Calling all parents in the Duquesa area!! It’s that time of year again that we either love or hate.

The crazy rush to get the children back to school has surprised us all after the lovely, lazy Costa del Sol summer days. School books must be ordered, pens and pencils purchased and uniforms washed and ironed.

For ordering school books and gathering provisions we have a very good shop in Sabinillas on Calle Miguel Delibes, where they are very friendly and helpful and can speak english if required.

For purchasing the official uniforms, Plaza Ginebre  in Sabinillas, just behind our office, is the place to go; an innocuous doorway underneath the stairs will lead you into a  shop and all items of uniform can be purchased there. It is worth stating though that the uniforms are worn on a voluntary basis and they are expensive here in Spain and so personally, I collect my own uniforms from the likes of Marks and Spencers or Carrefor can be equally as good although run out of uniform items very quickly.

For those of us with children in the infant/primary schools Maicandil and San Luis here in Sabinillas and Pablo Picasso in Manilva, Monday the 12th September is the big day.  To help plan your year ahead, click on the word calendar to follow the link to the school calendar for 2012/12 where you will find all of the school holidays.

Viva Manilva have a fantastic page on which is lots of information regarding the school system here in the Manilva area so if you are new to the area it will be worth taking a look.

So now back to reality, early mornings, school buses, busy Sunday evenings, pack lunches and homework.  At least the sun shines on us here on the Costa del Sol so the school run is hardly ever a washout!

Are you a resident in Manilva? Are you on the padrón? If the answer to this last question is YES, our next question is: are you registered to vote?
Registering on the padrón doesn’t mean you have the right to vote. This is done separately, by registering your option in the Tenencia de Alcaldia or the Town Hall.
For anybody living in the Duquesa area today is your last chance to register to vote! If you are a Manilva property owner or long term resident of Manilva, it is very important to have your say. The deadline for registration was the 31st of January 2011, but for the residents wanting to express their right to vote there is now another opportunity.
Between the 4th of April and the 11th of April 2011 the list of the citizens registered to vote will be made available. If you are not on that list, but you were registered on the padrón before December 2010, you can request the right to vote in the elections on the 22nd of May.
Don´t miss your chance to have your say in how your local Manilva community is run.

In the run up to the May elections, the Mayoress of Manilva, Antonia Munoz has recently release a statement detailing the works that have been carried out in the Manilva area over the past 4 years.

It was quite a long statement and to see the whole press release please go to the resident.es or read The Resident newspaper.

I have selected pieces from the statement that I consider will be of interest to the  property owners in the Manilva area and those of you who are considering purchasing a property in Duquesa, Manilva, Sabinillas or Casares Costa.

“We want to make Manilva a place to be proud to live in and I think we have done this”

“Punta Chullera has had a face-lift, with an agreement between the town hall and residents. In Castillo the park El Huerto, the promenade between Castillos and Las Gaviotas and the archaeological museum in the castle are all new additions”

“In Duquesa Port, the 35 year old septic tank was removed and the sewers connected to the main system. Other works include pedestrianisation of the centre (Duquesa Port), a new park area and 2 car parks. We have also opened the tourist office in the afternoons.”

“In Princess Kristina works to the roads and utilities. In Hacienda Guadalupe  €80,000 has been contributed for the installation of individual water metres.”

“We have resurfaced municipal roads.”

In Sabinillas improvements continue such as parks and the Plaza Vicente Espinel. Important works that will improve the lives of many families such as the sports centre which we believe will be ready by December 2011. Before May we will have finished the underground parking.”

“We have improved the sports centre in Manilva with rooms for spinning and aerobics and we are very proud of the improved climbing wall.”

“The Las Vinas Park will open soon and the social services centre will be finished at the end of June. In Manilva the remodelling of Plaza Romance de la Luna has created a fine setting for the Santa Ana church. In short we have carried out more than 150 projects of all kinds.”

All of this is fantastic news for the area and the improvements have certainly been felt by those of us living and visiting the Duquesa and Manilva area.

Barrington Homes have many superb reductions available on property around the Duquesa area including La Duquesa Golf apartments with 100%  finance available INCLUDING all fees and taxes. Now is a fantastic time to make a property investment in the Duquesa area or to join the property ladder purchasing your first home.

Join Barrington Homes on Facebook and Twitterand receive up to the minute news, listings and reductions on all our properties.

Anybody living in or visiting Puerto de la Duquesa will have noticed the works being carried out there during the past few months.  There is a lovely new pedestrian area in Calle Los Arcos and Plaza los Delfines which has created a safe area for families and holiday makers to sit and relax in the restaurants and bars during the busy summer season in Duquesa. The general improvement works have included the tidying up of garden areas, painting, improved parking and the repairing of the street lighting. Puerto de la Duquesa is a valuable asset to the Manilva area and it is wonderful to see yet more improvements to our environment. It can only benefit the owners of properties in Duquesa Port and the surrounding area such as Marina de la Duquesa, Marina Real and Marina del Castillo.

The Mayor of Manilva has also announced more general improvements for the Duquesa, Manilva and Sabinillas area including plans to repair the roads. During the last few years the road running from Puerto de la Duquesa up to Las Brisas and Monte Duquesa has been renewed and it has made a huge difference to the quality and aesthetics of the area as well as improving the access to the beautiful urbanisations surrounding Duquesa Golf course such as Duquesa Village.

The small pueblo of Castillo is a little known gem and is not to be ignored, the area is to see new gardens and pavements installed; there has also been proposed the building of a large underground car with a municipal “green area” above.

Investments are being made in Manilva itself. Great news is that the link road that connects Manilva and the AP7 motorway to the N340 coast road is soon to be reopened which provides good, fast access to Duquesa from Gibraltar airport and Malaga airport and creates great links to the rest of Andalucia.

If you are considering a holiday to Duquesa or the Manilva area, Barrington Holidays have a fantastic selection of apartments in prime locations along our beautiful Mediterranean coastline. Including La Perla de la Bahia, Marina de la Duquesa, Los Granados, Marina del Castillo and Marina Real.

The all new and shiny airport in Malaga is the pride of the Costa del Sol and the accessibility to the Costa del Sol area from all over the world has been greatly improved with the expansion. But for those visiting and living in the Duquesa and the Manilva area, who regularly make use of Malaga Airport, you now have another option in Gibraltar Airport.

On the 29^th March 2011, Easyjet are opening a new flight destination from Gibraltar Airport to the North of England: Three times a week, Easyjet will be flying from Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport to Gibraltar Airport.  The flights are available online now at great prices. This coincides with the impressive new airport being constructed in Gibraltar so not only will the amount of flights into Gibraltar increase but the comfort and ease of using Gibraltar airport will improve immensely.

Artist’s impression of the new airport in Gibraltar

With the accessibility of our western stretch of the Costa del Sol opening up, we can hope that the convenience, more choice and costs of visiting Duquesa and Manilva become a persuading factor when holiday makers and investors alike are choosing a destination to visit next year.  The local economy would do well to attract a boost in tourism in 2011 and with the amazing property prices that Barrington Homes have available in the Duquesa, Manilva and Casares Costa areas, the private and professional investors alike will once again take notice of this beautiful part of Spain.

If you are looking for a property in the Duquesa, Manilva and Casares Costa areas, contact Damian Barrington or myself and we will do all we can to help you find the right property for you, at the right price.

If you have a property that you would like to make available to holiday makers or if you are looking for a holiday apartment to rent, contact the team at Barrington Holidays, we are already taking bookings for 2011.