Keen cyclist - where to buy a place in Spain?
Discussion
Somewhere around Altea - some will say Mallorca - I’ve been there in the hills in early winter and it isn’t appropriate enough - snow, brutal rain and winds both seen in early Feb when I’ve been.
Conversely you’ll see many many many pro teams now in around the hills near Calpe etc now. The only possible issue is lack of long climbs.
Conversely you’ll see many many many pro teams now in around the hills near Calpe etc now. The only possible issue is lack of long climbs.
Edited by okgo on Friday 17th January 15:30
What kind of cycling are you thinking of doing? Many pro road cyclists are based in Girona, and lots of teams have out of season camps in Calp / Calpe, as there is tons of varied cycling there, but if you wanted to do MTB / Gravel they may not be the best options. You could also go to the Spanish side of the Pyrenees or the Sierra Nevada if you're looking for hills. You could potentially buy somewhere in a ski resort and use it in the summer for cycling, then rent it out in the winter.
Caveat - I've never cycled in any of these places, although I've done a week in the French Pyrenees and that was amazing - pretty much all of it would have been accessible from the Spanish side too.
Caveat - I've never cycled in any of these places, although I've done a week in the French Pyrenees and that was amazing - pretty much all of it would have been accessible from the Spanish side too.
Majorca is fine but you'll get bored of the same roads.
The Altea/ Calpe/ Via Joyosa area is a good bet - as said upthread, a lot of teams use it for training. Take a look at Finestrat- stunning hill village next to the Puig Campagna. Yes, it is close to Benidorm, but the skyline of Benidorm is quite impressive, at night....from a distance. From there you are into Sella and Relleu and the big hills behind.
It is also an hour from Alicante airport.
Girona is where a lot the pros live and it has some great riding. It's a very pretty town and the region is quieter, very unspoilt and you can do big hills and beaches in the same day.
Denia is a better option than Altea, Calpe, Benidorm… Access to a far better variety of roads and you don’t need to use N332 to get to them like you’d need to do with the other locations. Also Cafe Ciclista in Denia do group rides three times a week if you want company. Weather will be generally better than Girona on a year round basis. I spend a lot of time cycling about 15 minutes inland from Alicante airport. Great variety of roads and lots of gravel and mtb but doesn’t have the ‘glamour’ of a bit further north. Might be worth having a look at https://www.escapar.cc/ which is a cycling holiday business based in Ontinyent. As I understand it the owner did a lot of research on all of the aforementioned places in this thread and decided to establish his business in this area due to the variety of cycling options on offer.
murray said:
Denia is a better option than Altea, Calpe, Benidorm… Access to a far better variety of roads and you don’t need to use N332 to get to them like you’d need to do with the other locations. Also Cafe Ciclista in Denia do group rides three times a week if you want company. Weather will be generally better than Girona on a year round basis. I spend a lot of time cycling about 15 minutes inland from Alicante airport. Great variety of roads and lots of gravel and mtb but doesn’t have the ‘glamour’ of a bit further north. Might be worth having a look at https://www.escapar.cc/ which is a cycling holiday business based in Ontinyent. As I understand it the owner did a lot of research on all of the aforementioned places in this thread and decided to establish his business in this area due to the variety of cycling options on offer.
Beach not quite as nice though, Altea felt like the right mix of lack of chav Brits and such. Denia undoubtedly great access to climbs from your door, Val D’Ebo is lovely climb. okgo said:
Beach not quite as nice though, Altea felt like the right mix of lack of chav Brits and such. Denia undoubtedly great access to climbs from your door, Val D’Ebo is lovely climb.
I climbed D’Ebo from the easy side and descended the nice side on Wednesday. Then did Rates. Was a good day on the bike.
Spain is the 2nd-most mountainous country in Europe, after Switzerland. You have a good budget so you should also have a good choice. Your 2nd and 3rd items on your wish list are more likely to be the deciders.
So typically, from the coast, you only need to go inland a few km to really start climbing. Even on the south-coast, a climb from say San Pedro to Grazalema of 77km, climbs 1630m through amazing national parks, but gives you easy access to beaches and night-life, if you want. I have seen professional teams up there. Coming back down looks a lot more fun from my car.
The 100% property tax is just UK click-bait. It actually related to not being offered a discount on residency taxes, i.e. non-residents will pay the same tax as full residents.
