Almost 30 years after he hitch-hiked around Spain aged 18, a London man who fell in love with the Almeria region during a holiday 20 years ago has finally seen his dream come true.
Sean Conry (47) and his wife Jeanne (46), whose home is in East Finchley, have just bought a brand new holiday home in the traditional coastal fishing village of Villaricos.
“We both love Spain and our dream for many years has been to buy a holiday home there,” says Sean. “We have looked at properties in the Costa Brava and near Barcelona, but the ones we liked were too expensive.
“Having enjoyed our holiday in Almeria so much all those years ago, we returned to that area to resume our search and found that, unlike so many coastal locations, it remained unspoilt.”
It was Jeanne who, after looking at countless properties in the area, ‘discovered’ Harbour Lights during an internet search.
The Almanzora Bay Group’s waterfront development overlooking the refurbished fishing harbour, just five-minutes’ walk from the sandy beach, met the couple’s requirements perfectly.
“We always wanted to be in an old-established seaside town or village of character but we also wanted the convenience of a modern property, without living in a gated community,” says Jean.
“At €255,000 our three-bedroom apartment with a solarium of almost 16 sq m enjoying sea views is within our budget and good value for money compared with the other areas we have looked at,” added Sean who said he was impressed by the calibre of the design and construction at Harbour Lights.
He was also attracted by easy access to Europe’s only international championship desert golf course a few minutes away at Desert Springs. The 72 par 18-hole USGA Indiana golf course – designed by former England and Walker Cup Captain Peter McEvoy OBE who was inspired by the desert courses of Arizona and California – forms an integral part of the award-winning luxury family resort also being developed by The Almanzora Bay Group.
Sean, a self-employed health and safety adviser, and Jeanne, a hairdresser who also works part-time with the Witness Service, funded the deposit payable on their property by extending the mortgage on their Victorian terraced family home in East Finchley. The balance is being provided with a Spanish mortgage.
The couple praised the way in which the purchasing process was made so easy by the Cheltenham-based sales agency, The Almanzora Group Ltd, which handles marketing in the UK in association with the developer’s sales company in Spain.
“Their approach was low-key and there was no pressure but lots of useful advice,” comments Sean who says that he and Jeanne, with their teenage children Rita (16) and George (14), plan to use their new apartment for lots of family holidays in the sun.
They will also let it to generate a rental income when they are not there.
For more information about Harbour Lights or Desert Springs, or to arrange an inspection visit, contact The Almanzora Group on telephone +44 (0) 1242 680 299 or visit the website, www.almanzora.com
