Monday, November 30, 2015

Spains best kept secret if you like sophisticated lifestyle in unspoilt surroundings

Spains best kept secret



I wanted to write something brief which sums up this beautiful location in Southern Spain.



Sotogrande is located on the western edge of the "Costa del Sol" just outside the province of Malaga. The Sotogrande estate is approximately 40 minutes drive west of Marbella and 20 minutes from Estepona.



Also in close proximity is Gibraltar and many Sotogrande residents work on Gibraltar or live in Gibraltar and have holiday homes in Sotogrande. My wife likes to pop over there simply for the occasional British shop, its a comfort thing.



Often when the TV flashes up the luxury lifestyle  in Spain the eating drinking dancing are normally images of Marbella. However many of the images that are used of Marbella are infact Sotogrande. Its annoying to a Sotogrande estate agents when the press show stunning scenery shots are shown alongside party people enjoying life in the sun and state its Marbella. All the Polo, Our port scenes, beach scenes, mountains forests are not Marbella. Sotogrande is very unspoilt with no high rise development and no traffic congestion.

Marbella has become over developed crowded and congested and often traffic grinds to a standstill.



All too often those beautiful scenes are photo shots of Sotogrande. The word Sotogrande means "a large wooded area" and that is exactly what it was. A vast valley chosen for its natural beauty and wonderful scenery. The gated community is possibly the largest private upmarket estate in Europe.



Sotogrande is roughly 4 kms wide x 8kms deep and is surrounded by a mountains, native forest and sandy beach's and there is even a large river running through the heart of the estate. Sotogrande has its own Port, an upmarket marina, 7 golf courses within 5 minutes of each other 4 of which are in the top 10 for Spain. There are two tennis centres, 2 International Equestrian centres and two beautiful beach clubs and a great international Polo scene with 10 local polo clubs in close vicinity.

Security is good and  Securitas control entry gates and cctv in and out of the walled estate with regular patrols and are on call 24/7 if needed or worried



Sotogrande is not a mass tourism destination and whilst tourists do come to Sotogrande the main residents are the full time dwellers and the second home visitors with many of the latter often choosing to live here more often than not. For me Sotogrande is wonderful because there is a good community its a place where new faces are readily accepted. Join a few clubs get the kids involved in a few activities and in no time your social life will rocket. The International school is at the heart of Sotogrande as without a good school this place would become a faceless holiday destination. The schools reputation has often been the decider for any parents who maybe concerned at any move that may affect there children's education. With nearly 700 children at the school that's a lot of families all involved in community the life .



A quick drive around Sotogrande is no way to find out what this location has to offer, its so spread out that its impossible to take it in on a single day trip. People who do a day trip may comment that the area is very quiet and maybe too quiet for them. I would respond by explaining that in Sotogrande its not always the most obvious locations where people gather and meet. There is a lot going on here socially and the people who live here are very open and welcoming the key is to make a couple of friends whether its from chatting to other parents while waiting on your childrens activities or your own involvement in golf tennis boating fishing etc and from there you quickly will start to know and understand Sotogrande.



When searching online for Sotogrande via web portals please note that we are on the western fringe of the Costa del Sol infact we are 1km outside the boundary. So property websites such as rightmove overseas, zoopla abroad do not include Sotogrande in a search of Costa del Sol. Its annoying for an estate agent as mentally we are considered part of the Costa del Sol lifestyle yet factually we fall just outside the boundary being in Cadiz province and technically Costa del Luz.



Sotogrande 1 hour 10 minutes Malaga airport, 30 minutes Gibraltar airport



Article by Francis Payne



Tailor Made estate agents based in Sotogrande Port. 



www.tailormadesotogrande.com



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Golf front villa is located in one of Spains best kept secrets

A golf front luxury villa for sale in Sotogrande Spain
To see this on our web page click VILLA SOTOGRANDE ALTO
Tailor Made estate agents Spain
Buy this property in Sotogrande Spain call Formentera Sotogrande Alto

Thursday, November 26, 2015

a GREAT holiday Idea for Spain. What do you think about this great suggestion ?

