Living the Dream - What our residents say

Heinz Michael says just two years ago the whole family was impressed by the resort: “I was travelling in Spain with my family in the summer of 2009, visiting Seville, Cadiz, Gibraltar and going onto Malaga. We had been to see a very similar development to La Cala with golf and villas and townhouses. As I had been in La Cala several times over the last eight years with friends and customers, I wanted to show the resort to the family. For some years we had been thinking about buying a place in the south of Spain as a semi-permanent residence at first and perhaps later, after the children finished school and I retired, to have a permanent residence there. The family were very impressed and after looking at houses and townhouses as well as some apartments we decided to buy in Monte Alto.

“We all like to be in La Cala and expect to go there regularly. I would also like to mention that the service from all the people working in La Cala from the administration to the restaurant is very professional and friendly. The staff were especially helpful with all the paperwork related to the hand-over of the property.”

Heinz Michael says he is looking forward to getting back on the fairways and meeting other members. “I have been playing very little golf as shortly after buying the property and joining the golf club I needed to have an operation on my back, so golf was completely out for eight months. As everything is now fine, I will seriously go back to golf and would like to meet other club members and play with them.”
Heinz Michael was the Managing Director of a medium-sized International French company. His work involved a lot of travel to South and Central America, South East Asia and Eastern Europe. Both he and Marie Noelle, a retired pharmacist, speak Spanish. Twenty-year-old Florian is studying for an MBA in a Paris business school and 15-year-old Claudia is still at school. It’s a multi-lingual household with all speaking four or five languages. Heinz Michael concludes. “As you can imaging, I‘m looking to slowing down and relaxing, so what better place than southern Spain and La Cala.”

Mariann is a journalist with Aftenposten, the most important newspaper in Norway. Petter is the co-founder, chairman and partner in Delphi Consulting, one of Norway’s biggest executive recruitment companies. When they retire they hope to be ‘semi-permanent’ residents. With two children and two grandchildren, they are all very much looking forward to spending a lot of time in La Cala.

Petter explains why they chose the Malaga area for their retirement home. “We have travelled a lot to find the right place - southern France, northern Italy, Mallorca, Alicante, Murcia and several times to southern Spain. We like the atmosphere here, Spanish politeness towards foreign guests, the green countryside, the many towns and villages, the shopping facilities and nice restaurants and, very importantly, all the great golf courses. We chose La Cala Resort for several reasons. The quietness in the hills and the design of the developments that fits in so well with the environment. Having three 18-hole courses and golf academy was also an important factor. Our property is a very nice townhouse and represents good value for money. We are very pleased. It is finished to high standards in very well-maintained surroundings.”

Mariann adds that the process of buying was made very easy. “We were very pleased with both the sales process and the after sales- service. It was very friendly and professional and the service is still very good.”

The Hubmayrs fell in love with the resort after spending a golfing holiday in the complex a couple of years ago. Dietmar explains: “We live in Vienna and the winter weather was so bad we decided to go on a holiday to enjoy a few games of golf in the sun. We had been travelling to South Africa every winter but it is a long journey and we wanted someplace nearer. We know the Malaga area quite well and have friends in Calahonda. We saw La Cala Resort in a holiday brochure and were attracted by the size of the resort, with three courses. We loved the courses and the weather and came back three times before we decided the best idea would be to buy an apartment.”

Clarissa explains why they opted for an apartment in Real Altavista. “Cooking is one of my hobbies and when you are staying for two or three weeks at a time you get tired of eating out. We didn’t really want a garden as we plan to spend the summers in Austria. We plan to come to the apartment for long breaks, two or three times a year. It is very easy to get here from Vienna and it is great to be so near the golf courses. We play first thing every morning. In fact, the staff now refer to us as ‘the earlybirds’. The Leadbetter Academy is another bonus. We plan to take lessons there as well.”

Dieter and Clarissa remember flying down to Malaga in a single engine plane 35 years ago with Dieter at the controls. Clarissa says it was “like Lindberg” as it took all of 28 hours on a route that included a stopover in the south of France. That wasn’t their only contact with Spain. Dieter studied Spanish at the famous university of Deusto in Bilbao and is fluent after seven years working from Mexico down to Argentina, while Clarissa understands a lot and is planning to study more. It looks like they are perfectly suited to life in the south of Spain and as residents in the country’s largest golf resort.

Tauno is a native of Finland and Lily is Dutch. They bought the townhouse in December 2010 and Lily says there were many reasons for choosing Spain’s biggest golf complex. “La Cala looks like a Spanish, white village. The views of the green golf courses, the mountains and sea are all spectacular. It is so peaceful; no traffic or noise and birds singing all day. Malaga airport is only a 20 minute drive away. The climate is great and the spacious townhouse was ready to occupy. The architecture is very attractive and it’s very good value for money.”

