Cárdenas Real Estate

United Arab Emirates businessman and owner of Manchester City Football Club, Sulaiman Al Fahim, is in Gran Canaria this week acording to a report in the La Provincia newspaper.

The visit is a preliminary tour organised by local businessman Samuel Yebra, director general of Grupo Rumancan, ahead of an official trade visit in early 2014. Al Fahim is thought to be interested in a range of investment projects in Gran Canaria including the acquisition of existing luxury properties for rental and the development of new projects such as large hotels.

In 2014 the delegations are to explore high-end real estate projects in Gran Canaria in more detail. According to the report, Sulaiman Al Fahim’s holdings in Spain already include high-end real estate projects controlled by his Royal Group of Companys and its investors.

His Excellency Sulaiman Abdul Al-Fahim is one of the world’s most influential Arab businessmen and is currently the president of the Arab Union for Real Estate Development (AURD) as well as the founder and board member of Hydra Properties, a major developer of residential, commercial and mixed use properties in the UAE.

During Sulaiman Al Fahim’s visit he is also expected to discuss how Canarian businessmen can contribute their experience in the tourism sector to his ambitious development projects in the Middle East.

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The sports complex planned for Arguineguín

An investment group is planning a €400m sport and leisure complex in Arguineguín, Gran Canaria. The project has been mooted for several years but now seems to be gathering momentum again, according to this report in the Norwegian press. (más…)

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Another sunny day in south Gran Canaria

Spend a few days in Gran Canaria and someone will tell you that the Canary Islands get the best weather in the world. Look up at the blue sky and you’ll probably agree with them. But is it true? While it’s definitely sunny in Gran Canaria most of the time it takes more than sunshine to make good weather. We’ve tracked down the facts behind the myth and here’s what we discovered:

The Evidence

Gran Canaria’s capital Las Palmas is the city with the “most pleasant”weather in the world, according to a study by Thomas Whitmore, manager of the climatological research department at the University of Syracuse, published in 1996. Las Palmas came top out of 600 cities in the study. (más…)

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Scandinavians want sunny terraces in Gran Canaria

Booming demand for quality accommodation in Gran Canaria, especially amongst affluent Scandinavians, has created a huge investment opportunity in Gran Canaria. In fact, demand now exceeds supply buy 50,000 beds, according to Thomas Cook Northern Europe Director Nils Melander

The famous travel company has diverted 50,000 Scandinavian tourists away from Gran Canaria this winter due to a lack of quality accommodation. With demand set to keep growing thanks to the improving European economy over the next few years, the problem can only get worse.

Melander recently highlighted the long-term demand for quality beds in Gran Canaria: He said that the strong demand for holidays in Gran Canaria was due to the dry, warm climate, short-flight times and overall popularity of the island rather than external factors such as the Egyptian crisis.

Thomas Cook currently works with 170 accommodation providers in Gran Canaria, ranging from large hotels to small complexes with only ten rooms. Melander stated that it was struggling to find new partners with facilities that matched the expectations of its Scandinavian clients. He said that clients did not expect luxury but wanted a large, sunny terrace and things like a kettle in their rooms.

Thomas Cook’s Nordic manager Magnus Wikner underlined the island’s popularity,saying “trends come and go, but Gran Canaria is here to stay”. The island’s strong marketing efforts have established it as a favourite in the Nordic market but Melander believes that the island must invest strongly to make up for the lack of beds. Above all, he believes that the island needs small- and medium-sized quality hotels as this is where the demand lies.

Bookings for the Canary Islands are up 7% this season in the Canary Islands and Melander expects them to rise by a further 3% to 10% next year. Of the 500,000 Scandinavians that visit the Canaries every year, 350,000 choose Gran Canaria while 150.000 go to Tenerife and 15.000 to Fuerteventura.

Demand for quality accommodation in Gran Canaria has saturated the market and is set to keep rising. It’s a huge investment opportunity for companies and individuals alike. If you want to invest in real estate or holiday accommodation in sunny Gran Canaria, then now is the time to do it.

Source article here

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Arguineguín in south Gran Canaria is great mixture of local town and international community. In recent years it’s also become a Norwegian enclave in the sunshine during the winter.

