Where are you all

Have finally managed to upload a selection of photos of our two apartments from our recent visit - can't really call it a holiday as it was a lot of hard work - but well worth it!  The photos can be viewed under Condado de Alhama - 23rd August 2008.

** EDITED - Advertising **

Debbie

Hi Debbie - They both look fantastic, you must be feeling pretty proud of yourself, even the bathroom looks more homely with all the finishing touches and I love the wicker/rattan type patio furniture

hi 
apartments both look great.
where did you get your package from.
i was looking for a 900mm x 900 mm dining table, thinking this would be right for the upstair apartment, i see from photos you have a 900mmx 1200mm table does this fit well, what would you advise? regards redpath 

Hi Debbie & Paul

Photo's look fab, both apartments looking great. Where did u buy the shell like seating. Was it easy enough to put up the accessories in the bathroom and curtain poles, or did someone do it for you

Hi Debbie & Paul,

Great looking apartments,  I really like the wicker table and chairs on your solarium and wondered if you will spill the beans and let me know where you purchased them, and one other thing are your beds standard British 200cm length, as you seem to have loads of room at the bottom of them

Thanks
Alison

Hi Debbie and Paul,
      Pictures are great and the apartments look fantastic. All your hard work has paid off in the end eh. Well done.

Hi Debbie & Paul,

Very tastefully done with both apartments.  Where did you get your furniture package from?  And if I may be so rude PM me the cost for one apartment please.  Again well done.

Hi Debbie

Your apartments look absolutely fabulous!!  It just shows simplicity is the best. Love your colours and its good you have kept them separate styles. Thanks for sharing them, as like most of us we are trying to remember so many details of each room so when anyone uploads different photo's with different ideas, it helps us with our memory ( me more than some I would imagine).  

For example I was looking at blinds in ikea at the weekend and even though I had measurements I would have put my life on it that the window next to the door was smaller than what my measurements were! But now I've seen the photo's it has prooved me wrong!!

Well done Debbie stand back and stick your chest out!

Good Idea Scapa........all for seeing "stuck-out chests"!!

Many thanks for all your positive comments and feedback.  Must admit we are really thrilled with the way the apartments have turned out, but it is always nice to receive positive and encouraging comments so thanks to all of you.

Will try and answer all the questions that we have received about the furniture etc.

Firstly, we didn't buy a furniture pack.  Everything was bought in the UK and shipped over.  There were a number of reasons for this:-

1.  Lack of time in Spain to really look round at all the different options and visit lots of different shops, both for furniture and accessories.

2.  Not being able to find a furniture pack that suited us - we liked some items in the furniture packs but not others.

3.  Cost - the furniture packs we looked at that we quite liked seemed quite expensive, and even then we didn't like all the items in them! 

4.  A lot of the furniture packs we looked at seemed quite dated - particularly the wood items.  Most of the wood was either dark wood or pine.  We personally didn't like either type of wood for the apartments - felt the apartments were not big enough to stand dark wood and pine is a bit dated and orange looking!  The other point we considered is that the apartments have really nice oak doors, door frames and wardrobe doors and we wanted to find something that matched or toned with that.  

5.  A lot of the furniture we looked at in Spain was not really the right size for the apartments.  I have to confess that I became slightly paranoid that the apartments were going to be like rabbit hutches and that nothing was going to fit.  We therefore measured every space and checked the measurements of the furniture very carefully before choosing.

The furniture was bought from a variety of shops in the UK -

Leather sofa bed in each apartment - Homebase Furniture catalogue 
Leather swivel chair in each apartment - Homebase Furniture catalogue
Light oak double bed frames/mattresses - Bensons for Beds (in sale)
Single metal bed frames/mattresses - Homebase Furniture catalogue
Oak bedside cabinets - Ikea (Malm range in oak matches perfectly with the wood in the apartments)
Light oak narrow dressing tables  Homebase Furniture catalogue
Black/chrome nest of tables - Argos
Black/chrome TV/DVD stand - Argos
Light oak TV/DVD unit - Homebase Furniture catalogue
Light oak side table - Ikea
Black/chrome dining table/leather chairs - E-Bay shop - searched on internet for glass/chrome dining tables (1200  x 80 mm)
Light oak dining table/leather chairs - (1200 x 85) searched on internet, and bought from Furn-On.

The black/glass patio furniture was from a local garden centre, with the two armchairs and coffee table from B&Q, and the sunloungers from Tesco Direct.

The wicker/rattan patio furniture was from Land of Leather (table and chairs).  We visited their store one weekend looking for leather sofa beds and they had a special promotion - if you spent so much on leather sofas, you got a free patio set but they were also selling them separately for £499.  We went in for a leather sofa bed, which they didn't have, but came out having bought a wicker patio set! The round sofa with cream canopy was eventually found on the internet, after weeks of searching for something unusual!  It was an E-bay store called "Living It Up" but they were brilliant and delivered it within a day as I didn't find it until two days before our furniture was due to be collected!  

