Luxury Real Estate

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The mild weather and good facilities make Spain a favourite among the leading teams preparing for the new season. Circuits like those of Jerez, Barcelona and Valencia feature particularly prominently, enticing the elite of motor racing away from the drawing board and factory workshops and on to the track.

It is here that new theories and designs are tested, and the teams’ responses to a whole new set of technical rules and specifications are put through their paces. The racing teams that commit their precious new creations – on which they have been working feverishly through the winter – to the open track, will soon get an indication of just how well they have done in preparing their cars for combat.

In some cases it sparks controversy, as in the case of the new Ferrari F2012, which some consider to be ‘ugly’. Presented at the Jerez circuit, it caused the usual admiration associated with the unveiling of a flaming red Ferrari, but also had its critics. Two-times world champion Fernando Alonso, however, was unfazed about the appearance of the car, as long it helps Ferrari compete for the title this season.

While Ferrari continue to fine-tune the aerodynamics, McLaren and Red Bull carried on last year’s rivalry as reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton went head to head in early testing at Jerez. Mercedes, who actually posted the fastest times, were out with their 2011 model, indicating that the new regulations have indeed slowed the cars down. Rosberg was tyre testing ahead of the launch of the new model, making Mercedes one of the last teams to unveil their 2012 car, after earlier presentations by Toro Rosso, McLaren, Red Bull, Sahara Force India, Ferrari, Caterham, Lotus and Williams.

For Williams it is a pivotal year, as they hope to succeed the worst year in the outfit’s history with a return to success. The ingredients, in the form of the classic pairing of Williams design and Renault power, are certainly there. Meanwhile the new Lotus (last season’s Renault team), has received praise for the stylish way in which its designers have interpreted the new technical specifications. Many regard it to be one of the most attractive F1 cars currently on the track, and 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen marked his return to the sport with impressive times in testing at both Jerez and Valencia.

The new season sees a number of new faces in the form of young rookie talent. It’s as you were in the top teams, but Lotus features a new-look line-up with Raikkonen and GP2 Series champion Romain Grosjean. Others newcomers are Jean-Éric Vergne at Toro Rosso and Charles Pic at the new Marussia F1 Team that replaces last year’s Virgin Racing, while last year’s Renault team is now Lotus and last year’s Lotus team is now called Caterham. Spain’s Pedro de la Rosa is one of several drivers making a return to the top flight of motor sport, having secured a place at the Spanish HRT Team.

With the teams beginning to rev up, all eyes will be on the new drivers, the new tyres, the new cars and the first Grand Prix to see how the 2012 season will begin to take shape.

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When King Felipe III of Spain granted Jávea town rights on 2 July 1612 he probably didn’t imagine that it would still give cause for a full season of celebrations in the 21^st century. If so, he would have underestimated the pride local people continue have in their town and its origins and traditions. What’s more, given the Spanish penchant for celebrations and festivities an event such as a 400^th anniversary is something that fires the imagination.

And thus the Jávea Town Council agreed upon a full list of commemorative events and celebrations during 2012, to “…commemorate this anniversary with the citizens, to strengthen the pride of belonging and promote our history, which is the key to our cultural heritage and guarantees our identity." As a result, the Department of Culture has been charged with creating a programme of events to mark 2012 as a milestone in the town’s history.

In addition to celebrating the 400^th anniversary of the incorporation of Jávea as a town, the people of the region will also be commemorating darker times 200 years ago, when the country was in the grip of the Peninsular War and the town was sacked by French troops. Things came to a head on 28 August 1812, when Napoleonic forces attacked the town and drove British troops out of the Castillo de la Fontana.

This official commemoration of war notwithstanding, the emphasis of the celebrations will be joyous, allowing local residents to feel pride in their origins and inviting visitors and foreign residents to join them in what is going to a year full of fun activities and events. The Town Council is expected to publish the full agenda of celebrations early in the year.

Rimontgo Extraordinary Life Houses

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 Hong Kong was the focus of Asian real estate in November as sector decision makers and professionals from the region – and across the world – converged on the city during the MIPIM Asia convention. Rimontgó was represented by both its principals, José and Antonio Ribes Bas, an indication of how important this region is becoming in the international luxury property market.

