Does anyone know much about El Marchal - we are interested in buying there

El Marchal has now about 100 inhabitants more or less from memory.  Crime in a village that size where everybody knows everybody is as you’d expect almost non-existent. I wouldn’t say it’s “well kept” - it’s an ageing village, the younger people all moving away to pursuer better opportunities.  It is in effect, sadly, a village that is dying.

Thanks DarioMartin, sounds ideal as we don't want a tourist/busy area anyway. The village we lived in in France was also "dying" as are so many across Europe, hence the sale of properties for 1 Euro initiative. We looked at Vera, Mojacar, etc and decided these would become crowded in the Summer when all the 2nd homeowners and holidayers turned up, thanks for your input.

Vera Playa certainly becomes crowded, but Vera itself doesn't really.  It is a decent sized town of around 10.000 people with all facilities and is very very Spanish - there are migrants here, but not a great deal of English is spoken.

El Marchal of course, virtually zero English will be spoken.  It's not an untidy or even "unkempt" village - it's just very very small, old, set in a valley in the mountains and it's a bit like the land that time forgot - think Brigadoon and that's about it.  For every day that passes there, a hundred years passes up over the mountains.  That being said they get a grocery / meat / bread van that comes round once a week

If you DO choose to live there, make sure you have a very small car to navigate the streets!!

Thanks again, in all honesty it's what we are looking for - in France we had mostly French neighbours and so had to converse in French - even our Mayor had very little English. I know a little Spanish, but will learn the language out of respect if nothing else. Someone somewhere will do Spanish lessons ! Hasta Luego !