| The most extensive news service about Vera
Playa's naturist zone - and not just the good news! Also news archives going back 5 years |
News 2007
| Announcement
re News in 2008 As from 1 January 2008 the news page will be discontinued except for very major items - there will be new boards on the Forum for news and items will be able to be posted by any registered member who is aware of an item of news, which should ensure there is a larger number of news items and that they get on the internet more quickly. Initially at least we plan to have two News boards - one in the Visitors' Forum which will be viewable by guests and registered members and one in the owners-only Forum which will be intended for items which are likely only to be of interest to property owners. |
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Crime
Wave Crisis hits Vera Playa Naturist Zone  Vera
Playa is suffering from an epidemic of burglaries with dozens of break-ins
recently and more taking place daily. In the past 48 hours at least
four apartments in just one (Bahia de Vera) of the dozen naturist
urbanizacions have been burgled. Until now burglaries have tended
to take place in the summer when there are lots of visitors and there
are easy pickings of cash, credit cards and jewellry from over-relaxed
holidaymakers none too careful about security .
In recent months the numbers of burglaries have increased and many
owners have installed bars and security gates (rejas) to try
and make their properties more secure. The current spree of burglaries
seem to have actually targetted apartments fitted with rejas which
have been bent back as if made of plasticine - something requiring
great force and equipment and obviously making considerable noise.
The police were actually called when the burglars were heard last
night - but the urbanizacion's security system which had failed to
keep the burglars out was effective in preventing the police getting
in as it transpired that no-one had thought to issue the police with
keys to get into the urbanizacion! It is understood the Guardia Civil
(police) know who is responsible for the current spate of burglaries
but are powerless to take action because of their ages - it seems
likely that the same gang will continue to burgle with impunity to
their heart's content (or until they get fed up with doing so!). There
is a big issue of non-naturists living in the naturist urbanizacions
even though all the naturist communties have regulations banning owners
from renting out to non-naturists - though the vast majority of these
textile interlopers are hard-working and perfectly respectable people,
there is also a lawless fringe element. The photos show the windows
of the two apartments attacked in the last 36 hours. More on the issue
of whether there is a connection between crime and anti-social behaviour
and the allowing of non-naturist long term residents in naturist communities
- click hereDo you have information about crimes in the naturist zone? If so let us know - click here www.veraplaya.info - news - 20 & 21 December 2007 Any views on this? Use our Online Forum to air them |
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| Winter crime
wave a sign of the times? Is there a link to non-naturist lettings? There was a time when crime was nearly unknown at Vera Playa. Then with more and more new developments came "Summer Crime" - relieving holiday visitors of their cash, credit cards and jewellry as they slept became something of a fact of life (as did the installation of rejas [bars] allowing hot weather ventilation with security). Now as Vera Playa is rapidly becoming a fully urbanised area, crime has now become a year round phenomenon, one small example of which, today, was the forcing of rejas on a currently unoccupied apartment in the Brisamar apartment building in the Bahia de Vera urbanisacion and the theft of (at least) the owner's TV set. Break-ins and thefts from cars have become a commonplace, with police attendance now within days rather than minutes. Bahia de Vera is one of a small number of the dozen naturist urbanizacions where the President & Governing Body have been indolent, complacent or impotent in preventing owners, often non-naturists themselves (though some naturist owners have rented apartments to non-naturists), from renting apartments to non-naturists (textiles) long term. Many of the long term textile renters work in the local construction and horticultural industries and as well as Spanish nationals include legal migrants from other EU countries, especially from eastern Europe and (probably) some illegal migrants from non-EU countries. Whilst it would be unfair and impossible to make a direct connection between textile renters and crime and various other forms of antisocial behaviour and vandalism - most migrant workers are perfectly respectable and hard-working folk trying to build a better life for themselves - however there is undoubtedly a fringe element of relatively lawless individuals whose presence within a naturist community is an anathema to the whole spirit and experience of the naturist movement. Those Communities which have failed to enforce the naturist-only regulations they themselves introduced are the ones now battling a problem which could easily parallel the "sink-estate" scenarios well known in both the inner and outer city estates of every developed country including the UK. www.veraplaya.info - news - 19 December 2007 Any views on this? Use our Online Forum to air them |