“We don’t expect Asian buyers to replace European ones in our core markets of Valencia and the Costa Blanca,” said José Ribes, “but it is clear that Asia, and the Far East in particular, is becoming an increasingly important player in international luxury real estate.” Mr. Ribes emphasised that there are two currents presently magnifying the importance of this new market: “The first is the fact that countries like China have been experiencing rapid growth for some time now, and as a result the number of industrialists and businesspeople with sufficient means to invest in luxury real estate on a global scale has grown rapidly both in quantity and in terms of their acquisitive power.”

In addition, he cites the current downturn in the developed economies, where wealth growth has slowed and those with the means are for the time being more cautious than their counterparts in Asia and other booming parts of the world. “The global slowdown will temper growth in the newly emerging economies as well, but even so wealth is growing greatly here and those with it have the confidence to spend it. What’s more, they have the foresight to look beyond their own immediate geography and recognise the great investment opportunities that are available in large parts of the world today.”

During the event the Ribes brothers met with representatives of the Spanish consulate, the Sino-Spanish Chamber of Commerce and representatives of other institutions aimed at promoting trade and investment. “It was highly instructive,” said Antonio Ribes. “Asia is very much in tune with what is going on elsewhere in the world, and this awareness comes both from the public and the private sector.” Indeed, the bulk of the professional participants were property experts, developers and investors from China and the Far East, but the event also attracted fellow industry specialists from South East Asia, the Middle East, Europe and former Soviet republics in Central Asia.

Emerging markets for commercial RE investments

Though many were aimed at attracting investment and buyers for real estate projects within buoyant markets such as China, India and Azerbaijan, there was also a significant body of investors looking for opportunities in other parts of the world. “Since many of the best deals are currently to be had in more developed markets such as Europe and the US, this is where much of their attention is focused,” said Antonio.

“What we are finding is that in addition to investing in local commercial and real estate projects, an increasing number of successful entrepreneurs in countries like China, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and India are also looking to expand their portfolio geographically to include especially commercial RE opportunities in Europe and America.” The latter includes office complexes, retail and entertainment facilities such as shopping malls, cinemas and theme parks, but also golf courses, resort hotels, marinas and wineries. “In addition there is an interest in land, both for future development and with a focus on timber, agricultural and mining resources.”

With this in mind Rimontgó will be looking to further develop its commercial division in the coming year to offer a more independently focused and specialised service to international clients that wish to avail themselves of the enticing investment opportunities now available. “Through our international networks we can offer serious investors not only a wide range of different product types but also in a broad range of countries including Spain, Italy, the UK and the USA,” says José Ribes, whose firm will be building on its existing expertise in commercial, retail, resort and vineyard investment consulting. “In an ever-changing market it is important to be aware of the latest trends, and to know how to respond to them. Our Asian trip confirmed our impressions about the potential of this growing market. We also made many valuable contacts there, but above all it has spawned an exciting new project that will act as a valuable complement to our existing activities and initiatives.”

Photos courtesy of MIPIM_World.

Courtesy of Rimontgó

It is hardly possible to think of Barcelona without images of Antoni Gaudi's spectacular architecture springing to mind. This proud Catalan has managed to provide a visual focus for a city that could, in the first place, never have been accused of lacking beauty or character.

A deeply pious man, Gaudi was born in 1852 and was famously killed in 1926 by a tram on his way to Mass at Sant Felip Neri church. The unorthodox architect had suffered from exceedingly poor health throughout his life, yet his religious fervour led him to subject himself to rigorous spiritual challenges that involved strict fasts. Eschewing the trappings of physical beauty that so characterise his creations, Gaudi's appearance was so worn and bedraggled at the time of his fatal accident that he was initially mistaken for a penniless tramp. It was only when a priest from the Sagrada Familia recognised him that staff at the hospital to which his unconscious form was taken realised that their patient was the famous Antoni Gaudi.

