Orihuela Costa

A 16-kilometre ribbon of beach resorts at the southern tip of the Costa Blanca, where a string of distinct urbanisations, three championship golf courses and the largest shopping centre on the coast have made it one of the most popular places in Spain for British, Irish and northern European buyers.

At a glance: around 16 km of Blue Flag coastline · roughly 40 to 45 minutes to Alicante airport · three 18-hole golf courses on the doorstep · La Zenia Boulevard, the coast's biggest shopping centre · a large, year-round international community · around 3,000 hours of sun a year.

Why Orihuela Costa is different

Orihuela Costa is not a single town. It is a coastal district of the municipality of Orihuela, made up of a string of separate beach resorts and residential urbanisations that run for about 16 kilometres along the southern Costa Blanca, from the Torrevieja border down to Mil Palmeras. There is no single old town centre and no high-rise skyline. Instead you get a series of distinct neighbourhoods, each with its own beaches, its own plaza of bars and shops, and its own character, threaded together by the N-332 coast road and the AP-7 motorway just inland.

For a foreign buyer, that is the whole appeal. You can pick the spot that suits you, from the lively shopping and nightlife around La Zenia to the quieter, more upmarket villas of Cabo Roig and Campoamor, or the golf-side living of Villamartin inland. The population leans heavily international, with British buyers long the largest group alongside strong Belgian, Dutch, Scandinavian and, increasingly, eastern European communities, so English is widely spoken and day-to-day life is easy from the day you arrive.

The towns and urbanisations of Orihuela Costa

One district, several very different neighbourhoods

Because Orihuela Costa covers such a wide stretch of coast, it helps to know the main areas before you start a search. Here, running roughly north to south, are the places most buyers come to us about.

Punta Prima. The most northerly part of Orihuela Costa, right on the Torrevieja border. A busy, well-established seafront area of apartments, townhouses and villas with a good beach, a promenade and plenty of amenities within walking distance. Popular for the mix of coast and convenience, and a natural choice for buyers who want to live without relying on a car.
Playa Flamenca. A relaxed, family-friendly resort just south of Punta Prima, known for its Saturday market, its small coves and easy beach access. A solid all-rounder with apartments and townhouses at some of the more accessible prices on this stretch.
La Zenia. The commercial heart of Orihuela Costa and home to La Zenia Boulevard, the largest open-air shopping and leisure centre on the Costa Blanca. A Blue Flag beach, a wide choice of restaurants and year-round buzz make it one of the most sought-after addresses for buyers who want everything close by.
Cabo Roig. One of the most prestigious and beautiful parts of the coast, with a cliff-top marina, a famous restaurant strip and sheltered coves of fine sand. Cabo Roig is villa country, where larger detached homes near the sea reach well into the premium bracket.
Campoamor (Dehesa de Campoamor). An upmarket, greener and calmer resort towards the southern end, with a marina, well-kept beaches and a more residential, established feel. Popular with golfers and with buyers looking for a quieter, higher-end setting.
Mil Palmeras. A smaller, more Spanish-feeling beach resort at the southern edge of Orihuela Costa, beside Pilar de la Horadada. Fine sand, a gentle pace and a steady stream of new development make it popular with those who want the coast without the crowds.
Set just inland on the other side of the AP-7, Villamartin is built around its celebrated golf course and the lively Villamartin Plaza, ringed with bars and restaurants. A long-standing favourite for golfers and for buyers who want a sociable, walkable base a few minutes from the beaches.

Other names you will hear, such as Los Dolses, Lomas de Cabo Roig, Aguamarina and Las Filipinas, are smaller pockets within or beside these main areas. We are happy to talk you through exactly where each one sits and what it means for price, lifestyle and rental potential.

Location and getting around

Two airports within easy reach, and the coast on your doorstep

Orihuela Costa sits at the southern end of the Costa Blanca, immediately below Torrevieja and above Pilar de la Horadada and the border with the Murcia region. The AP-7 motorway and the N-332 run the length of the district, so getting around, and getting to the airports, is straightforward.

Alicante-Elche Airport is around 40 to 45 minutes by car via the AP-7, which matters a great deal when family and friends are flying in from the UK and Ireland.
Murcia-Corvera Airport is roughly 40 minutes to the south, giving a useful second set of routes and carriers.
The beaches are the whole point here: most homes are within a short drive, and many within walking distance, of a Blue Flag beach or cove.
Torrevieja and its hospital, shops and markets are just to the north, while the AP-7 puts Alicante city, Cartagena and Murcia within comfortable reach for days out and specialist services.

For buyers weighing up where to settle, Orihuela Costa offers genuine choice: seafront apartments, golf-side townhouses or detached villas with private pools, all within the same easy-to-reach coastal district.

