Mallorca Olive Press Newspaper – Issue 7

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Penthouse with private terrace in historic building, part of a spectacular on project consisting of six fabulous luxury apartments with exclusive ght flooded and spacious rooms, as well as various balconies, terraces en. E&V ID: W-0298GN · € 1,810,000

Puerto de Andratx: New built villas with panoramic views across the Tramuntana foothills to the marina. Private roof terraces with pool, community area with infinity pool and gym. Constr. area approx. 211 sqm, 3 bed., 3 bath. and priv. garage. E&V ID: W-0294HP · Price € 1,100,000

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Vol. 1 Issue 7

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Engel & Völkers Mallorca · Tel.: +34 971 23 85 84 Mallorca@engelvoelkers.com · www.engelvoelkers.com/mallorca

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July 20th - August 2nd 2017

Mallorca Olive Press

MallorcaJuly 20th - August - Living Inspiratio 2nd 2017 We give your dreams a home

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out why many of the island’s top estate New qualityFind homes agents are using our new Property Magazine since 1958 SEE PAGE 9

Perfect for a large family or holiday investment 5 bedrooms / 6 bathrooms Superb design & finish throughout

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Anyone for tennis?

July 2017

Issue 2

Tel. +34 971 41 29 25 www.eng elvoelkers .com/mal

lorca

WIMBLEDON’S last ball may played, but have been own versiontennis fans can serve with this Mallorca up their ace. property The €25 million Knight Frank, finca, on the market has its own with court, not floodlit house to to mention a five-bedroomtennis staff The main put up the ball boys. three-bedroom home, situated m a i n the 15th century,in Calvia, dates back to while it also en-bedroom has Set within guest house nearby. a sev296 hectares ing olive groves, of rollit also on a huge outdoor pool.counts And with French Open champion Rafael from these Nadal hailing parts, there surely something is in the Mallorca air to help your backhand!

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OREIGN investment expected to break into Spanish property all records this is Demand from year. years straight, abroad has grown for according to seven sultant firm JLL. international conIn the first half funds have of this year alone, foreign record of €330 more than doubled buyers Portugal came the same period the investmentand While Madrid million. third on the and Italy. So far external last year. and Barcelona list, followed on hotspots by the US most searched investors have and attract the are Alicante was into buying Spanish for destination buyers, Malaga, sunk €888 most interest the leading buy abroad. the most searched creasing by 53% million Sebastian property, smashing for Brits from foreign Sevilla, Mallorca, According to from last year. region in Spain, inmost last year’s Rightmove, looking to At €126,054, are Bilbao It comes as also bringing in big numbers.and San cate orpopular destination for Britons Spain is the however, it also age enquiry price it was revealed buy a second has the lowest looking to relohome. of the most popular that Spain is Average monthly averWith an average still the 74% sunny regions. above closestinternet searches total over in Mallorca is enquiry price of €397,813, rival and second most 2.5m, with 54% looking popular with high budgetproperty placed France. for flats and looking for houses. apartments buyers, Despite properties and 46% being three times in Mallorca higher in in Alicante, it still tops the price than those most searched list for property as the second Spain. destination in Malaga is in enquiry price third position, with an average Chris Please, of €191,830. Head of Rightmove said that Spain Overseas, investment for remains the most exciting British buyers. “Over 12 months, we received of 2.5 million searches a month an average in Spain, indicating for property just how in-demand sunny country In terms of is for property-seekers.” this SPECTACULAR out Mallorca,upmarket property he for its great climate, singled 15.9m through VILLA: This beautiful home living and picturesque upmarket Engel & Völkers is for sale for surroundings. lorca is perfectly “Maldestination for positioned as the ultimate ing to purchasehigh budget UK buyers looktheir own slice of paradise.”

Huge growth set to go well in foreign investment into Spain, which over €1 billion in 2017 is

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A LEADING massive 24%Mallorca agent has seen a In the first half rise in sales on the island total across of 2017. Spain, Engel in had 1,415 Engel & Völkers’s & Völkers transactions, 17 shops totalling €270.5 rose 19% with while rental has saw sales sales some 1,214 million June, while The transactions. the averagefrom January to the average price of property was €1.2 million, country rose property price sold across to €639,218, an increase 2016. crease. of 9% on a 6% inBritish buyers The majority of buyers are market, despite continue to be a and Scandinavian German, British with more Spanish the island seeingBrexit, with some strong French buyers parts of Juan-Galo coming and a rise in UK Meanwhile, buyers. Macià, CEO into the market. eted to €908across Spain, total sales Spain, of Engel & Völkers rock- confirm said; “The extraordinary 32% increase million in the same period, the positive results on last year. a its’ strategic market activity importance and ny.” for the compa-

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Ibiza chill RAFAEL Nadal has been spotted relaxing on his yacht after crashing out of the Wimbledon tennis championships. The 31-year-old tennis ace was spotted sipping a fizzy drink from a straw off the coast of Ibiza.

Turn off the red light! CALVIA council is determined to clean up Magaluf, starting with a fightback against prostitution. The town hall has told six establishments they will be forced to close if they continue to engage in prostitution without the license to do so. The places in question, Apple, Bar Kandi, Oops, Red Rooms, Bar Touch and Jagger’s, all have until August 2 to dispute claims. If they cannot prove their innocence in these matters, they will be closed down. “There is no going back now and we want to convey a clear message of zero tolerance towards tourism of excess,” said a spokesman.

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EXCLUSIVE By Joe Duggan

AN off duty lifeguard who dived from a Magaluf ‘booze cruise’ to save a drowning British dad believes the victim could have lived if the boat had a defibrillator. Brave Thomas Knight, 23, has slammed the company and crew of the Britannia Jet, insisting they were ‘totally unprepared’ for the emergency. Knight, from Northern Ireland, leapt into the sea to help when he saw Etienne Hampton, 29, struggling in the water. The father-of-one, from Jersey, died when he joined

VICTIM: Hampton and party boat several revellers who jumped off the back of the party boat, where punters enjoyed bottomless drinks. While dragged back onto the €55-a-head pleasure vessel, which had over 200 on board, he died after being taken back to shore. Knight, a lifeguard attendant with seven years ex-

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perience, struggled to get Hampton back on the boat before spending half an hour giving CPR. “The crew weren’t prepared and the boat was so badly equipped. If there had been a defibrillator on board he would have had a chance,” he told the Olive Press. “There was no emergency

action plan. “By the time I got to the guy in the water he was foaming through the nose so I gave him five rescue breaths through his nostrils.” He continued: “They threw a ring to him but the rope snapped and there was practically no way to get this guy on board. We needed a harness. “We were essentially pulling a lifeless body up two ladders. By the time we got him on the boat six or seven minutes must have passed.” Knight soon realised he was the only person onboard with any medical knowledge. “I started CPR and

Scam website finally taken down THE Queen of England's outfit looked a little familiar to some as she opened parliament yesterday. As she spoke of making Brexit ‘successful’, social media became abuzz with how her blue and yellow ensemble ‘blatantly’ imitated the EU flag. “Is it me or is her Maj sporting a Euro flag on her head?” one viewer said. While the Queen remains officially neutral on political topics there has been debate since the referendum about her view. One person remained convinced on the issue, saying: “I always knew she was a remainer.”

A SCANDALOUS holiday rental website first reported in the Olive Press two months ago (see right) has finally been taken down. Rent Holidays Villas, which is believed to have scammed hundreds of British Expats’ tourists, has finally been removed from rights the web, following repeated requests closer from this paper to hosts GoDaddy. But despite this success, the fraudsters have been quick to set up another fraudulent site to snare fresh victims, as one Soller homeowner has revealed. The villa owner, who asked to remain anonymous, contacted us to tell us of her ‘shock’ to see her villa illegally advertised

16/06/2017

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June 22nd - July 5th 2017

EXCLUSIVE Geldof weds

LGBT heroes

Our exclusive look at Pixie Geldof’s Mallorca nuptials

A look at Spain’s greatest LGBT icons during International Pride Month

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Fake news Space-tastic Did it all begin in Spain?

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Important observatory to survive thanks to Olive Press

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CATCH THE SCAMMERS! EXCLUSIVE By Joe Duggan

THE Olive Press is demanding action against a string of fake holiday rental sites falsely advertising luxury villas across the Balearic Islands. It comes after we reported last issue that scam site Rentholidaysvillas.com was conning British tourists out of thousands of euros each year. In total, British victims lost €8.16 million in holiday scams last year, a year-onyear rise of 20%, claims the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA). In one of the worst examples, Future reported last issue, rugby star "We've laid solid foundaDean Schofield and friends tions for future discusshelled out nearly €50,000 sions and an ambitious but for a fraudulent villa break in achievable timetable," said Mallorca. Davis, Britain's Brexit minWe have now discovered ister. many other websites running Davis insisted that talks similar fraudulent schemes, about trade would occur ‘in including balearicvillaesparallel’, but Barnier said capes.com, Luxurydreamsthey would start only in a villas.com and www.digsecond phase. italdreamsholidays.com. First, ‘significant progress’ Photos of an eight-bedroomed would need to be made on Mallorca property, advertised the EU's priority issues, nofrom €800 per night on a tably the rights of expatriate fourth site spainvipholidays. citizens and a settling financom, have been lifted from a cial accounts. genuine US website luxuryreEU negotiators have insisted treats.com. that current citizens’ rights On the genuine Untitled-1.pdf 1 16/06/2017 15:36 site the actual should remain unchanged. price is from €2,930 a night.

15:36

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THE rights of 1.2 million Brits living in the EU and three million EU citizens in the UK appears to be inching closer. The initial focus for Brexit will be on expat rights, a financial settlement and ‘other separation issues’, it was confirmed after the first day of negotiations in Brussels. At the joint press conference on Monday, David Davis and Michel Barnier also said the issue of common travel in Ireland was important.

Untitled-1.pdf

Lifeguard who battled to save drowning Brit slams ‘boozecruise’ procedures

WARNING: Olive Press investigation discovers string of fake holiday rental sites conning customers this summer

COPIED: How genuine site was scammed by Spain VIP Holidays massively reduced prices to NEWS lure victims in. Helle Heredia, from Mallorca-based rental firm Novasol, said she had heard of ‘25 to 30’ recent cases of people being scammed but believed there were ‘many more’. “It’s so scary with these scam sites - they pop up with just one purpose, of robbing people of their money in the most important time of everyone’s year - their holidays,” she Asylum drama Top-end properties around said. the whole of Spain are being “Just ensure not to be temptmarketed by the scammers at ed by fantastic offers by com2

June 9th - June 22nd

Rent rage

2017

www.theolivepress.es another email to say he had given me the wrong bank account number. “I immediately felt very uncomfortable. I believe he was going my to hit me twice. I phoned is brother and said. ‘I think this a scam.’” the Anne phoned both hers and recipient’s bank and her money was returned four days later. of “I can’t stand the thought EXCLUSIVE families heading to a villa with By Joe Duggan their children to find they have nowhere to stay.” RUGBY star Dean Schofield While she got her money back,a is urging action after being she was forced to apply for mauled in a sophisticated holinew passport after sending the day shakedown. a copy of her passport to Wasps international Dean fraudsters. re(right) and wife Gemma, both This week, an Olive Press 38, were set to take a dream to porter, posing as a holidaybreak to Spain with friends maker, enquired about renting celebrate the England internaan exclusive property with renttional’s retirement. a holidaysvillas.com. of But the vacation turned into of ‘Flavio’ offered us a price nightmare after the group £3,850 a week, plus a 10% dis16 from Cheshire unwittingly decount for full payment up front, del Sol and in Mallorca are booked via a fraudulent holiday requesting a passport copy and manding legal action after their property rental website. full address. own properties were taken and In total, scammers took payWhen asked why he needed offered to rent at much cheaper ment and deposit of €5,700 this, ‘Flavio’ replied: “When €11,400 prices. and (£5,000) the bewe make the contract, we need We have discovered that de(£10,000) respectively to be sure of your passport photo of Davila (left) is actually fore swiping another €29,800 tails.” a photograph of an Australian (£26,000) for the stunning villa by One genuine property rental agent estate agent, whom we are not in Mallorca, which is owned profile stolen from Oz site, who asked to remain anonand (right) fake site with naming, for legal reasons. the at a wealthy foreign owner. SCAMMED: Holiday group of victim that the ymous, expressed her ‘regret and British us’ in rumbled Another trust only your The group confess we did think put the the negative impact this could site, pensioner Anne Landon, scam, via rentholidaysvillas. still get the flight over. But what “I musta bit cheap for where it they ‘believe in honesty’ afphotos have on holidaymakers who said she became suspicious the com, the day before they flew.we if we were from a normal fam- it wasand it in fact rents for a lot scammers have stolen have paid their deposits.’ ter booking a break through from hundreds of properties “We were very angry when the ily and couldn’t afford to come? was, admits Gemma. “We are deeply shocked and more,” Portugal and and transferring £4,600 exfound out,” Gemma told We were at least able to salvage Thankfully, the group of eight across Spain, a series of fake site one of their UK bank acsaddened,” she said. “This is into Greece and has Olive Press this week. “It was we the holiday.” come across the adults and eight children - who testimonials from ‘happy’ clitremely clever criminal activity counts. a horrible moment and isThe group had on and we will always do our best are still on holiday on the “I take my grandchildren weren’t sure what to do. stunning eight-bedroom villa land - are now trying to reclaim ents at the bottom. to help people who have been holiday every summer and was There are 18 properties for rent pool and grounds “We started Googling it and we with a hugetouch with the web- their money as the booking was on the Costa del Sol and 38 in treated in this way.” getting pretty desperate trying other stories came up. When and got in Helle Heredia from Malagamade via a credit card. to find somewhere,” said Anne, Mallorca, as well as 38 in Ibiza emailed the person we’d been site via email. website meanwhile is still in Porbased holiday property rental 74. dealing with at the site called The website looked extremely The despite being reported to and 21 on the Algarve, firm Novasol, said: “We hear “The price was very reasonable all ‘Flavio’ he sent an abusive email credible and even had a photo live, hosting company by the tugal. scams imabout these types of its web and I was so excited. But Various genuine rental firms back. of its alleged owner, Flavio Herand to UK police. the time and the name ‘Flavio’ the Costa mediately after booking he sent who did the ne- Olive Press “Luckily we were in a fortunate can we have spoken to on ar- nandes Davila, has been mentioned several Despite boasting that ‘you position where we could gotiating. times by guests that have been us range an alternative villa and scammed before reaching to for help. enforcement on alleged “My advice for holiday makers, Rentholidaysvillas.com fraud and have processes is to book with well-known and is hosted by US-based for taking action. If anyestablished holiday rental comserver GoDaddy, which one believes they have panies, check there is a valida they was warned as long ago by been defrauded phone number, always use a as April of the scam should contact law encredit-card when you make a leading holiday rental forcement.” websites the Google booking, site in Spain. When asked Contact your local pofirst to check if they have been why it was still live this lice and Action Fraud reported for scams before and week, GoDaddy Digital and email newsdesk@ always remember if it sounds Crimes boss Ben Butler, theolivepress.es if you’ve too good to be true – it probexplained: “We commu- been scammed. ably is!” nicate regularly with law