Even in spite of the fact that it is still not complete, the beautiful Sagrada Familia basilica has been Barcelona's premier tourist attraction for decades. Begun in 1882, the church was only consecrated last year when Pope Benedict visited the city. Plans have been made to ensure that the building will be completed in 2026, just in time for the anniversary of its creator's death.

By this time, fans of this spiritually fervent man are hoping he will have been declared a saint. Gaudi's beatification has already been set in motion, but religious experts predict that his canonisation may be some way off, since no miracles have been attributed to him. The millions of fans of his architecture will argue that the dizzying form of the Sagrada Familia itself provides all the evidence that is needed!

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As one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions, Barcelona is a terrific place to buy property. Choose the right location and close to proximity to one of Europe’s greatest cities, plus a wide choice of fabulous beaches, can be yours.

Now add to this appealing mixture a castle of almost phantasmagorical attractiveness with a history that stretches back to Roman times and grounds that encompass exquisite gardens and a private vineyard and you are well on the way to describing the perfect property.

The Castillo de Santa Florentina–Casa Nova offers not just a fabulously expansive and comfortable lifestyle, but a pedigree that not many other historical buildings can match. King Alfonso XIII stayed here in 1908 and it has been mentioned in the influential publication, Architectural Digest, as one of its ‘Most Beautiful Homes in the World’. It certainly lives up to its name, with an entrance hall that sets the tone for the whole house; the sense of space, the enormous chandeliers and magnificent stone features surrounding the fireplace lending this room a feeling of ‘olde worlde’ grandeur.

The current appearance of the Castillo de Santa Florentina can be attributed to one of the more recent lords of the manor, Ramón Montaner, who employed the services of his cousin, the famed architect Lluis Domènech i Montaner, to transform the stern old castle into a country residence fit for a king. As experts of interior design will quickly realise, the building’s myriad neo-medieval touches date specifically from the late 19th century and reflect the traditions being adopted throughout Europe.

Apart from the magnificent living and sleeping areas in the main house, this property also includes a caretaker’s house complete with four bedrooms and two bathrooms that would make perfect guest accommodation.

The castle stands in beautifully maintained gardens, which surround the relaxing pool area. A stable block will encourage the castle’s new owners to enjoy the surrounding countryside on horseback, while the vineyards offer a moneymaking opportunity for lovers of fine wine.

If you’ve been looking for a large slice of the Spanish good life, then the Castillo de Santa Florentina-Casa Nova delivers on every front.

Castillo de Santa Florentina-Casa Nova

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Rimontgó is delighted to be able to offer its Italian clients their own website in Italian. This new addition to the online family joins the Spanish, English, German, French and Russian sites and will hopefully increase the company’s international profile still further.

The world of international property is fascinating and rewarding, but it faces those who work within it with extraordinary challenges, the most important of which is to offer a truly first class service to its valued clients.

Being able to access details about properties and services in their own language is the very least that any prospective client should expect, so the addition of Italian to `Rimontgó’s range of websites aims to cater to Italian-speakers buyers and investors in a personalized manner.

The era of the global village, identified decades ago by Marshall McLuhan, is now truly upon us, and businesses – particularly those who wish to maintain an international profile – are obliged to act decisively in order to stay ahead of the field.

Rimontgó always aims to serve its numerous international clients in a truly international manner and hopes that its Italian website will be of considerable assistance.

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There was a time when Valencia was linked to the Silk Route. Back in the early middle ages, when it was part of Moorish Spain, the city was an important transhipment point into which silk and other treasures from the East were imported and re-exported to markets across Northern Europe. This trade brought great wealth to the Mediterranean port city, a boon further bolstered by the fact that many of the raw materials brought here spawned an industry of craftsmen, jewellers and tailors whose products sold far and wide.

Later, when the Christians reclaimed the region, Valencia retained its importance as a great Mediterranean port, and under the Aragonese and later the newly unified Spanish crown it continued to be a leading European trading centre. This booming trade made a new class of merchants rich and powerful, a fact that found its expression in the construction of opulent merchants’ homes, churches and public buildings. Perhaps the finest of these is La Lonja de la Seda, or Silk Exchange of Valencia.

