There are many reasons why people move from their home in Northern Europe to the Costa del Sol or the Granada province in Spain, but one of the most frequently cited reasons is the fact that Spain offers people who enjoy outdoor pursuits a great life style at an affordable price.
With property prices at the Costa del Sol and the Granada province at their lowest in more than a decade, relocating to Spain is once again a topic of conversation among those who can afford to move.
Hobbies like golf and sailing, scuba diving and surfing, climbing and hiking, canyoning and paragliding are not necessarily confined to countries with warmer climates, but it helps enormously when the weather is fairly predictable and dry!
For those who enjoy skiing and paragliding, climbing, bird watching, hiking and going on photo safari in nature parks, the Sierra Nevada Mountain range in the Granada province is an ideal spot to buy property. From end of November to the middle of April skiers are virtually guaranteed snow in the peaks of the Sierra Nevada.
In just 1.5 hours one can be at the Costa del Sol seaside resorts and go for a swim or meander along the Puerto Banus Marina, but up in the Granada province mountain there are snowboarding and downhill or cross country skiing and après ski adventures to be enjoyed. In late spring and summer Granada and its surrounding area are perfect for paragliding, so much so that a whole range of national and international paragliding competitions are held in the Granada province each year.
The City of Granada is home to one of Spain’s most visited tourist sites, the Alhambra palace, as well as boasting many other ancient monuments, splendid gardens, cobbled streets and excellent restaurants. After a day’s flying there’s a vibrant nightlife with shows, clubs and bars waiting where Granada travellers can make new friends among the student population of this beautiful, youthful city. Granada is located ca. 700 metres above sea level and lies around 70 km inland from the Mediterranean coast.
The Sierra Nevada Mountain range acts as a weather buffer zone between Granada and the coast. Its highest peak is the Mulhacen with 3,479 meters. During the summer months, when the cloud base is at its highest, paragliders can take advantage of the strong thermals and reach the coast, before going swimming or water skiing with their beach-based friends. Cloud ceilings reach sometimes 5,000 meters, but the norm is around 4,000 to 3,000 meters. Take off usually takes place from around 1,200 meters – enough to carry paragliders to a beach landing at the Costa del Sol!
The Granada province offers a range of flying opportunities, from high mountain cross country paragliding to flying across flatlands to places where one can practice acro and locations ideal for ridge soaring. Otivar is a great place to come for thermic flying with the strongest thermals happening at mid-day in summer (April to September). Sabinas and Cenes de la Vega are also great for this type of flying, the latter being one of the region’s main sites, which is suitable for all, from beginner to advanced levels.
There are a number of schools around, notably one in Granada itself and one in Cenes de la Vega. Property prices vary greatly. In the city of Granada, which sees not just year round influx of tourists but also has a large student population needing rental accommodation during term time, prices are naturally higher than in the hillside villages and countryside.
A 2-bed, 1-bath apartment with large terrace located in the Granada Skiing Centre resort will cost around EUR 165,000 to EUR 160,000; a resale 1-bed, 1-bath apartment in one of the lesser known ski resorts but still close to the skiing centre will cost less, around EUR 115,000.
Farm houses or traditional cortijos with fertile land but needing some refurbishment may be as little as EUR 96,000, while a Granada townhouse resale for a 3-bedroomed property will be in the region of EUR 270,000 to EUR 320,000, depending on size and age of the property and its proximity to the city centre.