Indeed I can open doors to properties you will not find in our or anyone else’s Web.

Yes, call this an invitation. That is to say to serious people, people with the right Sotogrande attitude and the right money…because I talk about “exclusive”!

When you consider yourself such a person, please do not hesitate in contacting me at my cell: +34 617 386 662, or to write me an email at: info@vanloon-partners.com

Welcome. Adrian van Loon

Tom Jones live in Marbella Puente Romano

In case that you indeed did read the above heading, I admire you. And I thank you for that. You will probably need a drink now. Well, feel invited. It would make it easier for me to explain you this mix of names, events and emotions.

But let me try to help you at least a bit by going back to the summer and my last article. Wow, sorry again, that article I wrote in Spanish; although, I am sure you will understand “my” Spanish.

So, this last one was dedicated to the fantastic victory of the Monjitas polo team (playing in the Dutch orange!) winning the gold cup of the 40^th International Tournament of our Santa Maria Polo Club.

http://www.vanloon-partners.com/388-sotogrande-polo-copa-de-oro-2011-%c2%a1una-fiesta-naranja-las-monjitas-un-gran-campeon.html

Over the last weeks bit by bit the horses have gone, as the players, the patrons, the trucks, the grooms and almost even the flies.

So now, walking my old doggie Moon, mainly at the canchas of the Rio, I see empty fields and look forward to our local tournaments, mostly played at the weekend. So if you are in the area and like polo or just wish to watch it for a while, click at Santa Maria Polo Club for the local calendar. Or give me a call at my cell: 617 386 662.

It would be unfair and far from Soto-realistic to talk about polo without talking also about golf. Please do not forget that we have here in Sotogrande the top of the top in golf courses. What to say for example of Europe’s number one course Valderrama where the preparations already have started for our biggest tournament of the year: the AndalucíaValderrama Masters.

When you read through my other articles you will see that for me also Valderrama is something special. First of all as a golf course, but also as I have been connected to it for so many years, thanks to the close relation with the founder family Ortiz-Patiño, their directors and staff.  Thanks to this warm relation many Dutch company managers could play the course and I still keep a file of pictures of these “global events” initiated by my friend Frans Kriesels from Eindhoven, Holland. (“Frans, I am sure you remember the many crazy parties we survived here. Some people still talk about these crazy Dutch!”)

So if you like golf, or just want to watch the best players on the best course, please organize your agenda and assure that you will be in Sotogrande during the 28^th till the 31^st of October as Valderrama will be the course to walk!

… You want believe that, just when I was writing these words, I got a phone call in from my best friend Kris Huizenga, phoning me from Scotland out of his PGA physio-clinic “truck-saloon”. By now Kris and his wife Carine are on the road towards Madrid for the next PGA tournament and from there they will head to the Algarve and than take the road to Sotogrande where we of course will catch up at Valderrama together with the others friends of the physio team.

Kris Huizenga and Adrian van Loon

But what about all the other names in my headline? What has Tom Jones to do with it?

Well, if you still have some time and patience to read I will tell you. Yes, please feel invited for another drink as I have to go back quite some years. It started when I got the idea to create a blues festival here in Sotogrande. Oh, yes, indeed, I was already active as the president of the Cultural Association of Sotogrande. And I wanted to offer, apart from our series of classical events, also some popular music. It brought me in contact with the “big man” of the best blues festival in Spain, Blues Cazorla and its producer Carlos Espinosa; a contact that resulted in a warm friendship and a series of unforgettable blues nights here in Sotogrande.

With international bands and artists like Dr. Feelgood, The Commitments, Carvin Jones, Classic Clapton and not to forget dynamic lady Lisa Haley.  Together we created an event that for lots of people is still the best Sotogrande had during many summers.

However, money, money, money, (with the permission of Pink Floyd), or in our cultural wording: funds, funds, funds. They grew and grew and than, yes indeed, diminished more and more and, no surprise, the crisis brought them down to cero cents.

So we are back where we once started: at cero. Nevertheless this did not result in taking away also our spirit to continue battling for the cultural climate and integration in this fantastic urbanisation, this American resort, created, designed and developed like parts of LA. Walk Bel Air, or Beverley Hills and walk, skate or bike our main avenue Paseo del Parque and our other avenues, and you will know what I mean.

