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It’s a partnership that shares a great passion for Spain, Sotogrande and sport, and the club has changed its name in recognition of the support and undertaken a marketing campaign to promote its new brand identity. Holmes Sotogrande and Holmes Sotogrande Club de Rugby del Estrecho strive to achieve success in all areas of their endeavours, which is why both are leaders in their own fields within the region.

The extensive range of sports and high quality of the facilities available in Sotogrande form a large part of why people visit and move to live in this beautiful part of Andalucía. Sailing, polo and golf have all long been associated with the resort town, and each of the activities has established top quality venues and events here, including the world renowned Valderrama Golf course.

Now rugby union is part of this offering, and Holmes Sotogrande is proud to be involved with such an important part of the Sotogrande community. Holmes Sotogrande Club de Rugby Del Estrecho is a lively social club that works with local schools and attracts players and fans from many neighbouring towns. Girls and women are part of the club’s expanding plans, which include competing in female seven’s tournaments and the set up of a full 15-girl squad.

The sports club’s extensive rebranding project has involved a redesign of its official shield and marketing material, including social media promotions, sponsored shirts and an interesting series of printed postcard mailings that celebrate Holmes Sotogrande’s 40 years in business.

2019 has been a very special year for Holmes Sotogrande, as the agency celebrates forty years of working closely with buyers to find their perfect home in the area. From the very start, founders Ian and Jackie Bateman, and their late business partner Miguel Preysler, have promoted the unique and wonderful lifestyle that exists in Sotogrande. The Bateman family has always been actively involved in the local sports scene and Ben Bateman, the second generation owner of the company, was a keen rugby player in his schooldays.

“We have been commemorating our 40th anniversary,” Ben has stated. “We wanted to give something more back to the community, and increasing our sponsoring of the Club de Rugby del Estrecho seemed the perfect way.”

About Holmes
Holmes Property Sales is Sotogrande’s longest established property agency; located at the heart of the residential estate, the company is able to provide a knowledgeable and professional service to those interested in Sotogrande real estate.

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Holmes Sotogrande is marking its 40^th anniversary with being the official sponsor of the HOLMES SOTOGRANDE CLUB DE RUGBY DEL ESTRECHO – the leaders of the game in this part of southern Spain.

For Holmes Sotogrande, 2019 is a very special year, for it marks 40 uninterrupted years of finding people homes in this region and helping them to enjoy the unique quality of life Sotogrande and surroundings have to offer. Throughout this time, the company has become an integral part of the local community, with founders Ian and Jackie Bateman raising their family here and their late business partner, Miguel Preysler, being actively involved in the local sports scene.

“Sport is in the blood of this community, and not only in the form of golf, polo and sailing,” says Ben Bateman, who is now the second-generation Bateman in charge of the company and himself a keen rugby player in his schooldays. “We have been commemorating our 40^th anniversary in collaboration with local newspaper El Periódico, releasing a new classic Sotogrande photo in postcard form every week, which has been very well received, but we wanted to give something more back to the community, and increasing our sponsoring of the Club de Rugby del Estrecho seemed the perfect way.”

Holmes Sotogrande Club de Rugby del Estrecho
Holmes Sotogrande will from this summer onwards be the shirt sponsor of the club that will bear its name. “The club has a great vibe, with club principal Davíd Arias and new coach Phil Nilsen doing so much to make it grow and prosper. The focus is on taking the first tea

m up to the next division this coming season, while building up the quantity and quality of our teams all the way to juniors at entry level. This also applies to the inclusion of girls, and while we will be competing in a female seven’s tournament the aim is to get a full 15-girl squad together.”

The ambitions are there, but this will always remain a highly sociable, friendly club rooted in the local community, working with schools in the area, drawing fans and players from Sotogrande and the neighbouring towns, and promoting the sportsmanship, character building and healthy exercise aspects that make rugby such a great sport.

“We thank Holmes Sotogrande for its enthusiastic support,” says Davíd Arias, “and the town hall of San Roque for providing the club with a wonderful, dedicated sports centre with excellent facilities.” For the Holmes Sotogrande Club de Rugby del Estrecho the future looks bright!

