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Property News in Spain
Daily updates on the Spanish property markets for both investors and people wishing to relocate.

• Property Management Spain
  
• Property for sale in Pruna Spain
  Experience the authentic feel of typical rural Spanish pueblo in Pruna. There are numerous bars and several restaurants where you can relax with nice glass of wine plus there are shops in which to browse, and In spite of being in the country, Malaga, Seville and Jerez airports, plus the beaches of the Costa Del Sol, are only one hour 20 minute drive away. The Costa De La Luz, as yet unspoilt, around the Cadiz area, is a similar distance. Ronda with its fascinating shops and spectacular gorge, Zahara, a listed Pueblo Blanco, in the heart of National Park, offering magnificent walking, bird watching and fishing opportunities in the turquoise lake, plus numerous other quaint and picturesque villages with mountainous scenery to discover and explore are within an hours drive away. Slightly further a field but accessible for a day trip are places such as Granada, Cordoba and Gibraltar for a complete contrast of Spanish life Pruna actually comes under the province of Seville. It is a short drive - just 5km from Olvera The impression I get of Pruna is that it is a more of a working town than some of the other villages. Being of a population of just around 3000 people it is a quieter more low-key place. It does however have adequate amenities such as shops, restaurants, school etc. There are lots more properties coming on the market in Pruna and prices are often cheaper in Pruna than the nearby white villages although lately prices are rising and work out only marginally cheaper than Olvera. Country house with a good amount of land are again cheaper round here and the surrounding countryside is very beautiful. Country houses are becoming harder to find. The houses in Pruna ooze potential and so many original rustic features. The price tags means you can spend a good amount of money and do exactly what you want.
• Five-Star Luxury in Marbella
  Playing golf in your room or using a private elevator are luxuries few of us can afford. Only the rich can enjoy a night in a hotel costing 3,750 euros a day. JUST over a year ago, the King and Queen of Sweden visited Marbella for a party organised by their friend Gunilla von Bismarck. They have no embassy on the Costa del Sol to stay in, of course, so they opted for the next best thing: one of the many "grand luxury" five-star hotels in the Marbella area. Their choice was a private villa in the Marbella Club, the first luxury hotel in the municipality, each with its own private swimming pool, five bedrooms and 300 square metres of private living space set in semi-tropical gardens. This is hotel accommodation fit for a king. It does not come cheap. At 3,750 euros a night, one needs to have a royal salary to stay there. Or to be Pierce Brosnan or Lenny Kravitz, who like to stay in this type of hotel while on the Costa del Sol because it is also a safe refuge from the paparazzi photographers. Marbella continues to be synonymous with luxury in Spain, and its outward expression is in its luxury hotels. Cost is the key element here: one can stay in the new five-star hotel designed by famous architect Frank Gehry for the Marqués de Riscal wine company in Alavés, considered one of the most exclusive in the country, for three times less than in some hotels in the Marbella area. If one is not entirely happy with the exquisite service in the Marbella Club, one can head down the Golden Mile to the Gran Melía Don Pepe Hotel, where a night will cost 2,800 euros in one of the presidential suites. Here one can relax in presidential luxury looking out over the Mediterranean, or soak in the jacuzzi, have a drink in the private bar followed by a siesta in the Balinese bed on the private terrace or play a round of mini-golf without leaving the suite. Or one might have decided to stop along the way and drop into the Puente Romano Hotel instead, to take a private elevator up to the Imperial Suite. This overlooks the beach, and has a hall, sitting rooms, bedroom and private terrace. The decoration is Mediterranean in style, with high ceilings reminiscent of classic Greece, and touches of chic that make the price of the room a bargain at only 2,600 euros a night. Among the many rich and famous personalities to have stayed here are Italian film actress Gina Lollobrigida, French actor Alain Delon, Elizabeth Taylor and singer Tom Jones. There are less expensive places to stay in Marbella, without skimping too much on luxury, and one of them is the Los Monteros Hotel. Here one can stay in the Ambassador Suite, for example, which measures 89 square metres and costs only 1,010 euros a night, or one could go down-market and opt for the Spa Suite at 750 euros for the night. This has pressure showers, a hydro-massage bath and a Turkish bath, all very necessary to relieve the stress of not being able to afford anything better.
