The Hondón Valley… Percy’s View

The Hondon Valley, Spain

The Hondón Valley… A refuge! This quiet sanctuary is away from the pace, hassle and bustle of the world. The Hondon Valley is a beautiful Spanish neighbourhood nestling in between the mountains and less than one hour’s drive from the golden beaches of the Costa Blanca beaches.

It is a region which can trace it’s roots back to Roman Times, the stone terracing still surviving, although unused and overgrown on the mountain side give presence to that period. The small stone huts dotted around the landscape shows evidence of a later period, when men toiled the fields and these stone constructions were places to rest from their labour, or they were for the shepherd to shelter and to take a break whilst looking after the flock.

Most of this has now disappeared as the community has engaged on a different more relaxed way of life from its previous one of farming and horticulture, morphing into a holiday paradise. This has taken place since the turn of the century, when in the year two thousand, development started with the construction of detached houses on parcels of the urban area.

It was in 1840 that self independence of the valley began to develop when the controlling authority, at that time the Dominican Friars of Orihuela, granted self governing powers to the two Hondon villages of Frailes and further to the north Nieves, with the latter being the controlling one of the pair. This changed in 1926 when the two parted company and the smaller of the two with 12.6 square kilometres of land obtained self autonomy, and the two villages developed in their own way. Today the valley is a quaint mixture of farming, residential and holiday makers living side by side.

Visit Hondon de los Frailes in Spring

In January the blossom on the almond trees will extend across the valley spreading a vista of various colours of pink proliferating around the fertile land between the Spanish style detached properties, giving the general feeling of Spring, although it has not quite arrived, it gives the impression it is on the way.

Hondon in Bloom! As the early months of the year progress then other plants will follow suit when the early buds that have formed will turn into a blanket of foliage hiding the developing fruit of the vines which will be harvested, starting in September and on to the end of the year. In between this period, the fields of olive trees their crop will have matured and would have been gathered.

This valley, this refuge from the madness of the outside world, it is where the quiet relaxed pace of time is paramount to everyday living. The mixture of different people mainly north Europeans who have found the delights of this place in the clean air of the mountains making it their home, mixing in as one, creating a contented community with its self governing bodies controlling the smooth running of events. The street parties and the fiesta in July and August… not to be missed as people come from far and wide to see the spectacles and to enjoy the cuisine offered by its restaurants.

La Montanosa in the Hondon Valley

From their humble beginnings the two communities of the valley with their grand old Churches to the centre of each built and named by the Dominican Friars all that time ago. As the bells of these structures mark each hour the surroundings progress into the new age well equipped to welcome all who wish to live or holiday in its peaceful environment.

Copyright 2020. This article was kindly written for Hondon Villas and the Hondón Community Percy W. Chattey, a member of the Hondon Writing Circle.

Percy W. Chattey is a local author of award winning thrillers and the “Story Telling” series. You can purchase Percy Chattey’s books in paperback or Kindle via Amazon… just search Percy Chattey.

A Place in The Sun Summer 2020

We know many of our British clients are familiar with and love “A Place In The Sun”. Well they have made their summer magazine FREE to read online. yes FREE!
It includes lots of advice on buying property, including new builds, viewing trips and finance. (Click here or the graphic to view)

A Place in the Sun visit the Hondon Valley

Hondon Villas have assisted the APITS team quite a few times over the years. The presenters are always lovely, professional and accessible. It still pleasantly surprises us how many times they have been to the Hondon Valley areas. You can see most of the previous APITS series on UK television Channel Four (All4) if you can get that online or a set-top box.

We also ADVERTISE our Hondón property listings on the APITS Portal.
> https://www.aplaceinthesun.com/property/agent/519084/hondon-villas

NEED HELP? If you need specific help with buying or selling Property in the Hondón area… well you know we are here for you. :-) Keep Happy. Keep Safe this Summer.