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| Vera Playa Hotel
listed for possible demolition The Costa Almeria News reports that Spanish Government Minister Cristina Narbona has put forward a report prepared in collaboration with the University of Cantabria listing developments which should be considered for demolition on the grounds they are said to be contrary to the Strategy for the Sustainability of the Coast. In Almeria Province developments said to be listed include the notorious Algarrobico Hotel and the Holcim cement plant, both near Carboneras, the DSM Deretil antibiotics factory at Villaricos and the Vera Playa Club Hotel. Maybe the authors of the report have not noticed that the days when the Hotel was a lone presence on a virgin beach are long gone and that the hotel is now surrounded by urban development - its removal would hardly return the beach to its pristine state - the demolition of between 5 - 10,000 apartments would be necessary to do that! www.veraplaya.info - news - 19 November 2007 Any views on this? Use our Online Forum to air them |
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Works
to construct new beach for Vera Playa Club
Hotel  Work
is now substantially completed in constructing a new deep beach for
the Hotel Vera Playa Club. Since an unseasonal storm in mid-August
the sea has been right up to the parts of the hotel closest to the
sea (the restaurant and its terrace and the indoor pool building)
with no intervening beach at all. Now a new breakwater has been constructed
to prevent the sea from scouring away the beach sand in front of the
hotel and on the hotel side of the new breakwater, thousands of tonnes
of sand have been tipped and spread to form a new, deep beach in front
of the hotel. www.veraplaya.info - news - 14 November 2007 Click image for larger version Any views on this? Use our Online Forum to air them |
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 Some
urbanizacions are tough in banning textile renters - why not all?Several of the urbanizacions in the naturist zone have been suffering an unexpected problem given their naturist designations - that of textile (non-naturist) renters, including long term renters, and even some non-naturist owners. When people buy properties in any of the dozen or so naturist urbanizacions they have to sign up before the Notary to comply with the regulations of the urbanizacion concerned, one of the most important of which is to live a naturist lifestyle and not to rent to non-naturists - this regulation is being flouted by non-naturist owners (and also by some naturist owners!), most of whom seem to be absentee property investors with no interest in the naturist nature of the developments concerned. The Parque Vera urbanizacion has recently erected notices around its perimeter (see photo above) making it clear that apartments can only be rented by naturists. The question must be why has this and other actions to enforce the naturists-only regulation not also been undertaken by the other urbanizacions suffering this problem? www.veraplaya.info - news - 18 Oct 2007 Any views on this? Use our Online Forum to air them |
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| New crisis hits troubled
naturist community Yet another crisis has erupted in the internal administration of the Bahia de Vera urbanizacion. This time it is because the Management Committee of the Owners' Community has sacked the Adminstrator, a local solicitor in Garrucha, and has appointed a new firm (GESISUR, which has an office in Puerto Rey but seems to be based in distant Murcia or Lorca) to take over the administration of the Community. This, according to the "sacked" administrator Gloria Perez de Colosia and the previous President of the Community, Fran Clemente, is beyond the legal powers of the Management Committee or Junta. She was apparently informed of her "sacking" by a fax from the firm which the Junta has appointed to replace her. This development will not go down well with many owners - there has been criticism of the amateur management of the community by the volunteer Junta and the urbanizacion has been riven by internal politicking and various pet schemes have been introduced including a highly expensive and inefficient computer controlled key system in which replacement keys cost more than 60€ and keys have to be reprogrammed when their batteries are replaced and are unuseable in the interim - the administrator has to visit every external door and swimming pool enclosure lock (around 13 in all) to reprogram them every time any change is made to any of the keys. One owner was taken to Court by the Junta for taking direct action in protest at the introduction of the key system which he believed was able to track his movements and was a breach of his privacy. Large sums have been spent on security guards and owners of properties in the Community have had to pay 14 months of service charges in the last 12 months in order to balance the books, partly due to massively increased and unexpected bills for water consumption. Meanwhile, basic responsibilities of the Community, such as the routine external repainting of properties, have not been undertaken. It is believed that yet another Extraordinary General Meeting will now need to be called to address the crisis. The "sacked" Administrator has made it clear that if her contract is unilaterally terminated by the Bahia de Vera Community she will seek the full compensation to which she is entitled under her contract - 5,500€ and has warned that various other costs will be payable - all money the owners can ill afford and which will no doubt further divert funds from the purposes for which they were intended. One of the concerns of some foreign owners has been that they are effectively disenfranchised as postal or internet voting is not allowed by the Community which has also been unwilling to arrange translation of its deliberations into any language other than Spanish. www.veraplaya.info - news - 10 & 11 November 2007 New Forum for Bahia de Vera owners: We have set up a new Forum for visitors to and owners of properties at Bahia de Vera - to join it go to www.bahiadevera.com/forum |
