Summer Roda Golf course special offers announced!

Posted on 28th May, 2008 by admin in the "The Course" category

Great news! We all like to save a little cash - then we can play more! We can announce that Roda Golf have some special prices available this Summer. As you can see below, there are some great savings on offer. See you on the course!Click here to see the special offers available for Roda Golf course this Summer Read this article, and optionally leave a comment

Posted on by admin in the "The Course" category

During June, July and August, TWO GREEN FEES AND A BUGGY:
From 8:00 to 14:00	General Price: €130	Group of 9-16 persons	€117
		Group of 17-24 persons	€109
From 14:00 to dark	General Price: €95	Group of 9-16 persons	€86
		Group of 17-24 persons	€80

Also during these months there is a TWILIGHT offer as follows:
June from 16:00 to dark	General Price: €36	Group of 12-24 persons	€29
July/August from 17:00 to dark	General Price: €36	Group of 25-50 persons	€28

Inside the changing rooms (empty!)

Posted on 24th May, 2008 by admin in the "Amenities Clubhouse" category

Venturing where others fear to tread, and in the spirit of our attempt to leave no stone unturned, we are proud to present a little gallery of photos from inside the brand new, and totally pristine changing rooms in the Roda Golf and Beach Resort Clubhouse. Like all the facilities at Roda Golf, the changing rooms are finished to a simply superb standard. Luckily they were empty when we visited yesterday, so we could take some photos for you! Click here to see inside the Roda Golf changing rooms Read this article, and optionally leave a comment

Posted on by admin in the "Amenities Clubhouse" category

The sauna was hot and ready, the individual showers looked very comfortable, there's even a big LCD television in there! Just the thing for beginning and ending a perfect day of golf....well and a few beers in the upstairs in the bar ;)

The Importance of PROFESSIONAL Property Management

Posted on 15th May, 2008 by admin in the "The market" category

In this message from our sponsor Calida International Properties, Stuart Thomas explains the importance of professional property management. He stresses the importance of treating your home or investment as a serious business, and offers insight into protecting that investment and making the maximum revenue from it. Remember it's thanks to the help from Calida that we can bring you our up to date news...including our impending May photo shoot! Please click here to read about the importance of professional property management. Read this article, and optionally leave a comment

Posted on by admin in the "The market" category

Calida's dedicated property management site

There are a large number of owners at Roda Golf who have purchased their property for investment purposes. Most of you who fall in to this category will require, indeed will rely upon, rental income to cover some, or all, of the costs associated with owning property at the Roda Golf and Beach Resort.

Some of these costs will in most cases involve a hefty mortgage. There will be community fees, and these will vary depending on the type of property. There will be the ongoing service charges like water, gas and electricity. There will be wealth taxes to consider; property management fees, and of course the ongoing cleaning and linen washes to consider. Some of these costs will vary on usage of the property of course, but they will be there none the less.

You can save a few euros now by "cutting corners" and using a local "husband and wife" team, or perhaps a retired something or other, to provide a "key holding" service. You may even decide to build your own website. You will likely still land the "odd" rental, mostly through your friends and family and the occasional work colleague, but you will not achieve the rentals that you want and need. You may save a few euros in the short term, but it really is a short sighted view.

Roda Golf and Beach Resort provide their very own rentals and property management service and for the most part I believe people are very satisfied with the service, they are achieving good rental results, particularly from the golfing fraternity.

For those of you that did not purchase your furniture pack from Roda Golf, this option is not available to you, hopefully this would have been fully explained to you by either your agent, or Roda Golf themselves.

You really should treat your purchase as a serious investment, maybe even a second occupation, and dedicate as much time, money, and effort as is required to guarantee that your investment at Roda Golf and Beach Resort is a good and sound one.

Calida International Properties will provide a complete advisory service to help you promote your property through a wide range of internet advertising, through their own network of websites, and through websites of associates with which they work very closely. They will also help you to advertise your property through your local golf clubs back in the UK or Ireland, as well as provide A5 adverts for your local shops, supermarkets and businesses, for distribution where you feel they will be most effective. Calida International can arrange for a professional designer to photograph and construct websites for your property, just like this client of ours!

Calida International Properties are also working closely with a number of travel agents and sports tour operators in the UK, particularly Go2Sport plc who specialise in luxury golf holidays, including the providing those very elusive and exclusive tickets for the US Masters and the Ryder Cup.