Cannot say enoughgood things about the Hondon Property services

About Hondon Villas : We are a registered AIPP Property Agent in the Hondon Valley, Costa Blanca South. And WOOOOO Hoooo, we were voted Business of the Year by a Spanish regional newspaper. We are now at OVER 2 MILLION website visitors and always do well Customer Ratings. With over 30 years real estate experience there is no-one else in the Hondon area with such a pedigree in property sales and service. Our bricks & mortar office is in Frailes Plaza, next to the village restaurants and bars. So you can actually pop-in to see us in the flesh unlike the mobile agents operating from a car!

Our vast experience, wide network of local experts and extensive local knowledge has come in very handy for countless new Hondon Valley home owners. We care and it shows, we are on hand to help… something you may not get with other agents here or collaborators who do not know the area.

So let us hold your hand, care for you and get that dream home in the Hondon Valley. Visit our website for more information.
Regards, Maureen:
Hondon Villas owner and service champion.

Muy Tranquilo in Hondón

If you know the Hondón area you’ll soon realise it has one stubborn but very quaint foot in it’s agricultural past and the other slow marching into the 21 first century. The valley has a long fertile farming history, particularly grapes, olives and almond groves. But over the last 20 years it has seen masses of foreign investment in property sales. Times they are a changing! Well, local expat’ Richard Seal, a teacher and writer, observes the traditional of Hondón village life…

Counting Sheep!
The Spanish shepherd nods at the sauntering expat who has stopped in front of his flock on the mountain path in the Hondon Valley. Goats sit, staring back in defiance at the intruder, whilst the sheep set themselves to square up to the fluffy dog rounding them up. As the man runs the gauntlet, the group stands together calling the human back – if he thinks he is hard enough.

Nuts!
Further down the road the expat watches a farmer, moving slowly in the sun, leather-faced, dog pant-wagging at his side. Suddenly a mobile phone becomes a foreign object, not working or welcome here – decades melt away with each drip on his sweat streak-striped shirt. Silence shimmers in the heat, disturbed only by almonds dropping, shaken down from his trees.

Village Folk
Arriving in the village of Hondon de los Frailes, expat tips his hat to the aged couple, sitting on rickety chairs outside their house, listening to a crackly radio, with shutters closed against the August afternoon heat. On a low wall near the English bar, clear of the waves of Geordie and Cockney tones, sits a group of old Spanish men. Hewn from rock, faces carved in granite, they say nothing … their brown eyes are sharp, darting, sparkling over small cigars. An elderly lady stands beside a tree, leaf framed, small and proud, in timeless silhouette.

Speaking of Spanish
The expat eschews the English bar in search of paella while the locals enjoy their lunch at home. Lingering in the cafe, he luxuriates in the Senora’s sensual smile and mellifluous voice. He would love to share her song, fancying flamenco. His shaky grasp of the language falters further to broken words barely held together by a ‘bueno’. Watching the man struggle, searching for Spanish, the waitress hovers and flashes him a smile. A giggle sneaks out, brown eyes twinkle at his stuttered words. Returning with the bill, his ‘muchas gracias’ is met by a breezy ‘de nada’.

Strands, written by Richard Seal. Available via Amazon.

©2020. This article was kindly written for Hondon Villas and the Hondón Community by Richard Seal, a member of the local Hondon Writing Circle and has published “Strands” and many other stories / poems inspired by his Spanish & Hondón life.

Percy Chattey Books publish ‘Story Telling®, a series of Short Stories and Poems in both digital eBooks & paperback formats available online via Amazon and Kindle.

Q. Are you buying property in the Hondon Valley? Check out our Exclusive Hondon Villas for sale. We are a local family run business in this area for 15 years. We know Hondón well!

Living The Dream in Hondón

Local resident and writer Trudie Le Beau recalls her winter “moving-in” experience into the Hondon Valley many years ago to “live the dream”. She opted for a new build as many did in early 2000’s as Hondón redeveloped itself. Of course new builds have to become homes and that means getting stuck-in! But it’s a happy ending.
Thank you Trudie, here at Hondón Villas we wish you many more happy years in this gorgeous tranquil part of rural Spain.

When in November 2004 my husband and I moved into our villa in Hondon de los Frailes it sat lonely and unadorned in a plot of dirt with not a blade of grass in sight and which, much to our dismay, still represented a building site inside.

