lesson to be learned & it will make you laugh

This made me laugh

A man walks out to the street and catches a taxi just going by. He gets into the taxi, and the cabbie says, "Perfect timing. You're just like Frank."

Passenger: "Who?"

Cabbie: "Frank Feldman. He's a guy who did everything right all the time. Like my coming along when you needed a cab, things happen like that to Frank Feldman every single time."

Passenger: "There are always a few clouds over everybody."

Cabbie: "Not Frank Feldman. He was a terrific athlete. He could have won the Grand Slam at tennis. He could golf with the pros. He sang like an opera baritone and danced like a Broadway star and you should have heard him play the piano. He was an amazing guy."

Passenger: "Sounds like he was something really special."

Cabbie: "There's more. He had a memory like a computer. He remembered everybody's birthday. He knew all about wine, which foods to order and which fork to eat them with. He could fix anything. Not like me. I change a fuse, and the whole street blacks out. But Frank Feldman, he could do everything right."
Passenger: "Wow. Some guy then."

Cabbie: "He always knew the quickest way to go in traffic and avoid traffic jams. Not like me, I always seem to get stuck in them. But Frank, he never made a mistake, and he really knew how to treat a woman and make her feel good. He would never answer her back even if she was in the wrong; and his clothing was always immaculate, shoes highly polished too. He was the perfect man! He never made a mistake. No one could ever measure up to Frank Feldman."

Passenger: "An amazing fellow. How did you meet him?"

Cabbie: "Well, I never actually met Frank. He died. I'm married to his fuc*ing widow."

Spanish property problems and disputes

Land grab, un-licensed buildings and illegal developments continue to grab the UK press headlines when the subject of Spanish property arises. It is right that the press should focus on these issues and support the poor people that have been subjected to such unfair positions legally or illegally.

It is a shame that in many of the programmes made that the press do not comment on ways to avoid getting into such situations. For many such issues a good independant lawyer is the key. Many make the mistake of not seeking an independant lawyer and use the developers lawyer often rushing things through missing out on the correct due diligence. In Spain there are 1000´s of established developments where the paperwork is in order and where you know the dreadful landgrab law cannot be excersised. We have just seen a couple arrive here in Sotogrande having been told by a lawyer we recommended that the apartment they were buying had not been signed off by the local authority. The lawyer told them to walk away.

Its a shame that the press portray the bad side of Spains property market feature landgrab issues then switch and talk about a good property story without explaining that they have moved to a province where landgrab isnt possible. I bet there arent any Spanish lawyers who have bought property without proper planning in place or that are suffering landgrab

San Roque golf resort Spain in good shape

Recently looked on tripadvisor to checkout what reviews there were for my favourite golf course the San Roque golf club (the one i joined when moving to Sotogrande). To my horror there was a 2 very good reviews and one, the most recent described it as tatty.

Looking at the dates for the review it was dated February 2010. I can only assume that the peron who wrote the review was not aware that virtually all the costa del golf had been subjected to 2 months of torrential rain and storms with serious flooding and property damage across the region. The majority of courses were closed and many suffered serious flood damage.The course was definately water logged and heavy machinery could not be used a lot of the time. San Roque during 2009 was in the best condition it has been for many years a credit to Rob the green keeper who arrived 2 years ago and whose hard work experience and professional commitment has paid off.

Turn the clock back just over 3 years ago and San Roque golf could be described as "a little neglected" but with a new management team and a structured approach to improving including a better water management system resulted in San Roque returning to its former glory if not better.

The bunkers are next on the hit list and whilst there is no immediate plan to overhaul them I know the management are keen to get them sorted out.

The new course is also a gem but what i would say is, this is the course to play in the wet weather. There possibly isnt a course in Southern Spain that drains so well as the new course. If you come to play golf in Spain and it rains then you have a better chance of getting a game in San Roque new course than any other. A good tip and Something worth knowing for those booking winter sun golf as it opens when many championship courses have closed. http://www.sanroqueclub.com/public/index.php

Marbella not for me

Sotogrande quieter than Marbella but for those who love the outdoor life and want to enjoy a great sporting heritage there is no better place than Sotogrande.

