28th Newsletter Edition - April 2008
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Welcome... April Showers are definitely not what we are experiencing here in Tenerife at the moment. Quite the opposite! The sky is blue, the sun is shining... in short, the weather is gorgeous! If you can make some time to come to the island - it really is at its best right now.
Last month we offered a free dinner at one of Tenerife´s better restaurants to subscribers, and we have drawn a name out of the hat for April! But we still have May, June, July... and the rest of the year to go, so don´t forget to send us the dates when you are in Tenerife, so we can include you! We have all noticed the value of the pound slip over the last few weeks, but did you know how you can use the currency situation to save yourself tens of thousands of Euros in your property purchase? It is an incredible time to buy... and we show you how to take advantage of the Sterling drop! Of course its not just the currency markets that have been having a bad time of it, so we take a look at the financial markets, safe from our sun blessed sanctuary and look at how pirates are once again assailing the world of international trade. In our final article, we take a stroll upmarket, to the elysian fields of Fañabé and spotlight the future homes of some of Tenerife´s most well to do (and celebrity) guests. There´s still a chance to purchase one of these incredible villas... if your bank manager will let you! And of course, we finish off with news cuttings from the island and the pick of the best buys this month. We hope you enjoy it.
Have a Free Meal on us!  Here´s a great way to get a free evening out when you come to Tenerife! Every month we´ll be drawing names from a hat of newsletter subscribers who are visiting that month. The first one we pull out will get a free meal for two at one of the island´s nicer restaurants.
All you have to do is press reply to this email with the dates you are staying on the island and we´ll include you in that month´s draw! April´s winners will enjoy a dinner for two at Bianco II, the new restaurant in the prestigious Plaza del Duque centre in Fañabé. Opening amidst `wow´ reviews from all of the local press this is Italian dining at its best and is the second to open under this brand in Tenerife. It´s older sister restaurant, located in the Safari centre is one of the areas most popular eateries, and this second one is likely to follow suit. Even if you didn´t win this month´s draw, we have tried Bianco II ourselves, and definitely recommend it. Just press reply to this email with the dates you are staying on the island and we´ll include you in that month´s draw! The draw will take place during the month before you come out, so also include your phone number, so we can let you know if you have won, and tell you how to claim your prize! April´s winners are Mr Roland & Dr Venitia Walters....Enjoy your meal!
Take advantage of the Sterling Drop! Buyers are making massive savings on their property purchases because of the drop in the value of sterling against the Euro! Many vendors of property would prefer to receive funds in Sterling, and with the Pound so weak, these properties in Tenerife have become thousands cheaper if you pay in Euros. Because Tenerife mortgages are in Euros, it means that even if you are a UK purchaser, a property you purchase will still benefit from the Euro´s buying power! Sterling Drop!! Example Property Savings Property Purchase Price 150,000 GBP | OLD EXCHANGE RATE | EXCHANGE RATE NOW | | 1 Pound = 1.41 Euros | 1 Pound = 1.27 Euros | Euro Equivalent Price | | 211,500 Euros | 190,500 Euros | Costs | | 21,150 Euros | 19,050 Euros | 80% Euro mortgage | | 169,200 Euros | 152,400 Euros | Deposit required | | 63,450 Euros = 45,000 Pounds | 57,150 Euros = 45,000 Pounds | TOTAL PAID | | 232,650 Euros | 209,550 Euros | SAVING
23,100 Euros!! |
So as you can see, by buying this property in Sterling, you will have made a massive saving! And your mortgage repayments are exactly the same in both scenarios - which you can fix as a regular amount, protecting yourself against any future currency fluctuations (see the article Plain Sailing in the Current Seas below).
If you would like to benefit from this, while exchange rates are so favourable then just click reply to this email and ask us for the STERLING DROP LIST and we´ll send you a list of properties being sold in Sterling... and you can see how much you´ll save. But do it now, before the exchange rates go back up!!
