Date: 20 Feb 2018. Location: Alicante airport. Our mission: To make it from the plane, through passport control, collect undamaged bags, collect hire car and be on the road within two hours, while not having a cross word between us. A hugely difficult mission, but we were successful and on our way to Biar within 90 minutes of de-planing. In all fairness the odds were on our side as it was February so the airport wasn’t too busy and we only had carry on bags as we were only in Spain for a few days. But it was still satisfying to be successful.
We drove North and to the Hotel Rural Castillo de Biar which turned out to be a characterful two storey country house, situated in its own grounds on the outskirts of Biar, and with superb views. What a great location to spend a few days and explore the area. With a mix of our limited Spanish, the receptionists limited English and good old Google translate we managed to get to our room after checking in and reserving a table for dinner. Pointless really as we were the only guests that week. ‘Let’s have a drink on the patio,’ said Deb, ‘and soak up the atmosphere. The weather is glorious and warm considering it’s February’ ‘Sounds good to me.’ I replied. Relaxing afternoon in beautiful countryside followed by a well prepared evening meal and then a comfortable nights sleep to set us up for a busy day.
Refreshed and well fed, we set off to Ontinyent in the morning for our 11am meeting with Estate Agent Julian Hildick from Mangolink Property. We set off early so we could take a leisurely drive through the stunning countryside and what a drive it was. From Biar we travelled North to the CV-81 then East towards Ontinyent on this more major road. There was very little traffic on the road and we were soon driving past the amazing town of Bocairent with houses and buildings rising from the cliff top, all tightly packed and so characterful. Then down the winding mountain road for a few miles, past Pou Clar, which is a geologicalcal water feature of descending pools with a walkway and steps at the side so you can follow the progress of the river. I said to Deb, ‘This drive to Ontinyent is amazing, it offers so much.’ ‘You’re right.’ She said. ‘You’ve got the beautiful open countryside, the picturesque town of Bocairent, the dramatic winding drive through the mountains and then Pou Clar as the icing on your journeys cake. What more could you ask for? I’m getting really good feelings about this trip.’
And the positive feelings kept coming. You know when things just fall into place and everything feels right? Well, that’s how things progressed. We entered into the town, which was attractive and welcoming and nothing disrupted the flow of positive thoughts. Deb was driving and I was navigating as usual. ‘Car park over there on the right.’ I said. ‘No, the other right.’ As she looked to the left. ‘OK, I see it, ‘she replied, ‘we’ll park in there and have a wander round as we’re still quite early.’ We walked from the car park, which was free by the way, through to a nearby square. Lovely, vibrant, bustling, attractive and obviously having investment spent on it, perfect. So we sat there taking everything in when we saw a small estate agency across the square called Los Hildickos. ‘Love the name.’ I said to Deb.’Let’s go and have a look in the window and see what they have on offer.’ We had a look at their display of properties from the outside and then popped in for a chat with the Agent.
The agent we met turned out to be Marijse Hildick, the wife of the chap we were meeting. Mangolink Property were based further South in Murcia but had a link with Los Hildickos further up North. Obviously covering a larger area with less travelling. Makes sense. We had a good chat with Marijse, who was really pleasant and helpful, and she informed us Julian was on another appointment but would be back for our meeting time. ‘You can wait here if you like,’ she said, ‘It’s only half an hour.’ No thanks,’ Deb replied, ‘I think we’ll have a little bit of an explore of the immediate area.’ Off we went and had a look around the nearby shopping area. ‘Doesn’t it have a really good feel?’ She said. ‘You’re right,’ I replied, ‘the street cafes and busy shops bring the area to life.’
Soon we were back at the office where we met again with Marijse. She introduced us to Julian, and what a lovely couple they are. So helpful, chatty, friendly, knowledgeable and make you feel comfortable immediately. We left our car in the nearby car park and started out with Julian, who gave us a really extensive overview of the town and his enthusiasm for the area was infectious. We drove into the countryside and it really was stunning, a beautiful area with some dramatic scenery.
Julian had the files on our chosen properties and we made a start. He said ‘One of the properties you chose doesn’t have any views and it has a smaller built area than you wanted so I’ve replaced it with another. Hope that’s ok?’ ‘Of course,’ Deb said, ‘you know what we’re looking for.’
On to the first, a 3 bedroom detached villa in a large plot with fruit trees and an olive grove. The house was two storey and had a first floor balcony overlooking the large pool. The property was approximately 8km from Ontinyent, quite a distance off the main road and had four neighbours who were quite close. Deb and I didn’t speak while we were there, we just wandered round gathering our own thoughts. I wasn’t enamoured at all but waited until we were back in the car after a visit of a respectful length of time. ‘That’s not for me I’m afraid.’ I said to Deb. ‘Why not?’ She asked. ‘I quite liked it.’ ‘I think,’ I said, ‘it is too far from town, a little too remote and the neighbours are too close. The stairs to the first floor are awkward, the pool needs some work and I’m not inspired by the views.’ ‘Does that mean something other than No?’ She said. Onwards and upwards.
Property two and this was one I was really interested in. 3 bedroom, lounge kitchen, dining area, all arranged over a single floor, with the house, parking area, patio and pool on an upper level and half an acre of olive grove separating the house from the road. In the agents photo’s it looked fantastic and I would have offered on it from the pictures alone, even though the agents description informed us it was a quirky layout. The description was right, the layout just didn’t work and it would be a big project to make it right. The plot also looked quite tired. Again, it didn’t appeal to me. ‘What do you think?’ I said to Deb. ‘It doesn’t work does it?’ She replied. ‘Also, look at the work we’d have to do to get the plot looking attractive.’ ‘Shall we move on?’ Said Julian. We both nodded.
