Very occasionally we come across what we call “a jaw dropper” and it happened yesterday. The owners, a lovely couple, came into our office a week ago to talk about selling their property and were so incredibly modest about it that we arrived casually and then, as soon as the remotely controlled gates opened, we were grinning like Cheshire cats. 

Just driving in you know immediately this is something special, the stature of the property to the left, the size of the swimming pool to the right, the views of the land and mountains straight ahead, it´s an experience. 

Where to begin? Exterior first. The pool and terrace, a 10 x 5 pool that honestly looks even bigger and the availability of a ridiculous number of parking opportunities as well as having a garage.

The view across the land and to the mountains that will never be spoiled, the extremely low maintenance land and concreted areas around the property mean it is not only the perfect family home but also the same can be said as a “lock up and leave” holiday home. The location, much more about Sax later but the Villa is 35 minutes from Alicante Airport, 35 minutes from the beautiful city of Alicante and 35 minutes from a choice of beaches. 

Another feature is there are neighbours to either side. To the right a 24/7 couple who had both properties built and to the left a “Finde” an occasional weekend retreat for the Spanish owners. There are no neighbours to the front or the rear and, if you want absolute privacy then a number of very cheap mature conifers can be planted but it is fairly private as it stands. 

Walking around the property you can see how there are areas for sitting and relaxing but they don´t compare to a short flight of steps up to a spacious terrace where there are seating areas at both ends with stunning views and all covered for shade from the summer sunshine. 

Entering the property from the terrace you will just love the wide open space of the immaculate lounge/diner which is presented as just a lounge as one of the four bedrooms in presented as a dining room. You will notice the radiators for the oil-fired central heating system that costs a mere 450€ per annum to run. You will also see the amazing modern log-burning fire with an open chimney that pretty much negates the central heating for the lounge but it´s always good to have options.

This really is the most wonderful space and you can be as creative as you like or you can do as I would and leave everything exactly as it is. Trust me, ok bear in mind I am an Estate Agent, you can walk into his Villa with a suitcase, unpack it and start your new life. 

From the lounge is a larger than usual Spanish kitchen with all modern units and one of the best views of the castle one could have whilst loading the dishwasher. 

Off the lounge are the four bedrooms or three bedrooms and a dining room. The principal has a new shower unit. All the rooms are bright and airy and spotlessly clean. 

The Guest bathroom is in keeping with the rest of the rooms and is modern, light and airy. 

Ok, the mind-blowing part, the underbuild, the size of the entire level above with so much space and light that it currently features a 2/3 size snooker table, a Hi-Fi system with monumentally sized speakers, a bar, a coffee area and access to the garage and the spacious utility room. 

The underbuild could so easily accommodate two bedrooms as it already has a toilet to increase this to a bathroom would be straightforward and a spend of no more than 15,000€ would give you that fabulous option of a two bedrooms self-contained guest apartment so that no one is staying in “your space”. 

Come and view and if you are not in the first few to arrive then I genuinely believe it will have gone.

Why Sax?

There are no traffic lights, it has a 13th-century castle and there are no traffic wardens but there are streets full of restaurants, bars and cafes. What? That isn´t enough?

Sax is so popular because it is far enough inland to be “inland” yet it is only 30 minutes to Alicante Airport and 35 minutes to the beach.  Access is by the A31 Dual Carriageway Alicante to Madrid road which runs just outside of the town, by rail and coach from Alicante so you can go to the beach and not have to take your car, and now we are only five minutes away from the AVE station at Villena. The AVE is the high-speed train from Alicante to Madrid which has only four stops and we are five minutes away from a station that on boarding will have you in Madrid in 2hrs 9mins for as little as 25€.

Let us stick with the town of Sax for now rather than escaping to the beach or the capital city of Spain. Sax is dominated by its 13th-century castle known as the Headlight and Guardian of The Border a landscape of history and rock. When driving back home to Sax after daylight the sight of the castle, fully lit, and seemingly floating in the air is one of the most welcoming sights I have ever experienced.

Commercially, Sax was only affected in a minor way by the economic crash as it is the home of three major international businesses selling “persianas y toldos”, window blinds and sun canopies and a shoe industry that means if you recently bought a pair of shoes in a department store in the UK, for example, the chances are they could have been made in Sax or nearby Elda.

Recently we have seen the opening of a Consum supermarket, the equivalent of a Waitrose or Marks & Spencer Food Hall whilst there has been a Hiperber and Mas y Mas, both excellent supermarkets for as long as I can remember, and if that isn´t enough there is a Carrefour (Think Tesco) eight minutes’ drive away within a shopping mall complex that has two cinemas one of which is showing films in English with Spanish subtitles.

Sax is served wonderfully well with schools, our son was eight when we moved here and reluctantly, we put him into a state school, he always went to a private school in Manchester, and within six months he was fluent in two languages and following five years in a secondary school went on to study Pharmacy at Complutense in Madrid one of Spain´s most famous and prestigious universities.

Crime rate; Sax has full employment and subsequently a very low crime rate. It is a small town where everyone knows each other and a Spanish family would normally feel shamed if a member was in trouble with the police. Their modern values are the ones we experienced growing up in the UK 50-60 years ago.

I parked rather stupidly recently on the Hight Street (Gran Via) even by Spanish standards I was naughty as I popped into the bank. I received a phone call within 90 seconds from the Local Police who called me a “dickhead”, well the Spanish equivalent, no ticket no fine just a little humiliation.

For health, Sax and Spain, in general, is far superior to the UK. In the town, we have a brand-new Health Centre with eight doctors, two nurses, diabetes clinics and a 24/7 Emergency Walk/In Centre. Ten minutes away in Elda is the remarkable award-winning University Hospital El Virgen De Salud where the surgeons are second to none and the food is atrocious, well it can’t all be good!! Newly opened is the Fibromyalgia centre offering support and therapies for those suffering from acute pain.

There are now four Language Schools in the town and the town hall ran a scheme for language swapping that well may be run again. Learning Spanish is a lot less difficult than it may seem and there are new ways of learning that concentrate on Spanish conversation.

There are restaurants and bars aplenty with prices that are at first beyond belief and a three or four-course lunch of good quality can easily be found for 12€ or less. For a special occasion, there is La Torreta but also there are great option such as La Braseria, Camila and La Senda. Coffee and toast for breakfast will cost no more than 2€ and the coffee is possibly the best in Europe.

We have a Walking Group, two Golfing Societies, Ladies Who Lunch and probably lots more Social Activities to enjoy. Sax, it´s a great place to live.