Interior of a Ville degli Olivi property

To celebrate the launch of Realitalia’s new web site, the company has created a promotion for people who sign a Preliminary Contract at Ville degli Olivi in Tuscany before July 31, 2010. They will gain – included in the price of their Italian home – a Realitalia Furniture Package.

The Realitalia Furniture Packages are a customized selection of fittings and furniture designed to make their Italian home fully enjoyable from day one. Owners can decide on colors and style to create their own perfect home. An example of these Furniture Packages can be seen in the new Realitalia.co.uk Portfolio section:

The offer means that for the 3-bedroom garden flat ‘Basilico’, buyers will be able to obtain a complete Furniture Package that costs €37,000 included in the price.

This is an excellent time to buy since people who do so will be able to take maximum advantage of the Realitalia Design Options. This means that owners can deal directly with Realitalia’s team without the need to manage and deal with the construction.

The first phase of delivery is expected for the spring of 2011.

Ville degli Olivi

One bedroom apartments from circa £200,000

Two bedroom apartments from circa £ 250,000

Three bedroom apartments from circa £ 420,000

For more information, contact: http://www.realitalia.co.uk/en/portfolio

New facilities under construction in St Lucia

St Lucia's lifestyle is receiving a major boost

St Lucia, part of the Windward Islands chain in the West Indies, is aiming to attract second-home owners with plans for a new airport terminal and upscale facilities such as a new casino (the first for the island), a multi-million pound shopping mall and super-yacht marina.

The Minister of Tourism, Allen Chastanet, explains that the quality of life is changing for the better in St Lucia and services are developing to support a higher-end lifestyle for property owners and travelers. The news has been welcomed by luxury developments such as The Landings, an exclusive development of private residences based close to the new amenities.

St Lucia has always been a popular sailing destination with many boats starting there and heading to the Grenadines. Now with the opening of new super yacht facilities at Rodney Bay Marina, the new facilities can take yachts on 32 dedicated berths up to 250 feet in length.

The Government has announced plans recently to construct a new terminal with all modern amenities at the Hewanorra International Airport in Vieux-Fort. Work started on the new terminal in January 2010 and it will take two years to complete.

The Baywalk Shopping Mall in Rodney Bay is another development in the north of the island that is close to completion. There will be two floors of retail shops including some of the world’s best brands and St. Lucia’s first casino which is opening in July 2010.
The Landings has just launched a new phase of beachfront apartments. Each property features a fully equipped high-end kitchen with premium-brand appliances, a spacious living room, dining room, cloakroom, bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and four poster beds, two balconies or a landscaped terrace.

Properties at The Landings start at $550,000 for a 1-bedroom residence and the new beachfront residences range in price from $1.8 million (£1.18M) to $3.5 million (£2.24M).

Canary Island Upgrades

Lanzarote’s leading resort rejuvenated at a cost of over €16 million

Puerto del Carmen is receiving major investment

Nick Ball of www.lanzaroteguidebook.com reports that work on the €16 million project to rejuvenate Puerto del Carmen, the largest resort on Lanzarote, is now drawing to a close. Over the last 12 months, island tourist authorities have followed through on their promise to improve facilities and amenities in the popular tourist destination in order to compete with other holiday hot spots, such as Egypt and Turkey.

Puerto del Carmen has long been the engine room of the island’s tourist industry, accounting for the bulk of the 1.3 million foreign arrivals who visit Lanzarote each year. The project has encompassed a number of measures including improvements to the main seafront promenade and the transformation of the Old Town harbour area into a luxury marina.

High Speed Hook Up For Canary Islands

Tenerife, Gran Canaria and La Palma are all set to benefit from a major multi-million euro project which will deploy a new submarine cable between the islands and Cadiz on the mainland.

Delivering high-speed Internet services and improved connectivity for the benefit of consumers, public administration services and research facilities, the project is the result of collaboration between Alcatel-Lucent and CanaLink and is scheduled for completion as early as the first half of next year.

