Olive Press Newspaper – Issue 270

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Vol. 11 Issue 270

STAR HOSTS: Can you match these four famous faces to their Spanish Property hotels?

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July 19th - August 1st 2017

Issue 15

Building dreams

CGI IS BELIEVING: How the offplan

FIND OUT IN OUR PROPERTY MAGAZINE INSIDE

July 19th - August 1st 2017

17

SEE PAGE 3

DOUBLE BUBBLE

F

development boom is really taking

hold along the Costa del Sol this

OREIGN investment into Spanish property is expected to break all records this Demand from abroad has grown for year. seven years straight, according to international consultant firm JLL. It comes as it was revealed that Spain In the first half of this year alone, foreign is still the buyers most searched and funds have more than doubled for destination for Brits looking ment on the same period last year. the invest- to buy abroad. According to Rightmove, Spain is So far external investors have sunk the most pop€888 mil- ular destination lion into buying Spanish property, for Britons looking to relocate smashing last or buy year’s record of €330 million. a second home. Average monthly internet searches While Madrid and Barcelona are hotspots and attract the most the leading 2.5m, some 74% above its closest rivaltotal over and secforeign buyers, Malaga, Sevilla, interest from ond placed France. Mallorca, Bil- Portugal bao and San Sebastian are also bringing came in big US and Italy. third on the list, followed by the numbers. Alicante was the most searched region in Spain,

year turn to Page

Huge growth in foreign investment, which is set to go well over €1 billion in 2017

increasing by 53% from last year. At €126,054, it also has the lowest average enquiry price of the most popular sunny regions. According to Rightmove, 62% of Alicante enquiries are for houses, while 38% are looking for flats or apartments. With an average enquiry price of €397,813, property in Mallorca is most popular with high budget buyers, with 54% looking for flats and apartments and 46% looking for houses. Despite properties in Mallorca times higher in price than those being three in Alicante, it

still tops the list as the second most searched for property destination in Spain. Malaga is in third position, with an average enquiry price of €191,830. Chris Please, Head of Rightmove Overseas, said that Spain remains the most exciting investment for British buyers. “Over 12 months, we received an 2.5 million searches a month for average of Spain, indicating just how in-demandproperty in this sunny country is for property-seekers. “Whether it’s the large expat community, the sunny climate, the food or simply the easy transition into relaxed Spanish culture Britons enthralled, Spain’s proximity that has cheap flights and short travel time to the UK, has it con-

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‘Frail’ elderly expat faces eviction at 80 from her hotel home of 13 years to cash in on tourism EXCLUSIVE By Laura Duckett

AN EXPAT pensioner is being heartlessly ‘thrown out’ of the hotel she has lived in for 13 years. Brit Catherine McDonald, who is almost 80, must leave Hotel Monarque Fuengirola Park by the end of this month or pay a further €2800 for the summer. Irish-born McDonald, 79, well known in the community for her unassuming nature, is al-

It’s your move!

ready paying €1,100 for the basic room. She has spent over €150,000 on the simply-decorated room since moving in in 2004. This week, friend Lynda Martin

ex cl us ive

A BRITISH expat feels like going to the police after being stung €379 for two tickets to watch Sting… sitting on the ground. Expat Jackie Brown, from Elviria, told

u t S

g n

the Olive Press she was ‘furious’ after her ‘Silver Package’ tickets to see the star didn’t even guarantee her a seat. The 67-year-old, from Guildford, spent €200 over the regular price to find there was nothing exclusive about the package, apart from being closer to the stage at Fuengirola’s Marenostrum Music Castle Park. “I was so disappointed,” said Brown. “I ended up sitting on the floor and with the arthritis in my knee it was pretty uncomfortable. “Considering the age of people coming to watch someone like Sting, you would think organisers would provide seating.” The Olive Press was unable to speak to the promoters as we went to

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EVICTION: For Catherine brother before his death, explained Martin, from Los Boliches. “She doesn’t know how it works, all she knows is that the money gets paid to the hotel each month. “This is no way to treat a lovely, kind lady,” continued Martin. “She doesn’t even ask them for a heater in the winter. She said ‘oh no, I wouldn’t want to demand that of them.’ “I just think it’s a terrible thing to do to someone who has made her home there.” The Olive Press approached Hotel Monarque Fuengirola Park on several occasions, but failed to get a response before we went to print. Opinion Page 6

A CROOKED Costa del Sol mayor has been finally sentenced to eight years in prison. Ex-leader of Casares Juan Sanchez has been found guilty of taking bribes from eastern European gangsters after a long police investigation. The former IU chief is joined by architect Rafael Duarte and crime figure Armenian Frank Robert Mani over the Majestic corruption scandal. He has been found guilty of fraud, money laundering and prevarication over taking at least 282,000 euros to help launder money in an illegal urbanisation promoted by Mani and various gangster partners. According to the judge of Malaga’s Provincial court Continues on Page 4

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told the Olive Press that she is ‘very stressed and fragile’ at the prospect of leaving the hotel. “She is desperate and distraught and is worried the only other option she has is to return to Ireland, a country she left in 2004,” explained expat Martin. The demand came when hotel bosses allegedly decided to turn her room into a family room over the busy summer season to make more money. They have allegedly told her she can return in winter when demand decreases. “She has paid the price of a decent sized flat to live in this room all these years and this is how they treat her,” continued Martin. “She is really upset that all of the money she has put in for more than a decade doesn’t count for anything.” When McDonald moved to the Costa del Sol, her brother, now deceased, set up a trust fund for her and set her up in the hotel. She was dependent on her

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OLIVE PRESS – 70mm x 40mm FRONT COVER 19 July


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