England rugby international and friends fury at €50,000 holiday scam

STOP THE SCAMMERS

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since. ken to his daughter just once asylum to avoid “It’s morally wrong, seeking the law. in Norway with “My lawyer said if everyone to escape the a legal problem ran to a church more churches,” law we better start building he continued. school and is He claims Maia is not attending the organ and sing only able to learn to play an appropriwith the choir, which is ‘hardly ate syllabus’. this however, Local vicar Knut Bjune deniedcoming to the insisting local teachers were ‘almost all the church to give her lessons time’. and their living “Socially she is not isolated the Olive Press. this week conditions are good,” he told and we have WISHES: On Maia’s birthday “We are not hiding information long term.” Supreme Court will probe made it clear this cannot be call to Maia - A Norwegian asylum claim this month. In the one, heartrending phone tearful youngster Bjørnsen’s lawyer, Vidar Helgheim, claimed which Shepherd taped - the she wants to Bjørnsen’s now ‘changed’ the can be heard telling her brothers that ‘new information’ had it. to disclose return to Spain. Sol Elden, con- case, but refused very little Shepherd’s Norwegian lawyeris not a place to “The (original) case was based on and ask firmed this week: “A church responsibilities. information. You have to go deeperhe said. withdraw yourself from legal why she ended up in this situation,” Olpolice spokesperson told the It is an abuse of church asylum. the girl back to A Norwegian would not intervene while Maia “It is her duty to now bring ive Press they in the church. Spain after the final court ruling.” to Norwegian gov- remained and arrest Shepherd has now written Horne demand- “The police will not enter a church said ernment minister Solveigservices dismissed someone who has requested protection,” of Police District Møre og ing help after local child action would Ingar Boen, Chief Maia’s case, saying no further Romsdal. be taken.

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panies you have never heard about. Don't let scammers ruin your holidays.” The fraudsters, who are very difficult to track down, are very good at creating fake profiles and, as revealed last issue, the photo for the agent ‘Flavio’ for rentholidaysvillas.com was actually an Australian estate agent. We have now discovered that a photo of Balearicvillaescapes ‘property agent’ Alba Portillo Olivares is actually a stolen photo of Paloma Bonder, director of top Ibiza luxury

villa rental company Bonder and Co. Both fake websites Spainvipholidays.com and BalearicVillaEscapes.com are listing the same properties, use the same website template, with both website domains having the same Google verification key. An IT expert told the Olive Press that this was a classic case of ‘domain farming’ and criticised Google for not taking the sites down immediately. All three scam websites are hosted by US-based firm GoDaddy, which also hosts Renholidaysvillas.com. The UK’s Action Fraud confirmed it is now investigating rentholidaysvillas.com, although at the time of going to press had not responded to our enquiries. GoDaddy was made aware of Rentholidaysvillas.com’s fraudulent activity in April, but the site, and the three others, are still live. A GoDaddy spokesperson told the Olive Press: “Our Digital Crimes Unit still have not received any inquiries or requests from law enforcement on these websites.”

on new site mallorca-rentals.net. She only found out when a potential client contacted her about a rental in September when she was already full. “The client had seen it on this dodgy site and wanted to double check, luckily for her,” she said. “It is shocking that people put so much effort into scamming people.” Last year, a British family who rented her home had previously been scammed out of ‘a lot of money’ from fraudsters. A number given for mallorca-rentals. net was ‘not available due to restrictions’. Another scam website, Balearic Villa Escapes, is still live on the internet.

screamed for a defibrillator. But nobody was responding. Nobody gave us anything,” he continued. “Any beach lifeguard should have a pocket mask for CPR which is like a filter to stop you taking in stomach acid. They didn’t even have that!” He added: “The captain didn’t have a clue. At times he was trying to turn the guy’s head to the side which is nonsense.” He claims the captain lost ten precious minutes before moving the boat towards land once Hampton was on board. He was treated onshore by paramedics, but died two days later. “The original news story in the UK press said there were two lifeguards on board who did nothing. There weren’t two lifeguards. There were two guys pulling pints. “I see lots of lifeguards at every pool and beach in Magaluf - so why not on a party boat where 250 people are drinking? It doesn’t make sense” he added. Knight is also angry that police failed to take statements from him at the scene and that he has seen the Britannia Jet out at sea since. The Guardia Civil have not yet responded to Olive Press enquiries. A police inContinues on Page 2

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Booze boat alert From front

quiry is ongoing. An autopsy showed that Hampton died of a heart attack. A report from Spain’s Ministry of Health recommends defibrillators are placed ‘in all establishments where large concentrations of people circulate...like planes, trains and boats’. But Ed Geary, a yacht survey expert, told the Olive Press there was currently ‘no requirement for small passenger vessels that carry 12 or more passengers to carry a defibrillator’. “I always recommend that any commercial yacht has a defibrillator on board,” he said. “Equally important is for crew to have regular and frequent training with manoverboard drills and firstaid training.” He also said a vessel was ‘legally required’ to store a harness to pull people from the water. However, a spokesperson from Palma’s Capitania Maritima told the Olive Press this was not a legal requirement for a boat of this type. Booze cruise promoters Magaluf Events did not responded to Olive Press enquiries.

Family on Spanish holiday face criminal charges over €60,000 fake food poisoning allegations A BRITISH family accused of swindling €60,000 from Thomas Cook in a Mallorca sickness holiday scam are set to appear in court. Debbie, 53, and Paul Roberts, 43, both from Liverpool, are accused of filing food poisoning complaints for them

ne ws

In the dock and their two children on an all-inclusive break. It is believed fake claims filed by British holidaymakers are costing Mallorca hoteliers

some €50 million a year. A hearing at Liverpool magistrates court last week also heard the couple’s daughter Charlene Briton, 30, filed a

Hotels hit back THE number of troublesome tourists thrown out of Magaluf hotels has doubled on the same month last year. Some 47 badly behaved Palmanova and Magaluf punters got their marching orders in June, according to the local hoteliers association. Youngsters are more ‘out of control’ than last year, when 24 holidaymakers were kicked out. Some 29% of tourists arriving in June were teenagers or students celebrating the end of their studies, he said. July, August and September usually see more families arrive with the number of incidents set to decrease.

July 20th - August 2nd 2017

Tolo witness ‘run off road’ PAUL: With wife Debbie fake sickness claim for her and her daughter after a holiday last year. The claims for food poisoning were filed by David Norman Solicitors, based in Lancashire. It is believed to be the first time criminal charges have been brought against anyone accused of making a fake sickness holiday claim. Judge Andrew Shaw a called the allegations ‘a sophisticated fraud with relatively high value of money claimed’. If found guilty, they face between 18 months and six years in prison. The case has been adjourned until August 10, with the accused given bail. A clampdown by British and Spanish authorities against fake sickness holiday scams has begun in recent weeks. Last week, the British government’s Justice Secretary David Lidington said: “Our message to those who make false holiday sickness claims is clear - your actions are damaging and will not be tolerated.”

A PROTECTED witness in the Tolo Cursach corruption case says a black SUV car has twice tried to run her off the road. The unnamed witness, who has denounced the nightclub owner’s nephew, Rosselló Cursach, told a Palma court she was unable to see the BMW driver’s face. The incidents, which occurred when the witness went to Palma to testify in Rosselló Cursach’s trial, were revealed in court this week. Rossello Cursach faces ten years in prison for hiring two hitmen to brutally beat the witness. According to the district attorney Miguel Ángel Subirán the witness faces an ‘extraordinary and exceptional’ threat as ‘they don’t want her to live’. Tolo Cursach faces a string of charges, including bribery, extortion, threats, money-laundering and homicide. The witness, a former worker at Cursach’s club Tito’s, has supplied details of the car’s registration, which is being sought by police. She has also alleged that parties involving cocaine and prostitutes were organised for police officers at the club, with the drugs brought by boat in suitcases.

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July 20th - August 2nd 2017

Price is wrong! KATIE Price channelled her inner Jordan while hosting a VIP gig at a Mallorca hotel. The Loose Women star, who is currently promoting her new single, was said to be flirting outrageously with party guests, talking about sex and lewd acts. Price called couples on stage to kiss while she made jokes about them performing

oral sex on the stage. She poured vodka down peoples’ throats, and pointed an imaginary shotgun at guys she fancied, making crude jokes. She continued swearing and talking about sex until hotel staff had to intervene. She also performed her new single I got you.

FIREsale

Redknapp’s holiday villa sold after marriage split

Mint condition! I’M A CELEBRITY winner Vicky Pattison looked in beach-perfect condition at a Mallorca photo shoot. The Geordie stunner sizzled in a lime-green swimsuit, seductively strolling along the beach as she flaunted her toned figure. The 29-year-old is famous for her strict weight-loss and exercise regimes. Former Geordie Shore star Pattison was spotted at Wimbledon last week, smooching with boyfriend John Noble.

EXCLUSIVE By Joe Duggan

IT was their dream holiday home they waxed lyrical about for the best part of a decade. But now footballer Jamie Redknapp and wife Louise have sold their Spanish villa, after their 19-year marriage came to an end. The Olive Press can reveal that the celebrity pair have taken ‘nearly’ the full €2,950,000 asking price for the amazing villa in Mallorca. The four-bedroom villa, in Bendinat, which has a swimming pool and stunning Mediterranean views, has been sold along with all its furniture.

Perfect Paris SHE’S been having a Balearic ball this summer. Paris Hilton popped up at swanky Ibiza restaurant Celicioso, where she posed for photos with staff. The multi-millionaire DJ dined out in style at the cafe-style eatery. Looking the height of elegance in a mintgreen dress slashed to the knee, and rocking a pair of shades, Hilton wowed onlookers at the party island venue. Before hitting Ibiza clubs for a string of DJ sets, the 36-year-old heiress showed off her body in a series of sexy Snapchat videos.

MOVED OUT: The dream villa in Bendinat and (left) the Redknapp family in happier times there

Chic

The new buyers, believed to be British, have already taken possession. Former Eternal singer Louise meanwhile was spotted in Mallorca with the couple's sons, Charley, 12, and Beau, eight, last week as she took a Balearic break. The Strictly Come Dancing star posted Instagram photos of herself in her gym kit at Mallorca’s Roxy Beach Club in Portals. She shared an image in a chic ensemble with a caption reading: ‘Mallorca Nights’ while another post revealed she

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was away with the co-author of a style blog, Emma Rose Thatcher. In a seeming act of defiance, Louise again posted on the account, which boasts 76,000 followers, an image of her and Emma walking into the distance sporting extremely

similar dresses. “One more sleep until I’m back in my fave island”, she wrote on her A Style Album account before flying to Spain. Louise is reportedly living near the Surrey mansion she shared with former Liverpool star Jamie and their boys.

Makin’ it, not fakin’ it! SUPERSTAR Beyonce has worn a dress by a young Spanish designer in her first official photo with her newborn twins. The American singer posed with flowers behind her as she held her twin babies Rumi and Sir Carter. The photo features the artist in pink floral dress sleeves and a long blue veil, designed by Cordobabased Palomo Spain. It received 700,000 likes within 30 minutes of being posted. Palomo is an incredibly progressive brand that’s reinventing what is considered to be menswear, led by designer Alejandro Gómez Palomo. The organza gown was made at the workshop in Posadas, the small village near Cordoba, where Alejandro was born and still lives and works.

