Area focus on Pinar de Campoverde, Costa Blanca, Spain

PINAR DE CAMPOVERDE is a small inland village located at the foot of the Sierra de Escalona mountain range, in the southernmost quarter of the Alicante province.

Translated as "the Pine Forest of the Green Field", the village is uncommonly green and verdant given the low levels of rainfall and the abundance of dry warm weather more typically associated with this area of South Costa Blanca.

Pinar de Campoverde is characterised by an elevated position that affords many of the properties in the area stunning views over vast orange groves and pine forests to the north and west, and across the coastal plains to the Mediterranean Sea to the southeast.

The village has always been a popular summer and weekend retreat for families from the Spanish capital city of Madrid, many of whom still own holiday homes in the neighbourhood.

Pinar de Campoverde, the natural jewel of the Costa Blanca

Originally the Pinar de Campoverde area had been nothing more than a large pine forest and had very little agricultural importance until some of the forested areas were cleared for orange and lemon plantations during the late 1970s.

Bordered to the north and east by the Rio Seco - a seasonal river that originates in the Sierra de Escalona mountains to the north of Pinar de Campoverde and provides drainage for rainfall feeding into the Mediterranean Sea basin at Mil Palmeras beach.

With a maximum height of just 345 metres above sea level, the distant mountain range is comparably small, and as a result, the Rio Seco spends the vast majority of its year in drought.

The river runs through a deep canyon with exposed layers of exposed sandstone strata, that weaves through Pinar de Campoverde. It is the persistent millennia of annual floodwaters that the river brings, that has contributed to the abundant flora present in the area today.

The majestic Lo Romero golf course

The Rio Seco natural park in Pinar de Campoverde is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including a broad spectrum of exotic Mediterranean wildlife such as owls, hedgehogs, and long-tailed lizards.

Hunting birds dominate the skies above the village, and sightings of kestrels, sparrowhawks, peregrine falcons and great Bonelli eagles are an everyday occurrence. Red squirrels are endemic to the area and occupy the upper branches of the pine trees throughout the village.

The Lo Romero 18-hole championship golf course is located midway between Pinar de Campoverde and Pilar de la Horadada. Located on the site of an old pear and apple orchard, this spectacular course opened in 2008 and exceeds six kilometres in length.

Lo Romero embeds itself within the naturally diverse Mediterranean location, and the club boasts an infamous 18th hole - played from an elevated tee overlooking the Mar Menor, down to an island green surrounded by water and accessible only by footbridge.

A traditional village for modern life

Today's modern village has a veritable array of bars and restaurants that cater for every taste, and the Avenida Pino to the north of the older part of the area is renowned for its fine dining eateries and casual bistros.

Commercial centres are strategically located locally to offer all the crucial amenities required by international residents, with shops, vets, banks, a pharmacy, and supermarkets.

Pinar de Campoverde is universally popular, and today the resident population is still dominated by indigenous Spanish people, with a familiar mix of British, German, French, Dutch and Scandinavian expatriates settled within the community.

Living close to the splendour of Mediterranean nature is one thing, but living within it is something completely different - and something that Pinar de Campoverde delivers in substantial measure.

Looking for your dream home in Pinar de Campoverde? This luxury detached villa is immaculate and like new. The three-bedroom property offers an open-plan living area, a spectacular roof terrace, and a spacious garden with a private pool. Take a look at the property listing and more photos.