Moving to Culebrón
Matthew’s article this week concentrates on moving to Culebrón, in Alicante.
Moving to Culebrón: Alicante’s one-donkey town
Ups
A population which just about scrapes into three figures, a restaurant, and a bodega. Doesn’t sound a lot, does it? But if you want to get off the treadmill of your routine 21st-century existence, Culebrón could be a step in the right direction.
Downs
A population which just about scrapes into three figures, a restaurant, and a bodega. Doesn’t sound a lot, does it? That’s because it isn’t and you might find, in moving to Culebrón, that you’re swapping one squirrel cage for another.
Ins and outs
There are three main ways of getting from Alicante airport to Culebrón by car. Despite being the longest in distance, the quickest drive is taking the combo of CV-83 and A-31, delivering you to your front door in just over 40 minutes.
Education
Culebrón’s a satellite of Pinoso, less than 10 minutes’ drive away, on the Alicante/Murcia border. Here, you’ll find a state infants’ school, two primaries, and a secondary. If you’re looking for a private, international education, King’s College – The British School of Alicante requires a 90-minute weekday commitment of a round trip. Rather closer is Elche’s Laude Newton College.
Shop until you drop…
You’ll go easy on the plastic in Culebrón. For there are no shops to speak of. So vans bring essentials like bread and cheese to save local residents having to brave the “seething metropolis” of Pinoso.
Property in Culebrón
Properties tend to be traditional, stone-built affairs which local families used to deploy during the summer as a retreat to beat the heat.
Market watch
Fancy a project? You can pick up a local ruin for under €50,000. Two-bedroom villas start just over €50,000 and go up to not much more than €200,000.
- Search property for sale in Culebrón
- Search property for sale in Pinoso
In Praise Of
“Culebrón is lovely. Ask Maria Luisa who seems to be related to half the village. Her nephew Eduardo runs the restaurant. Best tapas in the Pinoso area – it’s sort of official because they won first prize in the tapas trail. I’m not sure if Roberto, the chap who runs the bodega, is related but he’s sure his Fondillón is amongst the best in the world and, as only 11 bodegas produce what was Dostoevsky’s and Daniel Defoe’s favourite wine, I’m sure he’s right. There’s nothing but colour in Culebrón. Overwhelming yellows, oranges and ochres – the colour of the earth and the summer dust. The vivid green of the monastrell grape vines and the less vibrant green of the olives. The blue, blue sky that bathes everything in a penetrating Mediterranean light.” – Chris Thompson (Life in Culebrón)
- Are you an expat living in Culebrón? What do you like/dislike about it? Let us know below.
Matthew Hirtes, our resident broadsheet journalist, moved to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria back in 2004. He’s travelled extensively through Spain, covering it for such publications as Telegraph Travel, Metro, and The Independent. The author of Going Local in Gran Canaria: How To Turn a Holiday Destination into a Home, Matthew truly is a resident expert.
Matthew writes for two sections of Spain Buddy: Moving to Spain and Spanish Football as well as providing Reviews
