Why not consider buying on the Costa del Sol instead? You write that you want to be near the airport, and don’t want to hire a car if you can avoid it.
There is a train station almost immediately next to Malaga Airport. Trains run every twenty minutes into Malaga, or in the other direction to Torremolinos, Benalmadena, and Fuengirola.
My impression is that more is happening along that strip than in Costa Blanca. From a distance Malaga looks rather rundown and dreary, but the historic centre is lively, particularly at night. There is lots of history with Roman ruins and a Moorish fort. The port is regularly visited by cruise liners doing the Med circuit.
Torremolinos is nowhere near as grim as you might think, and there is a lot of regeneration taking place. Prices are still very reasonable.
My personal preference is to be within walking distance of a train station with direct connections to the busy airport. However if you travel further down the coast you have the more upmarket Marbella and Puerto Banus where many thousands of wealthy people (including a certain Russian leader) choose to have their holiday houses in the hills with extensive golf courses nearby.