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Knock it down THE Town Hall of Palma has agreed to knock down the Francoist Sa Feixina monument, built in 1947 to commemorate Nationalist deaths during Spain’s Civil War.

Hotel help MALLORCA hoteliers have offered free legal aid to an Arenal pensioner to fight a holiday rental company threatening legal action after she complained about noise from rowdy tourists.

Parking life PALMA Airport has started offering 15 minutes of free parking next to the arrivals terminal, with space for 84 vehicles.

Cop row NATIONAL Police chiefs in Palma have issued a letter of complaint accusing their Local Police counterparts of encroaching on their duties, including anti-drugs operations.

Outrage as molten plastics allegedly contaminate Palma bay EXCLUSIVE By Gillian Keller and Joe Duggan

THE island’s government, Palma port authority and Tirme incinerator have been ordered to prove they are not using illegally burned plastics. The group are facing heavy fines, alongside Mac Insular, after activists demanded action over alleged serious pollution affecting Palma’s coastline. The Balearic government’s environment department has called for documentary proof that it is legal to burn the plastics allegedly being used in large redevelopment works around Palma’s Molinar port. “They must send the requested documentation within ten

ne ws

Plastic poison days,” a government spokesperson told the Olive Press this week. “Once this documentation is gathered, we will open a case file on whether to issue sanctions.” It comes after local activists and residents claimed 20,000 tonnes of burned plastics have escaped from the building work, ending up in the sea. The problem centres around

the port extension which is currently being expanded by four times its current size. Activists claim the multinational building firm FCC is using molten plastic remains from the Tirme incinerator in the construction process. One local mother, Aina, 31, told the Olive Press she had filed a denuncia with police after mounds of burned plastic washed up on the beach, known as La Gaviota in Molinar, where she takes her five-year-old daughter. “On San Juan we were all at the beach,” she told the Olive

Eco-warrier anniversary IT is exactly 40 years since some of Spain’s earliest eco-warriors occupied a Balearic island to ward off developers. This July, in 1977, a band of 50 protesters set sail for the small island of Dragonera to complain about the planned construction of homes for 4,000 people. Despite furious opposition, Andratx Town Hall approved the building plans by local firm Pamesa, three years after they were lodged. However, the protest group, known as Terr i Libertat, received huge local and interna-

tional backing before being forced to leave the island. “In the face of the systematic destruction of the islands and their environment, we are demanding the right to enjoy a little bit of free space,” one told the New York Times. In 1984, a Balearic court ruled that construction should not be permitted and in 1988, the Council Of Mallorca bought the island for 280 million pesetas (about 1.7m euros) before it was given protected nature park status in 1995.

July 20th - August 2nd 2017

TOXIC: Plastic rubbish and ongoing works at Molinar port

Press. “That afternoon the whole shore was covered in burned plastic, with milky, cloudy water. We didn’t swim. “There has always been plastic but not like this.” She added: “I want to know the waters are safe for my child to swim in.” Other activists have filed denuncias with the police and Mallorca council, leading the council to ban the use of burned plastic, but the mess has not been cleaned up. Green group Mallorca Blue filmed two videos showing beaches littered with the molten remains, which have been watched 80,000 times on Facebook. ‘[The plastic] is normally used on roads, but never in the sea. If it is not properly contained and controlled, it leaks into the sea,’ claimed a Mallorca Blue spokesman. A Tirme spokesperson told the Olive Press the waste was ‘not toxic or dangerous’, adding that he had yet to see

the demand from the government. “As soon as it arrives we will answer as soon as possible,” he said. “The plastics found in the beaches have absolutely nothing to do with the building work. “The material used in the work is recycled….[and] doesn’t contain plastic, or the percentage is very low.” But Mallorca Blue and fellow environmentalists GOP have called for an analysis of the water around Palma. “This scandal could be a huge environmental crime,” a GOP spokesperson said. Last month, the Mallorca government’s environmental minister Sandra Espeja intervened and stopped the molten plastic being used. But a spokesperson for the Conseller de Mallorca told the Olive Press: “We don’t have the authority to clean up the water. “We can only control the material used in the building work.”

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www.theolivepress.es Mallorca’s original community newspaper

A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than 500,000 people a month.

OPINION Plastic problems ENVIRONMENTAL issues - and specifically plastic pollution in the sea - are at the forefront of islanders’ concerns in Mallorca. The startling allegations regarding the molten plastic appearing along Palma’s coastline require urgent clarification. At the moment, claim and counterclaim from locals and industry bodies have put this issue at the forefront for the fragile environmental. But one thing for sure: this detritus has been littering shorelines around the area where the port construction is taking place for some time now. And it did not appear there before. It is now up to the authorities to get to the heart of the matter - and, most importantly now, to ensure the plastic mess currently lapping Palma’s shores is cleaned up immediately. .

Safety at sea

IT does seem ludicrous that, with the abundance of lifeguards along Mallorca’s beaches and pools, the pleasure boat carrying Etienne Hampton apparently left shore without one. Even more so when the Britannia’s passengers were hundreds of young holidaymakers, enjoying a big day’s drinking and letting their hair down. One of the passengers on the Britannia Jet told the Olive Press his friend recently went on a similar ‘booze cruise’ in Bulgaria’s answer to Magaluf, Sunny Beach. There, the party boat had a policeman, four lifeguards and blow-up inflatables with a net below to catch people falling in the sea. Drink was also banned until after the passengers were allowed to go for a swim. As well as installing defibrillators, these seem like extremely sensible measures to help keep our youngsters safe. infinitely sensible measures to introduce here to keep youngsters safe. Depòsito Legal PM: 610-2017

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Fe at u r e THEY called me again at 5.30 am. I was the last one to talk to them alive.. They said, ‘Please help, we are having problems with the boat’. The wind was very bad that night. I spoke to Zakarias in French before the phone went dead.” Helena Maleno Garzon, a Tangier-based humanrights worker, sighs. “It’s very painful. Many times I am the last person who talks to them. “The families always want to know what their last words were. And their last words are always, ‘Please help. I don’t want to die’.” The seven African migrants, aged 20 to 25, were all known to Helena. The young men had left Morocco in a boat for Tarifa. But despite a rescue mission by Spanish and Moroccan coast guards, they weren’t found. In her 16 years working with migrants crossing to Spain, it’s become a heart wrenchingly familiar tale for Helena. In the first few months of 2016 alone, 40 died trying to cross to Tarifa, she tells me. It’s a sorrowful tale that seems to have no end. In fact, in 2017 the issue has become even more desperate. This year has seen the number of migrants choosing to enter Europe via Spain rocket, with 6,464 landing on Spanish shores in the first six months of the year- up from 2,476 in the same period last year - the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said. So far, there have been 110 deaths, say the IOM - up from 87 in the same period for 2016. In Mallorca, four more boats carrying African migrants landed in July. The most recent vessel to arrive, carrying 14 migrants, was found by police near Colònia de Sant Jordi, in Ses Salines. The migrants were taken to an Internment CenHope: Trip home and (right) dinghy in tre on mainland Spain within 72 hours. Gibraltar Astonishingly, the 12 boats that have arrived in Mallorca so far this year is greater than the combined number of migrant boats arriving on the island in the previous three years. The reason for the spike has much to do with the effective closure of the passage through Greece and the Balkans. The EU’s deal with Turkey, which says Syrian refugees arriving in Greece should be processed and sent back to Turkey, has seen a huge drop in numbers arriving via this Eastern Mediterranean route - 7,043 this year so far, down from 156,267 in the same period in 2016, according to the IOM, It’s a phenomenon that southern Spain, in particular, with its relative proximity to Morocco, is continuing to see grow. In June, 1,900 migrants, mostly from Guinea, Ivory Coast, Gambia and Cameroon, arrived in Andalucia, four times the number from the same month last year. Behind every one of these statistics is a story of hardship and suffering. Amadou Siribe, a 19-year-old from Mali, fled his poverty-stricken Bamako home in search of a better life. He told the Olive Press how he and four friends almost died crossing to Spain in a blow-up dinghy. “The water was very rough and dangerous,” he said. “One of us was bailing out because so much water was coming in. “Dolphins were leaping out of the water and almost sinking the boat. I fell in the sea twice and had to be rescued. I swallowed so much salt water I became very sick. After six hours I thought we were all going to die and began crying for my family.” Hope, a young Nigerian woman, told the Olive Press how she survived a two-year ordeal after

Peril at sea

DESPERATE: Last leap to safety

As the number of Mediterranean migrants crossing to Spain trebles in 2017, Joe Duggan looks at a crisis that won’t go away

being trafficked to Spain by gangs. “I saw people dying on the spot from disease and from scorpion bites,” says Hope of her journey through Libya to Morocco. “We were piled on top of each other in an open truck in the desert. We ran out of water in the desert and had to drink our own urine.” Hope eventually made the crossing to Spain in a ramshackle boat while pregnant along with 54 other desperate migrants. Fortunately, Tarifa’s Cruz Roja scooped both her and Amadou from the sea. They are now assim-

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STATS: Number of arrivals Vs number of deaths

ilated into La Linea life (Amadou plays football for Real Balompédica Linense, Hope has two children and works at Hogar Betania, the crisis centre that helped her when she first arrived). But others, like the men Helena knew, are not so lucky. “The situation is a tragedy,” she says. “When the migrants are in the sea they usually call us between Morocco and Tarifa. If they’re crossing somewhere else, the phones don’t work. “The boats they use are more like toys. “We have cases of people rescued off the Andalucian coast. Sometimes the ship might have been lost at sea for 10 or 11 days, people die and sometimes a person drinks piss to survive. “When that person is rescued they are arrested by the Spanish police. Nobody is considering that person spent 10 days in the sea. “They need help. Like the victim of trauma or a tragedy.” This is the hidden face of pretty whitewashed ports like Tarifa, the frontline in the battle to keep the Campo de Gibraltar’s waters safe. Young kitesurfers, lured by the Mediterranean’s whipping waves, have made this one of the coast’s hippest destinations. But mainland Europe’s most southern point is also a magnet for Africa’s migrants and refugees. The Salvamento Marítimo’s 100-strong team patrols the waters 24/7 off Cadiz, with Tarifa the main focus of their attention. “The majority are in a state of shock when we find them,” Salvamento Marítimo captain Jose Cristobal Romero told the Olive Press. “The cold is one of the problems they have to face. Tiredness is a key factor because they try to row for a long time in boats that are not adequate.” If they make it, migrants are taken to a detention centre on Tarifa’s Isla de las Palomas (around 90% are put out on the street after 60 days). Campaigners APDHA have called for the centre - or CIE - to be closed, saying it is illegal to hold people there. “The CIEs don’t meet the legal conditions,” APDHA member Andres De La Pena says. “People here are suffering from lack of psychological care, inadequate medical care, lack of adequate translation, legal misinformation, inadequate social services, lack of clothes.” But still the migrants keep coming. Desperation means there is often no other choice. This is an updated version of an article that first appeared in the main Olive Press newspaper.


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Fe at u r e

Each print issue of the Olive Press can be read in its entirety on www.theolivepress.es And our site is updated July 20th - August 2nd 2017 daily with the latest news, making it one of Spain’s most visited news websites.

Franco’s g n i s s a r r a b m e cousins

The son of a British Embassy diplomat in Spain reveals a secret plot to stop the dictator from siding with Germany during WW2

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By William Stirling James

ONE-LINE entry in the 1942 New Year’s Honours List, ‘MBE to Bernard Malley, Assistant Press Attaché at the British Embassy in Madrid’ is the only trace of a remarkably successful British spying operation that helped Britain to WW2 victory. While the supporting documents are cited at the Public Record Office, they have vanished from the files. Nothing more would have been known about the incident, since most of the principal players predeceased Francisco Franco, had not my father, Wg Cdr (later Sir Archibald) James, outlived him. The operation ran parallel to the Embassy’s main success, brought to light by Peter Day in his book Franco’s Friends - a US$13 million bribe to Franco’s generals organised by British Naval Attaché Alan Hillgarth. Day also unearthed the existence of a spy ring of Catholic priests and revealed Malley as its orchestrator but does not mention its major achievement: identifying and meeting Franco’s Jewish cousins and using them to influence Franco. The plot was conceived after the fall of France to the Nazis which catapulted the status of Spain and its government from ‘important’ to ‘vital’ from the British perspective. Britain had no remaining allies in Europe while Hitler, having given significant help to the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War, was expecting payback. Had Franco obliged by joining the Axis side, it is likely that the UK would have lost the war. Gibraltar, key to the Western Mediterranean and adjacent to Spain, was indefensible against 20th-century artillery while German aircraft and submarines based in northern Spain would have been even better placed to attack the Atlantic shipping on which the UK’s survival depended. In response, the British reinforced their Embassy in Madrid to deal with this emergency. Sir Samuel Hoare, a former Foreign Secretary, was appointed Ambassador. Among the other staff drafted in, my father, a Conservative MP who had come to know some of Franco’s generals during the Spanish Civil War, was transferred from his Air Force duties and appointed a First Secretary. In addressing the challenge, the Embassy saw the Duke of Wellington as a role model. During the Peninsular War he had successfully exploited the Spanish talent for guerrilla warfare. So the bribery of Franco’s generals had two facets. Plan A was for the generals to encourage Franco to stay neutral. Plan B, if Franco decided to side with Hitler, was for the generals to take to the hills and start a guerrilla war – hence the huge sum the British were prepared to pay them. My father’s qualification for his Embassy post derived from his visits to Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona during the civil war as a Conservative member of an all-party parliamentary delegation. He also met key members of the Communist International in Barcelona, since his attractive lady guide believed him to be sympathetic to her politics (as were his later flatmate,