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| Almeria
flights options to be cut There is no doubt that Almeria is the first choice airport if you are travelling to Vera Playa but despite the number of Brits who have have bought first/second/holiday homes in Almeria province, the UK budget airlines seem unable to make a success of operating flights to the province's only international airport. Ryanair appears to have cut its winter flights to Almeria from both Dublin and London Stansted. And Easyjet is dropping its flights from London Gatwick to Almeria after 1 December 2007. Fortunately there are alternatives as there are ever more flights into both Murcia San Javier and Alicante airports. San Javier is, timewise, somewhat closer to Vera now the new toll motorway is open (around 1hr 30m) compared with 50m from Almeria and 2hrs 15m from Alicante. However a return journey on the new AP-7 toll motorway costs approx. €23 thus adding a significant amount to overall travel costs. www.veraplaya.info - news - 19 Sep & 7 Oct 2007 Any views on this? Use our Online Forum to air them |
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| Noisy
dogs and textile owners & renters crisis besets naturist village The Bahia de Vera urbanizacion, with its spacious low rise layout, private gardens and network of streets allowing vehicular access to individual properties, has gained a reputation as having the most residential ambience of the 12 urbanizacions in the naturist zone - most of the others being more like holiday centres in character. However this very residential ambience seems to have attracted a number of owners and long term renters who are not naturists and has also encouraged the keeping of dogs, a few of which are causing a very serious noise nuisance problem, especially at night. In some cases the noisy dogs and non-naturist lifestyles of some owners/renters seem to coincide. Whereas some of the other urbanizacions, such as Parque Vera, have a reputation for cracking down fast and heavily on owners who rent out to textiles (which is not allowed under the Community Rules of any of the Naturist Urbanizacions), the Governing Body of Bahia de Vera seems weak and incapable or incompetent in enforcing its own Rules and is rapidly approaching crisis point with many owners up in arms about these and other problems. There are instances where non-naturists have bought properties, despite the fact that owners have to sign up before the Notary to abide by the Naturist Community Rules and to live a naturist lifestyle. In a number of instances such owners are also failing to pay the monthly Community Fees which all owners have to pay in order to provide and maintain the communal facilities such as pools, gardens and grounds and streets - which is leaving the Community cash-strapped and necessitating spending scarce resources on lawyers and court actions rather than maintaining and improving the community's facilities. Similar problems seem to be faced by the Torremar Natura urbanizacion which also has a layout and ambience of a more residential character. The Parque Vera urbanizacions, which do not seem to have the long term textile owner & renters problem, has nonetheless posted clear notices all around its boundaries that apartments can only be rented by naturists. www.veraplaya.info - news - 19 Sep & 18 Oct 2007 Any views on this? Use our Online Forum to air them |
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| Access
oddity on new motorway The pay stations on the new toll motorway to Cartagena (AP-7) are practically adjacent to the Vera bypass and close to the E15 motorway junction 534 (Antas/Vera) which is the junction many/most motorists from Vera and Vera Playa use to access the motorway northbound to Murcia, Alicante & Granada. Although this is the point at which the new toll motorway AP-7 meets the E15 it appears that it is not possible to access the new toll motorway by using this junction and instead it is necessary to do so by using either the Los Gallardos or Vera South (nr the ITV station) northbound junctions of the E15 or the southbound Cuevas de Almanzora junctions. If you do use junction 534 of the E15 you will need to go southbound or northbound on the E15 for one junction, come off the motorway and re-enter it in the opposite direction - if you are on a tight time schedule to get to San Javier airport it will be useful to remember this oddity before you leave for the airport! www.veraplaya.info - news - 19 Sep 2007 Any views on this? Use our Online Forum to air them |
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Late August Storm
hits Vera Playa - Hotel suffers damage to beachside facilities