“This project is a significant contribution to the regional communications infrastructure and socio-economic development by permitting diversified accessibility to cost-effective services,” said Alfonso Gajate, president of IslaLink and CanaLink.

Stated Philippe Dumont, head of Alcatel-Lucent’s submarine network activity. “With this project, CanaLink will have access to advanced technologies and rely on the bandwidth availability required to make end-users enjoy the best communications experience possible.”

Free travel guide to Cyprus

Pick up tips about family favourite Cyprus before you go

Specialists in luxury holidays, Sovereign.com have introduced the first of a new series of unique travel guides, ‘The Insider’s Guide to…’ The first of the four-page guides focuses on Cyprus and can be downloaded free on the Sovereign Holidays website.

The Insider’s Guide to Cyprus will provide holidaymakers with a handy guide on where to go, what to see and hidden delights on the popular island of Cyprus. Travel tips come from hoteliers and the in-resort concierge team to provide an informative guide direct from those who live there.

The guide also includes handy phrases, recommends traditional Cypriot food and drink, days out for the family, best beaches and provides a list of some of the most popular festivals holidaymakers can combine with their trip.

The Insider’s Guide to Cyprus has been designed for visitors to pack in their hand luggage. It is split into four distinct sections, so even if a holiday will only be spent in the larger resorts of Paphos or Limassol, holidaymakers can still benefit from resident’s knowledge and insider tips on where to go, what to see and where to eat.

To download the free guide, visit the Cyprus holidays page at: www.sovereign.com

Portugal’s Silver Coast sees the launch of new resort Falésia D’El Rey

Praia del Rey resort

Well-known international developer, the Beltico Group, owners of Praia D’El Rey Golf & Beach Resort on Portugal’s Silver Coast, announce the approval of their next five star golf and leisure resort, Falésia D’El Rey.

“Praia D’El Rey Golf and Beach Resort put the Silver Coast on the map”, says Beltico Chairman Stuart Swycher. “Now, with the launch of our next project Falésia D’El Rey, we aim to repeat our success, and introduce even more people to the barefoot luxury lifestyle of the Silver Coast”.

Falésia D’El Rey is a spectacular 230-hectare front-line ocean site, right on the cliffs overlooking the sea and beaches of the nearby Óbidos lagoon. Here Beltico will develop a 5-star luxury resort, with an 18-hole links golf course and golf clubhouse, a 5-star contemporary hotel overlooking the sea plus a boutique hotel with spa, swimming pools, tennis courts, shops, exercise circuits and more.

Declared a Project of National Interest by the Portuguese authorities, at Falésia D’El Rey 475 luxury properties will be created around the new golf course which is designed by the world renowned American golf course architect Pete Dye, with front line ocean views and ranging from apartments (192) and townhouses (205) to luxury detached villas (78).

For more details, go on-line at: www.praia-del-rey.com

New ski apartments for sale in a residence de tourisme described by developer MGM as ‘state-of-the-art in terms of sustainability and fuel economy’ are to be built at Flaine in Haute-Savoie region of the French Alps.

MGM, which has signed-up to the principles of HQE (Haute Qualité Environmental) – the international construction industry’s high environmental quality standard which aims to integrate the principles of sustainable development defined at the 1992 Earth Summit – sees its latest new development at Flaine as the next significant step in its commitment to reduce energy consumption.

“This development is tipped to become a showcase of eco-friendly development and it will set the pace for future new developments by MGM,” says the company’s London-based sales consultant Richard Deans.

Le Centaure was designed by one of France’s leading architects, Christian Hauvette of Paris

Le Centaure will comprise 66 apartments ranging in size from 27 square metre studios to 75 square metre three-bedroom duplexes. They include apartments specially adapted for use by disabled occupiers. Features of these apartments include larger floor areas in all rooms, especially the bathrooms and toilets which will have hand rails to assist.

