Court probes Granada golf complex

Apologies. I didnt make it clear that i was talking about my experience of my purchase Fairways and comparing it to the comment earlier on the forum that  'there is no way that medina golf will be finished in the next couple of months' to illustrate that  it is possible, with resources to do the finish on medina golf quickly as Peninsula have done with Fairways. Hope this now makes it clear. A senior moment

Hi

As someone who was out there at the beginning of the month I am not surprised that Suites is near completion. When I talk about medina golf I do not mean every apartment block or apartment on the development. Sometimes I think we are talking about a different place. Its important that people remember how many different blocks there are and some are nearer to completion than others in my opinion. I reported this in an earlier comment. I am buying in Suites and I will be shocked if suites is not completed in the next few weeks. I have been inside and seen my apartment and the only thing left to complete was the wooden floor in the lounge and bedroom. Everything was wired and plumbed for the electrical goods. Heating and A/C was installed. The garden (I am on the ground floor) was not finished as they wanted to know did I want grass or tiles. As we were leaving the workmen had returned from their siesta to finish off the tiles on the terraces, swimming pool and general landscaping around the clubhouse.. Perhaps there are other buyers on Tee 17 and Fairways can give us an up to date position on their blocks.

With regard to the other blocks I only viewed them from the golf course and reported as I saw them. The important thing to remember is the building is still going on. Its not the same on many other developments in Spain and other countries.

Completion on Tee 17 should be about now, but neither Peninsula nor Proadis are able to give a completion date.  I'm aware of various rumours concerning when it is likely to be finished but am waiting on a definitive answer from Peninsula / Proadis.

Really pleased to see some positive feedback on the forum.

We have every right to be concerned about the development,but there does seem to me to have been a fair amount of negativity......some,with all due respect,from members who haven't been to the site for some time.As far as I can see,almost every subscriber who's actually been to the site has spoken in positive terms about the project in general.Of course,the rental situation is still a worry,as is the provision of all the promised facilities,but personally I am taking comfort from the fact  that work seems to be continuing apace on the site,unlike developments elsewhere(all over Europe let alone Spain!)

I do agree that there seems to be some confusion as to which particular development  people are referring to with messages on here.

Could I suggest  that whenever someone posts on the forum they say which development they are purchasing in.......and make it clear which one they are talking about when they are giving estimated completion dates etc.?

I think this would help avoid much of the confusion.

I am buying in Tee 17 and the latest finish date I have is early next year,according to Peninsula. 

This message was last edited by seagull on 26/06/2009.

Vikki from Fairways!

Im going to start all my posts like that now!!!

Just one more point I forgot to make.

One of my major concerns both from the point of view of rental and personal use was that the delay in the commercial centre would mean that use of a car would be necessary to anyone staying on a self-catering basis, to get to the supermarkets in El Chaparral. Not always practical for every holiday maker.  While I am disappointed that the shopping facilities will not be ready when the apartment is, its the purchase of a loaf of bread that concerns me not that of a Fendi handbag!!

However I have heard that there is the intention to create Mini Mart on site, probably in the retail units attached to Fairways, although there is some discussion continuing about whether this will be run by Peninsula or tendered out as a business opportunity.

Hope thats good news for some of you!

vik

Excellent news,Vikki,writes Peter from Tee 17!

When we were there a little while back,we were also given to understand that leases on a row of shops underneath one of the blocks had also been agreed with a company in Holland or somewhere specifically aimed at their rental clients.

Hello Peter,  my apartment is in block E  Tee 17.  Sabber made a post a while back that stated that Proadis plan to complete the first 5 blocks of Tee 17 first (ie before August)  with the others being completed at a later date.

I have asked Peninsula several to verify this and they are completely ignoring the question.  They will not even give a definitive date for completion of my apartment.

I'm not sure which block you have purchased in but I hope that you may understand my personal predicament - when completing I will be expected to pay management fees into a rental agreement scheme whereby there is an opt-out clause that does not guarantee any rentals and no suggestion as to when the other blocks will be completed.  I really do not need to visit the site to understand this.

