Finding the ideal house in Spain is a combined effort with my sister. She wants a holiday home while we plan to live there all year -round. This means balancing different needs: a place that works for relaxed vacations and a spot that fits our everyday lifestyle. While we are physically in Spain exploring potential areas, she is busy scanning the listings from afar, sending us links to check them out.
One of those links led us to a house in Ontinyent, a city we hadn’t even considered. It’s in the Valencian province, about 55 km inland. Still, keeping an open mind, we decided to make the over 100 km drive to see if it could be the right fit.
First Impressions of Ontinyent
The drive took us 1.5 hours, which already felt like a stretch. We had a tentative viewing scheduled, though another buyer had seen it the day before and was considering an offer. Oddly enough, the agent wouldn’t let us view it until that offer was decided. A bit bizarre, as you’d think having backup interest would be a good thing.
As we were waiting, we decided to check out Ontinyent. With a population of 35k we expected a fair amount of amenities. and a lively city centre. But after parking and walking around, we struggled to find a bit of soul. It was a grid of streets, maybe a Roman influence but we could not find much buzz.
A tourist office directed us to a central square, Plaça Mayor where we could find some action. We arrived, found a church, one cafe and a handful of parked cars. As our hometown in France has a fabulous square and is a quarter of the size of this town, we felt rather disappointed.
From the square we wondered up into the old town hoping to find little tucked away bars and quirky cafes. None of those! We decided that Ontinyent was not the right fit for us!
The Ideal House in the Wrong Location?
We had not heard from the real estate lady and decided to drive up to the house as we had the coordinates. It was a 4km drive and the house sat in an ‘urbanizacion’ – one of those sprawling suburban developments with large plots and walled-off homes. Not exactly the community feel we’re looking for.
From what we could see, the house itself had plenty of potential. There was a main house, a casita, a large outdoor area, a pool, a carport , some fruit trees and a small olive grove. Sounds idyllic – right?
However it was in the wrong location in every aspect. Here’s why!
- The house was in an urbanizacion – large plots with high walls. A push if you like to get to know your neighbours.
- Ontinyent was not unattractive but it did not offer much either – no spark
- At over 50 km inland, a beach trip would require real effort.
- The nearest beach options are Gandia and Oliva. Both high rise resort towns.
- The drive to the beach felt tedious – slow and quite busy even in the winter. Imagine the summer!
This experience reminded us of an important discovery: a beautiful home means nothing if it’s in the wrong place.
So, we keep going, refining our vision, and narrowing down locations that feel right. The search continues—stay tuned
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On another note, if you like my pictures, you can find more in my new Etsy shop.
Marijke
