Along the west coast of Costa Rica is the popular holiday town of Jaco, just 90 minutes from the capital of San Jose. Here is the Sonesta Jaco Resort, a truly magnificent five star resort that is rising not far from the beach. When the initial phase is complete, this luxury condominium project will have six 13-floor buildings, a luxurious lobby, lagoon style swimming pool, restaurants, bars, and many...

Eurostar, the high-speed train linking the UK with France and the rest of Europe, announced that record numbers of passengers are taking the train. Over 900,000 passengers used the Eurostar during July, 2008, which is an increase of 16.8% from the same month in 2007.   Simon Montague, Director of Communications for Eurostar, said: “We are delighted to break another Eurostar record by carrying an...

Sunray Village, a property development located near Almancil in Portugal’s sunny Algarve Region recently won Best European Development of 2008 from the European Property Awards. The village, which will comprise 52 two and three bedroom townhouses, also won the award for Best Architecture for 2008. The awards will be presented at a celebration in London on September 27 at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel and...

The US dollar posted a substantial rise during the first week of August, signally that its long, seven year slide might finally be at an end. At the end of the week, the Euro was worth just over 1.50 US dollars, and it looks to start this week off even lower. The UK Pound ended up worth just over 1.92 US dollars.   The weekly rise for the dollar was the largest since 2000 and signaled good news for US...

Dubai’s Real Estate Regulatory Authority, or RERA, is in the process of creating a property court that will speed up resolution of property and construction disputes in the Emirate. The new real estate court is scheduled to open in September of 2008.   Investors, tenants, contractors and developers will be able to have their disputes heard in a timely manner with the new court, an important...

Qatar National Bank (QNB) recently announced that it plans to build one of the world’s tallest buildings in Doha, Qatar as its new headquarters. Plans are for the building, set for Doha Corniche, to be 510 meters in height. That will make it the tallest skyscraper in the city and one of the tallest in the world.   The initial phase of construction has begun, with plans, excavation and other preliminary...

It’s the middle of the summer and celebrities are enjoying their vacations just like everyone else across the globe. Some of the most popular places to find the stars include Hawaii, Mexico, France, the Caribbean and Spain.   Hawaii is a favorite for stars and holiday travelers year round, and this summer has been no exception. Maui is the island of choice for many celebs, as it is a little more...

A recently released report by UK property consultants Knight Frank indicates that prime farmland is at record prices, going for as much as £8,000 an acre. The Farmland Market Index shows an average price of £6,000 across the country, with many locations selling much higher.   According to Andrew Shirley, head of rural land research at Knight Frank, “Demand for all types of land in England is still...

Gibraltar’s Ocean Village Development recently won three international awards for the design of its buildings from CNBC. The complex won for Best High Rise Architecture, Best Interior Design and Best Apartment in the Europe and Africa Property Awards for 2008. The awards will be presented at a celebration in London on September 27 at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel, and will make Ocean Village eligible for...

On the Aegean coast of Turkey is the resort destination of Altinkum, a property hotspot for investors and holiday travelers. This popular town is convenient to get to, has spectacular year-round weather and offers more to do than you can imagine.   Altinkum, whose name is translated as Golden Sand, sits on a peninsula that juts into the Aegean, and has plenty of beaches, which are the most popular draw...