'5 star' reality check.

Sorry, couldn't resist it.

Just for those of us that dreamt of a 5 star resort as Polaris promised......... This is what  a 'proper one' looks like .

http://www.abamahotelresort.com/

Here's hoping for Paramount & all that !!

Regards,

Have you looked at the prices, its a hotel complex, cheapest room is 450 euros per night. Could anyone who bought on CDA afford these, all over the world there is resorts like these, don't understand why compare!!!, and its in Tenerife

You might guess, I'm offshore & bored.

Tenerife is classed as Spain isn't it Andy ? Just came across this place in my Santander shareowner newsletter offering 10% discount. Cheapest room I could see was 273 euros - a snip !! Although us early settlers are technically the 'cheapo's' on CDA, there was meant to be million euro villas, hence the promise of luxury facilities. I foolishly thought that being in at the more modest end would bring us all the benefits & facilities suited to a 1st class development  that the higher value properties command - the likes of the Intercontinental hotels on El Torre & Mar Menor fall into that category, and of course would have been perfectly fine on Condado. I suppose at least Jardines/Naranjos look mostly like what it said on the tin - you have to feel sorry for La Isla folk after everything that was promised in their promotional bumf. No disrespect to La Isla, but I would be gutted if I was 'stranded on that island' now with little or no chance of a nice view whichever way you look considering the premium they had to pay (remember they were to be at the centre of a boating lake with the Morrocan themed Oasis to one side and a further two JN courses to the other).

I'm afraid that's why I can't get too exited about a old tin sales office substituting a multi-million euro clubhouse for God knows how many years (bit of Darren in me there !!). I was hoping I would not be a pensioner before we could all enjoy the benefit of these facilities. At the end of the day, OK we have got nice apartments in a nice immediate setting and a decent golf course (apart from the bomb tip it weaves it way through) but in reality the nice bits are just a mini-oasis in the middle of a great big dustbowl.

Before anyone takes too much umbridge at this, I still love coming over, still really like the people we have met, still try & make our own little place as nice as it can be, still apreceate all that the presidents and others are doing to improve the situation,and most of all still have great hope for the future. But...............patience was never a great virtue of mine I'm afraid and when I see true quality develoments, I just got to have a womp to make me feel better. Promise to cheer up when back out in the sunshine again.

Anyway, forum has been a bit dull at the moment - Man U, Man City, Man U, Man City, Man U, Oh Spurs & Sheff Wed ! (well done H,pool at Hillsbro' by the way) so might possibly stir up a bit of interesting debate about something else other than football.

Regards,

Yes we can only Dreeeeeeeam, dream dream dream!!! LOL

And your point is?

Who coined the '5 star resort' phrase anyway? I'd never heard it till I came on here, I can't remember Polaris using it or reading it on any of their sales material. Maybe they did and I just didn't read it, but if they did and you fell for it then more fool you.

Anyway, it's embarassing, I really wish folk would stop using it and referring to it. No offence, but if anyone thought we were getting a '5 star resort' based on what we paid for our apartments, then they're living in cloud cuckoo land. That's not running down CdA in any way BTW,  I'm happy with what I've got given the circumstances. But it ain't, never will be, and never was going to be, a '5 star resort'. It is what it is, a resort of small inexpensive apartments with a very good golf course. That nowhere near meets '5 star' requirements, and wouldn't have done even of CdA had been completed as originally planned.

Point is Peter, would be good to wake up the forum from it's winter hibernation and get a few comments in whichever way you view things. Just though posts were getting a tad boring and this has always been a good subject for lively banter .

Cappie, they always told me that Condado was targeting Ryder Cup golf eventually (I think the outer ring road and parking backs that up) and they do not usually put that type of course on anything but upmarket developments. Perhaps though all the parking is overspill for the Al Kazar town centre !!!

All comments with slight tongue in cheek folks.

I never saw CDA as a 5* resort.  I saw it more as a place with good facilities (I still look wistfully at the promotional material) that a family would enjoy.  Kind of a miny village with semi controlled access.

Looked at the golf card on the link...we got the better deal on that front (he says never seeing the other course!!)

CDA is set up for tournaments except for the glaringly obvious lack of somewhere to get changed, shower, and have food or drink.  Even the normal tees in CDA are longer than the back tees on the 5* resort.  I focus on the actual course as its the one thing on CDA that has exceeded my expectations (other than the people I've met).

Our apartment and Jardin are exactly what we expected from the brochures so again happy there. As everyone says the issues are with the lack of town centres and the Oasis...but in some ways we were lucky.  We have a shop and now a bar or two.  We don't have hundreds of half built apartments and building materials everywhere. 

And we have a new airport opening that should make things so much better for 2013.

Not a 5 star resort...more of a 3-4 star B&B with great hospitality and a fry-up to die for.