The two most recent rentals to northern Europeans looking for holiday homes in the sun
My first couple are from Scotland Jim and Karen retired and spent many years traveling and seeing the world. The big attraction for Jim in Sotogrande was golf. He is a golf fanatic and loves playing the best courses all over the world. His favorites here are San Roque new, La Reserva and Sotogrande Real. Karen loves great scenery and peace and quiet and she also doesn't like driving in Spain so finding Sotogrande she found a location with wide Avenidas no congestion and a place where driving was easy within the estate.
Tailor Made rented them a 3 bedroom penthouse apartment on the marina very close to beach and the Old Port for 900 euros per month on a 9 month renewable contract. Their intention is to regularly visit and bring family and close friends with them, although I know Jim sees it as great opportunity to sneak out a few long weekends with his golf buddies.
Danish couple Aleksander & Agnete arrived two years ago looking to Ride Horses Agnete loves dressage and Aleksander loves tennis.Over the last 12 months they have spent a lot on regular hotel stays. Both decided that they could not indulge their passions enough in Denmark and they wanted a more permanant base in Spain so have rented a 2 bed port apartment 850,00 euros per month for 6 months the owner will take the apartment back in July August and they will return in November. Aleksander is in iT so can work from any location and has made his decision now because the marina in Sotogrande has the blue fibre optic fast internet which he needs for video conferencing and meetings online.They anticipate being here at least 5 months of the year
Long term holiday renting is on the up with rising costs of hotels at peak season people are finding by renting an apartment between two families or with other family members they can really get to know the area they enjoy and get more involved with local people with similar interests.
Here is a current rental property available in the marina within 100 meters of the beach. Waterside Apartment Sotogrande Spain
Rental property with Tailor Made estate agents

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

A lifestyle to die for is on offer here Waterside living at its best

You have made the decision to leave the cold and rain behind and live in Spain
The question is then where to live. For those seeking waterside living Spain offers many options, however whilst many marina port developmentslook attractive and similar the question you need to ask is whether there is a nice community that lives there.
Puerto Banus - Marbella sounds upmarket but for those that live here the location is pure and simply a tourist trap living on a reputation glam glitz reputation that has long been lost. These days its a hen and stag destination a party location surrounded by all the usual problems you would expect from locations such as Magaluf,Kavos and Playa de las Americas Tenerife.
Many other marinas in and around the Costa Del Sol offer much better affordable options for expats looking to live on the waters edge and seeking that better lifestyle. The first thing to establish is whether the community that live there would suit the lifestyle you are looking for. Nothing worst than buying into a marina port community to find that you cannot cope with the surrounding nightlife.
Sotogrande Port and Marina is one of Spains best kept secrets that so far has avoided the tourist trap. The majority of people that buy here live here or are second home owners. In Sotogrande you will find a mix of wealthy expats and well heeled Spanish.
This marina is a small part of this upmarket Spanish estate, one of the largest private gated communities in Europe. Yet surprisingly property here is still affordable. A good example is the marina waterside apartment on the market for sale for 390.000,00 euros
For this price you will buy a 3 bed 3 bath apartment marble floor airconditioning with waterfront balcony terrace not far from beach restaurants and bars. Most bars restaurants are centered around the old Port a few minutes walk away. The property market here in Sotogrande has been picking up but prices are not as high as most expect for such a great location on the western side of the Costa Del Sol.
So if you love the sun the Sea, Golf, Tennis,Sailing, Fishing or even Polo take a trip to Sotogrande and spend a few days or more finding out just what a wonderful place this is
Alternatively you could always consider trying the area before you buy. Waterside apartments rent long term from around 800,00 euros per month having said that they usually go for a little more and the average rental on offer is 1000 pm. Demand is high so make sure that the agent you approach can actually show you the apartment that has caught your eye. Too many agents here never update their website's and people come believing their is a glut of rentals only to be disappointed. Now with strong GBP Sterling many people who work in Gibraltar prefer to rent and live in Sotogrande, Spain .
To see the apartment featured click on this link Waterside Apartment in Sotogrande Spain Nearest Airport Gibraltar 25 minutes away or Malaga just over 1 hours drive
Find Sotogrande on our map click on MAP