property-tavira.com

The rollercoaster ride of Sterling over the last 12 months has hugely affected the foreign property market with a lot of Mortgages in Sterling and not Euro’s and people finding it difficult to get new loans.
It is also effecting the retiring population who bought property in Spain but still living off of the Pension paid in Sterling. This is not predicted to get better any time soon with the national debt to remain high for the foreseeable future.
That is not to say that there an not deals still to be had, but now people with their main source of income being in Sterling will have to look further than the EuroZone.

There has been a lot of negative press of recent about taking gap years and taking a couple of months off to travel. The threat of global warming and stories of some charities doing more harm than good when it comes to taking on students completing gap years have created a wave of guilt for young people. I would actively encourage people to take gap years and see this beautiful world we live in. There is so much to see and literally so little time to see it. The vast majority of us normal working folk will work just about solidly from finishing education to retirement so why not take a year or 2 out

Sarajevo is a city steeped in history, culture, traditions and unfortunately a recent past which is still very fresh in the memories of its residents and of its visitors. In the winter the city is walled by snow capped mountains and hosted the winter Olympic games in 1984 and should be a city visited by the rich and famous. But unfortunately because of the 1992 – 1996 siege of the city during the Bosnian War people are still reluctant to visit its beauty.
Although there is still a feeling a tension in the City the mood is of calm and peace and is still supported by the European Union Force (EUFOR). I would recommend everyone to visit this city. The skiing facilities still require investment and are basic in comparison to the resorts in the Alps, but you pay a fraction of the price. The locals are some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet and will make you feel welcome. There is no need to compromise on hotels, food or drink as all are of the highest quality.

I must say that I’m a massive beach holiday fan. I have been lucky enough to travel pretty far and wide throughout my life to different places all over the world, both for summer holdiays and winter skiing breaks. However despite a beach holiday being my next vacation (4 days and counting to be precise!!!) I have to say that one of my favourite holidays ever was a River Nile Cruise.

I first sampled Egypt when I was about 11 when I went to Cyprus with my parents on holiday and we took a short cruise to visit Egypt and Israel. There I got to see the Pyramids of Giza – one of the ancient wonders of the world, as well as the Sphinx. It blew me away as I’ve always been intrigued by Tutankhamun and other Egpytian pharaohs.

We then went on a Nile Cruise a couple of years later where we were on a big ship on the River Nile for a whole week. It was paradise – just like being in a hotel – it was smooth, silent, no big waves or turbulance that you would normally expect from travelling on a ship as you’re not on the sea, you’re on a river. And it was just mad opening the curtains every morning and sailing down the River Nile seeing daily Egyptian life go by as normal. We stopped off to see Luxor, Karnak and many other historic settlements. The temples and sites I saw will live with me forever.

If you are thinking of a holiday that’s a bit different – try a River Nile Cruise – it will be one of the best you ever have. There’s always next year to get back to beach holiday normality!

Go on a River Nile Cruise for a Holiday to Remember

Are you looking for the perfect honeymoon? Or have you found the perfect honeymoon already but are bored of poxy standard class flights with bite sized portions of plane food. I must say I really like aeroplane food – maybe it’s just because I’m always in the holiday mood and really looking forward to some time away by the time I’m sat on the plane. Even dropping friends off at the airport for their holidays gives me a buzz – I think it’s just airports in general that get me in the mood and put a huge grin on my face. But don’t get me started on delays – I’ve had some horror delays, 13 hours delay soon after 9:11, my holiday was brilliant until we got to the airport to go home, and literally spent the whole day playing stupid games and spending our loose change until we finally got called to the departure lounge.

Anyway back to luxury travel and holidays – I got an email the other week from my Dad showing me an Emirates plane fit for a king. The A380 aircraft is beyond belief – literally. The Dubai based airline has announced its new Airbus A380 could revitalise and revolutionise air travel.

