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/

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

Let the sky be your limit!

Although one can say a lot of things about Spain that are –still- not in order or could be done better, there is one point in this country that always will be positive and attractive: the weather, especially in the south of Spain where I am based now for almost twenty five years.

Regularly I write and talk about this “matter of weather”, as one easily seems to forget here how important it is for the Spanish national product and how the –good- weather can be of influence in the life of for example northern europeans.

I myself was such a person. Born and brought up in Holland getting older I more and more noticed how the Dutch weather was of influence on my mood and emotions. As you probably know and although Holland is a beautiful country, its weather is not particularly attractive.

But I don’t want to write a weather forecast here, these comments are meant to connect the nice weather in our area to some unique investment opportunities.

Once you agree that good weather is the number one reason for a holiday or a new residence destination, we can concentrate on the other qualities of this area. Although founded in the sixties it took almost till the mid nineties before Sotogrande really got known around the world. Before it was like a pearl, secretly hidden by and kept for a relative small group of wealthy financial and important political people. The Ryder Cup of 1997 at Valderrama put us for once and ever publicly on the map as one of the top residential and holiday resorts in the world.

What about turning the sky into your investment?

Saying so, and taking into consideration our direct surroundings, like having Marbella and Gibraltar next door, plus the port of Algeciras and the beauty of our hinterland, makes it more than worth to start thinking -again- about the possible investment value of this area.

I know and agree, Spain is passing difficult economic moments, but which country not? I have seen and experienced such moments here before, in the beginning of the nineties, but I have seen simular difficulties also in other countries, like in my own Holland for example.

I always have had a strong believe in the qualtity and future of this area. And I still have this believe, also nowadays. That is why I keep on trying to create interest for investments in this area. We all know that, when we talk about investments, we have one main factor to take into consideration: time. The factor time or better said: timing is probably the most important key to assure a return on an investment.

My doggie Moon now almost for fourteen years helping to find the best country sides.

In my past in Holland I have formed part of various management teams planning national and international business operations and strategies. I know about time and timing. With pleasure I will give you my timing for a series of investment opportunities that I can offer you in this area. I talk about serious investments and therefore serious money, to lead you for example to the best pieces of land (to 300 hectares up) left here at the coast. Or for example to interesting available office spaces and commercial sites (7.000m2).

Only minutes away from Sotogrande waiting for investors with vision.

Real estate is not about property, it is about people, is one of my popular and known slogans/statements. In this particular investment case I would like to add: …And it is about the people you talk to: +34 617 386 662. Adrian van Loon

Sunset at a horizon that could become yours.

SOTOGRANDE'S FEBRUARY SUMMER A DREAM FOR MANY.

Living and working already for so many years in the best place in southern Spain, one easily forgets how on sunny “winter” days with a temperature of twenty or more degrees, guests and friends from northern Europe enjoy it as a real summer.
Thanks to this fantastic weather I got recently various visits from clients-guests and friends from northern Europe and they made me once more aware of what it means to have this generous climate.
Of course we do have rain, and sometimes even quite a lot, but in general this part of Spain offers a very pleasant and sunny climate.
I will never forget that, I believe it was even in my first year of permanent residence in Sotogrande, we had from the first of January till almost the end of February every day a blue sky with sun and temperatures of more than twenty degrees.
I indeed thought that I had won a place in paradise.
Not that I now do not enjoy this nice weather as much as before. I love to live in the sun, but let us say that I am more aware of this privilege when I am surrounded by people who, like this February, enjoy their stay here as they are having a real summer holiday.
This time of the year during our mornings and late afternoons and evenings the temperature can drop to as “low” as six-seven degrees, but mid morning and during the day it warms quite often up to seventeen-twenty degrees or more. This, most of the days combined with sunshine, converts of course our place and area in a very desirable destination.

