Living in Orihuela Costa

Housing

Orihuela Costa is made up of dozens of urbanisations built from the 1960s onwards, most of them after 1990. There is no real village centre; daily life revolves around the N-332, Zenia Boulevard and the small squares in each area.

• Punta Prima, Playa Flamenca, La Zenia and Cabo Roig are on or near the sea: lots of flats, bungalows and townhouses, often on complexes with a communal pool.
• Dehesa de Campoamor is older and more spacious, with villas on larger plots and a marina.
• Los Dolses, Villamartín, Las Filipinas, Lomas de Cabo Roig and Lomas de Campoamor lie inland around the golf courses, with linked houses, flats and villas.
• PAU 26, El Barranco and Las Colinas Golf are newer areas with plenty of new builds; Las Colinas is a gated golf resort with villas and apartments.

Many properties are let as holiday homes, so the atmosphere varies a great deal by complex and by season.

Work and economy

The local economy depends almost entirely on tourism and housing: hospitality, retail, property, construction, garden and pool maintenance, rentals and the golf courses. Zenia Boulevard is one of the largest employers in the area.

With so many residents from abroad, English and other languages are an advantage in many jobs. Much of the work is seasonal, however, and wages in tourism and retail are modest. For office, industrial or public-sector jobs people usually commute to Torrevieja, Orihuela, Murcia, Elche or Alicante. Remote working is common; check which fibre connection is available at a given address, as this differs between urbanisations.

Population

According to Orihuela council's own register, around 30,200 people were registered on the coast at the end of 2025, about 8% more than a year earlier. That makes Orihuela Costa roughly the same size as the town of Orihuela itself and the fastest-growing part of the municipality. The INE does not count the coast as a single settlement but as dozens of separate urbanisations.

British nationals form the largest group, ahead of Spaniards and Ukrainians; there are also many Moroccans, Russians, Colombians and northern and western Europeans, including Scandinavians, Belgians and Dutch. Some only live here in winter or summer. In high season the real number of people on the coast is therefore several times higher than the register shows.

Schools and education

State provision is tight for such a fast-growing area. There are two permanent state primary schools, CEIP Playas de Orihuela and CEIP Los Dolses. To ease the pressure, a third school (known as colegio nº 20) started in temporary classrooms in Los Dolses; at the end of 2025 the council was still looking for land for a permanent building. There is one state secondary school: IES Playa Flamenca. Teaching is in Spanish, with Valencian as a subject.

In the private sector there is El Limonar International School Villamartín (part of Cognita), on the edge of Villamartín near Blue Lagoon. It follows the English curriculum for pupils aged 3 to 18, with the option of the Spanish bachillerato. More international and private schools can be found around Torrevieja and San Miguel de Salinas.

Distances from the centre (Playa Flamenca)

Shops and markets

Zenia Boulevard, opened in September 2012, has around 150 shops and dozens of restaurants, making it one of the largest shopping centres in the province of Alicante. It draws visitors from across the region and brings heavy traffic to the surrounding roads at weekends and in summer.

• Playa Flamenca/La Zenia weekly market: Saturday mornings (roughly 8am to 2pm) on Calle Nicolás de Bussi, with stalls stretching for over a kilometre.
• Campoamor/Cabo Roig weekly market: Thursday mornings on Calle Fuego, Aguamarina.

Almost every urbanisation also has a supermarket or a small commercial centre with a baker, pharmacy and bars. The large supermarket chains are along the N-332 and near Zenia Boulevard. For a covered fresh food market or specialist shops, head to Torrevieja.

Culture and sights

Orihuela Costa is a fairly young residential area with few historic monuments. A handful of old watchtowers still stand along the coast, including one near Cabo Roig, and the marinas at Cabo Roig and Campoamor are pleasant places for a stroll or a meal. Dehesa de Campoamor takes its name from the nineteenth-century poet Ramón de Campoamor.

For culture in the traditional sense, drive to the town of Orihuela, about half an hour inland. There you will find a cathedral, the former university building Colegio de Santo Domingo, churches, museums and the birthplace of the poet Miguel Hernández. Council matters that cannot be handled on the coast are also dealt with there. Torrevieja is closer for theatre, concerts and museums.

Local festivals

Healthcare

For GP and nursing care there is one public health centre, the Centro de Salud Orihuela Costa in Aguamarina near Cabo Roig. It belongs to the Torrevieja health department and is too small for the number of residents; people often travel elsewhere for tests, specialists and rehabilitation. A second centre with an urgent care point (PAC) is planned in Villa Rosa, but there is no opening date yet. Residents' groups are also campaigning for the coast to become a health zone of its own.

The nearest public hospital is Hospital Universitario de Torrevieja, approx. 12 km or a quarter of an hour by car. On the coast itself there are plenty of pharmacies, dentists and private clinics, often with English-speaking staff. Register on the padrón and apply for a SIP card to access public healthcare.

Outdoor leisure

The coastline consists of short sandy beaches and small coves between low rocks. In 2026 Punta Prima, Cala Cerrada, Cala Capitán, La Zenia-Cala Bosque, Cabo Roig-La Caleta, Barranco Rubio, Aguamarina and Campoamor-La Glea were among those flying a Blue Flag. A coastal path links several of the coves and is good for walking or running.

• Four 18-hole golf courses: Villamartín, Las Ramblas, Real Club de Golf Campoamor and Las Colinas Golf.
• Sailing, diving and paddleboarding from the marinas at Cabo Roig and Campoamor.
• Padel and tennis at the golf clubs and sports grounds.

In July and August the beaches and car parks are very crowded and it is hot; spring and autumn are ideal for being outdoors.

Indoor leisure

Zenia Boulevard is the main place for indoor activities: shopping, eating out and a trampoline park for children. There are also gyms, yoga and dance classes, and many clubs and associations run by and for international residents, from bridge to choirs.

Bars and restaurants are plentiful, especially around the square in Villamartín, Playa Flamenca and the Cabo Roig marina. For cinema, theatre and museums, people usually go to Torrevieja or the town of Orihuela. Outside the high season some businesses in the most touristy urbanisations open shorter hours or close for a while.