Pirates on the High Seas  Tenerife has always provided a sanctuary from the pirates and corsairs that roam the high seas. The island has proved an ideal defence against marauders, with its steep inclines and natural rocky defences. Santa Cruz, Guargacho and even Adeje have all played their part in repelling these pillaging invaders. Often these sea farers sailed under their nation´s flag, giving their plunder a thin veneer of respectable work. Many who sailed and assailed in the surrounding seas were later glorified in English history: Francis Drake, John Hawkins, Lord Horatio Nelson.
Today, the world has become a smaller place, and the pirates have moved on, but not disappeared. Indeed, their power and influence has increased, as has their respectability. Nowadays these mariners sail the seas of high finance and wear the pin striped armour of banks and finance houses. Nonetheless, the shores of Tenerife are still buffeted by effects of their greedy piracy. Oil prices, sub-prime mortgage crises, tempestuous exchange rates and interest rates are the cannons and muskets of today´s corsairs. As they lay waste to property markets around the world, decimate the savings of small investors on stock exchanges and leave bank balances dry, there are few safe havens to run to. Tenerife is one of those few safe harbours.
Where previously we had rocky cliffs and battlements to ward off the slings and arrows of our foes, in today´s age our rock has become the Euro. Investors with Pounds, Dollars or Yen have seen the value of their holdings dribble away into a sea of red. Even the man in the street, who works just as hard today as he did yesterday, has found that his reward is worth less than before. But the Euro has held firm. Our livelihoods and our property are worth the same, or even more. We can breathe a sigh of relief.
But it is not everywhere in Europe that is unscathed. Even as close as mainland Spain, the property industry has been grinding to a halt. There the pirates invaded the land, raping its natural beauty. Their greed threw up legions of concrete monstrosities that swallowed the savings of second home buyers, and littered the coastlines with their abundance. Tenerife was even saved from these marauders. Property on the island, undervalued for years, suffered no massive expansion. In fact, it hardly managed to keep up with the numbers of new arrivals who need a home to shelter from the excesses of a turbulent world.
And so we sit safe and secure on our island fortress watching the madness unfold throughout the rest of the world. We switch on our televisions and watch them riding on a tide of stress and financial woe. It seems so remote. Outside, the sun shines down on the calm waters of Tenerife and more than a few of us will be breathing a sigh of contentment as the sun sets on another perfect day.
Plain Sailing on the Current Seas!  With so many of the modern day pirates playing the markets, currency rates have become a major factor for many people considering purchasing a property. As exchange rate between Pounds and Euros ebb and flow, it can affect the amount you need to transfer if you have a Euro mortgage. But this guesswork has become a thing of the past, and now you can fix your monthly payments up to two years in advance!
"We earn a fixed salary every month," say Adam and Judith Hardy, "which means that we worried about just how much we would need to transfer to Tenerife to cover bills and the mortgage. It made us nervous about buying, even though we had dreamed about a hideaway in the sun for years, but when we discovered the Forward Transaction service, it removed that last niggling worry." Adam and Judith use Rational FX, who also manage to save them over 1200 Pounds a year in commissions, rates and charges - "Enough for a couple of extra naughty weekends on the island," smiled Judith. Find out more about tailor made currency exchange packages by clicking reply to this email and typing CURRENCIES in the subject line. | 
The demands of financial entities when granting mortgages has given rise, to a new tendency in the market: a purchase shared between three or more owners. Three salaries add up to buying power, quite a bit higher than that of a single buyer or a couple, say property pundits who are charting this new trend. According to their report 4% of purchases already use this practice.
Christoph Keissling, General Manager of the new Las Américas water theme park, Siam Park, has announced that the opening will be on May 1st. Billed as the largest water park in Europe, this 50 million Euro project is expected to attract thousands of extra visitors to the area.
January was the warmest for 37 years in Tenerife... a beautiful relief for the many thousands of people who escaped some of Britain´s dreariest weather. Tourist figure´s, not surprisingly, were well up on the previous year as Tenerife proved to be the best place to escape for some winter sun.