Livinf the dream .... relaxing in the Spanish sunshine. Bliss!

Snagging the Property
Fortunately we had one day free before our furniture was due to arrive so, instead of treating ourselves to a celebratory lunch, we hastened along to the Ferretaria in Hondon de las Neives to buy buckets, mops, scouring pads etc and spent the rest of the day sweeping up cement dust, mopping floors, cleaning gunk off windows, scrubbing grout and cement from various surfaces and falling into our camp beds exhausted.

Not the best start but thank goodness our furniture arrived as planned and things soon began to look much more homely once we had somewhere to sit and the fire (of which our builder Paco was very proud) was lit.

Over the next few weeks Paco visited on an almost daily basis to attend to the odd snags that presented themselves, like the radiator leaking, the shower head being put on back to front and the boiler not working. We also had bathroom furniture and wardrobes fitted so for a few weeks the place felt more like Piccadilly Circus than home.

A Pool? It’s all going Swimmingly!
The next thing to organise was the swimming pool and once we had decided where to position it, we set things in motion. Earth was excavated and a frame of re-bar and the pipe work were fitted, and that was when it began to rain. Our dirt patch soon became a sea of mud but, dear old Paco came to our rescue by laying a path of scaffolding boards from the gate to our steps, but unfortunately each time we walked on them they sank a little deeper into the liquid, brown slurry and almost disappeared.

The rain continued relentlessly so naturally we assumed that the pool installation would be put on hold, but how wrong could we be! The next day a cement lorry arrived to pour in the base of the pool, which it managed to do but by which time it had sunk into the mud up to its’ axles; at that point we closed the door, put on the kettle and switched on our VHS recorder (we had no television at that point) in order to drown out the raised voices and what we were sure were Spanish expletives!

Eventually the pool was finished and our plot resembled a stock car racing track but peace reigned. It was February by then and freezing cold, so much so that when the water lorry came to finish filling up the pool the water that was already in it was frozen. Never mind, we were starting a new life and we’d discovered that booze was cheap and the natives were friendly.

Slowly but surely the Hondón summer feels more like the “dream”
Things improved no end through the summer months. We began to plant out the garden (with the aid of a kango hammer) and had plenty of visitors who didn’t seem to be phased by the frequent electricity cuts and days with no water – at least we had the pool. We were able also to have a telephone and wi-fi installed as well as a television – all the creature comforts of home.

New Furry Friends
By this time we had acquired two dogs that needed homes. One was a beautiful Husky that had belonged to the bathroom fitter whose circumstances had changed, making it difficult to look after her and the other, an Alsatian cross who had been abandoned. There seemed to be so many dogs in need of help then but over the years, thanks to the wonderful people at Hovar and Barkinside to name just a few the sad problem of feral dogs has receded.

Hondón is Still a “Gem” all these years later…
If we ever had any doubts about moving to Hondon de los Frailes they didn’t last long. Over the years we have seen the village gradually grow and improve so that at present it has just about everything one could ask for in the way of amenities, yet it still retains the quiet peacefulness that first attracted us to the Hondon Valley.

What could possibly be better than sharing a meal with friends and family whilst watching the sun set on a beautiful summer evening in Hondon de los Frailes?
Can’t think of anything?
No, nor can I.

Copyright 2020. This article was kindly written for Hondon Villas and the Hondón Community by Trudie Le Beau, a member of the Hondon Writing Circle . She has recently published her book “The Petite Chronicles”.

Percy Chattey Books publish ‘Story Telling®, a series of Short Stories and Poems in both digital eBooks & paperback formats available online via Amazon and Kindle.

Published by Percy Chattey Books

The 10 most asked for Spanish Dream Home Features

According to Kyero (one of Europe’s largest international property portals) the following property features are high on most buyer’s tick lists. Do you agree. We think it is there or there abouts depending on the location & budget. But Kyero have the data to prove it so we’ll go with it in general.