The term 5* was definately used to us. If it had turned out as orignially planned then it would have been a 5* resort, all Polaris's resorts are supposed to be 5 *. No doubt this is under their own rating system. But it would ahve been fantastic with 15,000 properties including mega villa's and amazing facilities.

It hans't materialised, so it is what it is.

I was only just discussing what may happen if Paramount becomes a reality- do you think new developers would build around the golf course or do you think they'd all go for the untouched land around La Isla and build 'new' developments with their own stamp on them?. Although maybe when that land's all gone someone might want the land around our golf course, loads of potential and facilities already in place for anyone buying/building around there. I'd expect villa's rather than apartments but who knows, just hope they cant build anything too high rise (if it happens)

Agree with you 100% on the new buildings not being "high rise".

Major reasons I chose CDA was the golf course, the openness, big roads and space.  Stayed at La Torre once and I wasn't impressed by the the hexagonal or maybe Octagonal groups of high rise aprtments.  I know some like this but for me the Jardines model of only 2 apartments high is fantastic.  And the roads are far superior...La Torre was an accident waiting to happen with everyone parking allm over the show and narrow roads.

If any development is kept to a similar look as what we have it would be good...but probably wishful thinking if paramount goes through. Develoipers will want to maximise their space no doubt.

I believe PW only got approval if they went for 'low rise and thats why even the Penthouses are just 4 storey's and I think they are high enough. The apartment blocks on La Torre  and possibly Hacienda won awards if I remember rightly. Who knows what would get approval now but I think they wont be allowed to swamp areas with apartments there's still too much of a glut. Its also possible other developers will buy up land and build closer to the {Paramount site so we wont be the closest eventually. I doubt much of this would happen soon anyway- the banks are far more cautious than in the past and everyone wants to get rid of what is already on their books.

We looked at apartments on the inner ring road of the Jardines but our agent was telling us that they wouldn't remain golf view as more penthouses were planned for right around there with villa's over by the back gate and our Golf suites. As all that has changed anything could be built there but I hope they go for villa's- more villa Jana and then townhoses and some big villa's to bring in residents. All conjecture of course but I hope developers do come inside the resort because I have worried we'll become the poor relation with all that spare internal land undeveloped and new developments on the land were the other two golf courses should have been. But I dont think anyone will be allowed to build hundreds of properties as they have done in the past.

I'm with Bilbo regarding the clubhouse, however I do think they need something and if there's no real money pot then temporary and reconditioned is the only way forward or we wont get the people or the tournaments.

They are meant to sign for purchase of the land on 6th Feb so no doubt thats why Naranjos 5 has just been released for sale and all fully furnished!

Might be wrong but I think the reason for the golf courses (aside from golf) is that in certain areas new developments have to have a large % of greenbelt or open space.  From memory it was 70% which does sound high (from a few years back).  But when you throw in all the internal gardens and proposed sportfields etc it may be close. 

If this is the case then developers may be resatrictewd with what they can do on other land and on the land back of La Isla.

Unfortunately I think the additional features that would have made CdA a 5* resort are really a thing of the past now. That doesnt mean our present resort can't be of 5* quality eventually and in fairness PW did build everything they started in this phase and I'm glad we dont have the half built monstrosities other developments have been left with.. It's also so out of our hands that I imagine that's what frustrates many owners. I still hope that a developer will want to build within our resort and that prospect increases our chances of our facilities developing further and there's the fact that that developer wouldn't have to build a shopping mall or sport zone. I wonder if PW have any scope to return to build on CdA- do they have a clause in their arrangements with the Banks?

In relation to the land the other golf courses would have been on, it's true green area's had become important to the planning applications but there should have been 5,000 properties encircling each course so plenty of scope for a new developer without infringing on too much land. As I said previously no developer will be allowed to build swathes of properties as they did in the past- especially until the tourist numbers have been actually seen. It's also true that all planning permissions have long expired so anything new would be new application and as we have seen with the Paramount project land can be redesignated anyway. But, anything on those parcels of land wouldn't be part of CdA (unless PW is waiting in the wings) so I'm more interested in what Paramount could mean to what we have within the ring road. There's plenty of land surrounding the raised land where Mirador apartments should have been. All conjecture I know and there's not a whiff or rumour to support any idea of further building on CDA, but I'm curious.

There's also the fact that the Paramount project has alot of apartments and Hotel property anyway- so maybe all that would further delay any development on CdA. But as was pointed out on a thread some time back the concrete works remain in situ- so could that be a clue?

Meanwhile a golf club house of some sort would be a step in the right direction to 5*.

