Fitness and music-loving couple Bev and Errol wanted somewhere in the sun to enjoy with and without their family. The newlywed couple from Leeds are not retired and although they have four grown-up children between them, and three grandchildren, they are far from taking things easy.
“We love cycling and running and wanted somewhere close to the beach, not too far from the airport,” says Errol, who calls himself “59 +2” and has retired from a career in the NHS to run a consortium of micro businesses, the BBSA (Black Business Support Agency). Bev, 57, also has a background in the NHS but is a self-employed psychotherapist specialising in trauma.
“We would have been happy 30 minutes from the beach and had no idea that we would be able to afford a place less than 200 metres away from it – or in such good condition – for our budget of £65k,” he says. Avid watchers of A Place in the Sun TV shows, the couple applied to go on the programme and went out in April 2023 with Jasmine to look for a property. As viewers of the episode which went out this month will have seen, they bagged a two-bedroom apartment in San Pedro del Pinatar for the asking price of £59,500.
San Pedro del Pinatar in an increasingly popular town in Murcia – a great place to look with a budget of under £100k. It’s more affordable than the very nearby Southern Costa Blanca – it’s at the very top of the Costa Calida, above the Mar Menor. It’s got lovely sandy beaches and a beautiful promenade adjoining the mud baths and Salinas walking routes where pink flamingos can be glimpsed. It has a lively town with shops, bars, restaurants, a local market and a marina that Bev and Errol love to explore. They both enjoy the fitness scene – Bev’s aiming to do the Torrevieja Metric Marathon (26km) in 2025.
“We have grown to love the area,” says Errol, who like Bev had never been to the area before – it was really their budget that led them there. “We walk or run along the beach, there’s a lovely windmill there too; and it’s also great for vegans which we didn’t necessarily expect. There are vegan sections in the supermarkets too.”
San Pedro is conveniently located 50-60 minutes by car from Alicante airport – from which there is a bus if you wish to save on the €85 taxi fare. Their apartment has not disappointed either. Recently refurbished, they were able to move straight in, with the furniture included too. It costs £258 per quarter for community fees, plus another £120 per month for water and rubbish tax, WIFI around £25 per month. They are full of praise for the estate agent, Casas Manuel.
The couple try to visit every month, getting flights for £50 or £60. “In the winter it’s lovely and warm but gets colder than we thought at night – I had to buy a dressing gown!” laughs Errol. They also realise that not having a big balcony was not such a sacrifice as it gets really hot in the summer.
“But we love our new place and can’t believe what we were able to buy somewhere a few steps from the beach.”
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