Click on photos above for larger versions An unseasonal August storm which lasted 3 days (23 - 26 August 2007) has caused damage to the outside areas adjoining the beach and some flood damage to rooms at the Hotel Vera Playa Club. The hotel, part of which is built very close indeed to the sea, and well in front of the general building line, has, in the past few years, received this sort of damage on several occasions, but previously these have all ben in the winter period when storms do happen sometimes. This is the first time in at least the recent past that a severe sea storm has occured in high summer. Correspondent Geoff Ingham who was staying at the hotel reports: "The storm was the worst that many had seen and brought up tonnes of dirty (oil stained?) sand, gravel and stone which coated the whole of the beach and the area in front of the original> apartments next to the restaurant. The buoys broke free. By the time I left (30th) Vera council had made a start on cleaning the beach and the area by the apartments had been tidied up. The old camp site was flooded by sea water and the fence between it and the beach was damaged. The restaurant wall and the one at the end of the service road were breached and part of the terrace awning damaged. Some of the lamps were smashed and wall and floor tiling damaged. Lots of sand and water were left on the terrace but it was soon back in use on a reduced scale with the damaged areas roped off. On the Saturday evening temperatures were very high and dust laden rain fell, the entertainment had to move in doors. (Editor's note: "Dirty" or sandy rain is not uncommon at Vera Playa - the usual reason is said to be Saharan sand sucked up into the clouds over the desert and deposited later with the cloud's complement of water over Spain. On very rare occasions such sand laden clouds have even reached the UK). Thanks to Geoff for report and photos. www.veraplaya.info - news - 3 Sept 2007 |
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| High speed
train station set to boost development and property prices.
The Dirección General de Ferrocarriles has announced the likely routing
for the proposed AVE (high speed train) line from Murcia to Almeria.
Vera Council has reserved a site of 8 hectares for the Vera station
in the Media Luna area close to the new Mercadona supermarket at Puerto
Rey - about 2.5 kms from the naturist beach. We understand that Vera
Playa will be the only beach resort to be directly served by high
speed trains from Madrid which will be only about 2 hrs 30m away once
the line is in operation and development in the area is likely to
be much boosted by the new line, and also property prices. There is
speculation that Vera's case to have one of only 3 stations on the
new line (the others will be at Lorca and Almeria) may have been assisted
by Prime Minister Zapatero's decision to buy a holiday home at Vera
Playa. www.veraplaya.info - news - 20 July 2007 Thanks to our correspondent Jose for researching information for this news item - more when we have it! |
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| Water Cuts Southern Spain has now had about a decade of drought. The government cancelled a plan to pipe water from the River Ebro further north. Meanwhile building of new developments has proceeded and increased at an exponential rate. The water company has repeatedly warned that this is absolutely unsustainable. There are now severe water cuts all over southern Spain each summer. Last year, Vera Playa got off lightly whilst some places locally had no water for one, two or even three days at a time. This year, already, there have been cuts at Vera Playa and it would be prudent to expect more at intervals during the season. The answer is never to throw away any large plastic water containers but keep them filled with tap water or, better, potable water from a public fuente so you can at least cook, brush teeth and occasionally flush the toilet. And when the water is working - don't waste it! (Why there are not draconian restrictions on water use given the seriousness of the water shortage situation is a complete mystery). www.veraplaya.info - news - July 2007 |
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| Stanley Baldwin
(aka Stan Roberts) Most residents and many visitors to Vera Playa will know Stan, many in his role as drummer in his own popular jazz combo which performs at many local venues. Stan has just (yesterday - 3 July) had major heart surgery at Almeria hospital which had been scheduled for some time. We understand the operation was entirely successful and he is in intensive care and beginning a good recovery. Obviously it will be a few weeks or months before Stan is wielding the drumsticks in public again but his fans are no doubt looking forward to the day. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Stan - and to his wife Gloria for whom this has obviously been a stressful time. www.veraplaya.info - news - 4 July 2007 |
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| Bahia de Vera owner