The Residence will incorporate an indoor swimming pool with floor-to-ceiling glazing to give dramatic views of a nearby mountain waterfall, as well as a sauna, Jacuzzi, steam and fitness rooms. A spa and beauty centre will have a variety of massages and body treatments on offer.

When it opens for business at the end of 2011, Le Centaure will be just 50 metres from the cable car lift to Les Grandes-Platières which boasts panoramic views of Mont Blanc at the start of the Cascades blue run down to Sixt-Fer à Cheval. At 14 km, this is one of the longest ski runs in the world, forming part of the 265 km network of pistes within the Grand Massif ski area.

Flaine, a 75-minute drive from Geneva Airport, is popular both for the ski season – with additional activities like ice driving on offer – and the summer where mountain bike rides and walks start on the doorstep.

Off-plan prices of the properties at Le Centaure start at €159,000 for a studio, rising to €426,000 for a three-bedroom duplex apartment.  The prices, which include parking, cellar storage and a ski locker, exclude VAT waived under the leaseback scheme.

Eco details of the Le Centaure development

For 20 years the firm has insulated the external walls of the homes it builds – despite the fact that, in France, this was not a legal requirement until 2007. The levels of both thermal and acoustic insulation installed by MGM exceed the standards demanded by French building standards.

Le Centaure has been planned so that the majority of the apartments are south-facing to maximise the use of natural light through glass-fronted balconies and big double-glazed windows.

Among other energy saving features are:

• lighting activated by movement detectors, switching off automatically when no-one is around
• low-energy light bulbs in communal areas
• geothermal heat pumps to extract and use energy which occurs naturally underground
• low-cost under-floor heating
• flow regulators on all taps.

During construction of Le Centaure, MGM will reduce the carbon emissions caused by transporting workers and materials to the site by engaging local contractors and sourcing local building materials like stone and timber from nearby quarries and sustainable forests.

All the building materials to be used have been closely scrutinised by energy-saving experts at MGM. Eco-friendly paint will be used on the external walls and the company has opted for timber window frames. This is because, while recognising that aluminium ones can be recycled in the longer term, the manufacturing process uses up to 1,000 times more energy than that for timber frames. During the construction process all waste materials will be carefully sorted on site and sent for recycling.

For more information about the properties available, call MGM’s UK office on 0207 4940706 or visit the website www.mgm-constructeur.com

CARIBBEAN

Old Bahama Bay

Barefoot elegance is to be found at Old Bahama Bay on Grand Bahama Island, in the heart of a thriving waterfront resort community. Extraordinary beaches, beautiful water and excellent fishing abound and Old Bahama Bay is a great getaway for tranquillity, relaxation and pampering. The resort also offers a full-service and official port-of-entry marina to Grand Bahama as well as a helipad with charter service available from Florida and state-of-the-art facilities.

Stunning oceanfront home-sites and beachfront condominiums are available from £300,000. For more information contact Barton Wyatt on 01344 843 000 or visit www.bw-international.com.

Bacolet Bay Resort & Spa, Grenada, Caribbean Bacolet Bay is a low density resort comprising villas and hotel cottages spread across 41 acres of tropical gardens on one of the less developed islands of the Caribbean, Grenada. Experience International offer one bedroom, separate dressing room, bathroom, plunge pool with waterfall feature and shaded terrace priced from £321,724. For more information on the four units remaining contact Experience International on 0207 321 5858 or visit www.experience-international.com.

PORTUGAL

Monte Rei

Monte Rei Golf and Country Club, Eastern Algarve is a range of luxury apartments, large villas and plots of land available for development within this luxury development based around two 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses.

Prices start at €995,000/ £894,300 to €1,830,000/ £1,644,564 and for more information, please contact Barton Wyatt on 01344 843 000 or visit www.bw-international.com

© Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog, 2009. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Almanzora Group has completed holiday homes ready for occupation in the Harbour Lights waterfront development in Villaricos, one of the most sought-after locations on the Almeria coast in south-east Spain.