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BE ‘APPY! ALLIES: Hitler meets a small General Franco at Spain border

Puente y Bahamonde, had been shot by FranKim Philby, and other apparent Conservatives). co’s forces in Morocco at the start of the civil He concluded that there was a real risk of a war. Communist takeover in Spain and that British Both ladies had been baptised into Judaism. interests would be best served if the NationalTheir conversion would have been a way of ists won. He announced his change of views in avenging their brother by embarrassing their the House of Commons as a prelude to coming cousin. They would have been aware of the to know some of Franco’s generals well. widespread rumours that the Generalissimo Having signed the Official Secrets Act, my fawas of Jewish origin. In 15th-century Spain, ther said very little about his specific activities when people could openly be in Spain or his role in bribing Jewish without fear, both the generals. We were toFranco and Bahamonde tally unaware that he was had been common Jewish the contact with Genersurnames. als Aranda and Vigón and But had the ladies’ religion also acted as liaison with become publicly known, on the Spanish Royal Family. top of Franco’s surnames, However, he did comment the Nazis’ paranoia would on the Embassy’s strategy, have persuaded them that almost certainly encourFranco was Jewish. From aged by Whitehall, which the British viewpoint it was was that retention of Githe perfect ‘ammunition’. braltar was vital to Britain Soon after reporting this and the Germans had to be FATHER: James Archibald ‘secret’, my father returned prevented from reaching it. to London in 1941 and resumed his parliamenIn running a spy network of Catholic priests tary duties. Winston Churchill would also have (helped, according to my father, by the Irish Minbeen privy to the news (as well as the parliaister) the British Embassy was again following mentary connection, Churchill was a relative of the Duke of Wellington’s example. And in Malmy father’s first wife and both were members of ley the British had an ideal spymaster. He knew Pratt’s club). Spain very well, had joined the Embassy staff Equally, Franco would almost certainly have in 1939, was personally inconspicuous and known through his intelligence system that his a devout Catholic greatly respected in concousins had met British embassy personnel. servative and clerical circles. In summary, during 1941/42 when the war was My father told us that through the netgoing badly for the British, Churchill had an adwork he and Malley were introduced to ditional reason for expecting that Franco would two ladies who said they were Franco’s not ally with Hitler. And if he did, the British could first cousins and Jewish by religion. I not only play the guerrilla war card, they could decided to do some further digalso bring his uncomfortable family skeleton out ging and finally it was Professor of the closet. Emilio Grandio of the University Both Sir Samuel Hoare and Bernard Malley preof Santiago de Compostela who identified the key suspects: Madeceased Franco, at a time when Spain was an ria del Pilar and Paulina de la important business partner and NATO ally. RevPuente y Bahamonde. elations about the bribery of the generals and Their mother and Franco’s Franco’s embarrassing cousins would not have mother were sisters, and they gone down well and nothing was published. My had reason to hold a grievance father outlived Franco by more than four years, against their cousin since when mention of them mattered much less. AMBASSADOR: Samuel Hoare their brother, Ricardo de la

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The market will feature a mix of craft stalls, live music, fashion, and the like. The market will open at 6pm every Wednesday and Thursday.

OUTDOOR cinema has returned to Palma de Mallorca. A total of 35 films will run at the popular annual event until September 5 at Parc de La Mar, next to the Cathedral. estes de Santa This year, four themes will domCatalina Thomas inate the cinematic extravaganza - The Goyas, opera, documenJuly 22-27 The Olive Press taries about the Balearic Islands This series of all-night parties and meteorites. will take place in ValldemTOP for news in Spain! Classic films like:The Pirate (25 ossa, beginning with a lively July), Enemy of the People (Aufiesta on July 21st, starting at gust 9) and The Big clock (Au11pm. A food festival and mugust 22) will be shown in their sic concert will follow on July original version. 22 and 27 respectively. Other Hollywood films like XMen: Apocalypse (July 30) opa del Rey - First Bridge of Spies (August 13) will week of August be shown in Spanish with EngThis sailing regatta, lish subtitles. taking place in the Bay of Other films will be shown in CatPalma is predicted to be the alan with English subtitles. most exciting yet, with the adThe al fresco films will start at dition of live music, and more 10pm each night. cafes, restaurants and bars along the bay.

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TOM Jones will get Port Adriano’s Festival of Music off to a full-throated start next week. The Welsh crooner, famous for hits like Delilah, It’s Not Unusual, The Green, Green Grass of Home and Sex Bomb, has sold over 100 million records during a 50year career. He will appear at Port Adriano on July 20 for the town’s fifth consecu-

tive Festival of Music. Jones is currently on a world tour, which got started with a beachside gig in Cornwall. The 77-year-old also made his Proms debut at the Royal Albert Hall, singing soul classics with Booker T Jones and Sam Moore. Following Jones’s concert at Port Adriano, George Benson will play a gig on June 25.

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MICHAEL Bolton is jetting into Spain for two huge concerts next month - and YOU could be there! On August 10, the legendary singer returns to play at Marbella’s spectacular Hotel Puente Romano, after his soldour show there five years ago. And on August 12, the Grammy-Award-winning star heads to Mallorca to perform at Son Fusteret as part of his Greatest Hits World Tour. Two tickets for each show are up for grabs for two lucky readers who win our competition, details of which are below. On both magical nights, the soulful crooner will play classics like How am I Supposed To Live Without You, When A Man Loves A Woman and Time, Love and Tenderness. Bolton, who has sold 75 million records worldwide, recently released his 27th album, Songs Of Cinema, a compilation of iconic movie classics. To win all you have to do is send the answer to ‘where is Michael Bolton from?’ to newsdesk@theolivepress.es.

Mountain music PSYCHEDELIC rock, electronica and ‘krautrock’ are just some of the genres music fans can enjoy at next month’s Tramuntana Rocks. More than 20 acts from Mallorca and abroad will line up for the Esporles event on August 5. Three stages will host headline acts like Marvin & Guy, Moscoman Camera and Zombies in Miami. The festival has opted for a UFO-themed promotional campaign. “The festival is soliciting help from UFO experts, people that have seen UFOs and other professionals from contemporary art, literature and cinema,” said a spokesperson. Other acts confirmed to play include Zulu Zulu, Escorpio, The Wheels, Black Sea Deluge, Haus Frauen, Sefty, Rosana Nun and Nice 'n’ Nasty.

SCHOOL pupils should be taught in Catalan, a group of education experts have said. The panel presented their report to the Balearic Islands Department of Education. If implemented, its findings would end the choice of parents to have their primary school-age children taught in either Castilian or Catalan. Education Secretary, Marti March, said the report’s findings are ‘only recommendations will be taken into account’. “There are no intentions to change the current rule,” she said. Families will be able to choose between Catalan and Castilian for their children in the segundo ciclo of nursery and the first and second years of primary school.


Property www.theolivepress.es

Mallorca Olive Press

www.theolivepress.es

July 2017

Issue 2

- August 2nd 2017 MallorcaJuly- 20th Living Inspiration

9

We give your dreams a home

Tel. +34 971 41 29 25 www.engelvoelkers.com/mallorca

Anyone for tennis?

WIMBLEDON’S last ball may have been played, but tennis fans can serve up their own version with this stunning Mallorca ace. The €25 million finca, on the market with Knight Frank, has its own floodlit tennis court, not to mention a five-bedroom staff house to put up the ball boys. The main three-bedroom h o m e dates back to the 15th century, while it also has a seven-bedroom guest house nearby. Set within 296 hectares of rolling olive groves, near Calvia, it also counts on a huge outdoor pool. And with French Open champion Rafael Nadal hailing from these parts, there is surely something in the Mallorca air t o help your backhand!

DOUBLE BUBBLE F OREIGN investment into Spanish property is expected to break all records this year. Demand from abroad has grown for seven years straight, according to international consultant firm JLL. In the first half of this year alone, foreign buyers and funds have more than doubled the investment on the same period last year. So far external investors have sunk €888 million into buying Spanish property, smashing last year’s

Huge growth in foreign investment into Spain is set to go well over €1 billion in 2017

record of €330 million. While Madrid and Barcelona are the leading hotspots and attract the most interest from foreign buyers, Malaga, Sevilla, Mallorca, Bilbao and San Sebastian are also bringing in big numbers. It comes as it was revealed that Spain is still the

most searched for destination for Brits looking to buy abroad. According to Rightmove, Spain is the most popular destination for Britons looking to relocate or buy a second home. Average monthly internet searches total over 2.5m, 74% above closest rival and second placed France.

Record breaker for leading local agent A LEADING Mallorca agent has seen a massive 24% rise in sales on the island in the first half of 2017. Engel & Völkers’s 17 shops on Mallorca saw sales totalling €270.5 million from January to June, while the average property price was €1.2 million, an increase of 9% on 2016. British buyers continue to be a strong market, despite Brexit, with some parts of the island seeing a rise in UK buyers. Meanwhile, across Spain, total sales rocketed to €908 million in the same period, a 32% increase on last year.

In total across Spain, Engel & Völkers has had 1,415 transactions, while rental sales rose 19% with some 1,214 transactions. The average price of property sold across the country rose to €639,218, a 6% increase. The majority of buyers are German, British and Scandinavian with more Spanish and French buyers coming into the market. Juan-Galo Macià, CEO of Engel & Völkers Spain, said; “The extraordinary results confirm the positive market activity and its’ strategic importance for the company.”

SPECTACULAR VILLA: This beautiful home is for sale for 15.9m through Engel & Völkers

Portugal came third on the list, followed by the US and Italy. Alicante was the most searched region in Spain, increasing by 53% from last year. At €126,054, however, it also has the lowest average enquiry price of the most popular sunny regions. With an average enquiry price of €397,813, property in Mallorca is most popular with high budget buyers, with 54% looking for flats and apartments and 46% looking for houses. Despite properties in Mallorca being three times higher in price than those in Alicante, it still tops the list as the second most searched for property destination in Spain. Malaga is in third position, with an average enquiry price of €191,830. Chris Please, Head of Rightmove Overseas, said that Spain remains the most exciting investment for British buyers. “Over 12 months, we received an average of 2.5 million searches a month for property in Spain, indicating just how in-demand this sunny country is for property-seekers.” In terms of upmarket property he singled out Mallorca, for its great climate, upmarket living and picturesque surroundings. “Mallorca is perfectly positioned as the ultimate destination for high budget UK buyers looking to purchase their own slice of paradise.”

17 Property Shops on Mallorca We give your dreams a home

Tel. +34 971 41 29 25 www.engelvoelkers.com/mallorca


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July 20th - August 2nd 2017


IV

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July 20th - August 2nd July 20172017

11 III

Hotel halt

Carry on ‘Camping’

BIG is beautiful, as they say, and this majestic 10-bedroom Mallorca mansion certainly falls into both categories. Available for €48.5 million through Imperial Properties, the sea-views at this palatial Camp De Mar residence are as spectacular as it gets. With three separate houses, your guests will cerainly be envious as they gaze over the undulating hillsides and Mediterranean.

WOW: Carry on team would be impressed by this ‘stunner’

PALMA authorities have agreed to halt hotel construction in the city for a year. The one-year moratorium was approved by the Mallorca capital’s town hall following recommendations made by the Federation of Associations of Neighbours (FAAVV). Hotel building licences won’t be granted in the Old Town, Santa Catalina, around Ensanche and Nou Llevant for the next 12 months. However, 63 licences already approved for other hotels totalling 2,149 beds will still be allowed to go ahead. Currently, there are 38 urban hotels in Palma, providing 2,169 beds.

Buyers are bound to fall in love with two villas where hit show Love Island is filmed

F

ANS of Love Island can snap up the luxury €3 million Mallorca villa where the raunchy reality TV show was first filmed. Appropriately named ‘Casa Amor’ (House of Love), the new buyers will be spoilt cooling off in the 14-metre swimming pool in stunning grounds. The four-bedroom villa, for sale through agent Chestertons, hosted the contestants before the islanders cast split into two groups last year on the ITV show. The villa, in Sant Llorenc des Cardassar, near Manacor, is the perfect fit for singles looking for love, complete with its ‘cheeky’ photography and artwork adorning the walls. It has a very secluded setting and counts on its own vineyard with lemon and orange trees bringing a wonderful smell to the air. One wonderful bath offers a magnificent view of the gardens. Meanwhile, the villa, which is the current set for series III of the hit show is also understood to be going on the market. The sprawling pad, just outside Cala Millor, is set against a stunning backdrop of rolling green hills, with a show-stopping infinity pool the focal point of the garden. Producers are said to have spent tens of thousands on the villa following complaints that the pool in last year’s villa was cold.