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The partnership bore fruit, and in no time the pioneering firm born out of a tourism business began to make an impact, not just in selling properties in Sotogrande but in its overall promotion to an international high net worth audience. Great opportunities for this were the 1982 FIFA World Cup held in Spain, when Ian Bateman personally arranged for the Scottish national football team to practise and stay within the peace and tranquillity of Sotogrande. Many would later come back to visit in a private capacity.

Another great moment was the 1997 Ryder Cup, one of the most legendary moments in the competition’s long history and also a high point for Sotogrande, whose manicured Valderrama course hosted the event. Holmes Sotogrande was there, as it was for each and every one of the highlights of the past 40 years, offering a continuity of personal service and professionalism, not to mention the integrity of a family run business, throughout good and bad times. “Over the past 40 years alone Sotogrande S.A. has changed hands several times, but Holmes has been here throughout.”

A new generation takes the helm
With Ben Bateman taking over as head of the business, a second generation adds its enthusiasm and modern ways to a company rooted in solid business ethics and old-fashioned client-orientated business, ensuring that Holmes Sotogrande evolves with the times whilst also remaining true to its founding principles. “Sotogrande is evolving too,” says Ben, “it is a work in progress, and Holmes has been there for much of its evolution from the original founding of the resort in 1962. As elsewhere, it has had its ups and downs, but I believe we find ourselves in a very exciting phase of Sotogrande’s history, and one in which we as a firm will continue to offer our personal support, marketing expertise and also local knowledge as both professionals working in Sotogrande and long-time residents living here.”

To celebrate 40 years in business as part of the fabric of this community, Holmes Sotogrande will be issuing a series of #Detodalavida postcards in the local El Periodico de Sotogrande newspaper that relive the past 40 years in this beautiful part of the world through original images and the listing of highlights from each year. We look forward to sharing this with residents, clients and those interested in buying property in Sotogrande, so look out for the El Periodico de Sotogrande newspaper of foloow this series of unique, historic postcards on our website and our social media pages, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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It is with great sadness that we find ourselves writing of the passing of Miguel. He passed away on the 17th November after a short but brave fight against cancer at the age of just 68.

Miguel and his wife Amparo joined us in the Holmes Group, when together we set up “Holmes Property Sales S.L.” as a specialist property sales company, in 1985 and we were then partners for the following 26 years until Miguel retired from Holmes at the end of 2011.

We first met Miguel back in 1978 when along with some friends from the UK we bought a Casas Cortijo apartment. As a result of this purchase we soon decided that we wished to set up a management company to look after and rent the apartments in the Casas Cortijo complex to complement our travel business in the UK by selling golf holidays in Sotogrande, using these apartments and Las Aves Golf Club (now Real Club de Golf Valderrama) as the accommodation.

Miguel and Ian present prizes at one of the numerous putting competitions Holmes held during the 90s

Miguel as the general manager of Financiera Sotogrande helped greatly to achieve this, by assisting in getting permission from Joseph Mimicking and then arranging for us to have the use of an office space in the clubhouse of Las Aves in 1979. We will always remember this as what can be said to be the foundation of our 40 years of life in Sotogrande.

Not only was Miguel our business partner for 26 years, during this time he regained the incredible ability for golf he had nurtured in his youth in the Philippines. Having represented the Philippines internationally with great success when young and a student he then managed to replicate that achievement, after gaining Spanish nationality, by representing Spain internationally. This was not just once but over more than 20 years from the mid amateurs through to the seniors. He did not just represent Spain but competed individually and achieved great success by gaining no less than five National mid-amateur, four national senior amateur and a European senior amateur championships. His sporting ability was not limited to golf but he was also a well-regarded sailor and used this to be one of the instigators (whilst General Manager) for setting up the first annual regattas in Sotogrande with catamarans. This can be considered as the start of sailing in Sotogrande.

