Alora – The Essential Guide from Local Residents

Can’t decide if you should go to Alora in Spain? Let our quick guide help you make up your mind by providing some useful tips and advice from a local resident.

Below, we feature an expat interview with Gerben Rooyakkers of Alora Real Estate who covers the Alora area.

In particular, we wanted to know from Gerben why Alora could just be the perfect place for those who are thinking of moving to Spain and are therefore interested to know what they could get for their money.

Gerben, thanks for helping our readers. I guess we should start off by asking what would you say would be the advantages to living in Alora compared to other Costa del Sol towns?

The benefit of Alora is that there is a train station who can bring you to Alora from the airport, Malaga or the coast to Fuengirola. And in the near future to Marbella.

If you look on the map you can see that Alora is almost in the middle of Andalusia so from here you can easily reach all the famous big cities.

Would the area not suit certain types of people, i.e. are there any possible downsides?

Because there are very steep streets I would not recommend it to people who need using a wheelchair or something like that.

What proportion of the local population are Spanish?

The population of Spanish people in Alora is still around 75 percent so you will need to know some Spanish words if you come to Alora.

What are your favourite things to do in the area?

The most favourite thing to do around Alora is to walk the “Caminito del Rey” (Kings path). This is really a thrilling adventure path made on a steep rock wall and you will walk on a hight of over 100 meters. And don’t miss the beautiful nature with the vultures and falcons flying above you.

Can you give us some insider tips to the best bars or restaurants?

There is a very good restaurant in the centre of Alora called “Casa Abilio” and there is a very good tapas restaurant in the shopping street called “De Kñas”.

Are there many facilities such as doctors and dentists, shops etc?

In the centre of Alora is a little hospital with a 24h. emergency service and during daytime there a lot of doctors available. There are several dentists but you have to know the openings hours because they are not always open. And there is a good choice of shops, you can get everything you need in Alora and don’t have to go to the big cities if you don’t want that.

Are there smaller villages nearby that you might also recommend?

A very nice village to go to is “El Chorro”, here are many rock climbing paths and also good for hiking. This is also the end of the “Caminito del rey” and there is a very nice restaurant “La Garganta”. An nice and relaxed Spanish Pueblo.

What are the nearest international schools and how good are they?

The nearest International school is near the village of Cartama and called Sunland and is very good.

Is crime an issue for expats?

Luckily there is not much crime in and around Alora and let’s keep it that way ;-).

Coming onto buying property, what is the market like now in terms of prices going up, or down or staying the same?

For buying houses the prices are stabilized now but we expect that this will go up little by little in the next few years. It is still a good time for buying a good quality house for a good price.

Is this a good time to buy and are there any repossessions or very cheap properties still available to buy?

There are still a few repossessions for sale but most of the time occupied by squatters and difficult to get them out. And most of the time if you see very cheap properties there is something with it, or very rural, or difficult to reach, or not all in the deeds so you need to be lucky to find the right one.

How much are the typical property prices in Alora for apartments, villas etc?

A nice 2-bedroom apartment depending the quality will be for sale between €80.000 and €140.000 and a nice villa with pool from €200.000 upwards.

Any tips and advice to people looking to buy in Alora or surrounding area?

For people to find out if they want to live in town, near town or just rural is one of the most important things. For each we can find a houses in the Alora region which suits all.

Gerben, thank you so much for taking the time to help our readers with your experiences in Spain.

See the complete interview on:  http://www.spainmadesimple.com/costa-del-sol/alora/