MORAIRA

Like many of the local towns, Moraira was once a small fishing village with the nearby Teulada being the main town and administrative centre. It lies on a bay on the eastern coast of the Costa Blanca in an area that, like Jávea and Dénia, enjoys what has been reputed to be by the World Health Organisation, one of the healthiest climates in the World. Sheltered by the surrounding mountains from the northern winds in the winter and benefiting from the sub-tropical Mediterranean climate, Moraira enjoys over 320 days of sunshine every year, making it an ideal place to retire or emigrate to.

Whilst Moraira attracts a lot of ex-pat settlers and European holiday makers, it is still highly popular with the Spanish with the summer attracting lots of people from Madrid and Valencia. Unlike other towns with a large ex-pat community, Spanish is the main language spoken with Valenciano (the local dialect of the Valenican Community) also being heard in most of the commercial areas. Castellano (most commonly called “Spanish”) and Valenciano are both compulsory languages taught in local Spanish schools which is an import thing to bear in mind if you are planning to put your child into a local state-run school. However, for those of us who are linguistically-challenged, English is also widely spoken in this area with the local Spanish people being very welcoming and accommodating of visitors or neighbours from all parts of the World.

Being largely a tourist town, with agriculture as the second most important industry, Moraira offers the tourist or resident plenty of things to do. The beach, marina and harbour offer a wealth of sports (jet skiing, water-skiing, diving, beach volleyball, snorkeling etc). There are four excellent golf courses in the area with other activities such as horse-riding, hiking, tennis and cycling also being catered for. For those who are not so energetic the town has many shops, bars and restaurants with a local market visiting every Friday carrying stalls laden with everything from fruit and vegetables to flamenco dresses and cheap sun-glasses. As with all areas of Spain, Moraira enjoys a full schedule of fiestas that take place throughout the year which is a time where everyone is invited to let their hair down and enjoy the fun.

Moraira has seen quite a lot of development over the past 20 years or so, but, due to strict planning laws, this has been carried out very tastefully in-keeping with the beauty of the area. Most of the residential areas consist of privately-owned villas or small apartment complexes with no high-rise hotels or apartment blocks at all. All the properties that have been built in Moraira, and the new builds that are currently being constructed are sympathetically-placed and aesthetically-constructed so to retain the look and feel of this pretty Spanish coastal town. Popular with European ex-pat holiday property investors and retirees, Moraira is an idea place in which to buy a property or to take a long term rental in Spain.

For more information on what Moraira has to offer visit http://www.info-teulada-moraira.com