They will help to look after your property for you when you are not here, they will also make sure that your guests enjoy their visit so much that they will want to come back next time, and they will tell all of their friends and colleagues about your property and the fabulous Roda Golf and Beach Resort experience.

To read more about Calida Internationals' Property Management please visit their new, dedicated website here: Calida International Property Management

New virtual reality panorama overlooking the 11th Fairway

Posted on 9th May, 2008 by admin in the "phase 4 virtual reality" category

Posted on by admin in the "phase 4 virtual reality" category

Here's our latest virtual reality panorama of the Roda Golf course and adjacent properties. This time we are overlooking the 11th Fairway. This is one of the higher points on the Roda Golf course. As you look around (by clicking on the view with the mouse and dragging from left to right) you can see the front line villas of phase 4 being built. You can also use the shift key (Could look like a small arrow pointing up, on the left hand side of your keyboard) to zoom in, and the "Control" button under the shift button to zoom out again. We hope you enjoy looking around. We have other virtual panoramas for you to play with, just click here to see them. If you zoom all the way in, you can just make out the roda clubhouse in the distance.

Water features of Phase 1

Posted on 5th May, 2008 by admin in the "inspection visits Phase 1 Phase 2" category

During our last full inspection and photo shoot at Roda Golf and Beach Resort we wanted to pay special attention to the water features in and around phases 1 and 2. There has been lots of negative comments directed at the developer, Calidona, for the poor design and implementation of these water features. Please click here to read our findings and see the big pictures Read this article, and optionally leave a comment

Posted on by admin in the "inspection visits Phase 1 Phase 2" category

Water feature - View 1 - Click to enlarge

We are happy to report that they have all been cleaned out, they have been completely re-painted, and they look really nice, we have included some photos of these. As ever, just click them to make them a lot larger. I think everyone will agree they now look a lot better. The plants are really flourishing on these two phases as well, and everything is getting really "settled in".

Water feature - View 2 - Click to enlarge

We would like to remind everybody on Roda Golf Phase 1 and 2 that it is no longer the responsibility of the developer, you may know them as Calidona or Roda Golf and Beach Resort, to maintain the water features, the swimming pools or indeed the communal areas.

Once each phase, and indeed each section within each phase, has been handed over to the owners, all of the communal areas, etc. are now the responsibility of the community of owners and the administrators appointed for that community, there is little point in "sounding off" at, or about, the developer, as lots of people are doing. The developer's responsibility has now ended, that is the way it works in Spain and the Roda Golf resort is no exception. The really good news is that it all looks a lot better and long may it continue to do so.

Water feature - View 3 - Click to enlarge

Water feature - View 4 - Click to enlarge

If anybody has any concerns about this or any other matter, once they have completed on their property, they should direct all enquiries to their administrator, please feel free to contact us should you experience any difficulties, we will be happy to help if we can.

Visit and full report - Roda Golf Beach Club

Posted on 29th Apr, 2008 by admin in the "Amenities Beach Club construction FULL REPORTS inspection visits" category

We have had a large number of requests for this report, with updated pictures from our regular visitors, who are growing increasingly fed up with the negative posts on a few "independent" forums out there about the beach club at Roda Golf and Beach Resort. This report has 30, COMPLETELY UP TO DATE and massive size pictures too! Click here to read the full article, see the gallery and optionally leave a comment! Read this article, and optionally leave a comment

Posted on by admin in the "Amenities Beach Club construction FULL REPORTS inspection visits" category

Work going on! A lot of it! - Click to enlarge

Photo gallery is below this report! Hover over it for controls, click it for descriptions. Or go straight to the Flickr set for high resolution views!

We visited the Roda Golf beach club on Friday 25th April and were very pleasantly surprised at the amount of work that has currently been completed, also the amount of work under construction, there were about 25 men working. Only a couple had decided it was too hot and were enjoying what looked like a well earned "siesta" under one of the beautiful palm trees!

The Roda Golf and Beach Resort beach club is progressing nicely, the location is fantastic, for those of you who have not been lucky enough to visit the area, you are in for a very pleasant surprise.

