20-year love affair results in Paradise home
Alan Ives knows property. As owner of an estate agency in the UK he has a nose for a good deal. When he and his wife saw an advertisement for property in Seychelles, an idyllic island paradise in the Indian Ocean, they jumped at the chance.
Alan and his wife have built up a portfolio of over 20 rented properties abroad and in South East London. 'We decided to purchase some properties abroad to spread our risk and have an investment which we could enjoy,' says Alan. 'We love our holidays and plan to spend more time abroad when our sons (aged 14 and 18) leave home. “
Having bought a ski apartment in the French Alps, a house on a golf course in the Dordogne and a half share in an apartment in Spain, they decided they needed one more property in the sun to counteract the UK winter.
'We had visited Seychelles 20 years ago and loved the unspoiled beauty of the islands but I hadn't considered buying there as I didn't really think it was possible. We considered buying in the Caribbean, but we preferred the Seychelles. When I saw the advert for the Eden Island development it immediately ticked all the boxes for us. Within a couple of weeks we had reserved an apartment. We didn't bother with an inspection flight as we'd seen the photos and remembered Mahé very well.'
Mahé is the main island in an archipelago consisting of more than 116 tropical islands, featuring unspoilt beaches, two world heritage sites, some of the most diverse and unique flora and fauna on the planet, hurricane free oceans, and plenty of sailing opportunities. The Eden Island residential marina development is unique in Seychelles in that it offers owners freehold title homes on a private island, and residency of Seychelles for homeowners and their immediate families.
'It's the only reasonably priced way of buying in the Seychelles,' says Alan 'and Eden Island is very convenient being joined to Mahé, a reasonably sized island which provides all the essentials, by a bridge.
'The development is still a work in progress, however it is rapidly taking shape,' says Alan. 'Our first visit was for 11 days in October 2008. Whilst the development is still lacking its own swimming pools, shops and restaurant we had a great time. It was so easy to visit the mainland of Mahé and surrounding islands. Many people dream of a private tropical island as their idea of paradise. In reality, after a few days most would feel lonely and cut off, and how annoying would it be not being able to pop out to buy a paper, a bottle of milk or go to a restaurant? And what about when you're not there, who'd look after it for you? Eden Island offers lots of deserted beaches and islands within easy reach without forsaking modern comforts.'
The Ives bought a two-bedroom top floor corner apartment with stunning views over the turquoise ocean, green forests and grey granite mountains of Mahé. The architectural style is based on the traditional Seychelles roots buried deep in their Victorian, French, Indian, Arabian, African and Chinese ancestry. 'The general building quality is excellent', says Alan. 'However some of the finishing touches leave a bit to be desired. Eden Island has accepted the issues I've raised and is cheerfully in the process of rectifying them for us.'
The legal process was taken care of by a firm of South African solicitors. 'The firm were very good to deal with, thank goodness for email!' exclaims Alan. 'The Seychelles legal system does seem to be a bit of a bureaucratic nightmare and there was a never-ending barrage of paperwork to deal with, but if you want to buy there that's the price you have to pay."
Alan and Carole plan to make their escape to Eden Island for two months every year after their children have left home. As for the rental possibilities of the property, Alan is adamant that it has to be able to pay for itself. 'I'm very confident that there will be a very high all year round demand for this type of accommodation,' he says. 'Our friends think we're very lucky and many would like to rent it from us in the future. In fact if I had had more finances available I would have bought two apartments!'
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