In terms of the shops, there is a catch 22 situation.  There will not be many retailers who will be willing to set up on site until they can actually see that there will be a decent return (ie holiday rentals need to start).  To this end I would imagine that Peninsula will have to either heavily subsidise the shop or run it themselves as it will be the only way in the short-run provide for the basic needs of guests and actually get some rentals going.  Moreover shouldn't the rentals have started by now and therefore it shouldn't be in the process of discussion but actually happening?  A serious guaranteed rental scheme should depend upon repeat custom - not having basic facilities is not going to encourage this. 

I am not going to apologise for having genuine concerns.  If it were the case that I was receiving straight answers from Peninsula then I would not bother posting.

Peter Tee 17.....Block A......yes,it could be that some blocks will be finished before others......it is irritating that neither Proadis nor Peninsula seem able to confirm anything.All I can repeat is what Sharon H told me from Peninsula ,ie "Tee 17 will NOT be ready this year,as anyone will realise if they visit the site".

With regard to the rental scheme, how do we actually know that they have no rentals in place for the early projects? Has anybody spoken to the rental people about this?

When I visited,I was certainly led to believe the setting up of the retail units with a holiday rentals company had already been  agreed....and now we hear from Vikki that a Mini-Mart is to open.

While some may feel it isn't necessary to visit for themselves,I have to say that it's much easier to get answers from Peninsula when they show you round personally.I will be going back again in the next week or two and will be making an appointment both with Sharon and someone from the rental side. For me,that's a lot less worrying  than trying to second guess what's going on.

The rental company has confirmed to me that there will be no rentals on Tee 17 whilst the building work is continuing. 

Surely the point is that all of the information should be forthcoming from those businesses involved and not a case of asking for it.  Has anyone ever been kept up to date with a newsletter aimed specifically at their development.  Posting a few pictures on a website is not adequate.

Peter, I don't want this to develop into an argument between ourselves but isn't it the case that you already are a resident in Spain and therefore visiting is somewhat less of a hassle for you.  I simply cannot drop everything here in the UK to find out basic information such as when completion is.  My personal circumstances are as such that it just is not possible.  It may also be that you do not have the concerns such as arranging a mortgage at an appropriate time or fixing an exchange rate.

Perhaps it is easier to get answers when you visit in person but that simply isn't good enough.

In terms of rentals for the other sites, there have been repeated requests from people on this forum for information about rentals and nothing has been forthcoming.  I have received private messages from forum members saying how concerned they are about the situation.  You might also want to have a look at the accounts.

Peninsula, the rental company and even the others developers are members of this forum and it is closely monitored.  Don't you think that it is odd that there haven't been any replies stating that rentals are well under way!  It just isn't credible.

When you do visit Peter would you please ask for a detailed list of the actual tour operators involved and perhaps figures relating to rentals.

Yes,sorry Russ,certainly don't want to turn this into any kind of argument......I'm just trying to put forward some positive thought midst this sea of uncertainty!I If we all just accept it's a total disaster,none of us will get a minute's sleep!

I do spend much of my time in Spain but also travel regularly to and from the UK,often over  a 24 hour period,but as you rightly say,everyone's circumstances are different and what I might find easy to do,others won't.

I totally agree that the communication leaves a great deal to be desired and share your concerns with regard to the rental scheme.But I like to think they are doing SOMETHING,even if they're unwilling to talk about it!

Obviously,there will be no guaranteed rentals for Tee 17 until the building work is finished,and this needs to be addressed before maintenance costs etc are handed over....particularly  if the promised facilities are not available.I will be relying on my Spanish lawyer  to sort this out when the time comes.

With regard to the mortgage situation,Peninsula and Proadis will be fully aware that these will take several weeks to organise,and if any of the Tee 17 apartments were to be ready in August.....which Sharon and others who've been to the site insist is impossible............I'm sure we would have heard by now.

