About BarcelonaMarbella Eiendom
Area description Catalonia
Our partner Casa Daurada
Practictical information
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Area description
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Click for Larger view of Map of Barcelona Region and our promotions in Costa Brava and Costa Dorada
Barcelona:
Barcelona is the dynamic and exciting capital of the distinctive Spanish province of Catalonia, which has its own language (a mix between Spanish and French) and interesting culture. The city has approximately 1,5 million inhabitants and was recently named one of the 50 most interesting places in the world by National Geographics. The people are at least as friendly as the rest of the Spaniards and the general knowledge of English is quite acceptable. Click here to see a map of the area.

The impressive church La Sagrada Familia in BarcelonA The cultural heritage of Barcelona is not easily matched by any European city. It is quite impressive to experience unreal buildings, great plazas, and one of the worlds' nicest harbours in a city completely in lack of arrogance. Many artists have spent important years in the city which have greatly inspired their work. Malaga's proud son, Pablo Picasso, and Miro were painters who spent large parts of their lives in Barcelona. However, the pride of Barcelona is the famous architect Gaudi who is responsible for many amazing buildings all over the city. The most famous masterpiece is the soon to be half finished church Sagrada Familia (the sacred family) which does resemble any church you have seen before. It has already been under construction for generations and will probably not be finished for generations to come. This church and other Gaudi monuments such as Casa Milá and Casa Batlló along the majestic avenue Paseo de Gracia, are very popular tourist attractions. The famous pedestrian street La Rambla stretches from the city's most important plaza, Plaza Cataluña, and down to the harbour where they built Europe's only floating entertainment area. Here you will experience hectic activity day and night with artists, street vendors and street restaurants (although they are somewhat touristified…).

The magic fountain by the Montjuic Palace in Barcelona From the traffic hub Plaza de España you can walk to the National Museum which is located in the National Palace. On the plaza in front of this grand building, you will find the “Magic Fountains” where a spectacular fountainshow takes place every half hour every other day. The show includes fantastic colourful lighting and effectful music, which will impress the most experienced traveller.

Barcelona hosted the Olympics in 1992 and several impressive athlete parks bear proof of this succesful event. The football stadium Camp Nou is a sacred place for Catalonians and the Barcelona players are treated like gods by most people in the city. In addition, the theatres, museums, tapas bars, and restaurants make it almost impossible to be bored for a second in this lively city. If you get bored of strolling around in the city, it is good to know that the city has nice beaches within walking distance from all the attractions.

Lagoon between Lloret and TossaCosta Brava:
The coast, which stretches from about 40 kilometres north of Barcelona and to the French border, is called Costa Brava, or the brave coast. The most important city in this area is Girona with slightly less than 100.000 inhabitants, which also has an international school (St. George College).

The coast is quite similar to the French Riviera with mountains that stretches all the way to the ocean creating nice lagunes with intimate and romantic sandy beaches. Along the coast there are many nice villages and small towns with typical Spanish atmosphere where developers are constructing quality apartment complexes and townhouses, which blend well with the existing real estate. Our projects are concentrated in the area from Blanes to Playa de Aro (Platja d'Aro). More specifically, this includes the coastal towns Blanes, Lloret de Mar, Tossa de Mar, Sta. Cristina d'Aro, and Playa de Aro which are located about one hour northeast of Barcelona. Click for a map of the area.

Costa Brava is a very attractive and fascinating area, which we believe will be very popular with the international house buyers in the next year. The property prices are still acceptable and it will be possible to make good investments here in the next few years. In particular, the coast from Blanes to Palamos is interesting and is less influenced by the mistral winds in the winter than the areas further north. The area has also fostered many great artists. The most famous is probably the painter Salvador Dali who was born in Figueres and who lived most of his life in the picturesque village Cadaques. We offer several interesting projects in this area.

Beach on Costa Dorada Costa Dorada:
The coast southwest of Barcelona is called Costa Dorada, or the golden coast. The most important city in this area is Tarragona with approximately 100.000 inhabitants. The area is relatively flat with great beaches with fine grained golden sand (hence the name Dorada). This area has long been a popular summer spot for inland Spaniards. The foreigners are increasingly opening their eyes on this area and the capital has started to flow in from large international corporations. The US company Universal Studios has built on of Europe's largest theme parks, Port Ventura, outside the town Salou only 45 minutes to the south of Barcelona. This company will continue investing in this park which contains attractions only seen in the US. In particular, Europe's only 8 loop roller coaster is one of many thrilling attractions.

Our projects in this area are situated about one hour southwest of Barcelona close to the towns Torredembarra, Altafulla, Salou, and Miami Playa. Our partner Casa Daurada also has several city projects in Barcelona and centrally in the coastal towns. On our website we focus on the beach complexes and the family oriented holiday homes. We could also sell these projects to interested clients.

Live weatherClimate:
The climate in the area is a bit cooler than on the Costa del Sol. This is particularly true during the winters when the temperature swings between 7 and 10 degrees. If the mistral winds are blowing you will probably dream of the wonderful sun in the Marbella-area. However, the winters never last for more than a few months and the summers are as nice as further south although it rains slightly more. The average annual temperature is about 16 degrees Celsius (3-4 degrees lower than Malaga), which is quite acceptable to freezing souls further north and not more than . Click the weather button to see how the sun shines in Barcelona right now and the days ahead.

Golfing in the Barcelona Region Golf & Beaches:
There are about 20 golf courses in the Catalonian coastal region north and south of Barcelona. Several of these are very good and the greenfees vary between ESP 4-10.000. In fact, Costa Brava was just awarded a prize for "Best Emerging Golf Destination" by the International Association for Golf Tour Operators. Memberships cost between ESP 1-2 million vary but several clubs have waiting lists. Most of the clubs are organized with share ownerships, and in some of them you will have to be recommended by a member to be allowed to purchase shares. However, it is seldom a problem to get greenfee times although some of the courses have limited greenfee play. There are many golf projects underway, and in a few years there will probably be twice as many courses in the region. Click here for an overview of the golf courses in the Barcelona area.

