Nine years ago, Zoe and Neil from Leeds bought an apartment in Ibiza after appearing on A Place in the Sun. They had a budget of £160k and planned to get married in their new Spanish home.
Well we can report that their wedding in Ibiza did follow the following year, and they did go onto have another child - as they hoped - and Frank, now 6, along with Elowen, 11, and Neil’s daughters Sydney, 20, and Violet, 17, have all got to enjoy Ibizan summers.
Says Zoe, 45: “We ended up going on the programme as we were fed up with getting short thrift from Spanish estate agents. We just couldn’t get viewings and people didn’t take us seriously. We were gazumped twice and it just felt we were in the wild west.”
But the couple did happily end up buying a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment on the Miramar development in Santa Eularia on the south coast – as seen on the show – and they paid €168,000 (£140k). Neil, 53, is a builder so whilst it needed a complete refurb, he’s done that over the years. “There was a time when I flew over with a Howden’s cupboard in a backpack, a child and a baby. Neil’s idea,” she says.
They watched property prices ‘go bonkers’ since then and their apartment has probably almost doubled in value. “We say we bought the last cheap flat in Ibiza!”. A quick look online suggests that there is little for sale there now for under €400k, as many overseas buyers have now discovered Ibiza.
The flat is in an idyllic position on a pine-covered hill with views, its large terrace getting shade in the heat of the day, proximity to the shared swimming pool and a 20-minute walk down to the beach.
“The landscaping of lush gardens is beautifully kept – many of the other owners are German and they run it very efficiently. The community fees are higher than average at €1200 every six months but we don’t mind as we can see how it’s being spent.
"We have lovely neighbours – Spanish and German – who keep an eye on the place when we are not there.”. The family use it over the school holidays and do not rent it out – holiday lets in Ibiza are now strictly limited and there is a risk of squatters if you let it out for a long or short term let, points out Zoe. “There is a lot of homelessness on the island with house prices increasing so much.”
She is keenly aware that the island has become very polarised between very wealthy visitors and villa owners and the local residents. “On the one hand there’s the VIP culture they have created yet as a whole the island is quite rough and ready.
“It’s a lot more expensive than it was but we self-cater so it can be an affordable holiday as we don’t pay for accommodation.”. She says they got a small mortgage on the flat which was paid for by their buy-to-let investments in the UK.
“We love our home, and the children have been so lucky to have grown up spending long summer holidays with such a home.”. They don’t see themselves moving out as Zoe has been setting up a new business, Hobby Horse Adventures where she takes shows, competitions and classes all over the UK.
“We are hoping that A Place in the Sun What Happened Next might come and see us next summer,” says Zoe. Watch this space…
Read more:
- How to move your home to Spain the stress-free way
- Now is the perfect time to buy property in Spain - the truth behind the headlines
- Where to get the best villas in Spain – for a great price?