All light fittings (spotlight type) - B&Q

Lamps - B&Q, Ikea, Argos and Ponden Mill

Bedding - 3 sets for each bed - various shops including Argos, Ponden Mill, The Range


We also bought two wicker rattan sunloungers but they were ordered from a shop in Los Alcazares as we just couldn't find anything here that was right.  


So as you can imagine, I have had the most fantastic few months, shopping till I dropped!  Of course, it's what us women do best!    The pots and pans, crockery, cutlery, tea towels, bedding etc were from a variety of shops - and yes they are all colour co-ordinated!  Even black/white tea towels and oven gloves in the black and white apartment and brown/beige tea towels and oven gloves in the other - yes OK I know, I'm really sad!!!

The shipping was done by a company called Elite European and they were absolutely brilliant.  I can definitely recommend them - they were extremely efficient and worked really hard in overwhelming heat delivering all our goods safely.  They will ship full loads or individual items.  The cost for us was just over £3000 but that was for 79 items in total split between the two apartments.  If you were furnishing one apartment, then depending on what items you were taking it would probably cost around £1500.00.  

Was it hard work in Spain sorting everything out?   Yes it was but it was also good fun and very, very rewarding.  It was well worth three or four days of hard work for us to see the end results.  We managed to furnish and fully equip the apartments, instal good quality air conditioning and pay the shipping/removal costs for the same money that we would have paid for two furniture packages in Spain - and even then the furniture packages would not have given us the range of patio furniture that we have ended up with.  Our cost also included things like curtains, pictures, bathroom fittings etc.  

Electrical items were all bought in Spain (Carrefour) but included in the budget.

Apologies for the length of this e-mail, but hopefully I have answered the questions people have had and it has given some of you food for thought about what can be done from the UK to furnish and equip your place in the sun!  

Debbie

Fanatstic response Debbie,

Very informative information,

Thanks

Nick & Deb - Penthouse 9

Hi Debbie,

Great response, however due to lack of time available.    I think the furniture pack will have to be my option.  I know from murciafurniture and others that you can mix & match packs.  You did not give the total (if you can remember it all) for perhaps just one apartment.  Would be interesting to see the difference.  At present a mix&match set I'm looking at is coming in at 15,000 euro's.  If you've made significant savings to this then I may consider furnishing my apartment your way.  Because I too think you're right, I believe you can get better quality and suitability using your method.  Just means I'd have to wait till next year when my holidays from work re-start.

Hi Frank, (Golfinjim)

Are you really going to spend £15,000 on furnishing your apartment? That would be enough to furnish your hole block if by what the others are saying is correct.  I think a generous budget would be in the region of 5 to 6,000 euros for everything. I also wouldn't buy expensive  furniture for other peeps to ruin or damage. 


Just my thoughts
Alison

Alison / Simon,

We thought exactly the same thing.....golginjim's gaff must have Gold Plated Taps.   The places are not big enough to spend that sort of loot!!

Nick

Hi Nick,

I know he is trying to source pink furniture and it has to be shipped in from Barbie landed that why it is so expensive. Ain't that right Frank.?


HE He He,
Ali

Hi, 

Just before i head off to visit my poor mum in hospital could anyone advise if they have seen any nice red leather sofas on their travels round all those furniture stores.  I am normally very conservative in my colour schemes at home but what the heck Spanards love colour and I am going to try and give it to them.

Alison

Hi Alison

There is a shop called Gines Naverro about 10/15 mins from Condado in Mazarron.  Last time I went they were selling two seater leather sofa's and you could choose which colour you wanted them in, obviously there would be a waiting time but I am not sure how long the delivery time was.  Its easy to find from Condado if you need directions just let me know when you are next due to go out.

Hi Smivs,
We are due to go to Condado on 3rd Oct to start furnishing our apt, do you have web address for Gines Navarro or any other contact information ?.
Also please can I have directions.
Many thanks,
Dave

I haven't got any contact details but the directions are as follows:-

From the main entrance of Condado go left onto the RM 2 towards Mazarron go along the RM 2 until you get to the Mazarron North (Norte) exit come off there and follow the signs towards Mazarron/Puerto de Mazarron I can't quite remember how far along that road it is but you will see Gines Naverro on your left hand side.  It is a large store and will have garden/patio furniture outside and hardwear stuff like wheelbarrows etc.  This is also the way to the Sunday Market which is in Mazarron (just follow the crowds) where you can get all sorts of stuff from kitchem equipment, towels, bedding, pictures, fruit, veg etc. worth a visit

Hope this helps

Hi Jackie, I think you mean left on to the RM3.