Talking as such about our climate and weather I do not have to forget to thank Trond Ola Tilseth, a young Norwegian journalist for his nice article about Sotogrande and me in the Norwegian magazine called “Bolig”. When you can read Norwegian and do have the chance to get a December copy of this magazine you will find on the pages 76-79 an interesting article from Trond’s hand, called “Sotogrande, De Rikes Skjulested”.
Trond contacted me after my public comments in El Mundo and other publications about the growing confusion on the real Sotogrande.
My comments had mainly to do with the fact that “Mens Marbella er et sted for a se og blisett, er Sotogrande det helt motsatte. Her soker millionaerene diskresjon og privatliv mens de koser seg med golf og polo”.
In simpler words, yes in Sotogrande we do prefer our privacy and peace and we certainly do not want to be exposed in a jetset scenery as some photographers and journalists would like you to believe.

And what did I do more than enjoying with my clients and friends the sunny Sotogrande February days? Well, meanwhile I have also been a few weeks in northern California. In some of the articles in this blog you can read that my daughter Anna lives at the north of Sacramento, in an area that reminds a lot of our surroundings here.
Anna grew up in Sotogrande, however graduated in the States and married Andy Ventura, American and mortgage broker at Paramount Equity in Roseville (aventura@paramountequity.com).
So I am pretty well backed overthere, as the rest of Andy’s family is also active for many years in real estate and property finance.
Although Anna is also licensed as real estate and loan officer in California, some years ago she decided to become a teacher of mentally handicapped children and she is now working at the Sierra School in Sacramento.  Have a look if you wish at Mrs. “V” as her students call her and please do not forget the (finanancial) support this effort in education deserves. (http://www.sierra-school.com/).
I invite all of you to support schools and institutions like this one; they do such an incredible job and cannot receive enough (financial) support.

Of course, I always do, I used my time also to ”inspect and compare”, as you are never too old to learn as one says. I like California, I like the American style of developing resorts, and driving and walking around I can see where Sotogrande’s infrastructural qualities come from. (That is probably why as well my daughter as I feel at home on these both parts of the world.)
And now we are talking about development, once again I have seen that the way they built houses in the States is not only much faster, but in many aspects still much better than the way we built here in Spain.
Yes, there is a lot to learn in the world and once again I realize(d) that I/we still have a mission regarding the improvement of building here in Spain.
(In one of my next articles I will come back on this issue.)

This time I promised not to mention only my daughter as family member, but to talk also about my nephew Ewout van Loon, who some years ago, after studying in the States, decided to change Fort Lauderdale for Madrid, just at the moment that my daughter Anna decided to move from the Saint Louis University in Madrid (http://spain.slu.edu/) to the university of Reno in Nevada (http://www.unr.edu/).
As they both have the same age, with only a week difference, and as babies have been born next door to each other, for me it almost felt as changing a daughter for a son there in Madrid.
To complete his studies in business and information technology I managed to get Ewout into IBM, thanks to my good friend Marco Perotti, IBM project executive and president of ”Veïns de L’Alfás”, an organization based in the area of Alicante founded to defend people against urban planning abuses.
(http://www.paialfaz.org/index.php?lang=en)
Apart from this family feeling towards Ewout I was hoping that I could convince him to become my future ”Van Loon” real estate partner in Madrid.
However and after proofing his talents inside IBM Ewout decided not to stay in Madrid but to try his luck in the ”new” world, called China.
Here he started in 2007 successfully a software company in Hong Kong and Chengdu with now 30 employees building web applications mainly for the European market.
Via his own Blog and newsletters Ewout is now even teaching me and many others about Internet and useful new applications. If you think Ewout could be of any “chinese” help do not hesitate to contact him (http://ewoutvanloon.com/)

A UNIQUE SOTOGRANDE VILLA WAITING FOR YOUR NEXT FEBRUARY SUMMER

I think this is for now enough about me and my world wide based family and friends, as you might forget that I would very much like to help you finding the right property in Sotogrande and that we have got in a couple of new and very interesting villas, although not all listed in our Web http://www.sotogranderesidences.com, since some owners do not wish to see their homes publicly exposed. That is why I always say to people that our Web only reflects an impression of the properties we can offer, and that is why I would like to repeat that the best way of guiding you to the right property in Sotogrande is contacting us directly, by phone: 956 794 724, or by email at: info@vanloon-partners.com. It will be a pleasure to help you.

AN EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO OWN A VILLA AT THE BEACH IN SOTOGRANDE