(Are you interested in property in Sotogrande? Here just some examples. We have a lot more to offer.)

I can offer you some fantastic villas at our main avenue if that would be an extra stimulation to come and have a look at Sotogrande. Of course I would like to show you other property opportunities too. And in case that you, or perhaps some of your friends, would be interested in bigger investments, please do know that I can offer you the best out of the remaining land areas in our surroundings. (Let us make the sky our limit…)

Okay, I know, I can’t stop “selling” this great resort and realize that I am still not where I had to be and talk about: Tom Jones. He might be older now, and he is as he was saying himself, but he still knows how to get people on their feet, dancing, moving and singing his worldwide known SEXbom. He proofed it once again at the concert on the 18^th of August in Puente Romano in Marbella. The setting: the famous tennis court of Manolo Santana and other Wimbledon heroes like Björn Borg.

http://www.puenteromano.com/en/

Carlos Espinosa was the producer of this concert. That is to say, his new company called Riff Productions. We, my wife Neide and I, were invited by Carlos and his productions partners. The ambience was historic; the performance of Tom and his band was filled with memories of the best of the old days, and the after concert hours were filled with mutual wishes, hope and spirit to continue with our series of “Blues Nights” here in Sotogrande.

I will keep you posted on our progress, but if you meanwhile meet people and/or companies willing to support us, you can give me a call the 24 hours of the seven days a week is supposed to have. (How much I would love to have for these cultural affairs more hours a day, or at least more days per week.)

So I hope that you now know what I mean to say with my Sotogrande “after summer” cocktail. And in case I was still not clear enough or you completely lost track, please do not hesitate to call me and ask for a personal explanation. It would give me also the chance to proof why I use for so many years already this lemma: Real Estate is not about property, it’s about people!

Welcome. Adrian van Loon

WELCOME FOR AN AFTER SUMMER COCKTAIL IN SUNNY AND SWEET SOTOGRANDE

You like polo? Or do want to know more about it?:

http://www.santamariapoloclub.com/

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Mar%C3%ADa_Polo_Club

Would you like to read more about the Andalucía Valderrama Masters, the PGA tournaments or the PGA Physio clinic:

http://www.valderrama.com/

http://www.andaluciavalderramamaster.com/

http://www.andaluciamasters.es

http://www.andalucia.org/andalucia-masters-golf/

http://www.europeantour.com/

http://www.europeantour.com/tourgroup/physiomedical/index.html

Watch Tom Jones life in Marbella:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVl0pS4FBao&feature=related

More about Carlos Espinosa, his Riff Productions and their concerts:

http://www.riffmusic.org/

Fiesta naranja en Sotogrande: Las Monjitas campeón de la copa de oro 2011

Espero que me perdone, pero, y aunque me siento ya muchos años muy en casa en esta tierra andaluza, sigo siendo holandés de nacimiento. Y para un holandés el color naranja siempre da una sensación especial. Si miran en este Blog a mis artículos sobre la fiesta de nuestra Reina y por ejemplo el campeonato de futbol de 2010 entienden mis sentimientos. Ayer, sábado 27 de agosto se han jugado en Sotogrande la final de la copa de oro de alto hándicap. Un verdadero espectáculo dentro dos equipos espectaculares que se han jugado “la vida”: Ellerston y Las Monjitas.

Ante-ayer, en la semi-final de mediano dentro Anaconda-Esperanza y Bayswater (el propio equipo de Santa Maria Poloclub, los organizadores de este inolvidable torneo), estábamos dentro los amigos conversando sobre quien sería el ganador de la copa de oro del alto. La mayoría estaba convencido que Ellerston iba a ser el campeón. Tenía mucha lógica, porque tener a Facuno Pieres y su hermano Nico en “topform” la final estaba ya casi ganado.