fined by Court Hugo Van Akoleyen, owner of an apartment in the Brisamar building at Bahia de Vera, has been fined €240 and ordered to pay €152 damages and also costs. The case was brought by the Owners' Community following damage to door locks. Mr Van Akoleyen had been a bitter critic of the installation of computer controlled locks at Bahia de Vera claiming that they were an infringement of his human rights & right to privacy. www.veraplaya.info - news - 4 July 2007 Editor's note: This seems to be the end of a somewhat sad saga - there are in fact many owners at Bahia de Vera who think that the computer controlled locks and keys have proved to be an unnecessary, expensive and useless innovation. Mr Van Akoleyen, apparently responsible for damaging some of the new locks was no doubt at fault, but was an easy target for the Community. There are arguably much more significant issues and tougher targets which the Governing Body should be tackling, such as unauthorised extensions to apartments, deliberate and persistent failure to pay the Community Fees by some owners, the owning and/or renting of apartments by non-naturists (explicitly against the rules of the Community), an increasing nuisance from dogs and blatant flouting of various rules of the community by a minority of owners and renters (e.g. proliferation of satellite dishes on walls; long term parking in covered community parking spaces by absentee owners). |
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| Latest scam:
Remember to lock the fuel filler cap on your car when you park it
at Vera Playa otherwise next time you come to use it you may find
your petrol or diesel has been siphoned out. Yes, it's just one more
thing to watch out for! www.veraplaya.info - news - July 2007 |
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| Summer water
cuts have started? Urbanizacions at Vera Playa which get their mains water from the Galasa water comany were without water for just on 20 hours yesterday (Thursday 28 June). It is likely that this is just the start of water rationing cuts through the summer period. The reason is, as the water company has repeatedly warned local councils in Almeria Province, that the present rate of building development is totally incompatible with the realities of water availability in southern Spain, a shortage compounded by several years of severe drought. Nevertheless the building of more and more new developments continues unrestricted... Visitors to Vera Playa would be well advised to establish a reserve of water not only for drinking and cooking but also for washing and flushing toilets - free potable water is available from various municipal fountains (fuentes), the most picturesque of which locally is at Mojacar Village (Pueblo). Because there is more than one water company and each has different practices re water cuts the oddity can arise, as yesterday, when the beach showers and some automatic gardening sprinklers were happily working whilst urbanizacions had no mains water at all. www.veraplaya.info - news - 29 June 2007 Stop press: Another water cut on 5 July. |
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| Sea defence works about to start
with EU aid Works to build sea defences just north of the Vera Playa Club Hotel are due to start this week. It is believed this will involve building groynes and may be intended to halt the erosion of the beach in the vicinity of the hotel which has been increasingly vulnerable to damage by storms. www.veraplaya.info - news - 13 May 2007 Footnote: So far the works have been entirely to the textile beach north of the naturist zone where a large breakwater is being constructed - as yet it is unclear whether these works will include the area in front of the Vera Playa Club Hotel where the beach erosion has been worst. (5 July 2007) |
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New beach watch-towers
The beach lifeguards have been given a leg up - and some welcome shade
from the burning sun - for the summer season of 2007. Whilst afficionados
of war films may feel the new watch towers are rather redolent of
WWII prison camps, they are undoubtedly a great improvement on the
previous "high chairs" that the lifeguards used. On the
naturist beach there is one at the end of Avenida Tortuga Boba and
another at Playa Baria 2. The lifeguards fly green flags when bathing
is safe, yellow/orange when caution is needed and red when it is dangerous
to bathe.www.veraplaya.info news - 29 June 2007 |
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| Drain laying works
set to cause disruption The second half of works to lay massive drains down Avenida Cuidad de Castellon (one of the main roads into the naturist zone - between Parque Vera and La Menara/Vera Natura) has commenced - from Calle Naturista to the beach (near the Sol y Luna bar and restaurant). Because this length of road is one of the main access routes to the naturist beach and also has more than 50% of the street parking for day visitors, the effects of the work are likely to be significant and to put pressure on the other road access to the naturist beach (Avenida Tortuga Boba - between Bahia de Vera/Vera Natura and Playa de Baria 1). www.veraplaya.info - news - 13 May 2007 |
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Natura World nears completion
The largest single urbanizacion at Vera Playa, with 495 units, Natura
World should have been completed around two years ago but off-plan
purchasers of the apartments have had to wait - however the wait seems
worth it it, and with only one phase of apartments still under construction
and due to be finished before autumn, owners can look forward to enjoying
the development's four swimming pools and beach-front position. Those
who decided to buy off-plan several years ago are likely to see their
apartments instantly appreciate by up to 50% as prices have increased
so much locally (Already a two bedroom apartment is on offer at €165,000).
