some of you have already received this in email and seen the photos - for those who haven't, here is an account of our trip to the showhouse on Thursday 7th Feb 2008...
First impressions are very good, the Jardines are smaller than I imagined them to be which is a good thing but the overall scale of the project is immense. As most other reports have suggested, the finished article is very much like the models in every sense. The pool area is very nice and the kiddies pool is ideal. The whole Jardine is open and feels spacious where you can easily sit on your front terrace and watch the pool / grassed area or retreat to your terrace for some privacy and spectacular views. I'll try and run through each of the apartments and other thoughts in a structured manor here but bear with me if I head off on a tangent!!!
3 Bed Ground Floor Apartments
Initial thoughts are that the front garden / terrace is bigger than I expected with a nice wooden gate to enter. You can easily get a large table and 6/8 chairs in there as well as a couple of beds on the grassed area. Your plot is lined by bushes but on the other side there is grass as well that you could use as your own. There is a pergola that covers the front terrace and Polaris have a roller shade blind running over the top - fantastic. The end of a block is a little more open and less private but the apartments within the terrace are much more private due to being flanked by the first floor stairs.
Entering the apartment you have a solid wood secure door that not only locks with a key but has a double lock system.
The lounge area is okay, enough room for two 2 seater sofas (just) and may be a small table.
The kitchen on the 3 bed has space for a fridge freezer and EITHER a washing machine or dishwasher. The show flat has the washing machine in the back terrace. In one of the kitchen cupboards is an 80 litre boiler for hot water ONLY. Otherwise there is 3 wall cupboards, 4 floor cupboards, and 4 wide drawers. The breakfast bar is nice and wide - I would personally pop some bar stools at the other side. The worktops will be coloured light grey (no choice) and the kitchen is a light beige with silver handles.(no choice)
The bedrooms are okay in size, as I expected. The wardrobes have no drawer units in them.
The bathroom comes with bath as standard with a shower over the bath. NO shower screen. WC, bidet, and wash-hand basin. You have no choice in the unit, only the colour either in white, green or wood effect (see picture). It may be an idea to ask NOW if you can choose the colour or they may just select random colours for you. There is NO mirror as standard in the bathroom. The tiling is a light beige - quite nice.
You enter the back terrace through the master bedroom patio doors (that have a roller shutter). The back terrace is big enough to have a table and 4 chairs and here you will also house your washing machine (if not in the kitchen) and your air-con unit, if you choose to have air-con put in YOURSELF.
All the windows have roller blinds EXCEPT the front patio doors. The windows and doors are double climatic glazed.
2 Bed First Floor Apartment
There is no wooden gate at the bottom of the stairs but one as you turn left or right to enter your front terrace. The terrace is a little tight but enough room for a small table and chairs. You access the solarium from here up slightly steep and narrow stairs with no wooden gate. The climb is worth it though as the solarium is big and the views are fantastic. Plenty room up here for tables, chairs, loungers, BBQ, pool table... need I say more? The pergola is good and Polaris have put the same roller shade up here as down in the ground floor front terrace - nice.
The front door has been changed from the original spec and is now a solid security door like on the ground floor with a similar sized fixed glazed unit - much better and allows more light into the apartment. The lounge are here is tight and not much room for an internal dining table although the show apartment had one. There is an open space under the stairs that lead to the solarium which is a bit of a waste but you may be able to get golf clubs under it. The front window and glazed door have NO roller blinds.
The kitchen is the same as in the 3 bed with one MAJOR difference - you have plumbing for washing machine & dishwasher in the kitchen. They have sacrificed a set of floor cupboards under the breakfast bar to slot this home. So you have a set of wide drawers, 3 wall cupboards, and 2 base cupboards.
Everything else in the 2 bed is the same as the 3 bed in terms of size of bedrooms, bathroom etc.
The Spec
There is no gas on Condado at all so everything is electric.
The apartments come with pre-installation for air-con but you have to buy the internal and external units and get them fitted.
There are no heaters at all in the apartments. They have conveniently put sockets in all the rooms where you put your electric heaters INCLUDING the bathroom - so need to buy those expensive towel rails yourselves.
You can screen the solarium and lower terraces but only with specified materials and height.
The roller blinds for the pergolas will only be allowed under strict colour codes (i.e beige or white!)
As usual with Polaris there are no light fittings as standard.
The properties will be re-painted EVERY 3 years.
There is a private electric gate for each Jardine for residents to drive through and park outside their property - each property will get a remote. Friends & family have to park outside the gated area and walk.
The swimming pool will have a wooden fence with gates around it for safety.
As previously reported, there is NO option on the Jardines to have only a shower in the bathroom.
There is NO option to knock down the wall in bedroom 3 to create a larger lounge / dining in the 3 bed apartment - even though they have a show apartment with this. These are options for Mirador as they are still at an early enough stage - whether you have to pay extra for this they cannot say - but likely!
Timescales & Facilities
The first set of apartments are due to be released around MAY 2008 through to around SEPTEMBER 2008. They cannot tell us which Jardine will be first or last!
The sports area and gym should be completed by MAY 2008
There will be a supermarket and cafe (or restaurant) open by JULY 2008
The Foro for the Jardines should be open by Autumn 2008
The golf will not be ready until end of 2009 beginning of 2010
** BE AWARE OF SPANISH ESTIMATIONS OF DELIVERY TIMES - THEY WILL RELEASE THE APARTMENTS ON TIME BUT FACILITIES WILL LAG**
This aside, Mazarron is only 15 minutes drive away and there is a big CONSUM supermarket about 5km away near Camposol.
We have 60 or so photos if anyone wants us to email them, drop us an email or PM - the files have been condensed into a total size of 3.5 mb.
Kind regards
Alan & Lynn Milton