Life in Sotogrande offers the outdoor enthusiasts a wide range of sport and leisure. The Sotogrande marina is unspoilt here you will not find tacky pictures of pizza plastered all over the marina. Here you will find sleek yachts that enjoy sailing through the nearby straits of Gibraltar a haven for fishing,Whale and Dolphin spotting.
The Guadiaro river never dries out and runs through Sotogrande we often hire canoes and take a half day trip up this Andalucian water way.

Tennis and the ever popular padel tennis are a great social draw and most morning the Sotogrande mums can be seen at Octagono or Cucarrucho tennis centres taking lessons or playing some friendly matches.Evenings and weekends its open invitation when men and women turn up and mix in the daily matches
When it comes to Golf not many will argue that here you find the very best of the Costa del Sol golf courses Sotogrande Real, San Roque Golf, Valderamma Golf and La Reserva are all within 5 minutes of each other literally surrounding Sotogrande. I am a member of San Roque Golf and love playing the Old Course although the San Roque new course takes some beating. Then if you want to sit back and be entertained pop along to Santa Maria Polo. The notice boards around Sotogrande tell you when and where there is a tournament and many people take the kids and a picnic. Here home of Santa Maria Polo you dont have to be a toff to spend a lazy social day in the sun. Whilst living in Spain for us Brits tends to be a lifestyle move you cannot beat the fact that from Sotogrande you can still get a slice of England and most Brit wifes pop along to Gibraltar for a Morrisons or Marks & Spencers shop after all the exchange rate isnt great so being able to spend some British pounds becomes theraputic although my wife thinks not loosing on exchange is a reason to spend more. On a rainy day we often take the children to Gibraltar for Cinema ice skating or bowling.

Whilst Sotogrande is mainly an expat community it is great to escape to real Spain and La Linea town is 20 minutes drive and we often walk the paseo on the warmer evenings and enjoy the mix of young and old sitting out drinking coffee and its fun to discover the many tapas bars and restaurants in the alleys and side streets around the historic quarter. All that and I havent mentioned the Beach Sotogrande has beach on both sides and to the west it stretches beyond Sotogrande to Alcaidesa and all the way to La Linea. Miles of unspoilt sand and sea with nothing else behind it other than cork forest and marsh land.

Three years living here and for us there is no going back. No traffic jams, probably one of the greenest areas of Southern Spain a large estate of tree lined avenues and Roads with a mountain backdrop and a stunning sea front. Once a month we visit Marbella 30 to 40 minutes away but for us a day is enough to keep the wifes shopping habits in play whilst I amble around the historic old town.
Then its back to Sotogrande approximately 4 km wide x 6 km deep all gated entrances manned by securicor and recorded on CCTV. Once inside even after 3 years it feels like you are back on Holiday

Any Bargain property in Sotogrande spain´s luxury estate & sporting playground

Sotogrande property Tailor Made estate agents are finding the market very slow in Sotogrande. People coming to Spain with unrealistic expectations of what their money will buy. Yes there are a lot of bargains to be had but often the bargains are for property no one would want in the boom times never mind the crisis we face now.

Truth is that Sotogrande like many millionaire play grounds has been affected, but the average owner is not feeling the pressure to drop. Wealthy people even if feeling the pinch can juggle their finances and set bottom lines which are not consistant with say property prices drops in maybe a 3rd rate area. Sotogrande has seen price drops of around 25% to 35% not enough really for the cautious buyer. So people wait hoping that in another 6 to 12 months they will feel the pinch enough to drop further. Maybe some will drop a bit more but it will never be on mass. So the chances of those coming here for a week hoping to get a bargain of a life time are diminished. The real bargains drops of 45% & 50% of prices 2 years ago are few and far between and go quickly to people on the ground with a reservation fee in their hand.

This week I had a vendor call me saying he was happy to drop 100,000 off his 400,000 price tag. The fact is that in this particular development 99% of the buyers were British. Three years ago they would have sent 300,000 to spain to pay 400,000. Now they will still have to send a little over 300,000 to buy. So where is the bargain to the British buyer. It simply is not there and here lies the difficulty in selling to the British.