The four partners at a Polo competition part sponsored by Holmes in the 90s

He worked hard with success at Holmes and played hard with success in sport but in addition to all this he served for nearly 25 years on the board of the “Real Club de Golf Sotogrande,” helping to ensure that the club remained one of the foremost golf clubs in the world.

Miguel will be remembered for not only the above but for being an important figure in the history of the growth of Sotogrande as well as for his charm, good humour and social grace.

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Sotogrande’s long association with polo, golf and yachting means that other sports may be overlooked and rugby is unlikely to come to mind when thinking of Sotogrande sporting facilities.

Nonetheless, the Club Rugby del Estrecho was set up to bring together all Rugby lovers, from young children to the senior team.

With this in mind, Holmes Sotogrande was very pleased to announce this week that we have become the main sponsor of the club. Holmes is very much a part of the local community, having been established in Sotogrande since 1979. We are thrilled to be the main sponsor for the 2017 – 2018 and 2018-2019 seasons. The club released a statement declaring its pride at having a local company as sponsor and therefore enabling it to continue with a wide range of grassroots sporting projects. One such event was a summer camp organised by the Gibraltar Rugby Club, which gave our excited youngsters the chance to be coached by members of the professional Gloucester Rugby Club and have their photos taken with Samoan rugby star Terry Fanolua.

The Holmes Sotogrande sponsored shirts look great and we are looking forward to seeing them being worn by the winning team!

If you want to be on the winning team when you are looking to purchase a property, contact Holmes Sotogrande!

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MiMove is a newly launched portal concept in real estate that has been brought to Spain from Scandinavia, and Holmes Sotogrande is proud to be partnering with this new company to ensure that our clients get the best service. MiMove has set standards for property purchases in Spain so that buyers can complete their purchase without encountering any pitfalls. It works with a number of affiliated agents, including Holmes Sotogrande, as well as lawyers, to ensure that the whole process runs smoothly. Indeed, you don’t get to partner with MiMove unless you meet its exacting standards of professionalism. Anyone who violates its code of conduct is excluded from working with MiMove.

Verified lisitings in Spain
MiMove also provides 100 per cent verified listings in Spain. Its real estate professionals check every property to be offered against a list of 57 criteria that it has drawn up. This means that buyers can be certain that the listing information does actually match reality. MiMove checks information such as the Nota Simple, the property tax (IBI), community charge, energy performance certificate and the owner’s identification papers.

MiMove’s own Ombudsman
An ombudsman is the person you need when you have a dispute with a professional body or service provider. MiMove has its own ombudsman who is equipped to answer all your questions about buying a property in Spain. The MiMove ombudsman also publishes answers on general topics in MiMove’s blog, but you can also contact the ombudsman directly.

Transparency is a must
Any listing with MiMove must be absolutely clear in terms of the information presented, and a floor plan, photos and all the facts about the property must accompany each listing. MiMove has developed a structure for the buying process in Spain, which it calls the MiMove Purchase Process, and allows the buyer to clearly trace all the steps that must be followed to reach completion.

We’re excited to be working with MiMove and believe it will add great value to our existing top quality service, as well as give our clients additional peace of mind. It has never been easier or safer to buy property in Spain with Holmes Sotogrande – come and find out now.

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When real estate companies like Holmes Sotogrande boast about many years in the business it’s not only to deservedly celebrate an enviable reputation earned over a long period of successfully servicing the luxury property market, but also carries a more practical significance.

Indeed, with such a long period of time dedicated to real estate in an area like Sotogrande, comes a market knowledge that is quite frankly unapproachable, let alone unequalled. It is this intimate expertise regarding the area, its different zones and lifestyles, the amenities, the market cycles and above all the properties themselves that makes the information and advice offered by Holmes Sotogrande so much more authoritative and valuable to clients.

Unequalled know-how
Founded by Ian Bateman in 1979, Holmes Sotogrande is a family business inexorably woven into the very fabric of Sotogrande. Now into its second generation, the business is led by Ben Bateman, who having grown up in Sotogrande and within a real estate family has a know-how that far exceeds his years.

