Free Polaris World Inspection Trips

Polaris World have recently launched some free inspection trips for potential customers wishing to view their developments. The trips offerred include: free return flights to Murcia; free 4 star accommodation; and even free meals. The flights typically leave the UK early Saturday morning, and return late on Sunday.

The time in spain is spent viewing the different Polaris World Golf Resorts, including their on-site facilities and the different property types available. Prices range from 83,000 Euros for a Golf Suite to some 1,500,000 Euros for a five bed five bath villa.

There are various European departure points during March and April, including London, Liverpool, Belfast, Amsterdam and Oslo.

Spaces, not surprisingly, are limited. So, if you are interested in this offer, please get in touch with us, and we will reserve your seats for you, to avoid disappointment.

Murcia Growth

Unlike other areas of Spain the Murcia region experienced a seven per cent growth during the last quarter of 2007.

Those looking for a property on the costas, without paying premium prices, should head for the Costa Calida in Murcia.

Resorts such as Mazarrón are still fairly untouched by mass tourism, and property here can still be snapped up at reasonable prices.

Investors need to hurry though, as it is is quickly catching up with the other costas.

A lot of money has been put into attracting tourists to the area, and a new marina opened in Puerto de Mazarrón last year. There are also a wealth of new shops, restaurants and café bars opening in the resort, which are due to be ready for the summer season.

There are a range of properties in the area, from resales to off-plan homes on new developments. It is still possible to buy a two-bedroom apartment on a complex, with a sea view, for €200,000, and one-bedroom apartments at the Polaris World Golf development, which is home to three Jack Nicklaus-designed courses, and 20 minutes from the beach, start from €90,000.

Good deals and flexible payment plans from builders and developers, ensure the off-plan market Mazarrón is still strong.

As well as the new marina the Town Hall has introduced another incentive to attract foreign visitors – a translation system. British residents and visitors can now get linguistic assistance by use of a headset. The system uses a mobile phone and two sets of headphones and can provide a simultaneous translation in either English, French, German or Arabic.

This is a pilot scheme in the region and it should also be available in Puerto de Mazarrón in the near future.

Around 46 per cent of the population in Mazarrón are non-Spaniards, so the new service is geared towards residents who speak little or no Spanish.

Full story from homesworldwide.co.uk

Cajamurcia Branch in London

Cajamurcia, one of Spain's regional savings banks, has begun operating in the United Kingdom, with the opening of a subsidiary branch in the centre of London.

One of its main objectives is to help British customers with their spanish banking transactions in the United Kingdom and take part in the growing commercial exchange between the two countries, bringing Spanish developers closer to the British buyers’ market.

The Cajamurcia Subsidiary Branch in London can carry out all the usual banking transactions, thanks to its real-time connection with the Cajamurcia servers. This means you can open accounts in Cajamurcia branches in Spain, request cards or use the Intelvía service, amongst others.

The branch also offers meeting rooms, security boxes and teller service for customers, as well as an exclusive ATM for Maestro cards in the Red 6000 network.

The branches contact details are as follows:

Cajamurcia - London Representative Office
16 Waterloo Place
London SW1Y 4AR
Tfno. +44(0)2079251194
email: jyelo@cajamurcia.es

Murcia - Inland More Popular Than The Coast

When property in Murcia is mentioned, large urbanisations and new build golf resorts located along the Mediterranean coastline spring to mind. According to Kyero.com, however, these homes are not what the majority of today’s buyers are looking for.

The latest independent statistics from Kyero.com reveal that 8 out of 10 of the most popular towns in the Murcia province are in fact not coastal at all, but inland. These towns are currently experiencing a renaissance and property prices are booming.

One example is the town of Moratalla, 120km inland, where figures show that the average property price increased by 50%, from €82,250 in 2006, to €124,000 in 2007. Other examples are the scenic town of Jumilla in the north of the Murcia province, where a 25% increase, from €139,000 in 2006, to €173,000 in 2007, was recorded, and Puerto Lumbreras in the south west, where average property prices increased by 17%, rising from €233,250 to €245,250.

Set against the province average of a 4% increase in property prices, from €204,250 (2006) to €211,250 (2007) and the Spanish national average, which actually declined by 0.1%, from €245,750 (2006) to €245,500 (2007), this is highly significant.

This data suggests that most Britons looking for a holiday home or to relocate to the Murcia region are increasingly seeking rural areas above developed coastal towns. Space is becoming a key consideration and properties are frequently being sought near to the national parks of the region.

One example is Lorca, which takes the third spot in the Kyero.com Top Ten, situated near to the Parque Natural Sierra Espuna. Here villas on 5 acre plots meet the demands of those looking for a seriously low-rise property option where space is paramount. Not only is it less than 20 minutes from the coast, and within easy reach of 3 airports, but property in Lorca also offers excellent value for money.

Another key reason that the British buy in Lorca, or Murcia in general, is that they want to experience the true Spanish way of life. Lorca has around 100,000 inhabitants and is a fun and lively town with loads of bars and restaurants, a castle, theatres, schools, squares to relax in, enjoy a coffee and watch the world go by, friendly people and beautiful architecture with 15 churches and a cathedral in the centre. When you set this alongside the fact that Lorca literally means City of the Sun, having one of the best climates in Europe, it is not hard to see why it is so popular.

New Low-Calorie Costa Calida Wine

A vineyard in Jumilla, Murcia has come up with what it is calling ‘vino light’. Altos de la Ermita has 6.5 degrees of alcohol, half the normal amount for traditional wine, and has, as a consequence, fewer calories. The 2006 Crianza is made from Monastrell, Tempranillo and Verdot grapes, and the vine is starved of water for several hours a day when the grapes are maturing to get the lower alcohol content.

The new light wine is the result of research help from Murcia and Cartagena University and the Technological Development Centre. € 2.5 million has been invested in the project, and the first bottles go on sale in April. How well the 770,000 bottles sell will be key to the future of the project.

The price of the wine at the vineyard will be €6, but specialist wineries are expected to charge €10 and restaurants between 14 and 20 Euros.