A big part of a real estate agent’s job like Hondon Villas, is to match properties to buyer’s criteria. That can sometimes be easy but often discerning clients might be hard to please. It’s a skill and one we take pride in through the hand-holding and Q&A we do with new buyer’s of course knowing our property portfolio and local market is essential too. When we get that match right.. it’s an offer and hopefully a sale to completion. Job done and all parties are happy!

Before we reveal the Top 10 property features for a Dream Home in the sun, it’s worth noting that there is a big difference between what locals buy and the affluent foreigner looking for a holiday or retirement home. hat is especially true in the Hondon Valley where we mainly operate. Knowing the key features that buyers want helps us to source desirable properties and market them with carefully crafted property descriptions for our target audience.

So without further ado here are 10 top features that are attractive to the international buyers browsing Spanish properties through Kyero: ( source )not necessarily in this order of course!

Air conditioning

When moving to a country with a warmer climate, the first thing on many searchers’ lists will be to make sure that their new property can keep them comfortable, even in the height of summer. In the Hondón area most people opt for the “inverter” types that can blow hot or cold air as it can be chilly in the winter.

Balcony / terrace

The MUST HAVE for northern Europeans used to wet and windy weather! So easy access to alfresco dining is always a tick-in-the-box for buyers are emigrating to a warm country like Spain. Hondon is mainly a sprawling landscape and affords large villas with large terraced plots so dining outside is no problem. Many envisage a life of breakfasting on the terrace in the morning sun.

Garden / outdoor space

And as well as a terrace many home buyers will be looking for more outdoor space. In Hondon the villas can have plots from 350 SqrM to 10,000 so again there will be something to fit this criteria. They want space to wander and breathe in the warmth of the air and feel the sunshine on their skin. Many would also enjoy the space to plant some flowers, or grow fresh produce perhaps that they could not have grown in their own country.

BBQ / outdoor grill / pizza oven

Can you see a theme emerging? Eating, socialising and spending time outdoors are huge motivating factors for international buyers coming from colder climates. As such, ready-made outdoor cooking facilities will always be a big plus. The larger villas often afford full size fitted kitchens outdoors… literally you’d never need to use the indoor one!

Spanish Villa with a Pool

Swimming pool

Whether for the kids or for fitness, a pool is often high on the list of priorities for international buyers looking to emigrate to sunnier shores. It’s the kind of luxury they might not have been able to justify at home, but will be a big attraction in their new life in Spain. The majority of villas in Hondon have a private pool. Luxury and a god-send in summer when it’s great to cool down, even at midnight!

Parking

International buyers will most likely want to make sure they have somewhere to park their car safely within easy reach of their property. Again, villas in the Hondon Valley area ar so large you can get several cars on the drive or plot. many have double garages or large carports to protect their car from the harmful heat and sun rays.

Large windows / stunning views

Even when they’re not outside, your international buyers will want to be able to see the outside space. A beautiful view, whether across the hills, a city-scape or the sea, will be a huge selling point. Even better if it comes with huge windows through which to view it.

Villas in Hondon are know for the large patios / nayas and conservatories with views of the Sierras… watch the sunset with a G&T from your lounge or naya is part of the dream tranquil life.

Walking distance to the beach

Not applicable to the Hondon Valley… If a buyer is looking for properties in a coastal location, one of the biggest questions on their lips will be, “How long will it take me to walk to the beach?” However, in Hondon they do want to know how long it takes to drive to a beach. Thankfully there are several from 35 to 50 minutes drive. So often they go out for the day with some town shopping or lunch.

Internet access

More so than ever… we all need to be connected these days. So it can be vital for keeping in touch with family and friends back home, or for running a business from their new home. So it’s not surprising that international buyers prize a reasonable internet connection speed above many other things. Hondon has a few providers to help there and in general is very reliable but you may not get speeds as fast as your home country, Hondon is rural after all. But most manage and many people do work from home successfully.

Wine fridge / cellar

While probably not a deal breaker, a wine fridge or cellar can be a real bonus for international buyers looking forward to a new, relaxing and sociable lifestyle. It sells a vision of sitting on a sunny terrace sipping a chilled white rioja, and that dream is what will secure the deal.