Love at first sight! LOVE SETS: Casa Amor (right) and (left) current set of the third series are for sale

The love pad comes complete with a hot tub, outdoor gym (which doubles as Kem’s hair salon), alfresco kitchen, fire

pit, marble bathtub for two perfect for the contestants to fall in – or out – of love. The nearby town of Sant Llorenc is re-

portedly buzzing with crew from the programme, which has left locals bemused but delighted with the increase in business.

Best of the best? A PALMA hotel is in line for a prestigious award. Plush Park Hyatt (above) has been shortlisted out of 11,400 high-end properties in the 2017 Best of the Best nominees by luxury travel network Virtuoso. The Cap de Vernell hotel, which opened last year, could scoop the Best Achievement in Design award when August’s winners are announced in Las Vegas. The 142-room hotel is laid out like a Mallorquin village, with groups of small buildings grouped together. A restaurant serves up traditional Balearic cuisine with an elegant twist with Madrid’s Michelin-star chef David García running the tapas gastro bar.

Royal rip-off?

LAVISH: Inside Buckingham Palace

SPAIN’S king and queen were appropriately given the royal red carpet treatment when they stayed at Buckingham Palace this month. And the high profile visit (pictured right), over three days, all helped to make the British Queen’s home the most expensive to run in the UK. According to website Comparethemarket.com the property costs €150,000 per month to heat and power, all paid by the British taxpayer. The central London residence

SINCE 1998

POLYWOOD OUTDOOR FURNITURE

and administrative headquarters of the British monarchy splashes £1.56m (€1.78m) every year on its energy bills. The iconic property has 775 rooms, a movie theatre, swimming pool, post office, chapel and more. Meanwhile, ex-Real Madrid star David Beckham spends €1,615 per month on energy for his €50 million London pad. The seven-bedroom Georgian town househad a reported €9.1 million renovation.

Open: Mon-Fri 10.00-18.00 & Sat 10.00-14.00

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IV 12

Property

www.theolivepress.es

July 20th - August 2017 July 20th - August 2nd2nd 2017

House prices are increasing across the country with strongest looking data since the crash, writes Mark Stucklin

T

he following residential property price indices were released in June:

The National Institute of Statistics (INE) +5.3% in Q1 The Notaries’ Association index +2.4% in April (1,336 €/m2) The Tinsa index +3.6% in May The Idealista (resale asking price) index +1.5% in June Perhaps the most interesting observation to make about the data is that this is the first time in almost a decade that ALL the main indices I track are to be found in positive territory. Every single leading index is currently in the black.

Positive

That said, and as I always point out, national house price figures are not much use when it comes to understanding local markets. However, they may influence market expectations and confidence, which is why I keep an eye on them. Meanwhile, Spain’s leading appraisal company Tinsa publishes house price data categorised by area (based on its own valuation). Looking at the data published by Tinsa for May, we see that house prices in big cities and provincial capitals were up by 6.1%, by 4.7% on the Mediterranean coast, and by 2.9% in

EXPERT: Mark Stucklin runs the Spanish Property Insight website and has been The Sunday Times Property Doctor for many years RESULTS: Every month the SPI House Price Index Tracker plots the progress of the six most-watched house price indices in Spain, and puts them all on one page. All the latest results are highlighted in yellow in the chart above.

The price is right

Port Andratx: Apartment in one of the most exclusive communies on Mallorca, const. area 116 m2, garden & terrace approx. 100 m2, 2 bed, 2 bath, pool, Ref. 1467, 795.000 €

the Balearic and Canary Islands. Tinsa also published data in June showing that house prices rose by 22% in Barcelona city, by 13% in Alicante city, and by 11% in Madrid. It comes after it was revealed Marbella is the most expensive area to rent in the country this summer, with aver-

age weekly rents fetching more than €1,100. A report by Idealista also found that it would cost an average family 35.1 years to be able to purchase a property in Marbella, making it the most expensive in the country, ahead of the likes of San Sebastian and Madrid.

Santa Ponsa: new build modern villa, const. area approx.380 m2, plot approx. 950 m2, 5 bed, 5 bath, pool, sea views, sauna, garage, heang, air condion, Ref. 1376, 3.650.000 €

FARA HOMES, Calle Cristobal Colon 1, 07157 Port Andratx, Tel. +34 971 672 455, info@fara-homes.com, www.fara-homes.com


www.theolivepress.es

July 20th - August 2nd 2017

13

Finest Real Estate Mallorca

Puerto de Andratx: New built villas with panoramic views across the Tramuntana foothills to the marina. Private roof terraces with pool, community area with infinity pool and gym. Constr. area approx. 211 sqm, 3 bed., 3 bath. and priv. garage. E&V ID: W-0294HP · Price € 1,100,000

Alcudia: Marvellous, classical villa in elevated position in Bonaire, boasting fantastic sea views, perfect condition, features in total 7 bed. and 5 bath., stunning outdoor area and 2 independent studios, terraces, garage and plenty of room for storage. E&V ID: W-024JOD · € 3,750,000

Alaró: Beautifully restored country home, surrounded by almond trees and impressive mountain views, 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. Large swimming pool, barbecue area and landscape garden. Tennis court, private water well and underfloor heating. E&V ID: W-028M9J · Price on request

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Palma: Penthouse with private terrace in historic building, part of a spectacular renovation project consisting of six fabulous luxury apartments with exclusive design, light flooded and spacious rooms, as well as various balconies, terraces and garden. E&V ID: W-0298GN · € 1,810,000

Fornalutx: Townhouse superbly refurbished. It has a charming private courtyard that leads to the living room, kitchen with dining room, small outdoor patio, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Furthermore it has a roof terrace with superb panoramic views. E&V ID: W-029833 · € 750,000

Son Vida: Contemporary sea view villa in Palma‘s most exclusive residential area. 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, outdoor and indoor pool, SPA, Varenna kitchen, under floor heating, A/C, 3 car garage, elevator. E&V ID: W-029DB2 · € 6,500,000

Engel & Völkers Mallorca · Tel.: +34 971 23 85 84 Mallorca@engelvoelkers.com · www.engelvoelkers.com/mallorca


VI 14

www.theolivepress.es

M

July 2017 July 20th - August 2nd 2017

Sandy shores

Y recent meetings with clients in Spain have largely revolved around transferring pensions out of the UK into Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pensions (QROPS, as most of us know them). Without exception, all of my new clients have been scared to discuss their UK pensions with a financial advisor over here because of screaming headlines like this one right (Financial Times – March 10, 2017). But, in truth, this is little more than a scare story and it is highly unlikely that anyone is about to get clobbered with a 25% tax bill. In reality, most of us expats will see nothing of the sort...and, as always, the devil is in the detail not in the headlines even from such a respected publication as the FT. When I looked into the legislation I actually discovered a completely different, and much less dramatic situation for us expats living in Spain and the reality is as follows: The Overseas Transfer Charge (OTC) of 25% does not apply under the following circumstances: If the transfer request was before 8/3/17 or if any one of the following five conditions apply:

1 2

. You are a tax resident in the country in which the QROPS is established . You are resident in the European Economic Area and the QROPS used is established in the European

Introducing our new finance writer, Sandy Paterson, of Blacktower, who’s here to help make the most for your finances

‘Expats hit by 25% tax charge on overseas pension transfers’ -But does this really apply to you? Economic Area . The QROPS is an occupational scheme and the member is an employee of the sponsoring employer under the scheme . The QROPS is a public-sector scheme and the member is an employee of a sponsoring employer under the scheme . The QROPS is set up by an international organisation and the member is an employee of a sponsoring employer under the scheme

3 4

5

I have highlighted Condition 2 as this

probably applies to most readers of The Olive Press, and the majority of my clients, for example. When discussing moving a pension for UK or other European Economic Area citizens who have moved to en-

joy the lifestyle offered by Spain (also EEA), the most likely jurisdictions for a transfer to QROPS are Malta or Gibraltar (both EEA). Of course, Gibraltar as a Crown Dependency of the UK may be out of the

Got a question? Then ask Sandy on the details below: Sandy Paterson DipFA, CeMAP, MLIBF - International Financial Adviser Blacktower Financial Management (International) Ltd – Mallorca Office Tel: 971 42 59 86 Email: sandy.paterson@blacktowerfm.com Web: www.blacktowerfm.com/locations/mallorca

frame when the UK exits the EU. (I will discuss why to use Malta in a future article). What does that mean to a Spanish tax resident who came originally from a European Economic Area country like the UK? In simple terms, point 2 above applies. ‘The member is a tax resident in the European Economic Area and the new pension (QROPS) is established in the European Economic Area’. The result for most of us therefore flies in the face of the headline above which should now read: ‘No Overseas Tax Charge to pay for the majority of expats in Spain’ But maybe that would not sell as many papers!

Blacktower Financial Management (International) Limited is licensed in Gibraltar by the Financial Services Commission. Licence 00805B and is registered by both the DGS and CNMV in Spain. Blacktower Financial Management Limited is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority.

CG Property C/ Julia Bujosa Batle, 6 07184, Calvía Mallorca Tel: (+34) 971 670 300 Mob: (+34) 628 196 939

www.gc-property.com

Bunyola – 1,980,000€

ref: BUNY11

A beautiful finca yet to be constructed with an elevated position and stunning views near the lovely village of Bunyola. With completion due in late 2018 there are 2 options, firstly to buy off plan for €1.98m or finished at €2.15m. The plot is 17,407m2 and the house has a constructed area of 536m2 with internal living area of 356m2 over 2 floors. For more details of this 4 bed, 3 bath property, please ask.

Son Font – 1,580,000€

ref: SF18

This Traditional Mallorcan Finca style villa situated in the peaceful mountains of Son Font. This beautifully maintained 4 bedroom property offers unique views over its tranquil surroundings. It is bathed in sunshine all day long and boasts a beautiful swimming pool area, spacious terraces and a comfortable guest accommodation. The property also has a undercover parking, central heating, fireplace, a/c and a storeroom.


www.theolivepress.es

July 20th - August 2nd 2017

15

Club Nautico Santa Ponsa Penthouse - 3 beds, roof terrace, parking, direct access to marina– 495.000€ - IP2-9151

Snap QR code for full details and video

Palma bright apartment in La Llonja very close to Borne and Port 2 bed, 2 bath, 70 sqm—495.000€ -ref IP2-9074

Snap QR code for full details

Port Soller Front Line Investment, 2 Houses & Plot, inc restaurant. 703sqm Opportunity for hotel, apartments or villa IP2-9150—1,500,000€

Snap QR code for full details and video

Imperial Properties +34 971 692 434 - Email: info@imperial-properties.com - www.imperial-properties.com


VIII 16

Property www.theolivepress.es

July 20th - August July 19th 2017 2nd 2017

GREEN WINE: Son Juliana bodega counts on wind and solar power for energy

Mallorca winery runs on 100% solar-powered energy

A

MALLORCA winery is operating on 100% renewable energy. The 1,300-metre-square Son Juliana bodega is set just below the spectacular Tramuntana mountain range between Santa Eugenia and Biniali. Built in just 15 days, the winery is the brainchild of local architects Munarq Arquitectes. Cork-insulated roofs allow a stable temperature for the wine to be stored, with some 40,000 litres a year currently produced. “They were in a hurry, so because of this we built in a prefab concrete structure, built in 15 days," revealed a spokesperson. "We used a prefab concrete structure, and local and natural materials like mares – a local sandy stone – in the ex-

It is 100% renewable energy powered terior facades, and ceramic bricks for the interior finishing walls. "What is unusual is that it is 100% renewable energy powered and not connected to the net." The linear building has a concrete base which is covered in mares-stone. Wine is bottled and labelled at the westend of the building then stored in a cool area near the entrance. The winery is located in the basement, because it requires a special temperature and humidity conditions. The retaining walls are stone to take advantage of the thermal mass and soil moisture that remained during the summer. The ventilation and temperature is carried through pipes connected to geothermal heat pumps.

Let there be light!

SPACIOUS: The light, airy space is inspirational for the winemakers


www.theolivepress.es Property

IV

July 20th - August 2nd July 20172017

17 IX

all british city dwellers put spain buying top... while map reveals which are the key hotspots where they choose to live

In like flynn

IT’S no surprise Spain is still the most popular destination for Brits looking for a second home or a new life. But where are the majority of these Brits coming from? Rightmove, the UK’s leading property search engine, has collected data showing which cities in the UK have been searching for properties in

Spain the most. In ten of the country’s biggest cities, Spain was the most searched for destination, with France a distant second in all cases. Spain was most searched in sunstarved Glasgow, followed by Liverpool and Sheffield. See the full table of results below.

The e pat factor

I

T’S official. There are more than twice as many Brits in Spain than Spaniards in the UK. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 296,600 Brits in Spain in 2016, compared to just 116,000 Spaniards in the UK. And the new figures have also revealed that most Brits like to live in the coastal areas, with the notable exception of Madrid. Alicante and Malaga have by far the most British expats, while Murcia and Almeria make up the top four. The figures show the population of British pensioners in Spain has also jumped ‘notably’. There are 121,000 British pensioners officially registered in Spain, more than the entire Spanish immigrant population in Britain, the figures show. All other age groups have been declining since around 2008, when the economic crisis began. While almost 300,000 Brits are known to be officially living in Spain, hundreds of thousands are suspected to have not made themselves official. Estimates of actual British population size in Spain are nearer the 800,000 mark.