Golf, beaches and the great outdoors

Three championship courses and 16 km of Blue Flag coast

Orihuela Costa is often called part of the Costa del Golf, and with good reason. Three well-known 18-hole championship courses sit within minutes of each other: Villamartin Golf, one of the oldest and most respected in the region, Las Ramblas Golf, carved through a dramatic ravine, and Real Club de Golf Campoamor. The acclaimed Las Colinas Golf and several more courses lie a short drive away, making this one of the best bases for golf on the whole coast.

Off the fairways, the coastline is the main draw. The district has around 16 kilometres of shore with numerous Blue Flag beaches and coves, from the long sandy stretches of Punta Prima and La Zenia to the sheltered coves of Cabo Roig and the calmer sands of Campoamor and Mil Palmeras. A coastal path links many of them, and two marinas at Cabo Roig and Campoamor add sailing and watersports to the mix. For shopping and family days, La Zenia Boulevard anchors the area with a large open-air centre of shops, restaurants and cinemas.

A quick word on the seasons. Summers are warm and busy, with July and August often around 30°C and the beaches at their liveliest. Many buyers prefer spring and autumn, when the days sit in the low to mid twenties and the resorts are calmer. Winters are mild, which is why so many residents stay all year rather than only in season, and the golf and the coastal walks carry on right through.

Lifestyle: who Orihuela Costa suits

For families

Orihuela Costa is a safe, low-density area of gated urbanisations with pools, parks and easy beach access, and the wider district offers international-friendly schooling within reach. With Blue Flag beaches, sports facilities, La Zenia Boulevard for rainy days and a large established expat community, it is an easy place for children to grow up and for families to settle.

For retirees and second-home owners

This is one of the most popular second-home and retirement coasts in Spain. The mild climate, the flat and walkable resorts, good healthcare nearby in Torrevieja, and a large, settled international community make day-to-day life straightforward. English is widely spoken, there is a genuine year-round social scene in the busier areas, and quieter spots are easy to find for those who want them.

For golfers and active buyers

With three championship courses on the doorstep and several more within a short drive, Orihuela Costa is a natural home for golfers. Add coastal walking and cycling paths, tennis and padel, two marinas and watersports, and there is plenty to keep active buyers busy all year.

For food and culture lovers

Each area has its own dining scene, from the famous restaurant strip at Cabo Roig and the bustling plaza at Villamartin to the seafront chiringuitos and the international choice around La Zenia. Weekly markets move between the urbanisations through the week, and the historic inland city of Orihuela, with its cathedral and old quarter, offers a traditional Spanish counterpoint a short drive away.

The Orihuela Costa property market

What your money buys, and what really moves the price

Orihuela Costa offers a broad range of homes across its different areas: seafront and resort apartments, golf-side townhouses, semi-detached quads and bungalows, and detached villas with private pools, both in the established urbanisations and in the many new-build developments rising across the district. Prices vary widely by area, with frontline Cabo Roig and Campoamor villas at the premium end and apartments set back from the coast at the more accessible end.

As a guide, here is the kind of spread currently available through Sunshine Homes:

From around €159k	€279k townhouse	€450k villa	€900k+ frontline villa
2-bed apartment	2/3-bed townhouse	3-bed detached	Cabo Roig / Campoamor

As with any new build or resale, the headline figure is only the start. The area within Orihuela Costa, distance to the beach and the golf, plot size, the presence of a private pool, orientation and the age of the build can move the price of two otherwise similar homes by tens of thousands of euros. That is exactly the detail we help buyers see clearly before they travel.

A note on buying costs. Orihuela Costa is in the Alicante region of the Valencian Community, where resale purchase tax (ITP) is charged on top of the price at 9%, alongside notary, registry and legal fees, while new builds carry IVA (VAT) and stamp duty (AJD) instead at 10%. We always recommend taking advice from a qualified independent Spanish lawyer before you commit, and being especially careful with off-plan contracts and stage payments. We are happy to introduce you to recommended local solicitors, and the choice of who advises you is always yours.

Price growth and market benchmarks

What the numbers say about the last decade

Orihuela Costa behaves as one of the stronger micro-markets on the southern Costa Blanca, driven largely by international demand, the golf resorts and modern coastal developments. It consistently sits above neighbouring Torrevieja on price per square metre. The figures below give a sense of the trend. They are drawn from public asking-price indices, which vary between sources and sit above final sold prices, so treat them as direction of travel rather than a valuation.

Around 2015: the district averaged somewhere around €1,600 to €1,900 per square metre as the market recovered.
Mid-2025: average asking prices were roughly €3,150 to €3,200 per square metre, around a third higher than Torrevieja.
Into 2026: Orihuela Costa was reported around €3,280 to €3,290 per square metre, up roughly 12 to 13% year on year at the recent peak.

Sources: idealista, indomio and regional market reports, 2015 to 2026. Asking prices; final sold prices are typically lower.