• Cheap property in Spain
  It might not surprise you to know that Barcelona is the most expensive place to buy property in Spain, but what about the cheapest? The place to snap up a bargain is in the little-known Andalucian province of Jaen. In the "Big Picture" monthly report carried out by the leading Spanish property portal - Kyero.com - the average price of a property for sale in Jaen was almost seven times cheaper than Barcelona. Over 49,000 properties were sampled and the national average property price came out at €240,000 (£162,967). Barcelona, along with Ibiza and Mallorca, were the only places to top the half a million euro mark, compared to a mere €77,000 (£52,298) for Jaen, 68% below the national average. So what makes Jaen so cheap? Is it a culture-free dust bowl? Does the province have unseasonably bad weather? Is it a concrete enclaved inhospitable, modern town? The answers are all "no". The city of Jaen, situated 92km (57 miles) north of Granada, has been inhabited since 600,000 BC (by the Flintstone-esque "Pebble" Culture!). It boasts a Moorish castle, 11th century Arab baths and a 16th century cathedral and palace amongst its points of interest, and the thriving university adds a youthful element to this historically important area. The weather, as with the rest of Andalucia, is mild and has contributed to the economic success of Jaen's major asset - olives. Jaen is the world's leading producer of olives and olive oil, producing about 10% of the world's olive oil. The crop occupies 77% of the land and the oil is manufactured by around 55 oil mills. The region also boasts numerous national parks and nature reserves, including the Sierras de Cazorla nature park, arguably one of the most beautiful nature parks in Andalucia. Since the beginning of 2006 Jaen has found itself in demand from property purchasers seeking a slice of "real Spain" and even featured on the popular TV programme, A Place in the Sun in May. The town of Alcala la Real, just 25 minutes drive from Granada, is the province's main property hotspot. With a population of just over 21,000, there are plenty of amenities, such as schools, restaurants, bars, doctors and swimming pools as well as striking scenery and a friendly local community. Some properties in the region have experienced price appreciation of up to 60 per cent in recent months and demand has recently intensified. The region of Andalucia itself attracts Spain's largest number of tourists, receiving 14 per cent of the country's 50 million foreign visitors every year. The rural tourism market is up and coming and Jaen accounts for 7 per cent of Andalucia's tourists, with 490,000 visitors every year. This has led to an increasing demand for rental accommodation not only from foreign holiday makers but also Spanish nationals, especially from Madrid, seeking a rural holiday. So what's wrong with the place that makes it so inexpensive to buy? Well because it's inland, there are no beaches. Swimming pools - yes, sand and wet wavy stuff - no. It also doesn't have an international airport. However, Granada is only 90 minutes drive away from the city of Jaen and both Ryan Air and Iberia fly from the UK to Granada from about £70 return. And don't forget for all ski lovers, that the Sierra Nevada mountain range is just outside Granada, so within day trip reach.
• A View of Ronda
  Ernest Hemingway said the ideal spot in Spain to witness a bullfight for the first time was in Ronda. He was guaranteed the best seat in the house on his many visits to the Plaza del Toros. As was another fan of bullfighting, film director Orson Welles. Had they been at the peak of their careers today they would no doubt have wanted to buy an apartment with a permanent view of the oldest bullring in Spain. Clever men though they were, they would have had their work cut out. Such a property is as rare as a safe driver on the streets of this ever popular tourist destination. Ronda is blessed with views. The mountains and the gorge are the most photographed. Then there is the bullring, a building that oozes character. It is easy to see why Hemingway and Welles spent so much time there. It has the feel of a spiritual retreat and out of the high season it can, perhaps surprisingly, be the quietest spot in Ronda: a haven of peace and tranquillity despite the amount of blood that has been spilled there over the years. Ronda has always considered itself to be the home of