Villaricos is a traditional fishing village located on the coast between the Almanzora River and the Sierra Almagrera. It was once a Phoenician port and, in the nineteenth century, a silver mining boom town.

Today its two harbours are busy with fishing boats and, following new developments to accommodate an expanding local population, Villaricos has around 19 restaurants, cafés and bars. Most are Spanish and the village has retained its very Spanish character.

“Current market conditions mean that prices are at their lowest for six years with the price of a two-bedroom apartment at Harbour Lights at €147,500, a discount of almost one-third (30 per cent) off the list price,” says the firm’s sales and marketing manager Bridget Rosser. “Would-be owners who buy now will be put on a fast-track to completion to ensure that they are able to enjoy using their new holiday home this summer.”

Traditional small Spanish town

Currently available at Harbour Lights, the waterfront development overlooking the Esperanza harbour and a five-minute walk from the sandy Villaricos beach – are two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments and townhouses.

Designed in a style which reflects many aspects of traditional small Spanish town and village architecture, they are built in private and secure gated communities, around courtyards and a swimming pool, as well as around formal Spanish plazas, with orange trees, water features and quiet seating areas.

Villaricos is easy to reach thanks to three international airports. There are flights from the UK to Almeria Airport, around 40 minutes away from Harbour Lights by road, Alicante Airport (less than two hours away) and Murcia Airport (80 minutes by car). Airlines currently flying to the region include Ryanair, easyJet, Monarch, Jet2, Jetair Fly and Thomas Cook.

For more information call The Almanzora Group on 01242 680299 or visit the website:www.almanzora.com

Foreign Currency Direct

New research from Foreign Currency Direct reveals that one in four British workers feel compelled to work abroad. With 23 per cent of British workers contemplating a move overseas in the next two years, the incentives driving British workers to follow their foreign worker counterparts in search of new employment overseas have been revealed.

The research by specialist foreign currency broker, Foreign Currency Direct, reveals that Britain’s workforce has an overriding positive perception of working overseas, with more than one in four British workers feeling compelled to work abroad by the prospect of cheaper costs of living (59%), a better work life balance (58%) and the opportunity to embrace a new culture (55%). The only significant barrier to a career move abroad is the fear of being isolated from friends and family in the UK (61%).

Peter S Ellis, CEO, Foreign Currency Direct

Of the 1,283 British workers questioned, 24 per cent felt extremely positive about a career move overseas, giving an overseas career move a score of between eight and 10, on a scale of one to 10. Seven of Britons’ top 10 considerations for a career move abroad were positive.

Positive impact

Sparking concern of a “brain drain” of Britain’s brightest young talent, workers aged 18 to 30 are the most likely to see the positive impact a career overseas could have on their lifestyle, more than one in four (27%) are feeling extremely positive about a job overseas, compared with just 17 per cent of 51 to 60 year olds.  People in this age group identified twice as many positives than negatives to a job abroad (four compared with two), with a better work life balance being their number one motive (61%).

Tax Relief Drives People to Look Elsewhere

Coinciding with the Government announcement that tax will be raised to 50 per cent for high earners, the research reveals that one in three (31%) UK workers would move abroad because of the tax incentives available on foreign shores. Looking for the best way to maximise their pension payments, this figure increases to 39 per cent amongst the over 60s.

Londoners Look Abroad

While they are among the most likely to worry about leaving friends and family (62%), those living in London are, overall, the most optimistic about a career move abroad. Two in three Londoners (66%) identified their main motive to move abroad to be cheaper costs of living.

Foreign Currency Direct is a leading foreign exchange provider and the first choice for thousands of businesses and individuals to save money when transferring funds.