The list includes:
Two decks
14 flat-bed suites situated near the front of the aircraft
Electronically controlled mini bar
Advanced in-flight entertainment systems
On Board Shower Spa
Timeless Spa available to all First Class travellers
Gourmet Chef
Features to reduce travel fatigue effects

So why not splash out on your holiday of a lifetime and book first class now!

Fly in ultimate luxury with Emirates Air Travel

I’m a bloke, and I tend to pack for holidays the night before I go, or the morning I go if the flight is not at the crack of dawn.

So here I provide you with the essential blokes holiday check list, simple, quick, easy – just print off this page spend 5 minutes getting your stuff together.

Blokes Holiday Check List:

Hats
T Shirts
Shirts
Shorts
Swimming Shorts
Pants
Boxers
Socks
Flip Flops / Sandals
Jeans
Sun Lotion
Toiletries
Aftersun
Contraceptives
Camera
Sunglasses
Passport
Money
Travellers Cheques
Local Currency
Tickets / Holiday Booking Confirmation

If there is anything strikingly obvious that I’ve missed then please add to this list. I think if you take the above on holiday you’ll pretty much be all sorted.

Have a Good Time !!!!!

A resort in the United States is offering cheap accommodation, for as little as £11 per night, however there is a catch…your room is in fact actually a tent.

The San Diego resort is offering a “survival package” where prices drop the more amenities you opt out of having. So if you lose the lighting, mini bar, towels, toilet roll, air con, your bed and breakfast you will only be charged $19 per night (£11).

The credit crunch package is on for 2 weeks in August where staff go as far as removing the headboard from the wall, leaving a small tent in its place. The ranch does offer luxuries – a golf course, spa, range of swimming pools and a number of eateries – however if you fancy snuggling up to your irons and drivers, and resting your back on stray golf balls in the night, this could be the ideal solution to beat the credit crunch.

It’s a solution that allows people who couldn’t usually afford the Rancho Bernardo Inn to do so. John Gates, general manager, told the San Diego Union-Tribune:

“It’s our way of getting people here that might not normally come”.

The hope is that people who stay there on a budget will return and stay at full price once the ecomonic climate picks up.

I can’t wait…I’m going on my first summer holiday since 2004 in just over 2 weeks. I’m off to Turkey to the resort of Oludeniz in the Fethiye region. I also tend to go on ski holidays in Jan/Feb but I’ll blog on that nearer the time.

I’ve been looking at the weather on a regular basis (why I don’t know as it’s always pretty hot) just to reassure myself that everywhere doesn’t get the same bad weather as we have to put up with in the UK. I’ve lived in Manchester most of my life and then lived in London for 2 years. I always presumed that London was better weather than Manchester but the experience didn’t give me much hope.

Basically, UK weather sucks, and the only guarantee you have is to go on holiday abroad. So I suggest if you have some holiday time left to take off work then jump on a cheap flight to Turkey – its averaging 35oC at the moment.

Two weeks and 1 day to go!!! Yipee!!!

Due to the lack of properties for sale at this moment in time, this has lead to prices stabilising and also – in certain parts of the country – property sellers are receiving more from their property than the house valuation.

This rise in property prices has generally been noticed in areas such as London and Oxford as buyers are scouring the market to find the right property in a market with a severe shortage of housing for sale at this moment in time.

These findings have been backed up by The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors who declared a 16 per cent drop in property which has remained unsold on estate agents’ portfolios. As buyers return to the market, demand is high in areas of the South such as London. We’ll have to wait and see if this spreads to other areas of the country.

Over the past four blog posts I have been going through some of the things you need to consider when buying property overseas. The last few points I would like to make are regarding legal and tax issues.

The process of purchasing the property does vary depending on the individual country and their national laws. If the language of the country is not predominantly English, it would be prudent to consider using an English-speaking lawyer working overseas to represent you in buying the property.

There may also be some tax implications as a result of your property purchase; these may be in the UK as well as the country where the property is located. You may need to speak to an accountant to clarify these tax issues.