Located at the heart of the city, near the Mercado Central, this 16th century edifice represents the power and wealth of the merchant classes and their trade in Valencia. At their apogee they supported the arts and sciences, helping to create a golden age for the city during which it became a leading European centre of culture and knowledge, and a jewel in the Spanish crown. Beside its visual detail and beauty, La Lonja is also significant because it a very late example of the Gothic style; a form of architectural design and construction that had almost died out by the time this building was made, yet which ruled supreme during the high middle ages and enjoyed a glorious revival towards the end of the 19th century – the Houses of Parliament in London being a fine example.

La Lonja is also one of the very best preserved examples of late Gothic architecture, and for this reason, combined with its sheer artistry, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. Still used for official functions, the beautifully restored building is popular with scores of visitors and tourists that drop in on a daily basis, but if you’re in the area also seek out the nearby Plaza Redonda.

Especially for those who are sensitive to the ambience of a city, the Plaza Redonda is a place that makes a strong impression. Tucked into a particularly atmospheric corner of the old centre, in an area called Carmen, this little circular square still retains the spirit of the past. Stand here for a while and you’ll just sense old Valencia coming to life again. You could almost imagine stopping the clock anywhere from the 1950s to the 17th century or even Moorish times.

It has the air of a forgotten spot in the city where time has miraculously stood still, but in effect this little round is very much a part of the barrio of Carmen and also linked to the lively Mercado Central. An old late-19th century structure housing old-fashioned lace and textile stalls surrounds the midpoint of the plaza, with its little obelisk monument. This structure casts its shade upon the square and together with its improbably ancient shops and shopkeepers is an integral part of the mix that gives it such an arresting but somehow pleasing feel.

Look up and you’ll see that it effectively forms the courtyard of a recently restored circular building, whose inward-looking ground floor premises now house souvenir shops with a mix of traditional and trendy reminders of your stay in Spain. Fortunately, there are also typically Spanish café/restaurants where you can enjoy a drink or join the locals for lunch. Best are the outside tables, which look out onto the plaza and allow you to ponder its mysterious atmosphere at length – or simply amuse yourself by watching the world go past and spotting the tourists’ reaction to this unlikely and not easily defined attraction.

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If you’re in the market for a villa, the choice is usually between the convenience and comfort of a modern home in the suburbs, or the rustic charm of a country property. A decent villa will always be set upon a sizeable piece of land that offers privacy and a certain degree of tranquillity, but for many who crave the natural sights, sounds and rhythms of the countryside the compromise made to easy access to shops, schools and jobs is a hard price to pay.

Such people are often told that the idea of living on the land is a sweet and romantic notion, but one that is hardly practical in modern life. Isolation, difficult access and all manner of maintenance issues can make the country option a demanding one, especially for working families with children that are not actually engaged in agriculture or other rural pursuits. What’s more, if you like the country life but prefer modern styles to rustic ones, your options may be limited.

Perfect ingredients

There are, of course, exceptions to such generalisations, and some places enjoy such a happy confluence of geographical features within a relatively small area that they are able to offer not just a great diversity of sights and places to visit, but also a wonderful variety of real estate opportunities and lifestyles. Happily, the little town of Javea on the Spanish east coast is just such a place – a fact that accounts in large measure for its ongoing popularity as a favoured spot to live.

The old town of Javea is a beautiful historic country town at the edge of a fertile agricultural valley ringed by mountain ranges and pine forest, all of this within close range of a sweeping bay washed by the waters of the western Mediterranean. This diversity of landscape gives Javea its character, and it also forms the basis of the town’s unusually broad choice of residential areas and lifestyle options.

One of best reflections of this variety is the valley itself. Once an intensively farmed area dotted with little farming cottages it has always had a strong connection with the town of Javea itself. While it is still possible to seek relative isolation on a large farmstead on the inward side of the valley, many locals and foreign residents alike have chosen to settle near the edge of Javea, thus creating small communities with all the charm of country village life yet within a few minutes of the shops, schools and other services of Javea.