There was a massive amount of work to be done but due to owner pressure, the beach club was opened last year with a very limited service, it looked nice and was a pleasant alternative to the local beaches in Los Alcazares. However, for it to be considered a 5 star beach club, which is what you all want, the building needed to be taken back to the bare structure, well that has happened in the closed season.

You must also remember that now that the new clubhouse has been completed and opened, with huge success I might add, (see our roda golf clubhouse post here) there are more men available for work on the beach club.

There has been lots of new steel added, as well as a new floor for the upstairs. A number of internal walls have been removed, and all the area outside has been cleared. There are lots of building materials laying around, however they will all be used in due course.

The beaches have been swept and all the beach debris has been removed, we actually watched a couple of trucks taking it away whilst we were there.

The Beach Club pool - Neglected...for now! - Click to enlarge

The swimming pool has clearly been neglected, obviously as nobody has been using it for about 10 months, it looks like nobody has cleaned it in that time either, this pool will take just a week or 2 at most to be restored to it's former glory, but it has the potential to be spectacular, what with it being only 40 paces to the Mediterranean sea from the pool!

The gardens again have the potential to be superb, it is a massive area with loads of room to simply lounge around and relax whilst you decide, "is it the pool or the sea"? Not a bad choice, we call that a "win win" situation! :)

We were lucky enough to meet some new owners who had just purchased this week, they were checking out the location and the planned facilities for the first time, Matt and Rachel and their 14 week old daughter Macy from Porthcawl, South Wales. They absolutely loved the place! Matt, who own his own magazine, "Seaside News", commented that even though the place was a mess, he could see the potential for one of the nicest facilities he has ever seen.

Matt who loves to surf, and has travelled the world in pursuit of that elusive monster wave said, "the peace and quiet here, and the natural beauty of this area is just fantastic and we can't wait to use the beach club".

Nice one Matt, thanks for your time. We hope you and the family had a safe trip home.

In our opinion, this beach club is going to be awesome. We have always felt that, and if the new Roda Golf clubhouse is anything to go by, I think we will be right. The planned opening is the last week of June, which is when all the water parks in the area open, so nothing strange there. Be patient and get ready to be wowed, because even though there have been considerable delays, Calidona so far are exceeding everybody's expectations with the finished product.

We hope you enjoy these most up to date photos of the beach club, please feel free to leave a comment or request any further information.

Look out for our next news item coming soon, and remember, you can click the gallery for descriptions of each photo!

Roda Golf Clubhouse is OPEN!

Posted on 23rd Apr, 2008 by admin in the "Amenities Clubhouse photo shoots" category

Only Roda Golf Info could bring you a complete gallery of pictures from the Roda Golf Clubhouse on the very day that it opened! We present a gallery of 35 pictures below showing the new clubhouse in all it's glory! To tell the truth we were surprised just how great it has turned out! After the two month delay since the "official" opening party, we were starting to worry, but those worries were ill-founded. The clubhouse is simply superb. Click here to see the gallery! Read this article, and optionally leave a comment

Posted on by admin in the "Amenities Clubhouse photo shoots" category

Only Roda Golf Info could bring you a complete gallery of pictures from the Roda Golf Clubhouse on the very day that it opened! We present a gallery of 35 pictures below showing the new clubhouse in all it's glory! To tell the truth we were surprised just how great it has turned out! After the two month delay since the "official" opening party, we were starting to worry, but those worries were ill-founded. The clubhouse is simply superb.

We show below, images from the outside of the clubhouse, including the great site of people relaxing on the terrace enjoying drinks (on this balmy April afternoon :) and we also ventured inside to see the smart tables of the "La Higuera" restaurant bar and terrace. The restaurant really looks stunning in it's earth tones palette. Cool for the summer, and cosy for the winter months. We couldn't help but notice the golf playing on one of the TV monitors in the bar :) The arm chairs and settees look very comfortable. Whilst outside in the sun, drinks can be taken whilst watching golfers practise on the driving range. We tested the beer for you (I know we do too much!) and that is great too :)

Soon we will try to secure some photos from the shops and offices downstairs, but in the mean time we hope you can make it to the superb Roda Golf Clubhouse very soon for a beer! We'll see you there!

