The best 'homes away from home' tend to offer a hint of Britishness – the reassurance of being able to chat in English or the convenience of purchasing the daily tabloid paper – but with a healthy dose of 'foreignness' in the shape of fabulous weather, wide open spaces and clean seas. Costa Cálida's enormously popular Camposol fits the bill perfectly.
Taking shape over the past decade, Camposol, a brief ten minute drive from the attractive coastal resort of Mazarron, comprises properties of varying designs and sizes from bijou one bedroom terraced cottages to grandiose three bedroom detached villas with private pools on 650m² plots. A par 72 golf course with friendly clubhouse weaves through the resort alongside a stylish four star Spa hotel, but without doubt Camposol's main attribute is its community.
Hilary Rees, Sales Manager for real estate agents Mercer's Mazarron office explains, "When you experience the sense of community at Camposol it's like turning the clock back to the UK 50 years ago. Each pattern of streets feels like a real neighbourhood and old-fashioned values which have been lost in much of the UK thrive here. Near-strangers pass the time of day perhaps inviting each other round for a glass of wine by the pool and keeping a watchful eye on each others' houses if unoccupied for a few weeks. It's a sort of half-way house between 'real Spain' with its laid-back lifestyle and 'back home' which suits the British temperament perfectly."
Hilary continues, "Camposol is largely residential, around a 60-40 split between permanent occupants and holidaymakers, and is just perfect for an older person who perhaps isn't so well-traveled. It offers a security blanket of like-minded neighbours and plenty of clubs and associations from painting to dancing – being on permanent holiday is certainly much more fun if you have people to share it with. There's also the added value of being able to receive a UK pension in a Spanish bank account. But it's not just for those in or near retirement. We're now seeing plenty of younger families who're fed up with certain aspects of the UK from crime to high prices, who maybe can't even get on the property ladder in the UK, but can move here, buy a two bedroom house for as little as 80,000 euros, apply their trade in a new business and bring the children up in a safe, outdoors-orientated environment."
The Camposol community is divided into four geographical sectors with various commercial centres including traditional Irish pubs, pizza restaurants, various takeaways, a full-size household name supermarket and various services from doctors to hair and beauty salons. The styles of property, carrying attractive names such as Rosa, Neptuno and Clasico, are built in traditional Murcian style with ballustraded terraces and tiled archways cloaked in bright bougainvillea. The British passion for DIY is in clear evidence with owners personalizing their homes by adding swimming pools, glazing outdoor terraces as winter rooms and pergolas a-plenty. Personality and character prevails, this is no identikit soulless resort.
Surrounded by imposing mountains and beautiful underdeveloped Spanish countryside, the coast is a few minutes away with traditional villages, mouthwatering seafood restaurants, sheltered sandy beaches, attractive marinas and some stunning rocky coves tumbling into turquoise waters. Murcia International Airport is just over an hour to the north whilst even closer Corvera Airport has been given the go-ahead for construction with an opening date penciled in for 2010.
Mercers has a wide selection of Camposol properties on offer ranging from the smaller one bedroom fully furnished 'Victoria' with a sunny roof terrace priced from 62,000 euros to a mid-range detached three bedroom two bathroom 'Fortuna' also fully furnished and with a roof terrace priced from 130,000 euros right up to a three bedroom three bathroom detached furnished 'Neptuno' with private swimming pool from 220,000 euros.