Situated in an idyllic country setting on the sunny Costa del Sol in Southern Spain, this superb four bed villa offers every possible facility for the discerning purchaser.  Access to the villa is down a long tree lined drive opening out into a parking area in front of the property.  The property is ideal as a luxurious retreat for celebrities, artists, writers, musicians or people wishing to buy for investment and business.  There is a beautiful garden apartment set amongst orange, mandarin, lemon and avocado groves.  The present owners currently advertise and rent out this apartment.

Local area details

Situated just 30 minutes drive from Malaga Airport on the Costa del sol, Southern Spain, the villa is perfectly located for exploring the Costa del sol with easy access to Estepona, San Pedro, Mijas, Benalmadena, Fuengirola, and with the advent of the new mountain road, the journey by car to the ever popular Marbella is just twenty five minutes.  The journey from the villa to the old Spanish town of Rhonda takes approximately one hour.

Golf courses

There are three 18 par hole golf courses.  The closest to the villa boasts one of the best golf courses on the coast designed by Seve Ballesteros and is eight minutes drive away.  Two other golf courses, Lauro Golf and Mijas Golf are within twenty minutes drive.

Build

The villa was built by a respected local builder for his own use and has many interesting features including a wooden ceiling, wooden surround to the fireplace, a spiral staircase up to the study plus an outside terrace off the study.

Comfortable living in the sun

Air conditioning with reverse heat for the winter months is an important feature and the current owners have also installed a woodburner.

Modern Kitchen

Incorporating dishwasher, oven, microwave, washing machine, gas hob and extractor fan.

Landscaped gardens

Steps lead down to a lovely subterranean garden and BBQ area including an outside bar, ideal for entertaining friends, family or business associates.

Swimming Pool

The magnificent swimming pool 16m x 8m is floodlit ready for that evening swim.

Land

The land is 6,000 sq m divided into three orchards.  The front orchard consists mainly of avocados and lemons, the middle orchard mainly mandarins plus black and white grapes.  There are two dog kennels and housing for the computerised irrigation system and a well for the irrigation.  The third orchard is mainly oranges plus nisperro.

Property ideal for golf and horse riding

Interested parties are invited to contact Eugenie Smith International for further information and viewing arrangements.

The Asturian coastline is dotted with hundreds of coves and beaches bordered by steep cliffs.  Visitors and residents alike frequent the clean sandy beaches during the humid and warm summer.  Winter time from October to May can be cold with snow present in the mountains.

Gijón is the biggest coastal city famous for traditional Asturian gastronomy and cider production.  This is the heart of culture with many museums, theatres, and art museums.

Oviedois the capital city of the Principality of Asturias and the Palacio de Congresos de Oviedo, designed by Santiago Calatrava, is a must to visit.  Avilés is the third largest city in Asturias and is also steeped in history, and complimented by a permanent exhibition of modern sculptures along the Avilés estuary.

For tourists and residents alike, the area is well served by air, bus, and train. Asturias International Airport is just 40 kilometres from Oviedo and eastern Asturias is accessible from Santander Airport.  The rail network RENFE serves Asturias with a regular service and there is a good bus service by the ALSA company running several times a day to destinations as far away as Paris, Brussels, and Nice.

Please see our website for a small selection of  properties available in this delightful area.

Until next time…

Eugenie

History

It was May 10th 1503 when Columbus discovered Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.  Whilst sailing from Panama to Hispaniola strong winds prevailed forcing his ship to go off course west.  The ship’s log recorded “we were in sight of two very small islands, full of tortoise, as was the sea about, inasmuch as they looked like little rocks”.  This was the reason that at that time Columbus named the islands ‘Las Tortugas’ but the name of the islands was later changed.

When Jamaica was captured from the Spanish by Oliver Cromwell’s army the islands officially became part of the British Empire under the Treaty of Madrid in 1670, after which Spain recognised British possession of all lands, islands, colonies and places situated in the West Indies.

Today people visit the islands from all over the world, many buying land or property, which is not surprising when there is the opportunity to live and spend time on a remote island swimming, snorkelling and diving off white sandy beaches.

Music

For music lovers, the Cayman National Cultural Foundation established in 1984 promotes Cayman folk music, including the organisation of festivals e.g. The Cayman JazzFest, Seafarers Festival and Cayfest.  The Cayman JazzFest founded in 2004 is a well-known Jazz Festival.  The Cayman Music and Entertainers Association represent local musicians’ interests and professional studios such as Hopscotch Studios offer recording and post production services.  Bona Fide are local popular musicians.

Advantageous Tax Regulations

The Cayman Islands impose very few forms of taxation upon its people.  This holds true for its foreign investors as well.  With regard to Cayman property ownership, the Cayman Islands assess no regular property taxes or capital gains taxes.  There is also no tax due to the Cayman Island’s Government for other income derived from Cayman Real Estate investment such as rent or dividends.

Ideal investment – St James Place, Little Cayman

St James Place is a small luxury 16 lot development and a great investment for the discerning purchaser with a 0% interest free payment plan over 5 years and tax free.  Details can be seen by clicking  the property for sale section on our web site together with brief information about other interesting opportunities.

For fuller comprehensive information contact us by email

Until next time…

Eugenie

Andalucia

I have visited the Alhambra many times and never cease to be impressed by the majestic towers, castle ramparts, beautiful gardens and wonderful palaces;  a maze of visual delights.