MAPPED: Distribution of registered Brits living in Spain

Taking the INE figures at face value, the British expatriate community in Spain has declined 4% since the last census in 2011, when there were 308,805 Britons resident in Spain.

In the UK, some 78% of Spaniards work in the public sector, financial services, or the hospitality sector. Half of those are between 29 and 39 years old.

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July 20th - August 2nd 2017

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IV

www.theolivepress.es Property

Housing pledge

THE president of the Balearic government has vowed to build more public homes to tackle a ‘grave housing problem’. Francina Armengol met with Palma mayor Antoni Noguera to discuss the issue. Armengol has asked the town hall for funds to build new apartments in areas like the old Son Busquets barracks. She is also preparing to ask Spain’s government to collaborate in the project. Other topics under discussion during the hour-long talk included turning Palma’s paseo maritimo into a boulevard and the regeneration of Nou Levant.

July 20th - August 2nd July 20172017

Work of art A Beautiful Santanyi villa owned by Italian artist on the market

A

STUNNING Mallorca villa owned by worldrenowned Italian artist Fabrizio Plessi is on the market. Engel & Völkers are brokering the sale of the Santanyi villa for a sum ‘in the single-figure millions’.

Stunning

The estate, built in 1814, is set in 31,000 square metres of grounds and boasts a six-bedroom villa, seven bathrooms, two guesthouses, natural-stone walls and a large

Contain yourself IT’S a Palma pad with an utterly unique selling point. It’s built entirely from wooden shipping containers. But this bijou bolthole in central Palma still boasts a small, tile-lined terrace pool and a completely modern interior. Understandably, smoking is banned, but the classy apartment does have a bbq. It also features a spiral staircase, a grass roof

IDYLLIC: The home owned by Plessi (inset) original design and the very kitchen. latest technical fittings,” said “This really is an exceptional Nils Haase, Managing Partner residence with a completely of Engel & Völkers Mallorca Southeast. An entrance hall in the shape of a boat offers a video installation by the artist which welcomes guests.

Renowned

and a natural wood bedroom with a full-length picture window view of the city. The apartment, a 10-minute walk from the train station, is currently available to rent.

The heart of the island, the home of your heart.

Outside, a 17-metre pool lined with palm trees, a barbecue house and a sprawling terrace are among the property’s manifold attractions. Plessi is renowned as the inventor of the video sculpture and has had his work exhibited all over the world.

19 XI

HOMESELLERS REPORT

Fara forever

T Fara Homes, the relationship between client and agent is more akin to a long-term partnership. The team of nine property experts have been in their Puerto de Andratx office since 2010. And owner Nils Fara explains how the company's 'very rare' policy of offering a high class one-stop sales service - alongside sister company Perfect Home Mallorca, a home-maintenance service offers clients a guaranteed, ongoing relationship after the sale is completed. "We are always there - from buying until death," he explains. "And at the end of the day, if our service is not perfect we are the ones who have to clean up. "This is not an after-sales service - it is an ongoing service for ever and ever… and includes maintenance of the house, the pool, and the garden." He adds: "If they buy a car we help them organise that. Whatever is needed, we are there." Properties at Fara Homes range from a €30 million estate to a three-bedroom house in Andratx, for €220,000. Areas of interest include Port Andratx and Santa Ponsa, with a cosmopolitan mixture of German, Swedish, Austrian, Danish, British, Swiss, Dutch, Belgian and some South African buyers. "Port Andratx is always one of the best markets in Mallorca," said Nils (above). "It has a beautiful, natural harbour. It's not an artificial image, it's been like that for 200 years. "Our bread and butter is the €600,000, two-bedroom apartment with nice sea views. That is what we sell most. "We have also been quite surprised by the British market. When Brexit happened we thought demand would go down, but the market is very active." Recently, there has been trends towards buying modern-style apartments or traditional, Mediterranean-style homes, says Nils. But while trends may come and go, Fara Homes' rock-solid principle of customer care is one Nils and his team takes very seriously. "I am always in my office," he said. "People can always come directly to me for help.” CONTACT: nils.fara@fara-homes.com or call +34 679 618 012 or +34 971 672 455

Perfect for a large family or holiday investment 5 bedrooms / 6 bathrooms Superb design & finish throughout Turnkey available

Email: sales@casascorazon.es Call: (+34) 638 844 216 www.casascorazon.es


Need a UK Base?

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Holiday Homes available on lovely park in Devon UK from £26,995 to £150,000 Open 11 ½ months. Email: Michaela37@hotmail.com for more information

IV

Property

July 20th - August 2nd 2017 July 2017

XII

MORTGAGE THINK TANK by mortgage broker Tancrede de Pola

Steady wins the race Andalucia leads the pack in mortgage sales as Spain’s recovery takes firm and steady hold

A

NDALUCIA is leading the way in the Spanish mortgage stakes. It comes after the number of home mortgages granted to prospective buyers in Spain dropped by 11.4% in April when compared with the same month in 2016, according to Spain's Statistical Office (INE). A total of 21,163 home mortgages were granted in the fourth month of this year. Andalucia registered the most with a total of 4,467, followed by Madrid and Catalonia with 3,732 and 3,345 respectively. And while the number of mortgages dropped, their values increased. The average value stood at €112,834, rising by 5.4% when compared to April of last year. It comes as new data suggests the Spanish property market is avoiding a bubble and continuing to grow healthily, unlike pre-crisis where it was not unusual for (overseas) clients to buy multiple properties over the phone, sight unseen… clearly a recipe for disaster! According to a recent Moody's report, the ratios of home sales are healthier now than those observed before the 2008 crisis.

Caution is demonstrated by the banks when it comes to granting mortgage loans - now monthly cost must be covered three times by your net monthly salary and only 14% of loans granted reach 80% of the appraisal value (those only being for residents) - and this added to the strong adjustment in prices and the relative low level of transactions. Meanwhile, mortgage lending as part of

GDP has fallen dramatically, suggesting the mortgage bubble is deflating. The Spanish economy has gone from having outstanding mortgage loans equivalent to 100% of total GDP in 2009, the height of the economic crisis, to just to 59.29% last December. It makes Spain a safe and steady investment, and means if there was ever a time to invest, it’s probably now.

To contact Tancrede for all your mortgaging needs call: 666 709 743 or for insurance queries call: 951 203 540 Email: tdp@thefinanacebureau.com The Finance Bureau Centro Commercial Guadalmina, 2nOffice No. 7 Guadalmina, 29670

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Rustic Home Mallorca

July 20th - August 2nd 2017

by EIHG S.A.

160.000 €

95.450 €

86.250 €

75.000 €

92.000 €

75.000 €

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XIV IV 22

Property www.theolivepress.es

Keys Isl nd to the

July 20th - August 2nd 2017 July 2017

By Amanda Butler

The hills are alive… Our resident property expert Amanda Butler on Valldemossa, the favourite spot of Chopin and George Sand

Propert y of the week

Menorca making waves

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ALLDEMOSSA is one of the most eyecatching villages in Mallorca and only 17km from Palma. Nestled among the forested hills of the Tramuntana Mountains, it is set on a gentle rise, with quaint narrow cobbled streets. Surrounded by almond orchards and olive groves, the views towards Andratx and Deia are breathtaking and a landmark 13th century monastery stands proudly above the village, where Chopin and George Sand famously wintered in 1838. Have a look around and you’ll find most entrances here feature a symbol of Saint Catalina Thomas to protect the houses from harm. In summer the roads are pretty busy with tour buses, although somehow the centre rarely feels too overcrowded, with so many winding streets to get lost in. Thankfully for the rest of the year, it is a tranquil and unspoilt place to visit. About 6 km away down a steep winding track there is a small harbour for a couple of fishing boats at Port Valldemossa with a small pebble beach and one traditional Mallorcan restaurant. Valldemossa is perfect for those wishing for

Delightful refurbished country home 5 minutes from Valldemossa - €1,49m This lovely spot is set on a flat plot of 17,000m2 just 5 minutes walk from Valldemossa, in the lovely local hills. Incorporating reconditioned white beams and antique ceramic floor tiles this nicely renovated home of 230m2 is distributed over two floors. Open plan living with delightful views over the gardens, pool and mountains. 2 double beds in the main house, plus a one bed guest house. Lovely terrace for al fresco dining. Own water. Presented in excellent condition. a more country way of life and enjoying nature, yet being only 25 minutes to Palma makes it very accessible. The choice of property is mostly between a quaint stone village house to larger country houses on the outskirts with property prices starting well above the million euro mark up to 20 million plus. There is also the residential zone of George

Sand which spirals over the distant hill like a snail, with prices starting at €1.5 million and soaring to figures of at least €5 million for first line properties. When looking at properties outside the village you have to be careful to ascertain the hours of sunshine in the winter months as some properties receive very little.

Contact Amanda Butler at +34 690075169 or by email: ajb@mjcassociates.net

MENORCA’S property market is booming as the Balearics’ little brother flexes its muscles. The Mediterranean idyll, listed as a Unesco Biosphere zone in 1993, is famed for its spectacular countryside. Properties next to the beach or with a sea view have risen in value by 15% year-on-year. “Menorca reminds people of what the Mediterranean used to be like 40 years ago,” said Francisco Arnau of Engel & Völkers. “It’s relaxed and peaceful. Everyone knows each other and you can leave your keys in the car – no one cares.” Interest from French buyers has surged on the island, with one family recently snapping up Menorca’s most expensive property, an €11 million country estate. As the island’s property market motors on, Sothebys has decided to open an office in Mahon later this year. “Our contacts tell us that more and more wealthy families are moving to the island – they love the privacy combined with the interesting resident community,” said managing director Alejandra Vanoli. One local property expert, quantity surveyor Colin Guanaria from Menorca’s longest running estate agency, Bonnin Sanso, says prices in Menorca are ‘15-20%’ cheaper than in Mallorca.

SANTA PONSA Splendid Sea View Villa 7 bedrooms & 7 bathrooms Daily Maid service

www.holidayrentals-mallorca.co.uk


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IV

Quality not quantity

July 20th - August 2nd July 20172017

23 XV

Mallorca Best Homes offers excellent personal service for the South West region, writes Joe Duggan

A

T Mallorca Best Homes, quality - not quantity - is the name of the game. The three-strong team of Martina Becker-Zahn, husband Stephan Zahn and Susanne Dietze offer expert real estate knowledge of Mallorca's stunning south-west coastline. Both Martina and Susanne have been living in Santa Ponsa for more than 13 years and know the location very well. Rather than offering properties all over Mallorca, they concentrate on the area they are at home with as their aim is to give thorough expert advice to their clients about the location of their future home. Unlike some of the larger players in the market, the size of Mallorca Best Homes' team allows them to offer a more personal service to their clients. It's a successful business model. Since opening three years ago, the Santa-Ponsa-based company has gone from strength to strength, with the first five months of 2017 already surpassing previous year's sales. Information and thorough consulting service is the bedrock of this success, and Mallorca Best Homes

done without any nasty surprises.” Offering everything from studio flats costing €99,000 to luxury Andratx villas costing €9 million, there is something for every budget. A regular visitor to Mallorca since the age of ten, Martina, who speaks perfect English and Spanish, ensures that her clients have a full command of what is required when buying. relationship with their clients As Mallorca's popularity continues doesn't end once you are handed to soar - it was recently voted the your keys, as Martina explains. sixth best island in the world on She adds: "We can't compete with Tripadvisor - the area around Santa the big names so we need to offer Ponsa has become highly sought something else. To after by an evermake people more growing international HARD WORKING: Martina and Susanne know the south west area well comfortable with clientele. You get British us, offering a better, "You have an inthe price will not decrease in more comprehensive frastructure in the to rise, is not just the ideal way to mand dentists, an long run," says Martina. And of service far beyond of south west which you ensure you have a dream holiday the course, property owners who conwhat is considered to international medical cannot beat and of- home in a beautiful location. selling are welcomed to their be an agent´s work. fers everything right "In former times people bought to sider on Avenida Jaime I, to talk centre. No need to “Because of recomon the spot," says use as a holiday home, but now peo- office about possible sales prices and deAP 149 | Nova Santa Ponsa | 499.000 € H 200 | Nova Santa Ponsa | 1.950.000 € 192investment | Costa de la Calma | 745.000 € ple want to make a AP safe mendations of forMartina. drive to Palma tails of the sale process, including in a politically unstable world, with mer buyers we are "You canwith getgreat British Penthouse with and fantastic seatax views, 150 .sqm, 2 Sea view apartment in sought-after complex in 1st Renovated house garden no in best villa rates issues interest on savings not often even asked to3 bathrooms, fantastic sea location,or1.100 German bedrooms, 1 office, 2 bathrooms, 280 sqm terrace sea line, 3 bedrooms, qm plot,dentists, 150 sqm, 3 bedrooms, 2 many trustful alternatives . pool. prepare the Residence docu- with 2 pools, direct sea bathrooms, Visit mallorca-best-homes.com there is an space, community view terrace. covered and internauncovered terraces, pool, “So they prefer to invest into a propaccess,for parking. garage. centre. So there's no ments a private sale as we are tional medical Email info@mallorca-besterty, which they not only can use regarded as a neutral institution, need to drive to Palma." homes.com or giving advice to both sides in order Of course, investing in a Mallorca themselves or rent it out, but they call 0034-971694055 or 0034 to ensure that the purchase/sale is property, with prices continuing know that due to international de640 285997

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· Your estate agent for all budgets in the Southwest of the island ·


24

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July 20th - August 2nd 2017


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Spanish airline Iberia fined €25,000 for making applicants take pregnancy test

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July 20th - August 2nd 2017

+TheolivepressEs Sick of it THE British government wants to BE ‘APPY! clampdown on UK holidaymakers making fake food poisoning claims. No 10 wants to slash the financial incentive of making claims against holiday firms, with the scams thought to cost Mallorca hotels €50 milDownload our app now and lion a year. begin enjoying Travel industry bosses and the best Spanish Spanish hotels have comnews on the go. plained of a huge rise in such false claims. Justice Secretary David Lidington said the government wanted to cut the legal costs holiday firms had to pay out in such cases. "Our message to those who make false holiday sickness The Olive Press claims is clear - your actions are damaging and will not be tolerated," Mr Lidington said.news in Spain! TOP for Tourist and travel group ABTA said it ‘strongly welcomed’ the government’ IBERIA has been fined move. €25,000 for making female The government said it would job applicants take a pregreduce the cash incentives of nancy test. bringing such cases against The Spanish airline, which holiday firms. went into partnership with British Airways in 2010, accepted the fine, which was handed down by the Balearic Islands government. Iago Negueruela, work, trade and industry secretary for the Balearic Islands government,

July 20th - August 2nd 2017

NEWS IN BRIEF

Clausula cost

Lawyering up MARBELLA’S Martina-Echeverria law firm turned over €15.6 million last year, making it the most successful in Andalucia.