The broad picture across the decade: steady single-digit gains in the calmer years, a surge in 2022, a brief cooling in 2023, then renewed double-digit growth into 2025 and 2026 as foreign demand returned in force and the supply of quality new build stayed tight. Within Orihuela Costa, the priciest stock sits frontline to the sea in Cabo Roig and Campoamor and in the newest gated developments, while the most affordable is found among the older apartments set back from the coast. International buyers, led by British, Belgian, Dutch and Scandinavian families, make up a very large share of the local market.

New build versus resale: a benchmark

The two parts of the market behave differently and carry different costs. This is the honest comparison we walk buyers through:

Benchmark	Resale	New Build
Share of foreign sales (Alicante)	About 86%	About 14% and rising
Purchase tax	ITP transfer tax (Alicante region)	IVA (VAT) at 10% plus stamp duty (AJD)
Typical price position	Lower entry point, established areas	Premium for modern spec and efficiency
Move-in	Immediate	On completion, or off-plan wait
Energy efficiency	Varies, often older standards	Built to current high standards
Guarantees	As inspected	Developer warranties on the build

Total acquisition costs on the Costa Blanca generally run around 11 to 15 per cent above the purchase price once tax, notary, registry and legal fees are included. Tax rates and reliefs change, so confirm current figures with your lawyer.

What this means for a buyer. Resale gives you an established location and a quicker, often cheaper, entry. New build gives you modern efficiency, developer guarantees and lower running costs, usually at a premium per square metre. Neither is automatically the better buy. It depends on your budget, timescale and how you intend to use the home, which is exactly the conversation we are here to have with you. You can compare both live: pre-owned in Orihuela Costa and new build in Orihuela Costa.

Why buy in Orihuela Costa with Sunshine Homes

We are an independent agency working right across the Costa Blanca South, with deep local knowledge of Orihuela Costa and all of its individual areas, from Punta Prima and La Zenia to Cabo Roig, Campoamor and Villamartin. Rather than pushing a fixed stock list, we start with what suits you and then find it across the market, including new build developments that are never advertised on the portals. From the first conversation through viewings, negotiation, the legal process and key handover, you have one honest point of contact who knows the area and is working for you.

You can browse all Orihuela Costa listings, explore our new build developments in Orihuela Costa, or get in touch to start a tailored search. Selling instead? Request a free property valuation.

Orihuela Costa buyer questions, answered

Where is Orihuela Costa and how far is the airport?

Orihuela Costa is the coastal district of the municipality of Orihuela, in Alicante province at the southern end of the Costa Blanca, running about 16 kilometres from the Torrevieja border down to Mil Palmeras. Alicante-Elche Airport is about 40 to 45 minutes by car via the AP-7, and Murcia-Corvera Airport is roughly 40 minutes to the south.

What are the main towns and areas in Orihuela Costa?

Running north to south, the main areas are Punta Prima, Playa Flamenca, La Zenia, Cabo Roig, Campoamor and Mil Palmeras along the coast, with Villamartin set just inland around its golf course. Each has its own beaches, plaza and character, from the busy shopping and nightlife of La Zenia to the upmarket villas of Cabo Roig and Campoamor.

Is Orihuela Costa a good place for foreign buyers?

It is one of the most popular foreign-buyer coasts in Spain. A large majority of residents are international, led for decades by British buyers alongside strong Belgian, Dutch, Scandinavian and eastern European communities. You get Blue Flag beaches, three golf courses, the largest shopping centre on the coast, healthcare nearby in Torrevieja and a genuine year-round community.

What does property cost in Orihuela Costa?

Expect two-bedroom apartments from around the high €100,000s, townhouses from the high €200,000s, and detached villas typically from the high €300,000s to €400,000s, with frontline villas in Cabo Roig and Campoamor reaching €900,000 and well beyond. The right figure depends heavily on the area, the distance to the beach, the plot, the pool and the build age, so it is best confirmed with an agent against live availability.

What is there to do all year round?

Three championship golf courses (Villamartin, Las Ramblas and Campoamor), around 16 kilometres of Blue Flag beaches and coves, two marinas, coastal walking and cycling paths, La Zenia Boulevard for shopping and cinema, weekly markets and a wide choice of bars and restaurants. With around 3,000 hours of sun a year, outdoor life continues right through the winter.

Is Orihuela Costa better than Torrevieja or Guardamar?

It depends on what you want. Orihuela Costa is a string of resort urbanisations built around beaches and golf, with villas, pools and Blue Flag coves, but you usually need a car. Torrevieja is a larger, livelier city with everything walkable and a busy year-round centre, while Guardamar offers pine forest and long beaches in a calmer setting. Many buyers compare all three, and we are happy to talk you through the trade-offs honestly.

Thinking about Orihuela Costa?

Let us bring you a genuine shortlist of Orihuela Costa homes that fit what you are actually looking for, in the right area for you, with the real price and the full picture before you ever step on a plane.

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