For 780 years this part of Spain was in Moorish hands.  Granada was their capital and the Alhambra their fortress.  Alhambra means ‘the red castle’ and is built on a steep hill of woods and gardens and, in some ways, is quite similar to Edinburgh Castle with its total command over the surrounding area.

Ferdinand and Isabella wrested the castle from Boabdil, the last Moorish King in 1492, the year Columbus discovered America.  Over the centuries, the general aspect of the Alhambra has changed quite a lot.  In its heyday it had no less than 30 grand towers but Charles V pulled some of them down to make way for his palace.  Napoleon blew up eight more and an ‘Act of God’ (an earthquake) was the cause of some others.

Inside are richly decorated walls and ceilings with aesthetic geometric designs and delicate reliefs, lovely archways and countless fountains.  The names in the Alhambra conjure up intriguing romantic visions:  Court of the Sultana, Tower of the Witches, Gate of Justice, Court of the Myrtles, Hall of the Two Sisters, Tower of the Fair Captive, Court of the Lions… it goes on and on.

Other attractions are the beautiful 16th century cathedral containing the royal jewels and tombs of Spain’s greatest rulers, The monastery of St Jerome and the caves at Sacromonte, where gypsies entertain with music and dancing.

Over the years I have sold many properties in the surrounding areas of Granada to people from all walks of life and all are fortunate enough to be able to visit this magnificent place to enjoy The Alhambra and Generalife again and again.

Until next time,

Eugenie

The days of timeshare with it’s attendant problems are now fading away.  Fractional ownership is fast taking its place and has been around for a very long time, but it was only the very wealthy up until recently who have taken advantage of fractional ownership in luxury yachts etc.  Therefore, it is perceived to be more classy than timeshare.

Within the property sector this type of ownership is booming, mainly because those people who originally thought about buying holiday homes no longer want the trouble and expense of owning real estate they can only use for a few weeks at a time, and in these days of recession could depreciate in value.  They are seeking the value, equity and other benefits associated with property ownership and are finding this by investing in fractional ownership as it comes in the form of fractional real estate.

The similarity to timeshare is that you can stay in an apartment or town house for an agreed period every year, but unlike timeshare, you own a freehold share in the property.  Owners receive a fractional interest in perpetuity.

Fractional ownership of a yacht

Owning a yacht is beyond the pockets of most people, not only because of the initial outlay in purchasing the yacht but because of increasing annual costs of mooring, maintenance, insurance etc, not to mention the fact that the yacht is very often only used for a few weeks of the year.

Through fractional ownership, however, it is possible to enjoy pride of ownership without all the headaches and ongoing expense.  The annual fee pays for the crew, the maintenance and the management leaving you to enjoy cruising at its finest.

Contact us for details whether you wish to learn more about fractional ownership on a yacht, houseboat or in a luxury condo hotel in Disney World Florida.

Until next time,

Eugenie

The system whereby a Real Estate Agent places a property or development on their listings is difficult, as they cannot be expected to inject the amount of finance into the selling of upmarket properties on an individual basis.  This is where specialist targeted marketing comes into play.  Unfortunately, however, there are not many  companies who have the expertise in marketing overseas property combined with the very latest technology.

The current system whereby Real Estate Agents are not paid a commission until completion of sale is not fair to either them or the client, as the necessary amount of individual effort cannot possibly be made by the Agent on behalf of the client.  Therefore, agents are not motivated as they are expected to carry out a great deal of unpaid work with no reward unless a sale is made.  This is particularly hard in the case of selling upmarket luxury properties and developments during these difficult times.

It could be argued that there are some unscrupulous marketing companies who could take a fee for marketing and do very little, but on the other hand, a good experienced marketing company belonging to reputable governing bodies will charge a cost effective fee and put together a targeted realistic marketing package for each individual client.  This works well as we have experienced, having sold properties which have been on the market for years with an initial input from the owner or developer making all the difference.

Contact us for further information,

Eugenie

Eugenie Smith International Website

Property ideal for golf and horse riding

I sold this villa to the existing owners several years ago and they are now reluctantly selling due to ill-health.  The previous owner was Peter Maddocks, the well-known Fleet Street cartoonist.

Full details are available by contacting us and brief details are below:

Keen horse lovers or golfers will find this property particularly attractive as the property is situated close by to many of the best golf courses in the area including Lauro Golf and Alhaurin Golf.  For horse lovers, the orchard could be divided into three paddocks or two paddocks and a menage.

The villa is set amongst beautiful tropical gardens, well maintained and all terraces, drive and the pool area have lighting.  There are beautiful terraces and an outside covered dining area with bar and BBQ.

The very large two bed self-contained apartment is ideal for summer vacation rentals or for elderly relatives as it is on one level and no stairs.

For luxury living, the discerning purchaser would be well advised to visit this unique villa of character set in Spain’s most beautiful countryside and yet not far from the coast.

Please contact me for further details and to arrange a viewing.

Until next time…

Eugenie

Located in an historical town, the resort includes 80% of all the properties in the town – situated less then one hour from the capital city, the airport and the beaches, this resort is perfect for the new owner to place his own individual brand and renovate some of the properties to fit in with his ideas.

Having spent many years visiting the most intriguing country villages throughout Spain, I feel this opportunity will capture the imagination of anyone who would like to live and work in a totally relaxed environment, as the resort is active and working at full capacity as a country resort and has a fine corporate image, restaurant, and tourist activity programmes.

Exceptionally well priced at just one million, one hundred Euros.

Full information and pics are available to interested parties.

all for now

Eugenie