I want to live in the ‘best’ part of Soller – where is it?
By Shirley Roberts
Every day Sollerweb answers questions and gives information. This week there are many potential purchasers in the City keeping the Estate Agents busy. They are here with the best exchange rate in years giving them more money in their pocket. They are here in the first year that it has been possible to spend their pension pot rather than invest it after the rules changed in the UK.
The questions come in thick and fast and most of them can be answered factually. The answer to the ‘best part’ of Soller can’t be answered in this fashion because it all depends what your criteria is and what is available in your price range.
There are some general points that might help in helping to leave some UK prejudices behind when looking what the Soller Valley has to offer.
‘Soller streets are full of light industry’ – garages, wood yards, building supplies. Residential and working premises exist side by side and are not a sign that you are in a ‘working class’ area. The fabric of this place is that the ‘life work balance’ which enable you to get home for lunch and a siesta before resuming work again at 5pm works if everything is in close proximity.
‘Soller streets are impossible to park in’ – ‘I must have a garage for my car’. If you really believe that you should be able to drive and park your car outside your house or in an easily accessible drive then Soller is not for you. This place exists on a warren of municipal car parks and private garages which let out space. You will pay someone – either the local council for a permit or a private garage owner between 40 – 50€ per month to have a space.
‘Soller town houses are so close together and they look a little poor’. Take those ‘middle England’ glasses off – you are in a different world here. The stone houses that have stood for a hundred years in Soller streets house a beauty that is waiting for your discovery. The stone facades and narrow streets give way behind those big wooden doors to many wonders. Small patios for some and extensive gardens follow others. Soller Palaces exist next to modest town houses in the same streets and an amble around and a peep into those glorious entradas will enable you to see what so many have before you.
I can’t answer the ‘best part of Soller’ question. I know those that would only live two minutes from the square and preferably in the Lluna. I know others that prefer to be slightly elevated behind the station so they can have a view over the City. I know others that think that L’horta mid way between City and the Port is the only place to be. The Port dwellers would say that the only place in the universe is theirs down by the sea.
I have lived in the Port, in L’horta and in Soller and I have loved them all and the different aspects of Valley life they represent. My only advice to you is to walk the streets, stop for a coffee in neighbourhood bars and try and get a feel for the essence of an area. The neighbourhoods of Soller are waiting for your discovery and love those who love them…
