The beautiful inland towns and villages in the Alicante region are delightful places to explore.
Here you can still find traditional Spanish squares and family-run shops or restaurants serving grandmother’s secret recipes using local ingredients fresh from the market.
Many families in the inland areas around Jalon have Mallorcan ancestors and have bought their traditional dishes with them such as spicy sobrasada made with pork and paprika, home-made sausages or sweet ensaimada pastries.
There are many advantages to living in inland Alicante. It’s more traditional, you can get involved in a Spanish way of life, the mountain scenery is stunning, the scent of the orange blossom in the spring is unbelievable and property prices tend to be cheaper than on the coast.
Many towns are just 15 to 25 minutes drive from the beaches in Denia or Javea so you can enjoy the best of both worlds.
The Jalon Valley is a popular destination for expats or second home-owners from Northern European countries. It is an important wine making region with the Bodega Xalo by the bridge selling award winning wines as well as wines by the litre, cava, spirits, olive oil and raisins at very reasonable prices.
The pretty town has beautiful views of the mountains and down into the valleys full of fruit trees across to the Mediterranean.
Jalon has a population of just 3,300. Just over half are Spanish while the main expat community is from Britain with 970 residents.
A weekly market is held in the pretty church square and surrounding narrow streets where you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables as well as clothes and household goods. You can also pick up fresh fruit, especially oranges, from the sellers each morning in the car park by the riverbed.
As well as a having a couple of interesting antiques shops, Jalon hosts a Saturday flea market where you can pick up furniture, knickknacks, paintings or pottery.
The farming town of Parcent in the Jalon valley is another beautiful place to live. Spanish writer Gabriel Miro called it ‘a paradise between the mountains’ when he lived here.
The nearby town of Orba is another favourite with expats looking to buy inland. The town has a lovely Spanish feel but there is also a British supermarket and bar as well as an Indian restaurant to help you to feel at home.
Heading further along the road from Orba to Pedreguer is the little town of Benidoleig, where you can also enjoy amazing country views. In Benidoleig are the fascinating Calaveras caves – which are lovely and cool in the summer – with prehistoric stalagmites and stalactites in very interesting shapes.
The El Cid international restaurant in Benidoleig also has a bowling club and tennis courts where you can meet new friends from the expat community.
On the edge of Pego, whose scenic marshes are used to cultivate rice for paellas, is the Monte Pego urbanisation.
The hillside community of white Spanish villas has been built to make the most of the unspoilt sea, mountain and rural views.
On the edge of the traditional Spanish market town of Pedreguer is a similar urbanisation. Monte Pedreguer is also built on a hillside to make the most of the sea and country views.
As well as Spanish schools, there is a private secondary school in Lliber in the Jalon Valley, which follows the English curriculum.
There are also thriving English groups, including charities, as well as a theatre group and choir where you can easily integrate with the local community.
Residents moving inland can enjoy a peaceful, rural and more traditional way of life while being just a few minutes from the main roads, shopping centres and attractions of the Costa Blanca North beach resorts.
Buying a property in inland Alicante on the Costa Blanca North can range from a traditional townhouse, farmhouse/Finca or countryside villas to new and modern apartments and villas on gated communities with far-reaching views.