Tauno is a golfer and has already started playing with some of the neighbours in Monte Alto. Lily intends to start lessons this year. She says, “now that the house is completely furnished there will be more time for golf and for meeting the club members. All European nationalities seem to be represented here. Our intention is to visit at least twelve weeks a year.

Tauno adds they are extremely pleased with the standard of the house. “It feels like a cosy family house; with lots of space and light and a high standard of finishing. I love the garden and terraces/balconies on all three levels with the views. We bought the house with two bedrooms and had the top floor immediately converted into a third bedroom. All of them with an en-suite bathroom, which means a lot of privacy and comfort for all guests and we have a communal pool in front of our house.

“Friends of ours bought a penthouse at La Cala last year and were so enthusiastic that we decided to visit as part of our week-long search for a property on the Costa del Sol. La Cala was the last location we visited and it ended as being our first choice. The service we received from the sales staff was great and the atmosphere was warm and friendly. Even after moving into the house it is reassuring to know that you can turn to the sales and after-sales office with all your questions and needs.”

James, who was a director of an international public company that provided computer services and software, explains they originally bough the apartment as a holiday home and then decided to live permanently in the complex. “I had been in La Cala any times playing golf as my mother had a holiday home in Calahonda. I always thought it was a beautiful place and when I retired I decided to buy a holiday home myself in the area. I viewed many other developments but none compared to La Cala. I bought the Los Altos apartment off-plan and was the first person to reserve in the development in 2000. I really liked the resort and decided to retire here and looked at the showhouse in the Las Colinas development. I thought there was no point in buying a place like that if you’re not going to live there. We still have the apartment but we wanted a garden and a bit more space. We are very happy with move, it has worked out very well and it is also nice to have the apartment for family.”

Sonya says there are many attractions to living in La Cala. “Of course the climate is great and here in the resort there are fantastic views and three good golf courses. It is also nice and quiet but still near the beach and the airport. I run a hair and beauty clinic in London and only have to return every three months or so as I can stay in contact by internet. I had been here on holidays before and now I love living here.”

James and Sonya are keen golfers and will be the next captain of the golf club. He says golf plays a big part in their lives. “The big advantage of playing golf is you build up a wide circle of friends. This is one of the most active clubs along the coast and we get more people playing in the weekly members’ competitions than others. Additionally, there are fewer members returning to their home countries in the summer so we have at least two club competitions a week throughout the year. There is a great social element and new members are also very welcome. We are here to stay. A lot of people don’t like living in Gordon Brown’s Britain and we have absolutely no regrets in moving here and have no plans to return.”

Herman explains: “Terrazas was a very nice house but we needed more space. We were very happy there but the new house is even better as we come here for two weeks at a time about eight times a year. Our adult children also use it and our friends also come to visit.”

Herman is a businessman with a number of commercial interests. He says spending time in La Cala offers him the opportunity to relax. “It is so relaxing to come here. In Holland everyone is always rushing around and there is no time for anything, even to eat. In the resort people are always smiling and you can really switch off. People in Andalucía are more relaxed that at home. It is great to have the choice of three courses and we are only eight minutes from the beach. In addition, living in the resort offers us a greater level of security, particularly as we are not here all year round.”

Being from the Twente area of Holland, Herman says that La Cala Resort is well known. “Our two biggest football teams, FC Twente and Heracles Almelo, held training camps in the resort, so people know about it. Additionally, many Dutch golfers have played in La Cala and they always talk about how good and exciting it is to play here and how much they enjoyed it.”

Thomas explains how they decided to invest in La Cala: “At the beginning we were looking in the south of France. But the winters are cold there and we decided to look further south. It was mentioned to me that the Swedish Golf Federation had been involved with la Cala Resort from the very beginning and we had also heard a lot of good things about La Cala from other Swedish people that we know. Connection-wide it is great. There are three different airlines flying out of Malaga to Copenhagen and there are also links to everywhere in the world. We looked it up on the internet and received more information and photos from the Property Sales office. Our bank manager is based on the Costa del Sol and he visited the property and reported very favourably on it. There was a special offer on the apartment and we decided to buy before visiting the resort. We were also very well-treated by the sales staff. When we eventually saw it for the first time we were delighted. It was even better than in the photos.”

Helena takes up the story: “It is magnificent. When we saw it, it was more impressive than what we expected. When I saw the view with the sea, mountains and valleys, I was enchanted. As we are both golfers, it was a big attraction to have three courses. In addition, it is not too near the sea, which gets too busy when all the tourists arrive in summer. We have quite a number of friends who live in the area and our two daughters and grandchildren can use it in summer. The quality of the apartment is similar to Dubai and it is well-run and operated. We are really looking forward to making great use of it and are so happy we decided to buy in La Cala Resort.”