Remember all these pictures are available, as always, at our Flickr page...in FULL size! To use the gallery below, simply hover over it to reveal the controls at the top and the bottom of the viewing area :)

Finally, I know you'll forgive us for mentioning our kind sponsors Calida International Properties. It's because of their support that we can bring you these great images showing developments at Roda the very day they happen! Help us to keep you informed... talk to Calida International and find out how they can help you with your professional property management and sales requirements here at beautiful Roda Golf! Thanks.

FULL REPORT & gallery from our latest visit on 3rd April '08!

Posted on 18th Apr, 2008 by admin in the "Clubhouse FULL REPORTS inspection visits Phase 3 phase 4 Phase 5 photo shoots The Course" category

This week our friends at Calida International Properties visited the Roda site and, again, took a professional photographer with them! The result was a FULL REPORT and a gallery of forty-seven images! This post has the full gallery and a complete write up of the findings of our inspection. Click here to read the full article, see the gallery, and optionally leave a comment! Read this article, and optionally leave a comment

Posted on by admin in the "Clubhouse FULL REPORTS inspection visits Phase 3 phase 4 Phase 5 photo shoots The Course" category

Welcome to the full April report with completely new, and completely up to date photos! We concentrated this month on providing views of the properties from the golf course. The very kind people at the De Vere clubhouse loaned us a buggy for a couple of hours, which we used to tour the course, starting up the 10th fairway, moving all the way around the proposed phase 5 area, moving on to phase 4, then down past the 17th green and 18th tee and fairway to have a look at phase 3 and then on to the front 9.

Please be aware that these photos are also available to view on our Flickr page. It really is worth visiting our Flickr page because the images there are available there at absolutely HUGE sizes! (More than 6000 pixels wide!) You can zoom in to find your own house! Just write in if you need help using Flickr. And now onto the gallery. Please just hover over the gallery area to access the controls, and if you click a picture a detailed description will appear! The full report is below the gallery:

Our Roda Golf and Beach Resort full April report

The Roda golf course was looking fantastic as usual, there were lots of players out there, some playing some great golf, others just enjoying the day out. We stopped for a brief chat with a few groups just to get their opinions on the golf course and Roda Golf generally, without exception, everybody thought it looked fantastic and they were enjoying the golf course very much.

There was one particular "4 ball" who were not owners, however they were so impressed that they were looking for property to purchase at the resort, that has to be great news and we expect that will start to happen more and more as each phase comes on-line.

A big thank you to all the golfers who gave us a few moments of their time, much appreciated.

The views of the properties and the completed phases looked great from the golf course side, the front line villas in particular with the swimming pools are very impressive, particularly when you see the owners enjoying their lunch and a glass of wine or two, whilst watching the golfers at the same time, the resort really is starting to "come to life"!

The Roda fairways are in almost perfect condition and the greens are now as fast as we have seen them, not quite Augusta and the Masters standard, but fast none the less, the one thing that separates the golf course at Roda Golf from the other golf courses in the region is the attention to detail and the manicuring around the course, that is down to the world class experience that Mike Maloney from De Vere and his team bring to the project.

There is still no sign of the apartments on phase 4 being started, albeit there is now considerable work on the front line golf villas, phase 3 A is looking fantastic and lots of owners have now completed over there and phase 3 B looks all set to be delivered about August / September time. We know there have been considerable delays, but I think everybody will agree it has been worth it, Calidona really are delivering a world class resort.

We have reported before on the opening on the clubhouse and it would appear that we got our dates for the official opening incorrect, my advice to everybody is get ready to enjoy the sensational facilities at the clubhouse sooner rather than later, for those who have visited the new clubhouse, I think you will al agree it looks incredible, for those of you still to visit and see the facilities, you are in for a real treat.

The fully renovated beach club will be ready with a full service for the Summer, we will have a special report on that in the near future, if there are any questions regarding any of the above, please write in and we will be happy to provide as much information as possible.

We met a lot of people who were renting properties for the first time at the Roda Golf and Beach Resort, this was also very good news for those people looking to rent their properties out and start getting a return on their investment.

Please remember, if you are planning to rent out your property, make sure you have a professional property management company looking after your property and your guests, this is the best way to guarantee that they come back next year, you really do need so much more than just a "key holding" service, our sponsors over at Calida International Properties will be very happy to help and assist in any way they can.

I hope you enjoy our latest set of photos and in a day or two we we publish the virtual reality view from the par 3, 11th green!