Well? Do you agree? They are quite generic and not too surprising for us here in Hondon to be honest. Apart from 2 (Beach/Wine Cellar) they are often asked for in the Hondon Valley property market we serve. At home valuation time we note these and they will form part of our online property write-up.

CONTACT US: If you want to buy or sell your home in the Hondon Valley then Hondon Villas is a premium family agent for the area located in the Hondon de los Frailes high street. We have 15 years in the valley and Maureen Cook, the Director has 30+ years in real estate. We are AIPP registered for Pro’ standards and were voted Business of the Year 2015 by the Costa Blanca News.

View our Exclusive Hondon Properties and Homes here >

Business Hours / Horas de Trabajo
OFFICE HOURS: Monday to Friday 10.00 ~ 17.00
Lunas – Viernes 10.00 – 17.00
WEEKENDS & EVENINGS by Appointment
Sábado y domingo con cita previa

WEEKDAY TELEPHONES:
OFFICE +34 622 314 244

Local Office / Dirección Oficina
Hondon Villas S.L. [ NIF B42662981 ]
Calle Juan Carlos I #24,
Plaza Central
Hondon de los Frailes.
Alicante Region GOOGLE MAP
03689, España (Spain)

EMAIL
property [@] hondonvillas.net

Article Source / Copyright: Based on a report by Kyero.com

Lockdown in the Hondón Valley

The Hondon Valley is a gem of inaudibility nestling amongst the mountains and about an 45 minutes drive from the Costa Blanca coast. And it is where we live and we love it here. No regrets leaving the UK from us! Here local resident and book publisher Percy W Chattey tells us about some of his observations during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Lockdown: Woman in Mask

The Old Way in Hondon…
Nearly two decades ago my wife and I found this Spanish paradise called The Hondon Valley. At that time it was trying to climb out of its farming past and join the twenty first century. I laugh now but there was over a three year wait for a telephone line and the television had two Spanish Stations with the large ‘H’ type of aerial, the kind which decorated thousands roofs of houses in Post War Britain.

Fast Forward to Spring 2020
Everything has changed over those years, and now we are as knowledgeable as most people about the modern wonders that abound us and are sorely needed in this time of Lockdown.

Shop Local #lovelocal
The local village, Hondon de los Frailes, has taken staying at home very seriously and because we are banned from travelling to a decent supermarket, about 12 Kilometres away, we have found the delights of getting our supplies from the local small shops, who have coped very well in this time of crises. Although there is not the choice of items as in the bigger shopping arenas, we are getting used to the change of diet.

Keeping Busy
It has been a wet spring here in the Valley which on the plus side makes it more a Garden of Eden in terms of greenery. But it means staying out of the rain during Lockdown. At least we are in the dry. Now short of climbing up the wall or painting it, we have been trying to find novel ways of keeping busy.

The Hondon Writers Circle members have not being able to meet for their fortnightly get together, so they have built up lengthy poems, by each putting in sequence four lines on the groups WhatsApp page, building something funny and unique which is then published on Facebook.

Ludo is a fascinating game when played with two partners in a group of four and nothing like the way children would play it. But of course, with the present situation it is not possible, especially if you have to be two metres apart. But with all the technical know-how in the Valley and the ability to use Skype, we managed by having a board in each of the two houses one with a camera over, and the game was on. If you would like to know the rules I will happily send them to you.

Behind the Mask
A lovely little story from Karen a member of the Hondon Writers Circle. Having a need to get provisions she decided to make herself one of those no-sew masks. She followed the instructions to the letter, and it worked! Looking great, and it fitted really well. Putting a bit of a coffee filter paper in the pocket at the front, because cotton alone will give about 10% to 20% protection, but add a coffee filter paper and it goes up to a 50% to 60% shield.
So, off to the shop, got everything on the list, and got back in the car, taking the mask off she saw the lower half of her face was blue, lips and all. She looked like she had been dead for a week! Going straight home warning the husband not to laugh at her or else….thank goodness it washed straight off!