BANKS should pay all legal costs assumed in clausula suelo mortgage cases. In a sentence handed down this month, Spain’s high court ruled that claimants would not be liable to pay costs if they bring a bank to court. The clausula suelo scandal saw four million homeowners hit when banks failed to lower mortgage interest rates in line with falling Euribor interest rates. It is estimated people were paying from €179 (Euribor +0.5%) to €213 (Euribor +1%) more on a €150,000 mortgage. “There would be a reverse deterrent effect - consumers would not pursue litigation for minimal amounts owed,” the court ruling said. Last year, a Spanish court ruled ruled millions of clausula suelo mortgages were null and void due to a of ‘lack of transparency’ in the way they were sold during the property boom.

Meat scandal SPANISH cops arrested and charged 65 individuals over a continent-wide ring that traded in horsemeat from animals ‘in bad shape, too old’ or simply labelled as 'not suitable for consumption’.

Flying into trouble said Iberia was guilty of a ‘very serious infraction’.

“Any practice of this type must be banned from the job market,” said Negueruela. He argued that men and women could not be given different tests for access to work. Iberia has now said it will axe the requirement, and offer applicants the chance to admit if they are pregnant.

Spain’s Minister for Health, Dolors Montserrat, also expressed her ‘absolute rejection of Iberia’s demand’. “Pregnancy can’t be any kind of obstacle to getting a job,” said Montserrat. “Any Spanish company shouldn’t have to ask for personal information from anybody that wants to try for one.” The Secretary of trade union CCOO-Balears, Eva Cerdeiriña, argued that a fine of €25,000 is ‘embarrassing; and ‘unacceptable’.

Home comforts SPANISH property sales rose 23% in May compared to the same month last year, new figures show. In total, 44,782 properties were sold across the country, according to Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE). Regions which saw the highest sales growth included Castilla-La Mancha (39.4 % more than last year), Baleares (36.7 %) and Asturias (36.2 %). Areas which saw sales drop year-on-year included Rioja (30.3%), Murcia (12.9%) and Galicia (2.6%) The number of fincas registered in Spain in May was 166,093, up 10.1% from last May.

Optimistic Spanish business leaders visiting London as part of the first state visit by Spain’s king have said the UK can become an independent global trading hub after Brexit thanks to its location and strong currency.

Pants On Fire THE clothes company Cool Collection has been fined €21,500 after a Mallorca pensioner suffered severe burns from a pair of leggings. The Balearic Government’s Director General of Consumers, Xisco Dalmau, hit the firm for ‘false’ labelling after it distributed the leggings in Palma’s Pere Garau market. When the leggings were sent to Madrid for analysis, it was discovered the label’s claim the leggings were 75% wool and 25% acrylic was not true. “The truth is nearly all the fabric analysed is plastic,” said Dalmau. The 87-year-old pensioner suffered second-degree burns on both her legs and third-degree burns on her knee. She was rushed to San Espases hospital for surgery following the incident. “It seems the burns were caused by the leggings being close to the lady’s heater, and that the age of the patient made the burns worse,” said Juan Albertí, the victim’s son.

No trainer enterprise PIRATE street sellers in Barcelona are launching their own brand of trainers. The Top Manta brand will buy the same fake Nike and Adidas trainers, but use its own logo. Known as manteros (blanket sellers) after the sheets they place their goods on, Barcelona’s 400 sellers are usually African men who endured a

dangerous journey to arrive in Spain. “We wanted [the logo] to look

a bit like a canoe, which is the form of transport by which most of us arrived in Europe,” said Aziz Fayé, a spokesman for the new Union of Street Sellers. “We’ve more or less sorted out the suppliers. What matters is that the manteros start selling Top Manta products instead of the shoes and Tshirts they’re selling now.”


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Food, drink & travel

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July 20th - August 2nd 2017

July 20th - August 2nd 2017

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Killer +TheolivepressEs Blue-sky thinking bug hits BE ‘APPY! olive trees A NEW exclusive blue wine has got Spanish drinkers raising a - somewhat pricey - toast. Skyfall, from a grape grown in Catalunya’s cava region, sets tipplers back a hefty €11- €13 a glass. Launched in Spain six weeks ago, it takes its sky-blue colour from a combination A LETHAL bacteria for of flower and fruit extracts and is about olive trees has arrived to be Downloadon our app now andunveiled in the UK. “We have to be mainland Spain. begin enjoying the best careful about how we position it and what Spanish The Xylella fastidiosa news onout the go. pathogen, which dries

trees until they appear Palma third scorched, has been discovered in almond trees near most expensive the town of Guadalest in place in Spain the eastern region of Valento go to for a cia. All trees and plants within beer a 100-metre radius are now THEPress BALEARIC Islands are being destroyed. The Olive The area is also being treat- the third most expensive place Spain to go out for ed against insects TOP whichfor arenews in in Spain! suspected of transmitting a beer. Palma ranks behind only the bacteria. The bacteria emerged in Madrid and the Basque southern Italy in 2013 and Country for the price of a was found in October on a cana, according to a study cherry tree in the Balearics. by Cuponation. Local authorities banned A cheeky half in the Mallorexports of plants from the ca capital will set you back islands to prevent the bac- on average €2.25, comteria, dubbed the ‘olive tree pared to €2.93 in Madrid leprosy’, in a bid to stop it and €2.29 in the bars of San Sebastian or Bilbao. spreading to the mainland. Spain produces around a Cadiz is the cheapest city in Spain to nip out for a half of the world’s olive oil.

Healthy appetite

we call it,” said Skyfall representative David Arbery. “But it’s a three-year old gran reserva and it has a two cork rounds, whereas even high end Champagne only has one. “The bottle is also a Cava bottle, and it’s dark so you can’t see the blue colour until you pour it. It’s costs more to do things this way, but we wanted it to be very luxurious, subtle and premium.” Skyfall is a blend of Macabeu, Parellada, Xarel·lo and Chardonnay grapes.

Balearic booze up livener, with a small beer there costing on average

just €1.25. Other regions that are easy on drinkers’ wallets include Aragon (€1.59), Murcia (€1.60) and Castilla La Mancha (€1.75). The average price for a beer nationwide is 1.87, according to the Cuponation survey.

According to statistics provided by the Federacion Espanola de Hosteleria y Restauracion (FEHR) Spain has 101.397 bars, one for every 458 inhabitants. It estimates Spaniards drink 21.44 billion litres of beer a year.

ONE of Spain’s leading dairy producers has vowed to produce only organic, non-battery-farmed eggs by 2025. Huevos Guillen, which provides eggs for Mercadona, has stated 20% of its eggs will be free-range by the start of 2018. The company currently has about five million hens and plans to spends €60 million installing new equipment needed. "Studies show that that birds are sociable and sensitive beings, but are forced to live in wire cages, without

SPAIN’S food and drink industry had its best-ever year in 2017. A record-breaking 2016 saw sales of national products soar by 8.4% year-on-year. Figures released by the Spanish Federation of Food and Beverage Industries (FIAB) reveal food and drink makes up 11% of Spain’s total exports, with a value of €27 billion. Meat constitutes the largest chunk of exports, with sales of €4.42 billion. Olive oil (€3.34 billion), fish products (€2.9 billion) and wine (€2.75 billion) came next. FIAB Director general Mauricio García de Quevedo said: “The food and beverage industry is strengthened year after year as Spain’s primary industrial sector, offering a great development to our economy and our country, as well as maintaining stable employment.” Most of Spain’s food and drink exports go to the EU, but sales to China rose by an astonishing 49% in 2016. Some 480,000 people now work in Spain’s food and drink sector, up 3.4% from 2015.

It’s no yoke

the possibility of ever seeing the light of the sun, or feeling grass under their feet,” said Animal Rights activist Javier Moreno.


Columnists 27 27

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27

‘It’s a puma’

I

HAVE been cursed with very fine, wavy hair, meaning finding a good hairdresser is essential to my well being. Over the years I’ve had some pretty awful comments made following haircuts. “How much was that?” One expartner shrieked, “Well are you happy with it? Because I’m not!” (There’s a reason he’s an EXpartner). Good, trusted friends have said the following... ‘I thought you were going to the hairdressers today?’ or a classic, ‘Are you okay? You look awful’, or the favourite from just about everyone I know: “Hmmm, I like the back”. So being in a new place, I thought that maybe I could break the mould and find a good hairdressers fast. I was definitely a victim of the accursed Mallorcan Hair Syndome (MHS), where the dampness and humidity in the air guarantees to frizz up, drop or ruin any attempt at styling. As it happened, my first Mallorcan cut was relatively successful, but it was in a salon miles away so not very practical. The stylist was also on her way out of the shop, so the search continued. A local English stylist was recommended that everyone in my area apparently goes to. She charged more than I could really afford but

How to get you hair done right in Mallorca

Mallorca diaries By Lesley Keith hey, I’m worth it! Ready to book my appointment, I happened to bump into a guy I’d recently met who apologised that he didn’t know which lady I was because ‘we all had the same hair colour and style, just like clones’. Digesting this shocking piece of information I realised that yes, he was right, there was a whole load of us certain-age ladies looking spookily alike. A quick rethink occurred and I decided to check out the town salons by hanging about outside them like a stalker. Finally I found one, busy with both males and females, reasonable, everyone coming out looking better than they went in

10

and most importantly the stylist had fine wavy hair! In I went to book an appointment to discover this was the only place in the town where no-one speaks a word of English. Undeterred, I dragged the depths of my brain for the right words and with pointing, head nodding and lots of smiles managed to book an appointment for the following week. Well booking an appointment is one thing, actually explaining exactly what you are hoping they can achieve is something else. I scoured the internet, looked through magazines and papers trying to find a relevant picture of the look I was after, but nothing came close. I actually wanted to look 15 years younger and a stone lighter, but hey ho. I decided to do my own drawing which I produced with a flourish at my appointment once my hair

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was washed and I was in front of her mirror. This went down very well, it was shown around to other customers who were highly amused and also to staff who were dragged in from coffee breaks to admire my artistic skills. I wanted her to use styling mousse but this word wasn’t in my Spanish – English dictionary or on my translation app. After some confusion, pointing and compulsory hand waving she said it was Espuma, which sounds like she’s saying ‘it’s a puma’, but we got there eventually and I was very happy with the result - much, much shorter, fuller, softer and flattering, I thought. Sadly, it was raining very heavily as I left so the dreaded MHS set in the minute I stepped outside. Feeling confident though I headed for home where my partner innocently asked what I’d done that morning, totally oblivious! In fact, no one noticed or commented at all. Business as usual then! However I was happy with it. It was very much more achievable for me and so I went back six weeks later and let them do another cut and colour. On my return this time, my partner who knew where I was going said I looked great and I had lovely compliments from friends as well. Yes, I’ll admit, one side is longer than the other, but holding my head permanently to one side really isn’t going to be a problem.