I rarely post now but this thread intrigued me. During our buying process the term '5* resort' was frequently used and as I then went on to have a little bit of work from a UK/Spain based property company I can say it was a key phrase back in 2007/2008. However it was used as "Condado de Alhama will be a 5* resort' and referred to the end result in an expected 10 year or so project. It related to the quality of the build, products used, design (offers of exclusivity)and facilities available. It also related to the fact that million euro villa's were planned as well as many other properties in different price brackets with secure entrance features. All points that ticked the boxes in a * rating.

I know the term 'quaility of the the build' will grate with some owners but as Polaris contracted out it seems it's down to sheer luck whether your apartment was built by a good company or not. Plus the speed at which they got them finished in 2008 when the writing was clearly on the wall may have had an impact.

I think it's far too soon to be writing about new building on or around CdA although I get TQM's point about the unbuilt land within the ring road. I think for many owners it's the potential custom Paramount may bring thats forefront of their minds after that it'll be whether a new developer or maybe even Polaris can see any profit in further developing Condado to 5* because if Paramount is a success then CdA has got to look good and offer alot to keep quality rentals when other shiney developments might pop up around Paramount Park. But, this is all a long way down the line.

I dont think Polaris ever used the term 5 Star and I agree, it does sound silly when people use the term. If people heard that during their purchase it was most probably from estate agents. How can you build a 5 star town anyway? I have stayed at many 5 star hotels and they dont have hundreds of ferrel kids with laser pens running arround the lobby or fighting in the bars.

Maybe Polaris insinuated that they would construct a 5 star hotel like at La Torre or Mar Menor and through "Chinease Whispers" this became 5 Star Resort?

I dont even believe there is a star rating for urbanizations, its just for Hotels, so how could Polaris have stated 5 stars?

TQM mentioned that he would prefer Villa to be constructed, if construction resumes. I dont think there will ever be "High Value" villas built on our resort. We have 3000 terraced apartments (and a few igloo typed lower cost villas), if I was spending up to a Million Euros on a Villa, I would want to be surrounded by similar typed properties. It would be like building a million pound mansion on a council estate.

I cant imagine construction resuming for a while around CDA, obviousally they need to sell off all the unsold properties first. Then a few dissalusioned people (like myself) will start to offload their properties, this will keep prices low for a long time to come.

You can buy properties on Condado for less than 70K Euros, builders cannot make a profit at that level, once they have paid agents, planning, solicitors, architects, utilitie connections etc etc.

Many of us on this forum paid over 120K Euro for our places. I would be amazed if Polaris made 20% profit on them, I would guess that 100K Euors was their break even point. I reaslise that labour costs have come down lately, but I would still estimate that the break even point would still be over 70-80K Euros now.... So I cant see any further building till property values in the region make construction an economical possibility.

Well done Billbo for starting up a lively thread! Its been getting dull lately and I really miss my getting insulted by some of you.

This message was last edited by darren.wilkes on 30/01/2012.

We were shown around the Polaris resorts by one of the Polaris Regional Managers as the agent designated for us during our inspection visits was unwell. As he wasn't on commission he was relaxed and forthcoming- though keen to sell. He did use the term  '5*'  to us but only to underpin aspects of the quality he kept referring to. But it's neither here or there now and I think they were just promoting everything would have a quality finish and be a safe family friendly environment that would enable the expectation of high end rentals/neighbours/hotel guests. The 3 golf courses were an major element in all of this as their standard would bring in custom/rentals and  the prices charged there and in the Hotels, bars and restaurants the 5* was meant to be reflected.

Exclusivity and security was a point that kept being made and we remember being told that each separate Jardin would have security barriers on the car parks and there would be no need for security grills on windows as security was so high on PW's list.. We laughed later at some of the features he described as it was all to be so managed and maintained that every aspect of living was considered- refuse in the 'green' bins disappearing underground, shopping delivered, baby sitting service, pristine landscaping,strict security, strict rules about what could and couldn't be done to properties or as individuals (right down to sun umberella's should be white) we wondered if it was going to be like living through an episode of "The Prisoner"!!

So Feb 6th is the date when the land purchase deal should be signed- it will be interesting to see what happens and how quickly, if that goes ahead as planned.

 Jann,

You refer to Feb 7th being the deadline for the "Land Purchase" deal.  What land are you buying?

Darren,

Have to laugh...those kids really p*ssed you off with the laser pens!!

Will have to drop you off a couple next summer (assume they are via chinese shop) so you can sit on your terrace and get some payback!!

Shane

P.S. None of the ferrel lot were mine (all under 5 last summer)

I'm assuming the land deal is the date the option for the "Paramount land" needs to be exercised in order for them to keep the Paramount licence.

Yes, I was only referring to the land purchase deal for the land for Paramount- apparently Feb 6th is the big day.

(Now if I was planning to buy land not sure where I'd settle on-coastal, rural or as we've just been to the Yorkshire Dales and it was beautiful it could be there!)