Palomares, Almería
Your Neighbourhood is a series of local area guides from VIP Almeria. We’re bringing you the best of local villages combined with the latest property data. Palomares postcode: 04617.
Only 1 km from the coast, Palomares village retains a Spanish feel largely unaffected by the coastal development of the area. The village falls within the municipality of Cuevas del Almanzora.
Palomares is ideally placed for golfers; Desert Springs (5 mins), Valle del Este (20 mins) and Marina de la Torre (20 mins).The village has various shops, banks, doctor, chemist and a number of Spanish bars offering tapas and light snacks.
The main fiesta is in early August.
Within walking distance of Palomares is a long stretch of sandy beach and tree covered picnic area, with two Spanish beach bars offering typical Spanish fare during the high season. Slightly further a way are numerous rocky coves waiting to be discovered and often empty even in high season.
Why Palomares?
It is a very cost effective option less than one kilometre from the village is a simple, no frills, beach. It is improving year by year in amenties and services. It has a fairly large expat population.
Palomares is an active working village, fairly pivotally located for those wanting to near the coast and main tourist towns of Mojacar but avoiding the higher property prices.
Wednesday morning and alternate Sundays, there is a small market offering the opportunity to buy fresh local grown produce. It is also a great time to partake in a drink with a local tapa on the terrace of any one of the variety of bars and restaurants in this quaint market town whilst soaking up the relaxed atmosphere.
Where to Move:
You do have your pick a purpose built community urbanization's such as Residential Playa Azul and Hacienda del Marques 1&2 within easy walking distance to the village main street and Beach.
There are alternative areas zoned but the more popular listings tend to be between the village and Ave. del Secano.
The Cost: “Really anywhere in Spain so it is a lifestyle choice, a single could live comfortably on €1,200 — or less. A couple can live for around €2,000 a month. Eating out at restaurants is very inexpensive as are childcare, groceries transportation and sport and leisure club membership/activities.
Palomares is a municipality of Almería province. It has a population of approx 1,650 people.
What’s the story with house prices?
2020
The average asking prices are:
2 Bedroom Apartment - 72,000€
2 Bedroom Townhouse - 120,000€
2 Bedroom Villa - 160,000€
3 Bedroom Apartment - 72,000€
3 Bedroom Townhouse - 155,000€
3 Bedroom Villa - 280,000€
Local amenities?
There are bars and restaurants and all the infrastructure that one could need for daily use, local supermarkets, a chemist and small family-run shops.
Without travelling to neighbouring towns, the main local supermarket named "Supermercado Navarro" located in C/ Diego Soler 14.
Where should I get lunch?
So what’s the big draw?
The place has charm and character. Simplicity with its large, fine sandy beach. Its main feature is the luxuriant pine and eucalyptus forest behind it.
The low rise village has purpose built gated community settings for tourists, all well-maintained buildings and could be described as Spanish Colonial builds.
What do people love about it?
"I like this place because it is quiet and there is not so much crowding" J.L.P Sanchez
And... what do people NOT love about it?
You need to remember that Palomares is an agricultural town. This is a big factor in property prices. It is a working village with tourism.
Surrounding the various gated communities are fields that prominently grow salad crops, in particular tomatoes (Having a great reputation for taste in Andalucia).
Outside of the summer season, typically, it is common to see the lands as a patchwork of shades of green (cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, broad beans and spinach) and Fresh water melon other times of the year.
Every Summer there's a music festival named Dreambeach just beside the town and it can be noisy for up to a week in August.
And what’s my new local?
Alternatives:
Schools and supermarkets?
OK, I’m sold. Give me one piece of local trivia to impress a local
The 17 of January of 1966 was a day that changed Palomares, fortunately the damages were minimum for what could have occurred, on this day, two airplanes loaded with atomic bombs had an accident on the skies of Palomares.
In the accident were involved a US strategic bomber B-52 and a KC-135 in-flight refuelling (loaded with 110,000 litres of fuel) that collided at 10,000 meters on the Mediterranean coast, in Palomares airspace. The B-52 was returning from the Turkish-Soviet border to Seymour Johnson Air Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and KC-135 came from Moron Air Force Base. The manoeuvre was routine: the B-52 were refuelled on the way.
The B-52 carried four Mark 28 (model B28RI) thermonuclear bombs of 1.5 megatons each, 1.5 meters long by 0.5 meters wide, weighing 800 kg. Two of them remained intact, one on land (near the mouth of the river Almanzora) and the other on the sea. The others fell without parachutes, one on a village lot, the other in the Sierra Almagrera. There was no detonation to the violent clash with the ground, but the impact caused both bombs to break into pieces. The three that fell ashore were in a matter of hours recovered; The one that fell in the sea would be recovered 80 days later, the bombs had a power superior to 75 times the ones of Hiroshima.
But finally, the media impact of the event was such, that years later a film was recorded inspired by the event; Men of Honour, "by George Tillman, actor Gooding Jr. plays one of the divers who participated in the rescue of the missing bomb at sea. This event is known locally as “El Baño de Fraga en Palomares“
