house there was a brief, unrepeatable utterance from the passenger seat as the house came into view for the first time. It was obvious, even from a kilometre away, that this one would be hard to walk away from.

The house had the space we needed for our guest accommodation, ample space for us, and killer views! The area was perfect, with walking and mountain biking routes in abundance, the sea just 20 minutes away and so much to explore inland. With heads and hearts booming, we knew we’d found the right place.  

On our first viewing trip to Spain, we’d ticked all the boxes (if you didn’t include affordability). In spite of continuing our search on that trip, and two more subsequent visits, we never felt we’d bettered it.  

We re-budgeted over and over again to figure out how we could afford to buy the place as well as do the work we needed to before we had the high-end accommodation we wanted to offer. Finally, in spite of so many seemingly insurmountable challenges, we moved here in November 2020 and from day 1, it has felt like home.  

Of course, now the hard work begins…