“We haven’t just seen Sotogrande evolve before our eyes, we’ve lived it and been a part of it,” says Ben, who blends 21^st century marketing savvy with the ethics upon which the Holmes name was built. “Holmes Sotogrande is very much a modern property agent, but we are also very fortunate in having such fantastic accumulated knowledge and pedigree in this area.”

It is for this reason that he and his team not only feel confident they offer a level of expertise and advice that is unsurpassed in these parts, but also receive the very best properties for sale in Sotogrande. “You won’t just be shown a home or receive a blank stare when you ask difficult, probing questions,” says Ben. “At Holmes you get a complete service that also includes sharing all we know about buying, living and investing in Sotogrande.”

Detailed product knowledge
Having worked in the Sotogrande real estate market for so many years means there is almost no property that Ben and his team don’t know in detail. As featured in a recent article in the Olive Press, in the process Holmes has over 3,000 properties on record, making this a priceless source of detailed information about homes, their history, redevelopment and recent sales prices in a region where such details are still not readily found.

Not only is it an indication of how professionally this business is run, it also shows just how much Holmes has been a part of the evolution of Sotogrande into an international luxury destination of distinction.

If you are interested in apartments and villas for sale in Sotogrande or would like to know more about this beautiful part of Southern Spain please contact us and we will be more than happy to advise you.

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It is with considerable sadness that we all attended the funeral of our local notary, Antonio Camarena de la Rosa.

Our visits to his offices were an experience that on reflection showed the depth and strength of his character. Often having to wait for some time for him to be ready, either due to his often long coffee breaks at the Ke bar of perhaps for him to finish listening to a piece of music. We often would joke that he would be late for his own funeral!! True to form, the church was full and waiting for him to finally arrive.

But to be advised by Don Antonio was always enlightening, friendly and willingly given as well as received. Always touched with humour, a smile and good intention. He was always a willing advisor and made sure that people had received the best advice.

We have lost a true character from our community, whom he served not only as our notary but as the President of the Association of Communities for two years.

He fought his illness with bravery and was never one to hide away.

Our visits to the notary will never be the same.

Rest in peace Don Antonio.

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Furthering the Zobels’ plans to establish a residential community with sports and leisure facilities at its core, the legendary Robert Trent Jones was asked to create a landmark course for the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande. It has indeed become a classic in its own right and today plays host to the likes of the prestigious Copa RCG Sotogrande, European Nations Championship.

By 1965 the Zobel family had also launched the first of the large polo fields, introducing this regal sport to the area and securing Sotogrande’s future within the wealthiest and most influential of international circles.

Rigorously planned and beautifully laid out, Sotogrande had been envisaged as one large gated community in the style of an exclusive country club estate. The master plan therefore incorporated accommodation, social, leisure and sporting activities, all with sea views to impress even the most hardened of property buyers. In 1999 the Spanish NH Hotel Group acquired 91.5% of the privately owned Sotogrande S.L. and embarked upon a period of concentrated residential expansion, which included the introduction of modern apartment complexes lining new extensions to the marina.

It’s incredible to think that Sotogrande has come full circle and is now back in the safe hands of two US companies, no doubt inspired by its American roots but ultimately motivated by its huge potential. The two private equity funds bought 97% of Sotogrande S.A. for a reported €225 million.

The sale has come as no surprise – it was well known that the NH Hotel Group was expanding in other geographical areas and needed to prioritise its resources accordingly. Business commentators anticipate that the investment will feature in the short to medium term plans of the purchasers who will no doubt be looking to inject capital into the project, further improving on the superb foundations put in place by the Zobels and Sotogrande’s subsequent owners.

The two funds, Cerberus and Orion Capital, are expected to continue expanding and enhancing the stunning residential districts, hotels, golf courses, polo fields, marina, beaches as well as the other sports and lifestyle facilities to create even more excitement around this renowned luxury destination. Residents and businesspeople in the area have already welcomed the prospect of a further boost to Sotogrande’s economy and are looking forward to a new phase in the evolution of one of the Costa del Sol’s most luxurious and high profile resorts.

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