Living in Spain after we moved over from the Philippines I have to say its a great place for family life. Now in year 3 its one of the best decisions we made.
But also La Mata is a small town just north of Torrevieja which has a village feel and very cosmopolitan with people from everywhere. But also extremely friendly, highly recommend living there or visiting. Although it is very popular during the holiday season the rest of the year its pretty quiet which is one of the reasons we love it.