On the road again, Julian said, ‘The next one is the alternative I’ve picked for you. I think it ticks most, if not all, of your boxes.’ We were only about 1km from the outskirts of town when we turned off the main road onto a single track, tarmaced road, leading upwards past well kept detached properties in their own grounds. ‘I like this.’ Said Deb. ‘It’s really nice to have a attractive approach road.’ The tarmaced road ran out and we were then onto an unadopted stone track, a little bit rough but not to bad in Julians 4×4. Over the crest of a hill and the track took a downward turn with a deep gorge to one side lined with pine trees, you could see the views opening up. ‘This is like an off-road experience.’ Said Deb. ‘Really exciting.’ Julian took a turn up a small access road to a set of gates, opened them up and drove along the stone covered drive. Olive trees either side of the drive and in between there were tempting snapshots of the views across the valley. To the end of the drive towards a simple, white painted, single storey house and up an incline to the parking area. The views opened up to 180 degree, South facing, uninterrupted views across the valley towards the distant hills and further to the mountains. It was fantastic! This is it.
The house sat on top of the plot which then lead down to a terrace which contained a pool with patio, bit of work needed here, then led again to three terraces going down the hillside into the valley.
The luxurious swimming pool, but look at the views
‘I love this.’ I said to Deb as I started descending the terraces to explore. ‘I absolutely love it. This is so interesting with so much scope, and look at those views.’ Deb had her practical head on when she replied, ‘Look at that pool area, it needs a lot of work and the plot needs tidying up, but the views are to die for I must admit.’ ‘Let’s have a look at the house.’ I said. It was single storey, three good sized bedrooms, one bathroom, nice light and airy lounge area with fireplace and wood burner and a decent workable kitchen. Not overlooked at all but there were nearby neighbours. ‘This is perfect Deb.’ This is the one.’ I said. ‘ I think you maybe right,’ she responded, ‘but let’s talk about it later at the Hotel.’ ‘Whatever you say hun, but I think this is it.’ I said.
Reluctantly, we had to leave so we could view the fourth and final property with Julian. I could have stayed there all day. ‘Nothing could compare to the last one.’ I said to Deb as we drove away. ‘It was absolutely perfect.’ ‘Some work to be done outside though.’ She said. ‘I know,’ I replied, ‘but it can be done over time. The location and views though were outstanding, don’t you think?’ She had to agree.
The final property, I have to admit, was really nice. The area was a little more built up but the house was situated in low maintenance, hard landscaped grounds with really nice pool area and patio surrounded by well established trees. The property itself was single storey again, with 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. Light and airy lounge with a separate kitchen and the whole building was owned and really well maintained by a local Spanish family. Towards the back of the plot was an olive grove, the length of which Julian assessed as par 3, but to my mind, and golfing ability, it was at least par 4. ‘It is really nice and well looked after.’ Said Deb. ‘I agree,’ I replied, ‘but it’s…..hmmmm………. boring. That’s it, boring. As nice as it is, it’s not interesting like the last one.’ ‘Let’s discuss later.’ She said.
Julian dropped us at our car and we thanked him for a really interesting, informative and thought provoking day. We promised to be back in touch the following day with feedback.
We were excited and animated on the drive back to the Hotel, ignoring Pou Clar, oblivious to Bocairent, and totally blind to the outstanding countryside. All talk was of the little white house on the hill as Deb had already renamed it. ‘This has got to be the one.’ I said. ‘It’s better than anything we’ve seen and is far better than the one in Montroi. I’m so glad that one didn’t come off.’ ‘The more I think about it,’ Deb said, ‘the more it appeals to me, but I’d like to sleep on it and try to get another viewing before we leave, just to be sure.’ ‘Great idea,’ I said, ‘let’s go back tomorrow.’ ‘What about Carbonell?’ Deb questioned. ‘We’ve got a day of viewings booked with them.’ ‘Nothing they show us will match that one.’ I replied. ‘We’ll cancel Carbonell if we can get a second viewing on this one with Julian and Marijse.’ ‘OK.’ Deb agreed.
We contacted Julian and Marijse when we returned to the hotel. They were pleased we wanted a second viewing and happy to accommodate us the following day. Carbonell was cancelled and we could then sit back and relax knowing that we had found our little piece of Spain.
The next day we made an exited trip back to Ontinyent and the offices of Los Hildickos. Marijse was accompanying us this time and we spent a wonderful 30-45 mins exploring the little things we missed the previous day and taking in the fantastic surroundings. ‘The visit has just reinforced my feelings for this property.’ I said to Deb. ‘What about you?’ ‘It’s spot on.’ She replied. ‘Let’s get our finances arranged and do this.’
We thanked Marijse when she dropped us off later and informed her we were arranging our mortgage as soon as we returned to the UK the following day. ‘You’ll be hearing from us as soon as possible with an offer.’ I said. ‘It’s perfect.’ We spent the rest of the day exploring the town from the vibrant local centre to the large commercial area on the outskirts to the historical area of the older part of town. It had everything to offer us, this was our future home. ‘All we needed to do now is secure the mortgage.’ Said Deb. ‘Not a problem,’ I replied with abounding confidence. ‘The little white house on the hill will soon be ours.’ If only things were that simple.
https://hotelruralcastillodebiar.es/
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