I know you are very worried by the whole situation,but  I really do think it could have been a lot  worse than it is at the moment.No-one can guarantee it will all come right in the end,but I am trying  as hard as I can to believe it will do!

I will give you a ring when I get back from my next  visit and will post any up-dated info I get on the forum. 

Famroc from suites here. I think Seagulls suggestion of  saying which part of the development you are buying into will be very worthwhile and should be quite informative. I am not sure how the development is broken up between the different developers but I have received about 6 letters in the last 18 months and last week received the first newsletter from Grupo Balboa. Two of those letters were invitations to play golf ,have dinner and see how the development was progressing. Unfortunately, I was unable to take them up on either offer. I am lucky to be able to visit Spain about twice a year and drive up from Malaga when I can.

Its takes around an hour and a half to drive from near Fuengirola and about 75 min from Malaga airport. For those living in the UK and can fly direct to Granada - it takes less than 15 minutes from that airport. You will not encounter any traffic light once you leave the airport as it is all motorway/dual carriageway. When you leave the carriageway you are in the countryside and its about 5k to the resort. I am writing this to let other members of the site know how easy it is to get there. Any of you buying there should try your utmost to visit Medina and view for yourself how your apartment is going. I appreciate that in the present climate this will not be so easy for many but if you cant go - perhaps ask a friend or relative to go. The alhambra is only a short distance away and could be combined with the visit.

Thanks guys - Russ

Vikki - Fairways

Just another note to say that as well as visiting the site we met with Margaret Corley of Royal Executive at the peninsula offices. She spent about an hour and a half with us going through all the plans and options and gave us what seemed like very realistic and quite comfoting news.

As every purchaser is looking for slightly different assurances dependent on their personal situations and particular development i dont want to go into too much detail but  I have to say that the information she gave us was wide ranging and reassuring. I dont think were all going to be millionaires this time next year but i do think that they are aware of all our concerns and will be trying their best to keep us all afloat and ride out the worst of times. After all it is Margarets business and there is no advantage to her if it fails so she will naturally be trying her best on behalf of all of us.

I would urge anyone who has an interest in the Granada site to visit. Failing that, rather than writing letters try e-mailing or phoning. I do agree that voluntary communication is slight, but when approached Peninsula and Margaret Corley have never failed to return my calls, set up phone appointments or respond to emails (some of which go on and on, full of lists of queries).

I know i sound like a cheer leader for Peninsula but all i can do is convey my experience so far.

Hi Vikki - why don't you want to post the details of what Margaret told you?  If it was reassuring then it would certainly be a relief for me - thanks - russ

Vikki - Fairways

"Hi Vikki - why don't you want to post the details of what Margaret told you?"

Why is everyone on this site a conspiracy theorist!!

I just meant to convey that a lot of the information we were discussing with Margaret was personal to our particular situation (which i dont want to share with the world thank you very much!) and that my advice to anyone with doubts would be to contact the people concerned directly and have their queries answered one to one.

However Russ, just for you i will have a look at my notes from the meeting and post anything I think is relevant and will be reassuring for all. That might take a few days to appear though as I  have just come out of hospital after a 3 day emergency visit for an allergic reaction so im not up to posting much today.

Watch this space...

Sorry Vikki - perhaps I could have worded my post differently.  Hope you are feeling better shortly - Russ

hi

 just to let you know if you are buying in medina golf or tee17 you shouldnt have to worry about shops(for basic essentials) these should be up and running for suites and fairways long before t17 or golf is finished in my opinion.

also margaret mentioned a swiss-isreal and a uk tour operator proposing to take rental of the apts, i have left the names at home, if i can find them i'll post them.

donefor 

I would greatly appreciate info on the tour operators to put my mind at ease - thanks Donefor.

hi Russ

sorry i cant find them, i had a good look, if you ring margaret she should give them to you. meantime if i locate them, i'll post them.

donefor