So typically, from the coast, you only need to go inland a few km to really start climbing. Even on the south-coast, a climb from say San Pedro to Grazalema of 77km, climbs 1630m through amazing national parks, but gives you easy access to beaches and night-life, if you want. I have seen professional teams up there. Coming back down looks a lot more fun from my car.
The 100% property tax is just UK click-bait. It actually related to not being offered a discount on residency taxes, i.e. non-residents will pay the same tax as full residents.
CoolHands said:
It’s not. Try dealing with here and now, not what could’ve been
Of course it is. In the week where they've announced plans for this 100% tax, it's absolutely pivotal in discussing the viability of buying "a place in Spain".It's also perfectly legitimate to reflect on the lunacy of the situation we're in, because in a democracy, debate is allowed. Threads where the real world impact is evident are the right place to bring this up.
There’s nothing to consider, and nothing pivotal, cos we’re not in the eu. So harping on about brexit because remainers can’t believe they lost is fruitless and annoying for other readers. We could harp on about lots of what could’ve beens… just remainers won’t shut up about their obsession
CoolHands said:
There’s nothing to consider, and nothing pivotal, cos we’re not in the eu. So harping on about brexit because remainers can’t believe they lost is fruitless and annoying for other readers. We could harp on about lots of what could’ve beens… just remainers won’t shut up about their obsession
Obviously your head is in the clouds if you think this isn't a factor in the purchase decision. Spain have announced a plan for a 100% tax on second homes for non-eu buyers: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr7enzjrymxoIn case you can't do the maths, it means a €500k apartment will now cost €1m.
OP for what its worth, I would invest the money in a fund, and then just do what we do and Airbnb/rent anyway and go to different places. There are some absolute bargains available off season and bike rental is extremely cheap. If you want to stay longer you can just rent for longer. €35-50 per day gets you €5000+ value bike including delivery to the airbnb in most places.
jonathan_roberts said:
Obviously your head is in the clouds if you think this isn't a factor in the purchase decision. Spain have announced a plan for a 100% tax on second homes for non-eu buyers: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr7enzjrymxo
In case you can't do the maths, it means a €500k apartment will now cost €1m.
OP for what its worth, I would invest the money in a fund, and then just do what we do and Airbnb/rent anyway and go to different places. There are some absolute bargains available off season and bike rental is extremely cheap. If you want to stay longer you can just rent for longer. €35-50 per day gets you €5000+ value bike including delivery to the airbnb in most places.
This is a outright lie. The lie you have posted has already been debunked in a post earlier in this thread and elsewhere on PH a few days ago. At least do some research before continuing to spread this lie!In case you can't do the maths, it means a €500k apartment will now cost €1m.
OP for what its worth, I would invest the money in a fund, and then just do what we do and Airbnb/rent anyway and go to different places. There are some absolute bargains available off season and bike rental is extremely cheap. If you want to stay longer you can just rent for longer. €35-50 per day gets you €5000+ value bike including delivery to the airbnb in most places.
Also I'm not sure why the OP should listen to the rest of your advice when you are getting something basic so wrong!
Edited by Ashfordian on Sunday 19th January 13:48
Not been for a long time, but done some riding around the areas mentioned above, Calp etc and would seriously recommend it. We were based in Moraira, short or long ride to the Coll de Rates and the Cumbre del Sol is on the doorstep, alongside the beaches.
You can do rides like this
https://strava.app.link/JatHr7oMhQb
And this
https://strava.app.link/3Wo0yYKMhQb
Just remember to record the decent...
You can do rides like this
https://strava.app.link/JatHr7oMhQb
And this
https://strava.app.link/3Wo0yYKMhQb
Just remember to record the decent...
Ashfordian said:
This is a outright lie. The lie you have posted has already been debunked in a post earlier in this thread and elsewhere on PH. At least some research before continuing to spread this lie!
Also I'm not sure why the OP should listen to the rest of your advice when you are getting something basic so wrong!
This whole proposal (and it was one of 12 proposals by Sanchez) has been so badly misreported it's hilarious. The amount of people who has misinterpreted what was being suggested is remarkable. Also I'm not sure why the OP should listen to the rest of your advice when you are getting something basic so wrong!
FWIW - I would agree with many posters below re North Costa Blanca. A friend of a friend has set up a cycling focussed airbnb for cycling holidays in that neck of the woods and did a lot of research before committing to where he considered the most suitable area for the best roads - albeit their focus is only really road cycling but knowing the area I would say the MTBing is decent also.
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