Roll on Summer and the “New Normal”
We are all looking forward to the Valley turning back to normal with the sun warm and bright, also being free to wander the streets and to go a bit further to look at other parts of the world. There is also a mountain of work to be done in the garden, weeds two feet tall … perhaps the rain and the Lockdown are not such bad things after all…

Published by Percy Chattey Books

Copyright 2020. This article was kindly written for Hondon Villas and the Hondón Community by Percy Chattey, a member of the local Hondon Writing Circle .

Percy Chattey Books publish ‘Story Telling®, a series of Short Stories and Poems in both digital eBooks & paperback formats available online via Amazon and Kindle.

Our Four-legged Friends in Hondón

She was an active little thing black and white with brown markings. After the loss of one of our family the need for the remaining little male to have company to help with his mourning was real.

Hondon Valley Animal Charities

The steel mesh cages at the home where the strays are housed had about twelve dancing and excited faces running around which came to a stop as we appeared. They clambered over each other to get to the wire, each trying to be the nearest to us, all with sparkling eyes a yapping tongue with tails a wagging.

We were visiting ‘Hovar’ (Hondon Valley Animal Rescue) situated between the two villages of Hondon de los Frailes and Hondon de las Nieves, who, similar to Barkingside rescue abandoned animals and find new homes for them.

We now had a problem … what one to choose? The long-haired ones, sausage type dogs, skinny ones and the opposites all pleading in their own way to be chosen. They were all excited to see us which made us feel sad as we could only take one of them.

There was a little female Jack Russel smarter than the others, she stood on the outside of the crowd quite still and when she knew she had our attention her little face lit up, giving a short bark, turning around and running a little way up the enclosure, turned again and gave another little bark as if she was talking to us and wanted to play.

She was now certain she had our attention and went into a kennel and disappeared. We felt a little disappointed because in our hearts she was exactly what we were looking for and now she had gone. Then her little face appeared around the corner of the opening and looking straight at my wife Jean, as if speaking to her gave a couple of sharp yelps before disappearing again, only to quickly reappear and repeat the process.

Meg had chosen us, joining our family that day and has become a lovely little friend. Like a child she loves company and cuddles and always knows how to get her own way with looks and sulks and different attitudes of expressing herself sometimes with a low woof.

Seven years on and we still do not know how old she is as it was not known when she came into our lives. She understands our way of living and has become very protective of her home and us, in doing so she has developed into a beautiful lovely dear old friend, who sits near and follows us everywhere.

Would you like to help our local Animals?
The Hondon Valley has numerous animal charities always in need of volunteers or donations. They work 24/7 all year, so if you can help you’ll find them on Facebook, or just search Google or Facebook for “Hondon”. Thank you.

Copyright 2020. This article was kindly written for Hondon Villas and the Hondón Community by Percy Chattey, a member of the local Hondon Writing Circle .

Percy Chattey Books publish ‘Story Telling®, a series of Short Stories and Poems in both digital eBooks & paperback formats available online via Amazon and Kindle.

Firsts! Hondon Villas lead the way…

FIRSTS are good! #LOVELOCAL #HONDONVILLAS
+++++ Proud and Happy! +++++

FIRST local Registered & verified AIPP MEMBER celebrating 5 YEARS!
FIRST family run agency in the area.
FIRST local real estate to be nominated and voted the Business of the Year for Costa Blanca South.
FIRST local real estate to employ a certified aerial videographer.
FIRST local agent to have an office in the Frailes village plaza.
FIRST local agent to be a legal SL company.
FIRST local agent to welcome local people to a very successful family business, all with local knowledge and giving them employment contracts.
FIRST local agent to year-on-year support local charities.
FIRST local agency to help “A Place in the Sun” property buyers.
FIRST local foreign run agency with 15 years in business in Spain .
First and ONLY local business to come from the U.K. after working in real estate business there since 1983 … and so much more.

It’s worth remembering that Hondon Villas are the first LOCAL agent to register with the AIPP and so we are the FIRST LOCAL Registered & verified AIPP MEMBER for celebrating 5 YEARS! The industry body. The industry voice. The industry standard.
Other agents originally dismissed it but they are catching up thankfully.

CONTACT US FOR EXPERT HELP, EXPERIENCE AND PRO SERVICE.