Enjoy our quick guide to Soller, a town situated a couple of miles inland from Port de Soller in Mallorca.
Throughout the year, the town hosts a number of fairs and festivals which include the “Apropa’t A L’Art” and the “Moros Y Cristianos Fira & Firo.”
Below we feature an expat interview with Pere Crespi of Mallorca Dream Homes who covers the Soller area.
Specifically, we wanted to learn from Pere the many reasons why people should consider moving to this area and the value for money they can get once they decide to stay permanently.
Pere, thanks for helping our readers. I guess we should start off by asking what would you say would be the advantages to living in Soller compared to other Mallorca towns?
One of the main differences to live in Sóller is that the small town lives all year around. The population of around 14.500 people guarantee that there is always something going on and it does not become a ghost town like still many other places in Mallorca. Another big advantage is to be so close to Palma as in less than 30 minutes one can be right in Palma.
Would the area not suit certain types of people, i.e. are there any possible downsides?
Not really big downsides but if you come to Sóller for party then this is not the place…. for that Mallorca has other different areas as Magalluf or Arenal. The valley of Sóller offers lots of contrasts: mountains with lots of hiking ways and sea, with all the nautic offer, sailing and acuatic sports.
What proportion of the local population are Spanish?
Still more than 80% of the population is Spanish.
What are your favourite things to do in the area?
Hiking is probably one of my favorites, tennis and getting together with friends.
Can you give us some insider tips to the best bars or restaurants?
One of the most recommendable restaurants in the valley is Can Boqueta, open already around 4 years ago. It is the kind of place that one does not get tired of going there. Menu changes every week and quality versus price is really unbeatable. A traditional restaurant would also be Cas Carreter, also located in the centre of the town offering the Mallorcan specialities. In Port de Sóller the selection is really huge and it is difficult to say which ones are the best…
Are there many facilities such as doctors and dentists, shops etc?
A 24/7 medical centre is available in Sóller apart from a few private clinics and also private doctors. Four different dentists are available in Sóller.
Are there smaller villages nearby that you might also recommend?
Once you visit the valley of Sóller one should not miss to visit the villages of Fornalutx, Biniaraix, both in the same valley and along the coast at 10 km away the well known Deià.
Is crime an issue for expats?
Has never been until now and hopefully will not be in the future.
Coming onto buying property, what is the market like now in terms of prices going up, or down or staying the same?
Prices have been quiet stable over the last years despite of the crisis…. demand is still huge in the area and coming from most of the EU countries…
Is this a good time to buy and are there any repossessions or very cheap properties still available to buy?
It is a good time to buy as prices are increasing slightly…. no bargains around and almost no repossessions in the area.
What urbanisations are there and can you describe each one and how they might differ from each other?
A few urbanisations around in Port de Sóller, Muleta is at the moment on hold as not all the services are available so the local goverment does not want to grant any new building licenses until those services like town water, sewerage and electricity are available all around the urbanisation. The first line of Port de Sóller is probably the most expensive area in the Port together with the urbanisation of Es Traves where you enjoy an open view to the sea as to the harbour.
How much are the typical property prices in Soller for apartments, villas etc?
There are lots of different products but the most demanded ones are apartments in Port de Sóller with sea views, between 300 and 600.000 Euros, townhouses in Sóller with garden or at least patio between 400.0000 Euros and the 800.000 Euros and then the detached stone build property with pool…. those could easily go for more than a million Euros.
Any tips and advice to people looking to buy in Soller or surrounding area?
Better to buy now than tomorrow…. building restrictions are really important so new property is difficult to develop making the existing ones the only available options in most of the area. Being in the World Heritage by Unesco the Sierra de Tramuntana will be even more protected than before so it guarantees a good future for the area.
Pere, thank you so much for taking the time to help our readers with your experiences in Spain. If you want to contact him, you can find his details below.
Mallorca Dream Homes
Carretera del Desvío 62
Sóller 07100
Mallorca
Tel. +34 971 63 4918 (Office)
+34 619 70 7479 (Mobile)
Email: info@mallorca-dreamhomes.com
Website: www.mallorca-dreamhomes.com
We also have a list of estate agents & inmobiliaria in Soller here.
Contact us to be featured – we want more expat interviews for our newsletter and website. You don’t need to be an estate agent, we want to hear from anyone who lives in Spain whether you are working or retired.
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