Properties Majorca, Ibiza and Menorca

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PROPERTIES FOR SALE MAJORCA, IBIZA and MENORCA

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Majorca - Majorca sun thaws Chavez-King Carlos freeze

Majorca: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Spain's King Juan Carlos shook hands and made up on Friday in their first meeting since the monarch told the president to "shut up" at a summit in November.

A relaxed Chavez joked "Why don't we go to the beach?" as he met the smiling king in sunshine outside the royals' summer residence on the island of Majorca.

However, the outspoken Venezuelan leader, dressed in a dark suit and tie, fell short of giving the monarch a hug, as he said he would like to do last Sunday on his weekly television show.

Relations deteriorated between the two countries last year after the king shouted at Chavez: "Why don't you shut up?" when Chavez interrupted a speech by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero at the Ibero-American summit in Chile.

Footage of the outburst was beamed around the world, inspiring mobile phone ringtones, mugs and T-shirts. The king lost his temper after Chavez called former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar - of the conservative PP party - a fascist, prompting Socialist Zapatero to ask for respect for an elected representative of the Spanish people. Minutes after the incident a grim-faced king rose from his seat and stormed out of the forum.

Chavez later threatened to review diplomatic and business ties with former colonial power Spain, a major investor in the region, and demanded a public apology from the king. However, relations have since thawed.

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Majorca Rural - Rural villas with more facilities and easier access can also be found in the surrounding valleys. For around £350, 000 to £500, 000 you can get pretty three- or four-bedroom properties with a garden, pool and mountain or distant sea views – or you can get something large in need of restoration.

If you want a little more excitement, try Soller town. Just 10 minutes from the coast, there are direct trains to Palma and a local population that keeps the place lively and distinctly Majorcan.

The town offers a mix of character properties and newer apartments. Prices range from £200, 000 for two bedrooms to around £400, 000 for something pretty with four or more bedrooms in good condition, and from £110, 000 for new one-bedroom properties. However, the town won't get overcrowded, because the local authority has imposed a ban on planning permission for at least the next few years.

The news has already made buyers move more swiftly. Crawford has seen prospective purchasers lose a property during the time it took them to buy a cup of coffee, but thinks it's good to protect the local area and its character. "People buying here want to be near the coast but also integrate with the locals and enjoy a slower, more peaceful way of life."

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Sóller, Majorca: My kind of town

Sóller is the real thing, a traditional Majorcan town near the sea, embraced by mountains and surrounded by dense woodland.
Why Sóller?

For many years I had a skewed vision of Majorca (sand, sea and sangria), until Sari, my sister's au pair, urged me to visit her home town of Sóller in the island's craggy north-west corner. It was love at first sight and I was captivated by the beauty of the landscape.

It's called the Golden Valley for good reason, an Eden bursting with voluptuous lemons and oranges and rich olive oil the colour of sand. Sóller is the real thing, a traditional Majorcan town near the sea, embraced by the imposing Tramuntana mountains and surrounded by dense woodland.

What do you miss most when you're away?

The raucous frogs beneath my window, a night sky drenched in stars and the scent of citrus blossom in the air.

What's the first thing you do when you return?

Throw on my scruffiest jeans and T-shirt and head to Café Paris in Sóller's Plaça for an espresso and gossip with charismatic owner and friend José.

Anna Nicholas.

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PROPERTIES FOR SALE MAJORCA, IBIZA and MENORCA

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Majorca - Buyers' guide

* For rural properties, such as olivars, the Spanish government will contribute up to 50 per cent of the cost of upgrading facilities and adding solar panels and septic tanks.

* In coastal areas where development has been rampant, including trendy Puerto Andratx and Calvia, the local authorities are under investigation for allegedly granting illegal building licences.

* Property in Majorca is probably legal if it was built more than seven years ago. If it is younger than that, check the deeds thoroughly and make sure the planning permissions are all complete and legal before purchasing.

* A raft of proposals for golf courses, roads and urbanisations caused anti-development demonstrations on Majorca last spring. Plans are now being reviewed, but check that the site of your new home isn't scheduled for future development.

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Casitas or olivars (as they are known when in olive groves), are worth checking out for those who just want a place to get away to. These tiny one- or two-room properties used to be a base for farmers to stay while harvesting their crops.

Crawford says prices are often low because these buildings don't have road access and can't be externally enlarged or altered in any way, though the interiors can be updated, and utilities such as water, septic tanks and solar panels can be installed.

"Some agents tell buyers that you can extend the casitas, but it's not true, " says Crawford. "The local authority will send people out in helicopters looking for anyone breaking the rules and force them to demolish anything illegal."

He says that most olivar buyers like being tucked away on their own land and use them throughout the summer. "The owners often live in cities and want to be isolated when they're here, and artists also buy them as somewhere to escape and work. People think having so much land is hard to manage, but because the climate is so dry, the landscape is pretty low-maintenance."

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PROPERTIES FOR SALE MAJORCA, IBIZA and MENORCA

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Resources: guardian.co.uk | gulfnews.com | iht.com | monarch.co.uk | ICT by ANI | telegraph.co.uk | mallorcasouthwest.com | Laura Latham | theindependent.co.uk |

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