The proximity of the urbanizacion to the beach and Hotel Street with
its bars and restaurants is likely to prove attractive to both renters
and owners and Natura World which seems well designed and constructed
should prove a popular choice both for holidays and for residence.
It is understood that many of the smaller apartments close to the
beach have been retained by the developers for holiday letting. Most
developers are very keen to complete the sales of their properties
but it is believed to be the case that off-plan purchasers have not
yet had to pay a substantial part of the agreed price and even those
who have already moved in have not yet been to the Notary to sign
the Escritura and complete their purchase. Still under construction
is the developer's Apart-Hotel (which will have around 75 units) with
its ground floor commercial centre - completion of this is expected
to be in 2008/9.www.veraplaya.info - news - 9 May 2007 We understand that the development does not yet have a building licence from the Andalucian government but this is expected to be sorted out by autumn 2007 - apparently this is why no purchasers of property have yet been to the Notary to complete - a building licence must be issued before completion of purchases can take place. 11 July 07. Caution: See our developments page and homepage news item re latest position - 3 January 2008 |
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| Topsy-Turvy
April Weather Whilst the southern UK enjoyed record breaking temperatures and sustained good weather in April, Vera Playa (and all the Spanish costas) had the Atlantic lows that normally hit Britain, and its April weather was more typical of the UK, with more cloudy skies than usual, considerable rainfall (much needed actually!) and lower than normal temperatures. April is usually quite a good month at Vera Playa, though the stable summer weather is not assured until into May - and now it seems to have arrived - perfect weather, dawn to dusk sun and highs in the high 20s. www.veraplaya.info - news - 9 May 2007 |
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| Has the Spanish
PM bought a holiday home at Vera Playa - or not? Spanish newspapers have reported that Mr Jose Zapatero, the Prime Minister of Spain has bought a holiday villa in the textile Mirador de Vera urbanizacion which is frontline to the naturist beach at Vera Playa. The single storey, semi-detached bungalow villas are said to sell at around €440,000 and the property in question is said previously to have belonged to a foreign owner. The reports say that Mr Zapatero has spent several summer holidays in Vera and Mojacar and that the new holiday home has been registered in his wife's name. Local people say there have been signs of security officials in and around the property believed to be concerned but it is also rumoured that Mr Zapatero has been upset by the amount of publicity that his purchase has attracted from the media and has cancelled the purchase. www.veraplaya.info - news - 25 April 2007 |
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| Murcia San
Javier fast route open The new toll motorway from Cartagena to Vera is now open and the journey from the Murcia (San Javier) airport to Vera Playa (approx 130 kms) can now be made in around one and a half hours , making this airport the next best choice after Almeria for visitors to Vera Playa though at a price of €11.50 most of the day (0700-0100hrs) but cheaper in the wee small hours at €3.90 (0100-0700hrs) from Cartagena to Vera. Almeria airport (85 kms) is around 50 minutes from Vera Playa and Alicante (215kms) is around 2 hours 15 minutes. www.veraplaya.info - news - 22 April 2007 |
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| Thumbs
down to Wi-Fi The Bahia de Vera Community at Vera Playa has turned down a proposal by apartment owner Allan Pratt who to establish a Wi-Fi zone within the urbanisation. Allan reckoned that if all 180 owners agreed to pay just one Euro extra each month on their Community fees, they would be able to have broadband access and use internet telephony and would not need to have their own individual telephone lines and internet access and visitors to the urbanizacion would also have the advantage of internet access. However the Community, or at least those attending the EGM, were not persuaded and the scheme is not to go ahead - the sights of the Community were set at more mundane but pressing matters such as the need to fit rejas (security grilles) to the social building to prevent the sort of vandalism which has happened recently. www.veraplaya.info - news - 22 April 2007 |
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| Jet2 Vera Playa