Minister Karl Hjelmeland of the Norwegian Seamen´s Church on Gran Canaria

3000 Norwegians live in Arguineguín all year round and another 5000 overwinter. Gran Canaria is Norway’s favourite sunshine destination and during the winter 80 flights per week shuttle people back and forth. Of a population of five million, 400,000 Norwegians come to Gran Canaria every year.

To cater to this influx, the Norwegian Church Abroad has established a chapel and cafeteria in Arguineguín. They chose a great location on the seafront promenade just by the beach and the whole set-up is fantastic. This year is an important one for the Sjomannskirken in Gran Canaria as it celebrates its 25th anniversary.

To find out more about the Norwegian community in Gran Canaria and its impressive church we interviewed minister Karl Hjelmeland. He has been in Gran Canaria for two years after spending three years in Lanzarote. Karl left Norway as he fancied a change of scenery and is clearly a huge Gran Canaria fan.

We asked Karl why Gran Canaria is so popular in Norway and he told us that it isn’t just because of the weather and the warm sea. The island’s quality healthcare system and clinics are a huge bonus to retired people, while everyone likes walking in the mountains and forests.

While you’ll never get a Norwegian to boast it is clear that Karl and the team behind the Church are proud of their organisation: They are right to be! The church and its attached café are the island’s most important meeting point for Norwegians: Together they got over 100,000 people through the door last year.

The church, staffed by two ministers year-round and a third during the winter, celebrates 150 weddings per year. The chapel holds regular services and ceremonies but during the winter the Sunday service takes place in the Arguineguín Catholic Church as there isn’t room for the 400-strong congregation. It also operates a 24-hour support service in place for anyone who needs help on the island.

Staffed by volunteers the café serves waffles, sandwiches and coffee to a constant stream of smiling visitors. In true Scandinavian style everything is understated and informal: You serve yourself and can sit on the promenade or indoors. Everyone is welcome and the waffles and open sandwiches are delicious.

The Norwegian church is a great example of how Gran Canaria has become a cosmopolitan destination where everyone is welcome. If you are in Arguineguín and feel like doing something a bit different, then pop in to the Sjomannskirken and say hello.

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Invest & Enjoy Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria is putting it best foot forward and promoting itself as a second home destination across northern Europe with the logo “Invest & Enjoy Gran Canaria”. The island’s Chamber of Commerce and its best estate agencies, including Cárdenas of course, are uniting to advertise the island with one voice.

The main message of Invest & Enjoy is that Gran Canaria is a safe and healthy place to own a second home or a holiday property. The island’s superb weather and beaches, unspoiled mountains and wide range of amenities make it the perfect place to spend your free time.

Invest & Enjoy also focuses on Gran Canaria’s high-standard of healthcare, from its quality hospitals and private clinics to its world class spas and thalassotherapy centres.

Historically Gran Canaria has at the crossroads of international trade and travel for 1000 years. With Invest & Enjoy the island plans to continue to attract people from all over the world to enjoy its sunny weather and relaxed atmosphere.

Here at Cárdenas we think that Invest & Enjoy is a fantastic initiative and look forward to contributing our knowledge and efforts to make sure that everyone knows the benefits of owning a holiday home on our island. We meet so many happy Swedish and Norwegian visitors every year, along with people from all over Europe, that we know that if we tell people about Gran Canaria, they will come.

If you dream of evening walks by the beach, leisurely lunches in the open air and 12-months of sunny weather, then come and Invest & Enjoy Gran Canaria.

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The view from Pico de las Nieves, GRAN CANARIA

With 256 kilometres of coastline and a highpoint 1949 metres above sea level Gran Canaria is landscape heaven. But what are the top places to experience the best views on our beautiful island. Here are five of our favourites:

The Mirador El Balcon

The viewpoint at El Balcón just north of La Aldea de San Nicolas on the west coast is breathtaking. It hangs right on the edge of the cliffs with the Dragon’s Tail to the south and steep cliffs of Anden Verde to the north. You can see all the way to the fishing villages of Puerto de las Nieves and Sardina in the far north west. (más…)

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