Andorra Blog

The Pyrenees is probably not the first place you would look for good internet connections, but add to that requirement being able to live in a tax friendly environment and you might think you are asking a little too much.

Happily there is such a place - Andorra.

Situated between France and Spain in the Pyrenees, it’s an independent country with a population of 80,000, plus those who have taken residency to live in the Principality.

Best known to the general public for her skiing, the country became well known for it in the 1980’s and in recent years has improved her infrastructure to the extent that it now competes with French ski holidays on an even footing.

For those considering a tax haven such as traders who need high speed internet acess and for those where time is critical, it’s a good working environment with or without tax, and Andorra steps up to the mark for them.

For such a small country in the middle of a mountain range Andorra impresses by being the 11th in the world for broadband speed - beating the United Kingdom for example, and according to Ookla who carried out the research Andorra has 14.79Mbps.

Good news indeed for those who need high speed communications in a tax friendly country whether for business or for social media like facebook - but what else can it offer apart from the financial advantages and good communications?

It has an infrastructure that matches any Western European country, with a good road network that has easy access to both France and Spain. Some residents drive to the Spanish coast for the weekend while some own property elsewhere and for example frequently enjoy Majorca villa holidays with a journey time of around five hours door to door.

For people considering taking Andorra residency, medical facilities are important, and more good news is that the hospital is modern and well equipped, with surgeons contracted from Barcelona to deal with non-emergency teatment as well as local doctors.

For tourists, there’s a good choice of hotels, both in the capital la Vella and in the villages and towns. Some of the hotels are as good as you’ll find on Swiss ski holidays, and there’s a wide range of culinary experiences available, including Michelin Star restaurants. Soldeu is one of the best known areas for ski holidays and first class quality hotels equivalent to anywhere else include the Sport Hermitage.

And it’s not just those who take Andorra residency who benefit from low or no taxes. For tourists Andorra is great for shopping with some of the lowest prices in Europe. To the extent that people make the trip from Barcelona to pick up the bargains. They visit the hypermarkets in Sant Julia just across from the Spanish border or make their way to the capital where there are department stores.

Good news for readers who live in London - BA are launching new flights to Ibiza from City Airport.

To read more click here

The fashion industry loves Ibiza, according to a recent article in the UK Guardian - here’s an extract:

“Ibiza is loved by the fashion industry,” says Lucinda Cook, who works as fashion director for Deliciously Sorted, an Ibizan VIP and concierge service. “Models, designers and photographers holiday on the island year after year and I think they are naturally influenced by their surroundings. The beauty, the beaches, the music, the people.”

While Matthew Williamson, Jade Jagger, Stella McCartney and Alice Temperley’s designs show an obvious link to Ibiza’s bohemian style, top fashion photographers Mert and Marcus, whose work appeared in every major fashion magazine, live on the island and frequently shoot there. American Vogue editor Anna Wintour’s daughter Bee Shaffer has holidayed with French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld’s daugther Julia Restoin Roitfeld in Ibiza for the past three years. And Kate Moss has brought everyone from Marc Jacobs to Topshop’s Sir Philip Green to the island.

Sir Philip clearly enjoyed his trip: his Miss Selfridge brand has now worked with Hed Kandi, producing a range of dresses to celebrate the club night’s 10th anniversary. “Collaborations between music and fashion always blow up, especially in Ibiza,” says Yusuf. “I’ve come here for 15 years and you can predict the following season’s trends, sometimes as far as two years ahead, from looking at the people here. Because it’s tribal but different sets of people gravitate together, you see the trends spread. A few years ago, I just knew after four days in Ibiza that it was all going to be about big sunglasses. Last year it was neon and the make-up was day-glo, and this year it’s all about fringing and the Pocahontas look.”

To read the full article at The Guardian click here  - for todays Ibiza weather visit http://www.youribiza.net

The Daily Mail ran a good article about the island recently - to read it here click here

A good article appeared in The Times recently about people who split their time between Ibiza and London.

To read it click here

A good article appeared recently in Britain’s top selling newspaper The Sun - here’s an extract:

The Ibiza Gran is where the grown-up party people come to hit the club scene at night and recharge their batteries by day.

The new five-star hotel is a short stroll from beautiful Ibiza Town and is across the road from Pacha, the island’s most glamorous club.

The jetset crowd here enjoy complimentary fresh fruit by the pool, hotel-wide wi-fi for updating their MySpace pages and a champagne breakfast every day (available until 11.30am at the weekend).

Up in the rooms, designer bath salts and the world’s softest beds help ease aching feet and throbbing heads and the roomy balconies are the perfect place to watch the sunset over the old town’s Dalt Villa before heading out.

The hotel’s fabulous location means nothing is too far away, which makes a big difference when you’re trying to see and do everything in just a few days - especially with a hangover.

Twenty minutes in our little hire car and we were tanning with the chic Europeans at Las Salinas beach…

To read the full article visit The Sun’s on-line edition here

Nearly half of British tourists visiting Ibiza pack their favourite teabags, accordiing to a report in the Daily Mirror. To read the story click here

We saw this report on the internet site propertywire.com

Buy to let property investors with real estate to rent in the Balearics could see a steep fall in income this year if early booking trends continue.

Tourist bookings in the Balearics are down by between 10% and 20%, according to the latest figures. This is the biggest fall that the Balearic tourism sector has suffered in 20 years.

Minorca is doing the worst, with British visitor bookings down 20%, and Germans down 15%. Mallorca is doing only slightly better, with British visitors down 15% and Germans down 10%.

Even Ibiza, the most popular of the islands, has seen bookings from British tourists fall by 12%, and Germans down 10%.

Aurelio Vazquez, President of the Association of Hotel Chains, said members are reporting up to 20% falls in bookings. Although there are no separate figures available for villas and apartments they tend to follow the same trend.

The only segment bucking the trend is all inclusive hotel deals where bookings are up slightly.

Check expedia hotels for up to date hotel quotes.

To read more click though to www.propertywire.com

Another Balearic Island site, this time for Majorca, can be reached by clicking Majorca