Beach bar by Tossa de Mar, Costa Brava The beachlife is like any other place in Spain; simply great. Costa Dorada (south of Barcelona) has flat terrain with lovely beaches with great golden sand and child friendly swimming conditions, Temperaturewise, swimming is comfortable from May to November, but if you can handle 14 to 18 degrees, you could enjoy a refreshing swim basically all year. Costa Brava (north of Barcelona) has many secluded beaches in lagoons formed by the cliffs reaching all the way to the ocean. The water is not as shallow as further south but it is still quite child friendly. There are several scenic paths along the coast, which will take you to uncrowded lagoons. Also, several boat charters from the towns have service along the coast several times a day in the summer.

Mountain landscape in the PyreneesCatalonia and leisure activities:
If you get bored with the culture of Barcelona, the beaches, and golfing, the Pyrenees just a few hours driving from Barcelona offer great skiing and fantastic hiking. The ski systems are not as large as in the Alps, but they are the best in Spain. The largest town in the mountain region is Lleida which is the gateway to most of the ski resorts. Those who like inexpensive shopping, could drive to the tax paradise Andorra where bargains are easy to find.

The boat enthusiasts have great conditions in this costal region. The coast is fantastic especially in Costa Brava with many exciting secluded areas. It is relatively simple to get space for your boat in the coastal towns, which have good marinas.

The wine district in the Barcelona area is Penedes which is particularly known for great white wines and sparkling wines such as the internationally known Freixenet brand. Many wine farms have winetasting and some of them even offer rooms to let. In this area a bit southwest of Barcelona, you will also find the village of Montserrat with a church said to have mysterious healing powers. Many people go to Montserrat with the hopes of experiencing this mysterious force. If you feel like driving a bit further, it is not too far to enter the valleys where they cultivate the great Spanish rioja and Ribera del Duero wines. France is only a few hours to the north and if you continue a couple hours more you will find yourself in the heart of the beautiful Provence.

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Our partner

Our partner Casa DauradaThe promotor Casa Daurada:
Our partner Casa Daurada is the largest builder on the coast north and south of Barcelona. This reknowned company has existed about 20 years and builds quality homes which until now have been marketed with a domestic focus. The latest projects are developed with the international market in mind with emphasis on good distributions, size and location.

The company is solid and cooperates with the largest banks in Europe with respect to the financing of the projects. All the projects are bank guaranteed and the instalments are secured in the construction periods. The company are known for keeping the construction schedule and completion delays are rare. The main office is in Barcelona, but it also has several regional offices in the coastal towns. Like Marbella Eiendom, the Casa Daurada marketing division is dedicated to customer satisfaction and our clients are closely followed up during the purchasing process, both before and after the purchase.


Our projects:
Our projects on this coastline are located about one hour north and south of Barcelona. They all have high standard and great location close to the beaches. On our Project Pages we promote 6 projects, which we feel are suitable for the international market. In Costa Brava, we sell projects in Blanes, Tossa de Mar, and Sta. Cristina d'Aro. In Costa Dorada, we sell 3 projects in Altafulla and Miami Playa. Our partner Casa Daurada has about twenty other projects on the coast, which are based in towns and in typical Spanish beach complexes. We will also promote these projects to interested clients. Click here to view our main projects.

Purchasing Process:
The purchasing process is the same in Catalonia and in Marbella. See our General Info pages for detailed information on the process. In short, if you find an object you would like to buy, you will pay a reservation deposit, which varies from ESP 500.000 to 1 million. After 10 days, the initial payment of 25% of the purchasing price will be made and the option contract to buy is signed. Usually, there will be no more payments until the project is finished, but sometimes 30% would have to installed during the construction period. The final payment is made upon completion when the deed is signed at the local Notary. We could provide lawyers who will represent you legally in the purchase. Casa Daurada and Marbella will also give you a tight follow up during the entire purchasing process.

Loan Facilities:
All projects we sell are bank guaranteed and they are usually financed through large Spanish and international banks such as La Caixa, Banco Atlantico, and Deutsche Bank. Each project offers financing of about 60-80% of the purchase price at favourable Euro interest rates. We can also facilitate loans from other banks than those financing the project.

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Practical information

Inspection trips:
If you are considering buying a property in France or elsewhere in Spain, the Barcelona coast could be something to consider. If you would like to view properties in this area, contact us and we will arrange appointments with our local salespeople.. You will need one day per coast and you should therefore have two days available for inspections if you would like to consider both Costa Brava and Costa Dorada. An inspection could easily be combined with a wonderful long weekend in Barcelona. Simply tell us when you will come to Barcelona, and we will arrange the inspection. We can help in finding accommodation in Barcelona, and we could also arrange for pick up at the airport.

Planes:
It is easy to get to Barcelona. Most airline companies fly directly from the major European cities several times a day. Taxi is the simplest way of getting from the airport to Barcelona centre. It will cost about ESP 2.000 and takes about 20 minutes. You could also take the train from the airport to Plaza Catalonia, which is in the middle of Barcelona. This costs ESP 350 and takes 20 minutes as well. There are also buses from the airport but this is neither the quickest nor the cheapest way of getting downtown.

Useful Links:
Below you will find some useful links to websites relating to Bacelona and the coast in general.
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Jan Aaseth
Phone/Fax: (+47) 22503012
Mobile: (+47) 97121313 / 91754607
E-mail: info@spainliving.com