from Blackpool Budget airline Jet2, which operates from several airports in the north of England & Scotland, has launched a new service from Blackpool to Murcia San Javier. The service starts on 19 March and from 26 March there will be two flights each day, 7 days a week! The new toll motorway from Cartagena to Vera (not yet open - see item above) means the journey to Vera Playa should be no longer than about 90 mins and is a serious alternative to Almeria and Alicante airports. See www.jet2.com for details. Jet2 flies to Almeria from Leeds/Bradford & Newcastle and to Alicante and Murcia from several UK airports. www.veraplaya.info - 7 Mar 07 Editor's comment: Two flights a day from a small regional airport seems reckless - it is this sort of over-provision of service which wrecked MyTravelLite, which closed with the loss of all their excellent services which if they had been more modest in frequency might well have filled the planes instead of leaving them half full or less - no way to survive as an airline! |
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Latest
scam - owners beware!
Almeria province sometimes seems like the Wild West with scams of
every sort being practised - the latest spotted in the naturist zone
is "free" electricity - if your electricity bill is getting
too much for you why not tap into your neighbour's supply by connecting
into the electricity distribution cupboard? Moral for owners? Check what is happening near your property and check your electricity bills to see if you are being charged for electricity when you aren't even there. Click on photo for larger version or here for second photo. www.veraplaya.info - news - 5 March 2007 |
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| JET2 more flights
from UK to Almeria Growing northern England budget airline JET 2 is starting flights to Almeria from Leeds Bradford and Newcastle in May 2007 and according to one happy Vera Playa owner who has already booked, its prices are very good - headline prices are somewhat cheaper than FlyMonarch (from Birmingham) and the extras to the ticket price are much lower, so overall, excellent. It looks as if Jet2's prices may be around 25% higher than Easyjet's and Ryanair's from London airports, but the advantage of being able to travel from close to home much outweighs the difference. Another new route to Almeria being introduced from May 2007 is from London Luton (by FlyMonarch). There is now beginning to be quite good coverage of the UK in terms of direct flights to and from Almeria. Those from London Gatwick (Easyjet) & London Stansted (Easyjet & Ryanair) are definitely the cheapest, from the Midlands there is, since the demise of MyTravelLite, only FlyMonarch, whose service is good but also pricey compared with the carriers from London (around 50% higher). FlyMonarch also fly from Manchester to Almeria and Ryanair, fromDublin to Almeria. websites: www.jet2.com www.flymonarch.com www.easyjet.com www.ryanair.com www.veraplaya.info - news - 2 February 2007 |
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| Owners' website ceases
operation John Aston who, with other owners, has run the Vera Natura owners website at http://www.veranatura.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ informs us that the site has ceased operation. The reason is that since the new Junta took control they will not talk to the owners who have run the website or give them any information and not wanting to have just old news they have decided to close the website. Webmaster's Comment: It's a shame the Vera Natura owners who ran the Vera Natura owners' website have decided to throw in the towel. Although theoretically democratic and open, it seems all too common for the ruling Juntas of urbanizacions to be secretive and in practice keep owners in the dark about what they are up to. In my view what is needed is a good deal more "light of the day" thrown upon the decisions and doings of these adminstrations, which should be open and accountable to all the members of their respective communities, and not just at general meetings which are in reality effectively closed to many owners, both because they may not be present at VP when they take place, but also because the realities of the language barriers prevents effective participation. To close their website down is, in my view, the wrong decision - tough and uncomfortable though it can be, public examination and criticism by such mechanisms as the VN owners' website watching carefully what is going on and providing something of a thorn in the side of th Junta is exactly what is needed democratically. Bob www.veraplaya.info - news - 28 January 2007 |
www.VeraPlaya.info © 2007
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