For more information about Foreign Currency Direct call: 0800 328 5884 or look at the company’s website: http://www.currencies.co.uk/

Storing your possessions when you downsize

One of the hardest things about downsizing is what on earth do you do with those things that won’t fit into your new home? Sell them? No, you probably won’t want to face that as well as everything else. How about storing them? That’s worth investigating. You could call storage experts Ready Steady Store on 0800 321 3211 or go online at www.readysteadystore.co.uk.

Self storage is a very cost-effective and simple method of dealing with the issue of downsizing.  Firstly, find a professional self storage company local to you; check its security credentials such as 24-hour surveillance, access via PIN code and individually-alarmed units;  talk to the store staff about the size of unit that will suit your requirements – you’ll be suprised how much you can fit into a 50 or 100 square foot room;  and obtain a transparent price – not one that looks cheaper at the outset, but may contain lots of hidden extras and surprises long the way.

The other great thing about self storage is that you can move items into storage that you can’t bear to part with immediately, and then keep revisiting your unit so you can gradually throw unwanted items away.  It makes the whole process much less painful and far more enjoyable.

Accurate information from World Travel Guide

If you’re thinking of buying a home abroad, you’ll need two things. The first fact is that you’re going to have to travel and this means having accurate information to avoid delays and mishaps. The second item you’ll want is accurate information about your chosen destination, and this includes background to the individual country and if, for example, you’re aiming to own a home in a city, it’s important to have an up-to-date and detailed guide at your fingertips.

World Travel Guide hosts a comprehensive web site dedicated to global travel. The information includes weather forecasts, a world clock, a World Events Guide and much more. In addition, there are country, city, beach, cruise and airport guides and many other travel essentials.

For more information, go on-line at www.worldtravelguide.net

Eurostar Single Fares From Just £35

A new fare range offers greater flexibility to travellers and wider fare simplification and sees the end of ‘stay away’ conditions. Eurostar, the provider of carbon neutral, high-speed rail journeys between the UK and the Continent, has today introduced single fares to all its destinations. The new fares start from the wholly inclusive price of £35 for London to Paris/Brussels, and can be purchased without any airline-style extra charges.

Take Eurostar from London to the snow

As part of a commitment to greater transparency, Eurostar is helping travellers find better deals, by simplifying its fare structure. Travellers can expect more flexibility with the removal of ‘stay away’ conditions such as Saturday Night Away, One Night Away, Midweek Day Return and Weekend Day Return.

A different route

Nick Mercer, Eurostar’s Commercial Director, commented: “We want to help travellers who are planning a tour of Europe or who need the flexibility to return by a different route, by making low priced single fares available. “We hope this greater range of fare options will allow travellers to make even more use of Europe’s high-speed rail network and exploit the environmental advantages of train over plane for seamless rail journeys.”

As part of the changes and in a move that more accurately reflects the product offering, Leisure Select fares have increased. The new lead-in fare for Leisure Select return travel from London – Paris/Brussels is £175 return. Passengers travelling Leisure Select benefit from more spacious seats, roomier carriages, a three-course meal with wine*, complimentary newspapers and magazines, and excellent ‘at seat’ service.

Eurostar continues to offer its widely available lead-in return fare of £59 which has gone unchanged for over six years.

*wine is not offered on morning outbound services.

1. Eurostar high-speed passenger service links the UK and mainland Europe, providing carbon neutral journeys between St Pancras International, Ebbsfleet International, Ashford International, Paris,

Disneyland Resort Paris is for all the family

Brussels,Lille, Calais, Disneyland Resort Paris, Avignon and the French Alps.

2. Eurostar ticket holders can make connecting rail journeys to either Kent station for free from anywhere on the Southeastern trains network. They will also be able to connect with Southeastern’s high-speed domestic services, which are due to begin later this year

3. Eurostar single fares start from just £35 and return fares from only £59. Travellers can also buy connecting fares to the Continent from 150 towns and cities across the UK. Return ticket prices range from £65 and include Brighton from only £71 and Edinburgh from only £92. To book tickets or for more information, visit www.eurostar.com or call 08705 186 186.