A modern home in a rustic setting

The proximity to the town and indeed such facilities as beaches, golf courses and the lively seaside promenades notwithstanding, these little hamlets enjoy the true serenity and beauty of country life combined with the ease of modern-day facilities. Some of the old families continue to farm their plots, their hens and goats adding to the soundtrack of the country as others have lovingly restored rural cottages to their former glory or built comfortable modern homes.

For more information on homes in Javea, visit www.rimontgo.com.

Courtesy of Rimontgó

Ask most people for their definition of their ideal property and there’s a very good chance that the description will include a swimming pool. Given the vast amounts of money wasted every year on gym membership that is never adequately utilised, a swimming pool can be seen as something more than a sybaritic indulgence.

Swimming is one of the best, most complete forms of exercise and is an especially appropriate introduction for the physically challenged, for whom the idea of vigorous exercise is about as appealing as being set upon by a hive of bees! There are few things more inviting on a hot summer’s day than fierce sunlight reflecting on a rippling pool.

The artist, David Hockney, was so captivated by that very scene when he moved to California in the 1960s that it became a regular theme in his work, as he sought to capture the way the sunlight moved on the water.

Spain is one of the best places in the world to include a swimming pool in your list of requirements, since the weather is warm and sunny throughout most of the year. Also, more homes include pools as standard, so what might seem an impossible dream in northern Europe can very easily become a possibility.

Want to enjoy the beneficial effects of a swim even when the colder winter months arrive? Well, Rimontgó even offers properties that feature indoor or covered pools, so you can continue to exercise even on the odd days when it’s too cold to swim outside.

Seven-bedroom villa with covered pool in Javea Ambolo

Five-bedroom home in La Eliana, Valencia that features a spectacular pool area

Magnificent state-of-the-art six-bedroom villa with heated pool in Chiva El Bosque, Valencia

Five-bedroom family home in desirable complex of Calicanto, Torrente (close to city of Valencia) with memorable infinity pool

Courtesy of José and Antonio Ribes Bas of Rimontgó

Foressos Golf is a bit of a rarity these days; a golf course that is…just that. Not lined with homes or buildings of any description or set within the midst of an urbanisation, this is a true blue course that has rapidly become a player’s favourite. Keen to claim this course built purely for golfers, they have been snapping up the club’s golf memberships.

Built entirely for the purpose of enjoying the sport, Foressos’ location in the midst of a rural area near Valencia is another point of distinction from many modern courses. This spot, at a place called Picassent, is also conveniently close to a crossing point of routes leading to Valencia, the international airport, nearby coastal resorts and commuter towns, and the region’s Ford plant. However, from within the grounds of Foressos these places may as well be a million miles away, for here peace, serenity and the natural beauty of a lush country environment envelope the course in a generous embrace.

Birdsong and greenery are the sensory accompaniments to a game on this course, designed by José Lancero. Rated one of the finest course designers in Spain and still a keen golfer himself, Lancero is also known as someone who designs courses very much with the player in mind. It shows in the course design at Foressos, where inspired details and features add character and present both novice and seasoned players with ample challenges. Lancero has chosen to stay true to Mediterranean vegetation, so it is maquis scrub, cork oaks, pines, olive trees and semi-succulent plants that accompany the fourteen lakes and adorn the gentle slopes and cadences that add to the playing experience.

So far, some four hundred members have enthusiastically joined this golfer’s course. To say that Foressos is a golf club in the pure sense, however, is not to say that its facilities are not up to standard. Indeed, the clubhouse is a stately 17th century Masia, or Spanish country home, that has been tastefully restored and fitted with modern facilities such as a restaurant, cafeteria, changing rooms, pro shop, members’ lounge and conferencing rooms. Though no property development is planned, the course will benefit from ongoing beautification projects and the building of a small but luxurious resort hotel. Rimontgó is proud to have been instructed to offer an additional 200 shares, which have been attractively priced at €15.000. Valid for fifty years, they provide entry to a unique course and offer good longer-term investment value.