Delighted with our new life in Dénia

“We came over from London, where we were living, for a week to do viewings,” said Maria, who works in hospitality but is now semi-retired. “Clare from HomeEspaña showed us the property and we quickly saw that it ticked all the right boxes. She helped us make our offer and the next day we were in their office paying a deposit. The timings fell into place perfectly – the vendor wanted to wait until the end of July to complete, just before my contract in London was due to end!”

Maria and Tomas, both in their early sixties, began exploring the Costa Blanca in 2021. They visited in December so they could experience the best areas to live in the winter and returned again in February 2022. Meanwhile, they began enquiring about properties they found on the internet.

“We discovered Dénia and realised it was ideal – it’s lively throughout the year, it’s not over-developed with high-rise buildings and it’s next to the sea,” continued Maria. “We began making enquiries with agents there, but so many didn’t get back. When we contacted HomeEspaña though they replied immediately. Phil there matched our requirements with two slightly different properties so we flew out to view them. One was just outside Dénia in the village of Jesús Pobre, which was a little too far from the coast for us, but the other was perfect and we bought it.”

Before flying home, the couple appointed power of attorney to a lawyer, thinking they wouldn’t be able to travel to Spain for completion day. In the meantime, HomeEspaña kept them updated and dealt quickly with any enquiries.

“Michelle in Aftersales was really good and helped make the whole process simple,” said Maria. “As it happened, I got time off work and we were able to attend completion day in person. Even after getting the keys, Michelle continued to assist us with things like insurance and finding a painter. We had to return to the UK before moving out at the end of August, but that gave us time to have the whole interior decorated.”

Maria and Tomas’s new home is a ground-floor apartment in a complex of around 20 properties in the Les Rotes (Las Rotas) area of Dénia. They have two bedrooms, a family bathroom and small bathroom, a living area, separate kitchen, terrace and small garden. Communal amenities include a pool and gardens. Located on the south side of town, they are within easy walking distance of the town-centre, with all its amenities, and the beach.

“We like the area as it is very Spanish,” said Maria. “We didn’t want to be surrounded by other German and British people and are keen to embrace the local culture. We’ve already met our Spanish neighbour and we’re starting Spanish classes. I’ve worked all over the world, including Australia, Hawaii, Egypt, San Francisco so am a big fan of the relaxed beachy lifestyle and Dénia offers that. We look forward to going to the beach all year round, sitting in a plaza with a glass of wine and of course enjoying the local gastronomy. Tomas loves cooking Mediterranean food as well as photography, having worked in media before retiring, so he’s very excited!”