A day's Golf

Posted on 16th Apr, 2008 by admin in the "The Course" category

Finally Stuart from Calida International finds the time for a fantastic game of golf, with fantastic company. Stuart sent us this "diary entry", that is sure to make any owners languishing in the rainy UK a bit jealous! Click here to read the article. Read this article, and optionally leave a comment

Posted on by admin in the "The Course" category

Last week Stuart from Calida International Properties, finally found the time for a round of golf. He sent us this report, sure to make any owners languishing in the rainy UK jealous!

We were very fortunate to be joined by Mark Jones, Wales and Llanelli Scarlets number 14, for a game of golf this week. Also joining us to make up a four ball was Gary Conroy, PE teacher from Manchester.

Mark was over for a well earned rest after a very busy and very successful 6 nations campaign where Wales won the Grand Slam. Gary was over checking progress on his phase 3, part B penthouse apartment. (We could have sent him pictures if he'd asked!..but then he'd have missed the golf ;)

Mark was playing off a lowly 24 handicap, where Gary was playing off 5. I knew early on, I had my hands full in this stableford competition with these two very competitive characters; I later found out that Gary used to play semi-pro football as well.

Both Mark and Gary played some superb golf, my own not faring too well unfortunately, especially as I am off 15 and have been playing quite well recently.

Mark won the front nine comfortably and we were never able to catch him, Gary as you would expect played some quite stunning shots, the highlight being a 45 yard bunker shot which stopped "stone dead" next to the flag on the second bounce, for a tremendous birdie, show off!

This was the first time that Mark had played the Roda golf course (you could have fooled me) and the first time to pick up his clubs for 6 months, Gary being an owner has played a few times. It was a fantastic afternoon, the weather was beautiful, right up to the time when we walked off the course at about 8.15pm. Mark won the competition by some margin with some great golf shots, coming off the course with a very creditable 37 points. Gary, playing with rental clubs, finished in last place, but I have been sworn to secrecy about his stableford points, hmmm!

Both Mark and Gary were very impressed with the condition of the golf course. The lakes and fountains were fantastic and provided a real test, particularly when the wind was up, the greens were as fast as I have seen them, and the fairways were in superb "nick". Most of the bunkers were raked, and were immaculate around the edges and the whole golf course is maturing beautifully.

If there was one complaint, we did notice that pitch marks on the greens were not being repaired, c'mon everybody, let's make an effort to keep the greens nice and tidy for all fellow golfers, please adhere to etiquette and local rules at all times, especially slow play, you are supposed to be directly behind the golfers in front of you, not directly in front of the golfers behind you.

Overall, a fantastic afternoon, great golf course and awesome company, thanks Mark and Gary, will get you next time Mark! A huge "thumbs up" from everybody for the Roda Golf and Beach Resort.

Phase 4 delays - Advice from the experts

Posted on 10th Apr, 2008 by admin in the "construction Interviews phase 4" category

We are often asked - "Why is PHase 4 delayed so much, so we asked our experts at Calida International Properties, and they kindly provided the answer! It's simple, but it's the truth! Click here to read the article and see the answer! (and one, brand new, picture from our next full inspection gallery!) Read this article, and optionally leave a comment

Posted on by admin in the "construction Interviews phase 4" category

Another interesting comment from our sponsors at Calida International Properties, this time they are addressing the delays at Phase 4 which are concerning many of our readers:

We are constantly being asked "what are the reasons for the delays on phase 4 at Roda Golf?"

Phase 4 - April 2008 - Click to enlarge

It is so very frustrating, particularly for those owners on Roda Golf Phase 4, but of course it does affect everybody, including the developer, nobody wants to "crack on" more than the developers themselves! Luckily the answer is extremely simple.

I appreciate you all think that this is just an excuse, however the truth of the matter is that town hall bureaucracy is responsible. For those of you who live in Spain or have purchased in Spain before, you will know all about this subject. It is so painfully slow waiting for the local council or town hall officials to take responsibility and simply issue the licences. That is the problem in a "nutshell" - nothing more sinister than that, so for all you conspiracy theorists out there, please relax (easier said than done) there are some great updated pictures of phase 4 coming in our imminent "April - Full Report" article. These new, and very detailed photos taken from the course, show that there has been progress, but we appreciate not enough, so please watch this space, as soon as we have news we will advise you.