Well first of all there are 2 definitions of torrevieja. Foreigners refer to it as pretty much everywhere from La Mata right the way to La Zenia, Playa Flemenca, Villa Martin, La Zenia. Locals refer to the town.
So when you say the beach it could mean anywhere.
The centre of town is very Spanish with working people and families. The surrounding areas tend to be more urbanizations with higher proportion of non- Spanish. These areas often use English as the main language despite being made up of Scandanavians, Brits, Russians. In the last year around 10,000 Ukrainians have moved to the area despite there being an even larger number of Russians.
It is really a case of chalk and cheese. I'd you want villas, shopping malls, Indian and Chinese restaurants, beaches, bars and English language choose the urbanizations. If you want something more Spanish choose the centre but be prepared to live in an apartment rather than a detached property. There are numerous facilities in the centre but traffic is a problem. The summer months are busy with the population nearly doubling. Its very busy and noisy but in a nice way if you accept Spanish culture. Winter is quieter. Many foreigners regard the town as dirty and ugly with perceived poverty and crime. However, most burglaries are in the urbanizations where it is easier. Oh yeah....its technically the poorest town in Spain.

 

Well first of all there are 2 definitions of torrevieja. Foreigners refer to it as pretty much everywhere from La Mata right the way to La Zenia, Playa Flemenca, Villa Martin, La Zenia. Locals refer to the town.
So when you say the beach it could mean anywhere.
The centre of town is very Spanish with working people and families. The surrounding areas tend to be more urbanizations with higher proportion of non- Spanish. These areas often use English as the main language despite being made up of Scandanavians, Brits, Russians. In the last year around 10,000 Ukrainians have moved to the area despite there being an even larger number of Russians.
It is really a case of chalk and cheese. I'd you want villas, shopping malls, Indian and Chinese restaurants, beaches, bars and English language choose the urbanizations. If you want something more Spanish choose the centre but be prepared to live in an apartment rather than a detached property. There are numerous facilities in the centre but traffic is a problem. The summer months are busy with the population nearly doubling. Its very busy and noisy but in a nice way if you accept Spanish culture. Winter is quieter. Many foreigners regard the town as dirty and ugly with perceived poverty and crime. However, most burglaries are in the urbanizations where it is easier. Oh yeah....its technically the poorest town in Spain.

Thanks for all the info. The areas we were most interested in were Los Locos Beach and Villa Martin. Let me know your opinions about both if possible

 

Like Blackpool with sunshine,,,try somewhere else.

 

I agree! Take a look at the coastal stretch between Alicante city and Villajoyosa. Beautiful beaches and coves, excellent public transport (including a tram connecting the coastal resorts with the city centre) and better all-year-round facilities.

 

We were looking a year ago at properties in Fuengirola and Torrevieja.
I preferred Torrevieja as Fuengirola came across, to me, as cheap and tacky. My wife liked it more as it seemed to have more nightlife and action.
After spending a week in Torrevieja, we settled on it and are now here.
It has all the usual amenieties. Close to airport, plenty of beaches. The above poster is correct in that Torrevieja is the downtown which does look a bit run down and has plenty of grafitti and then there are the urbanizations around. I like that i can be here, if i want to mix with the british expat community i can and the same for the finnish community. Or i can choose to do my own thing.

Its sunny now. Been here for 3 weeks and have only put on jeans once. In the autumn there was a fair bit of rain.
Many say that due to the 2 salt lakes and the mountains surrounding, torrevieja has its own micro climate.
There are good restaurants in town as well as in surrounding areas. Shopping i would say is primarily in the malls.
There are plenty of golf courses around as well as padel.
Elche is the nearest big football team which is 30 mins away.
Buses run and are cheap enough.
There is no train service here.

 

I personally like Torrevieja town for the simple reason it's Spanish. Whenever I go to places like Le mata or La Zenia I feel like I'm in some kind of resort where everything is designed for foreigners who are retired or on holiday. In the actual town you get normal working Spanish families and therefore it reflects real Spain and abides by the customs. Here we have the siesta period and rules that reflect that such as noise ( no building work or use of pool) we also tolerate noise later at night when folk eat or watch TV. Obviously its not everyone's cup of tea which is fair enough but at least I feel like I live in Spain and not some enclave of a different country

 

Don't forget the mozzies, a perennial problem which there is little escape and can make it impossible to sit outside.

 

Los Locos: it's a popular area in the summer months but quiet in the winter. My mother in law lived there but that was many years ago and all of torrevieja was different then. Personally I don't like it- it is a bit of a walk to the centre and probably has not too many facilities. The best place is probably Aldea del Mar which is a contained complex at the end of the beach ( beside the two high towers) it has nice quirky apartments in lovely gardens with a huge pool ( but that is public) a favourite for wealthy Scandanavians who like the security of the place and the faux spanish atmosphere. The centre is better as this is where everything is so you don't need a car.
Villa Martin is one of the oldest urbanizations in the area but a good 25 minutes drive to centre of torrevieja. Its probably no longer as desirable as it used to be and there is less new builds there compared to La Zenia. My son goes to school there. It's mainly English speaking with a square with bars and restaurants. There is also a golf course. I imagine it's quiet with a large number of retired foreigners. You would need a car for shopping and beaches etc but you have the large La Zenia Boulevard shopping complex nearby. Price wise: los locos will be cheap and Villamartin a bit more expensive

 

Hi
I would advise against Villamartin - it is dead outside of the summer months and public transport is almost non-existent. It's also very hilly!
If you're attracted to the general area, then La Zenia and Playa Flamenca would be better choices.
/SNIP/

Cheers
Steve

 

Oh yes it's really hilly!!. Not really accessible by bike nor walking.

 

My sister lives on the Villamartin estates. It is dead in winter but not much better in summer!!
If you're not to good at walking distances or hill climbing then choose elsewhere.

Steve