No obstante, y con mucho respecto para los de Ellerston, aposté por las Monjitas. Porque había visto ya unos formidables partidos de la formación del patrón colombiano, Camilo Bautista y los profesionales argentinos Eduardo Novillo Astrada, Iñaki Laprida y Francisco Elizalde, en este torneo, en que el gran equilibrio y la buena táctica junto con un increíble espíritu ganador abrieron el camino a esta final. No voy a negar que ver a un equipo naranja en la cancha también me da algo de favoritismo, como tampoco puedo negar que el entusiasmo (y los nervios) de mi amiga Carolina, la Alma Mater del equipo, me deja cien por cien objetivo. Por tanto: enhorabuena Ellerston por darnos tanto espectáculo. Y muchas felicidades a Carolina (Carolina: ¡me debes todavía como mínimo una copa de champán!) y a todos las Monjitas. Gracias por ofrecer tanta emoción y por poner Sotogrande de naranja esta tarde y noche.

Gracias también a Santa Maria PoloClub, a todo su equipo, y especialmente a la familia Mora. He visto ya más de veinte años finales aquí, pero nunca con tanto público y con los coches aparcado hasta la carretera nacional. Enhorabuena, es un verdadero merito y un orgullo para todos los “sotograndeños” poder participar en un evento tan grande.

Y unas palabras más para el equipo que llegó a ser tercero, Richard Mille y su patrón Bahran Jeffrey: Bahran entiendo tu decepción, pero ha sido un placer tenerte jugando otra vez aquí. Quedamos con la ilusión que llegará pronto una nueva oportunidad… el año que viene está a la esquina ¡Hasta entonces!

www.omsportstv.com <http://www.omsportstv.com/>

Para más información: Pilar de la Puente ppuente@omsports.com

www.santamariapoloclub.com

Para más información: Gonzalo Etcheverry  prensa@santamariapoloclub.com

La Bocha by Snoopy Polo

For example we are having also many golf tournaments on our beautiful courses. And what to say about our big sailing event organised last weekend by our Real Club Maritimo?

To see another year the streets of Sotogrande “packed” with people and cars, motors and bikes, buggies and blades, is exiting but also stressing, especially for full year residents.

Having my daily breakfast in one of our many “morning bars”, or even when walking our doggie Moon in our normal peaceful lanes, I get to hear all kind of comments and critics about this busy Sotogrande. I keep on explaining that this is part of our summer fever, an excitement we sometimes miss in the winter when we walk “alone” but at the same moment something we are happy about when it is over again and we get back to “normal”.

For who is living all year in Sotogrande the summer is a mix of emotions, but for most of the permanent residents luckily still a pleasant experience; perhaps since we all know that it is only for a few weeks?

Our unbelievable views towards Gibraltar and Morocco

In case you like to “beach” when we are alone again!

http://todoregatas.com

http://todoregatas.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5519%3Aespana-xii-copa-sotogrande-bmw&catid=1%3Aregatas&Itemid=89&lang=es

http://www.rcms.es/club/maritimo/menu/index.html

We were celebrating his third silver cup in la Cancha Dos, the fantastic and always fully booked restaurant located at Ayala’s polo fields, and in past years also the venue of the popular Sotogrande Blues Nights organized by the Cultural Association of Sotogrande of which I am the president as you may know. (I will come back on our cultural activities.)

We are having another unbelievable polo summer here. Santa Maria’s 40^th birthday has brought us over a thousand horses and a selection of the best horses and players. Therefore: if you love polo like I do, or just want to have a nice afternoon, come to Sotogrande, I guarantee you that you will enjoy it!

A special PS to congratulate Jejo:

After the long night we had with the whole team in Cancha Dos, during the final of the high goal he replaced Ayala’s injured Martin Espain halfway the third chukker. Jejo played again a great game although lost in the last seconds from Bahar Jeffri and his Richard Mille team, a 40 yards scored by Pablo MacDonough.

Would you like to read more about polo and the fantastic tournament Santa Maria has organized, here you have a couple of links that give lots to read and watch:

Jejo Taranco and little Santino: all happiness after winning the Silver Cup

www.omsportstv.com <http://www.omsportstv.com/>

http://www.santamariapoloclub.com/

http://www.labocha.com/

Fotos gracias a La Bocha by Snoopy Polo:

http://www.labocha.com/galeria-multimedia/fotogaleria/2011-sotogrande-espana-anaconda-esperanza-se-adjudico-la-copa-de-plata-valecuatro-en-el-torneo-de-mediano-handicap?nggpage=2