July 20th - August 2nd 2017

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July 20th - August 2nd 2017


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Sports &

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July 20th - August 2nd 2017

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Au revoir! +TheolivepressEs +TheolivepressEs Muguruza ‘could be best in world’ REAL Mallorca have seen WIMBLEDON champion Garbine Mu- herself as the leading light in women’s their star striker move can become the world’s best play- tennis. BE BE ‘APPY! ‘APPY!guruza abroad to Rennes following er, her coach believes. “She has the potential and she wants to relegation to Spain’s third The Venezuelan-born Spaniard beat five- win more,” said Martinez. tier. times champions Venus Williams 7-5 “She is very happy with her game. She Brandon Thomas has com6-0 in last Saturday’s final to record her beat the World Number One, Kerber, pleted a €3 million transfer first All England title. and she can go all the way.” to the French club. Last year, the 23-year-old scooped the On the back of her inaugural Wimbledon Barcelona B and OlympiaFrench Open with trainer Conchita Mar- triumph, Muguruza rose from number kos had both shown intertinez Download ourourapp appnow now and andadamant Muguruza can secure 15 to number five in the world rankings. est in the forwardDownload after Real begin begin enjoying enjoying the the best best Spanish Spanish Mallorca’s drop to the Segunda B. news newsononthethego.go. The 22-year-old was the team’s top scorer last season, with 12 goals in 39 games. Brandon said of Rennes: “The board really told me that they trust in me, they believe in me. The club is for me a very good clubOlive in The The OlivePress Press France. “Over the last ten years,for the TOP TOPfor news newsininSpain! Spain! club has been regularly in Ligue 1 and has had some good seasons. It is a huge opportunity for me.” Football corruption probe leads

Former number one Serena Williams is pregnant, with Muguruza and Britain’s Johanna Konta, both rising above Williams, who beat Muguruza in the 2015 Wimbledon final. “I didn’t want to lose this time because I know the difference,” Muguruza said. “I’m happy that once again I see myself winning a Grand Slam, something that is so hard to do.”

Kick off

to the arrest of the president of the Spanish FA

MOVED: Thomas

THE boss of Spain’s football federation has been arrested after an in-depth corruption investigation. Angel Maria Villar, president of Real Federacion Espanola de Futbol (RFEF), has been charged with misappropriation, corruption and misrepresentation. Villar Llona, who is also a senior

vice-president at Fifa and Uefa, was arrested on Tuesday morning along with his son Gorka and three other federation executives. The Guardia Civil said the football officials were detained while raids were carried out at the federation headquarters in Madrid. Police said the five men were ar-

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rested on charges of corruption as part of an investigation into the finances of the federations. Spain’s minister of sport, Inigo Mendez de Vigo, insisted that the country’s laws are being enforced and ‘nobody is above the law.’ The investigation was launched in 2016 and has included various searches at the headquarters

as well as several private homes linked to the detainees. It is alleged that the group were involved in promoting games between the national team and other countries, which led to monetary gain. This would have in turn, benefitted his son, who is a lawyer specializing in sports law.

AXED: Podium kiss

Kiss it goodbye VUELTA a Espana organisers are looking at ditching the traditional podium kiss. Grand Tour podium finishers receive a bottle of champagne and a kiss from a beauty queen at the end of each stage. But Spain’s tour, which takes part in the punishing August heat, is expected to axe the cermony in favour of ‘elegantly’ dressed male and female stewards, according to Javier Guillen, director general of Unipublic, the Vuelta’s owner. “We are aware of the social and media debate that has been generated over recent months about the presence of hostesses on the podium,” said Guillen. Left-wing councillors in Jerez tried to ban ‘paddock girls’ at this year’s MotoGP, with race organisers ignoring the call. The Vuelta starts on August 19 in Nimes, France.

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Yachting

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King sets sail THE King of Spain is preparing to take part in Mallorca’s largest ever Copa Del Rey sailing regatta. King Felipe will take part as one of at least 140 teams from 24 countries in the 36th annual event, which takes place from July 29 to August 5. The race is split into seven classes, with King Felipe following in his father King Juan Carlos’s footsteps by taking part in the event, one of Spain’s most important sailing events. Javier Sanz, president of the RCNP, explica: “We have increased our limit to 140 places, but demand continues to outstrip the capacity of our port.” King Felipe is expected to skipper the Sirius V, which he sailed in 1999 and 2000.

If you have a sports story, contact newsdesk@ theolivepress.es or call 0034 951 273 575

July 20th - August 2nd 2017

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July 20th - August 2nd 2017

Jobs worth

Sugar’s sweet deal LORD Alan Sugar is selling his 55-metre yacht, Lady A. The vessel, which has previously been spotted in the Balearic Islands, was snapped by Lord Sugar in 2015. The Apprentice star has put Lady A up for sale at an asking price of €14 million. In 2005, the yacht was refitted and her sundeck renovated. In 2010, the yacht had been put on the market for €14.2 million, but was later sold for a cut-price €8.95 million before Sugar bought it. Lady A’s larger-than-normal beam of 11.8 metres has its own jacuzzi and private study.

Apple creator Steve Jobs’ yacht Venus is Mallorca marvel

Cruise control

Ship shape SPAIN’S nautical association ANEN is setting up a new yacht-training centre. The trade body has been working with the Spanish government’s Education Ministry to produce two degree courses in yacht building and maintenance. Once the courses have been finalised and are started in 2018 or 2019, a new centre will be opened for students to be taught in. “Once the courses are ready for the public, we want to launch them in an integrated centre for nautical trades,” said ANEN secretary general Carlos Sanlorenzo Ferri. “Marina Valencia has offered us the possibility to set up this centre in their facilities, specifically at the America’s Cup base.” ANEN also hopes to attract more young Spaniards into the yachting industry as the sector continues to fluorish.

members. The bridge is believed to be equipped with eight Imacs which control everything on the vessel Venus has visited Mallorca waters most years since it was first launched. Jobs died of cancer in 2011, leaving behind an estimated fortune of €12.5 billion.

Boats, bikes and automobiles… If you approach the king in the forthcoming yacht race, remember to be polite, writes Hamish Goddard

Starboard Sir! TP52 Super series

G

reat excitement here as two of the island’s great annual regattas take place over the next few weeks. Firstly, I am looking forward to taking my Olive Press seat in one of the TP52s taking part in the annual 52 Super Series, hosted at Porto Portals from July 24 to 28. The 52 Super Series is established as the world’s leading grand prix monohull yacht racing series and they are busy setting up these extreme racing boats in various marinas around Palma, hot footing it from the last round in Sardinia. It’s now our turn to host these fast, light, very powerful monohulls which sail more like high performance dinghies and raced in ‘real time’ and yet comply to a ‘box rule’ design. The box rule binds the boats to a set of key dimensions but still leaves the design offices and the

race teams with scope to exploit their own ideas and initiatives.

Hanse 470e €210,000 inc tax

The result is some of the closest and most spectacular racing there is to see, with a

A superbly equipped Hanse 470e – 2008 with two previous owners, both of whom maintained and equipped this boat impeccably and with no expense spared. A beneficiary of a number of major refits where innumerable parts and equipment have been either been significantly upgraded or renewed. At the higher end of the price scale for a Hanse 470e of this age, the new owner from 2015 has spent over €100,000 in 2015/16 on maintaining, upgrading and improving the yacht. An impeccable sail locker equipped for cruising and/or racing, including as-new black North 3DI racing sails, carbon wheels etc. Light Grey topsides with white waterline and dark grey antifoul, cleaned and antifouled June 2017 in

truly international fleet of 11 boats from 10 different countries. This is followed by the 2017 Copa del Rey starting on July 31, hosted by RCNP and one of the Mediterranean’s most prestigious annual regattas taking place over five days. Nothing deceiving about the event’s name either, with the King of Spain competing in his Farr 45 Aifos. I understand that if you catch the King on a port tack, it’s a ‘Starboard Sir!’, rather than just ‘Starboard!’. I will have to remember that…

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IBIZA’S Sovren Marina and Barcelona’s OneOcean Port Vell have announced a new partnership. Superyachts can now guarantee winter berths in Barcelona, and summer berths in Ibiza as part of the discounted deal. Nizar Taji, sales director for OneOcean Port Vell, said “It was really driven by the yachts. We looked at the yachts that come to us, we found that many of our yachts, that are here in the winter period, go to Ibiza in the summer.” A 12-month package allows clients to choose nine months at OneOcean Port Vell and three months in Ibiza, a six months package allows two months at Sovren Ibiza and four at OneOcean. A three-month package gives clients one month in Ibiza and two months in Barcelona.

pable of hitting speeds of 20 knots, Venus - currently docked in Palma - weighs in at 1,876 tonnes. Billionaire Jobs came up with the idea of building Venus in 2007, but died in 2011, a year before the yacht was first unveiled. The boat’s interior is thought to be designed in a minimalist style with room for 12 guests and 14 crew

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Berth control

A YACHT co-designed by Apple creator Steve Jobs has been turning heads in Mallorca. Venus, believed to be worth €100 million, was the brainchild of Jobs and legendary superyacht designer Philippe Starck, who also created the futuristic looking Sailing Yacht A. Some 78 metres in length and ca-

THE number of cruise ship passengers visiting the Balearic Islands has fallen 11.2% in the first five months of 2016. Ports have registered a total of 200 cruises up until May, 11 down from the previous year. During the same period, some 441,851 tourists disembarked from cruise ships in the Balearics. Across Spain, the number was also down, with a 1.34% drop in cruise ship passengers.

preparation for sale. The hull was also taken back to GRP, faired, epoxy and antifouled during the refit in 2016. Teak Decks throughout including combing back to winches and new lazy bag (June 2017), recent Bimini, spray hood and wheel covers (2016). Storage container unit ashore contains innumerable spares, racing equipment etc.

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Time for a spot of classic motorcycling…

In the words of Hugh Birley, the founder of Mallorca-based Albion Motorcycles: “Ride ‘em, don’t hide ‘em!”. In the next few weeks, I will be joining this award-winning outfit to explore the island’s fantastic roads on their fleet of beautifully prepared classic British and European motorcycles ranging from a 1953 1000cc twin Vincent Rapide to later European classics such as a 1970s Ducati 900GTS (and many beauties in between..). As with classic cars, these bikes are difficult and highly rewarding to ride - the old British bikes being right foot gear change. Riding them is a unique opportunity anywhere, but particularly here with the abundance of amazing roads and spectacular coffee stops. I will report back in a few weeks’ time! Visit http://www. albionmotorcycles.com In amongst all this, our brokerage activities at Baxter Marine continue apace – no sign of the summer lull quite yet - so please see our Olive Press Best Buy (left)!


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A TRAVEL blogger filmed in a horrific fall from a Mallorca cliff has been named In last year’s harrowing video (right), Russian model Mary Shum - who incredibly didn’t die - was seen hesitating before plummeting from the rock edge as a friend pulled his leg away. A Moscow filmmaker has now finally identified Shum as his ex-wife, and revealed the extent of her injuries. “Mary fell on a rock first — about three metres down — (but) she didn’t break anything, unlike people said, but she did hurt her feet and back,” Alexander Tikhomirov explained. “We went to the hospital later and she couldn’t walk for a few days. But finally everything was good.”

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Edge of insanity

The man seen removing his leg was Tikhomirov’s friend, Instagram model Jay Alvarrez. However. Despite the apparent callousness of Alvarrez’s

actions, Tikhomirov refused to condemn him. “He removed (his foot) not because he is an a***hole, but because everything happened in a split second,” he said.

Supermarket sweep Eroski throws out Playboy model for bearing too much flesh

A GERMAN Playboy model has raged at Mallorca supermarket staff who she claims threw her out of Eroski.

Tanja Brockmann, 29, says workers at the shop asked her to leave when she paraded through the vegetable aisle

Trump: I’ll tackle Spanish olive oil next HE’S taken aim at ISIS, Russia, the US press corps and the Muslim world in his first six months as US president. But now Donald Trump has a new foe in his sights the humble Spanish olive. The controversial American leader’s administration believes Spain may be benefitting from unfair subsidies that allow it to sell the product at a cutdown price. The US Department of Commerce is now launching a ‘full and fair investigation of the facts’

“The United States is committed to a free, fair and reciprocal trade with Spain,” a statement from US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said. It comes after a California group, the Coalition for Fair Trade in Ripe Olives, complained Spanish companies were undercutting American companies. The US International Trade Commission (ITC) is also due to file a report on August 7 examining whether Spanish olive oil companies are harming US firms.

bearing too much flesh. Clad only in hotpants and a small black top, the teutonic titan was taken aback when she was told to put a shirt on by irate staff. “I had the shopping cart nearly full when suddenly a staff member came over to me,” she said. “In Spanish and then in English she said ‘put your shirt on, put your shirt on’ over and over again and increasingly louder.” She added: “A lot of people leave their stomach uncovered, I did not think of it when I went out like this.” Tanja, who starred as February’s pin-up model in the adult magazine, says she was forcibly ejected from the store following the incident. “It was very unpleasant for me. Everybody was staring at me like I had stolen something.”

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Whacky races A CYCLIST wearing flip flops has been filmed holding onto the back of a van travelling more than 100kmh. The daredevil rider, who wasn’t wearing a helmet, was recorded hurtling down the M19 between Llucmajor and Palma holding onto the van with just one hand. It is not known who the cyclist was or why he was holding onto the back of the van. Guardia Civil officers confirmed that both the driver and cyclist were guilty of several traffic offences and are being sought.

‘Demon sexually assaulted me’ A WOMAN was sexually assaulted by a ‘demon’ during a Mallorca correfoc parade, she claims. The 34-year-old victim told police someone dressed as a devil reached under her skirt and touched her during last Saturday’s procession in

Cala Rajada. Officers are now trying to identify the alleged perpetrator, a task made more complicated by the fact all the ‘demons’ were wearing identical masks and clothing.

We are back on August 2nd. In the meantime visit our website www.theolivepress.es for daily stories... and send comment to newsdesk@theolivepress.es

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