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

The luxury apartments of Sotogrande Spain

Sotogrande a beautiful private estate at the entrance to the Mediterranean

The estate is approximately 4 kms wide fronting the Sea and extends inland up a mountain approximately 7kms. A private security gated estate with its own Port and Marina, 2 beach clubs, 2 tennis clubs, 3 hotels,2 equestrian centers, a yacht club and beach on each side. For this article I wanted to concentrate on the 3 residential upmarket apartment developments within Sotogrande.

Whilst there are many apartment urbanizations these three are the ones which offer a more luxurious lifestyle with more spacious living.

Valgrande in Sotogrande Alto (check out the Valgrande community page on Facebook)This community is Possibly my favorite because of its facilities which include an indoor swimming pool and spa, flood lit padel tennis court, a golf practice area. The three free-form community swimming Pool's are stunning and the grounds are manicured to perfection. Many of these apartments enjoy golf course views of San Roque golf or Almenara golf.

The development is walled in with 24/7 manned security and a concierge like administrative office. The apartments themselves are spacious and beautifully fitted, most people love the large balcony terraces. Whilst there are a few 2 bedroom apartments the majority have 3 bedroom 3 bathrooms. For the people that really love space then the 4 bedroom 4 bathroom duplex penthouses are grand living at its best. There are also 4 bedroom 4 bathroom apartments all on one floor with some of the best terrace balconies I have ever come across. The Valgrande apartments are well maintained and well administered and whilst community fees seem high lets reflect on the many facilities that come within that price. The entrance is directly opposite the entrance to world famous Valderrama golf course.

Ribera del Rio apartments This urbanization is just across the Road from Sotogrande's waterway marina. The development fronts the river and across on the opposite bank you will see some pretty impressive riverside villas one belonging to Eddie Jordan of Formula 1 fame. What I like about these apartments is that the grounds are extensive. Beautiful lawns run down to the river edge and in the centre of the lawns a large community swimming Pool hedged in to offer sun bathers some privacy. The apartments themselves are well built. There are two parts to the development.

The smaller apartments 2 or 3 bedrooms are beautifully finished and have great water views. However the apartments in south facing block are larger and offer great living space and the beautiful terrace balconies all have plunge pools. The 4 bedroom apartments are triplex with room on the lower balconies for lounge suites dining tables all can be laid out at a good distance from the pool. Some of the upper balconies have hot tubs superb for star gazing on those hot summer nights. Ribera del Rio is a walled in secure complex in Sotogrande Costa close to Octogano tennis club, almost opposite the yacht club a few minutes riverside walk to the beach so location is wonderful. There is a security gate but the caretaker is there part time and gate is not manned at night.

Polo Gardens This development is built in 2 phases. The apartments directly in front of you as you enter security gate (manned security 24/7) are the larger spacious homes. Minimalistic in design and feel beautiful finishes and very spacious all on one floor with very large patio doors allowing wonderful light to flow into the apartments. Some of the ground floor apartments have walled in gardens and front gardens overlooking Santa Maria Polo with plunge pools.

The quality and finishes here are as good as it gets in Spain. I love the large 4 bedroom apartments on one floor where master suite is huge and love the his and her en-suite bathroom. The downside in this block is that they have built a series of town houses at lower level in front of the block and you look onto the green flat roof of these properties. Space between the various phases of the development is tight. I do like the gymnasium in this development and the sauna steam facility. This property also has a large communal pool and padel tennis court. The development is on Sotogrande Costa and is very popular with Polo lovers due to its proximity to the world famous Santa Maria Polo club.

Hotel Sotogrande or maybe there is a better option

Hotel Sotogrande or maybe there is a better option ?

A growing number of people seem to be renting apartments and villas on long term contracts simply to visit Sotogrande for holidays. A trend is materialising where two families share a rental property for 12 months visiting in half terms, end of terms, easter, summer and christmas.

Last year friends of mine from Poole Dorset visited Sotogrande for a total of 42 days and for the family of 5 they calculated a hotel cost of 18.000,00 euros. The same family this year have rented a 4 bedroom penthouse apartment for 1650 per month and intend to share the vacation home with another family they know well resulting in a rent to pay of 9.900,00 euros per family for the year. The families will not visit together and will divide the years holidays up in advance. The additional costs are the electricity water internet and sky tv again all bills split between them become pretty insignificant. The apartment they rented is modern beautifully furnished and has great golf views close to the golf academy and driving range. Photo Los Gazules gated community by Almenara golf.

There has since then been several more rentals on similar basis which includes Villas and Town Houses. Interestingly most have been to families mad on golfer or sailing. Here is a link to a Los Gazules penthouse currently on the market this one is a 2 bedroom but we also listing a duplex 4 bedroom Link Gazules

Francis Payne www.tailormadesotogrande.com

A lifestyle location abroad where you are more than catered for

About Valgrande

A beautifully set out development, a gated community within a gated estate offering the best in lifestyle,homes and security. This development comprises of a series of apartment blocks set in beautiful landscaped grounds amidst lawns rockeries park-land and water features. Once inside the manned security gate drive directly to your apartment block and straight into the basement garage. Penthouse apartments have a lift key that takes you straight into the apartment.

Valgrande comprises of 2,3 & 4 bedroom apartments beautifully tiled throughout with underfloor water heated central heating systems as well hot cold airconditioning. For those wanting something very special we have available an apartment where One owner bought 2 of the 3 bedroom apartments off plan and incorporated both to create a very unique 6 bedroom home. The best feature for me of this development is the alfresco aspect with large terrace balconies and undercover areas where owners create stunning outdoor lounge and dining space.

Apartments have a variety of outlooks depending where you are within the developments. Families often go for properties overlooking the beautiful free-form outdoor pool's, golfers may like the views towards San Roque golf resort. In phase one of the complex many have tranquil parkland views.

The development has some wonderful facilities including the indoor heated swimming pool and spa, a gymnasium, steam room, sauna,a padel tennis court and a golf putting area. For those not so keen to get fit you can stroll around the complex, follow the stream through the gardens to the natural pond area or take the external trail and take a leisurely stroll around the entire development.

This next picture shows a parkland view from a phase 1 apartment Tailor Made estate agents have on the market to rent. Within the same block they also have a 3 bedroom first floor for sale.

Valgrande is located in Sotogrande Alto with its entrance directly opposite the Valderrama golf club home of the Ryder Cup 1997. The Sotogrande international school is 5 minutes drive and there are 7 golf clubs locallly all within 10 minutes drive. Sotogrande port and the beach approximately 4kms away. The developer has no apartments in Valgrande to sell. The development is well established with a good community a mixture of expats and Spanish some living here permanently others who spend time between their home country and Spain. For me Valgrande is the upmarket development of Sotogrande and offers far more facilities. Contact Tailor Made estate agency for more details 0034 956790320 or web page Tailor Made Estates Here is a link to a 3 bedroom apartment on sale at present in phase 1 with lovely parkland views VIEW LINK

If you would like to visit the Tailor Made estates real estate office find us here on GOOGLE MAPS in Sotogrande Port

as at the date of writing this Valgrande apartment is available to rent Map & contact infor for Tailor Made estate agency Sotogrande