Anfi Group, the company behind the much-anticipated Anfi Tauro Golf & Luxury Resorts development and the town council of Mogan have both been given the green light by the Supreme Administrative Court following an appeal to allow the development to go ahead.

The new resort will include two brand new man-made beaches and a 500-berth leisure harbour, plus a number of residential and leisure facilities, with a focus on golf. The 7,500 bed tourist complex will be targeted at European visitors and the luxury development already boasts a luxury hotel, a selection of freehold bungalows and villas, an 18-hole championship golf course, golf academy and 9-hole pitch-and-putt course, all to the tune of €400 million. Read more

Morocco as a tourist destination has been rising in popularity steadily as it attracts more and more Britons to its best-known regions including Marrakech and the golf and beach coast near Tetuan. Now Portugal’s leading hotel group, which also has a strong shared ownership division, is making its first foray into Morocco with the Pestana Casablanca, a development of tourist apartments.

Casablanca is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in this country considered the bridge between Africa and Europe which boasts 3,500 km of coastline, rich nature diversity, millennial history and traditions and hospitality. Read more

Interval International has just announced the affiliation of Multiresidence de l’Elysee in Paris, France. The property occupies a six-storey building in the 8th arrondissement on the right bank of the River Seine, close to the Champs-Élysées and right between the world famous Parisian landmarks the Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde.

“The prime location of this resort, on the stylish Rue de Colisee in the heart of Paris, makes it an ideal base for exploring one of the world’s most beautiful cities,” said Darren Ettridge, Interval International’s vice president of resort sales and service for Europe, Middle East, and Africa. “Each residence is equipped with all the comforts of home, so guests will feel more like residents than tourists.” Read more

We have been made aware that timeshare owners are making complaints that they are receiving unsolicited phone calls from Equity Secure, a company that operates using a website but does not appear to have office in the UK.

This firm purports to secure ‘equity release from your timeshare commitments' and owners are informed that the law is to change in January next year, which will result in a doubling of their maintenance fees.

There is no truth whatsoever in this statement and owners should be on their guard about this claim, scare tactics to persuade people to pay a fee to sign up for their service.

So what changes will there be to timeshare laws next year? In February 2011, a new Directive comes in to force that provides timeshare buyers with additional levels of protection, namely a 14 day cooling off period and a ban on deposits. This law does not extend to maintenance fees and claims that these are to double are totally unfounded.

 RDO is, further, extremely concerned that Equity Secure, which has links to Travel Connect Ltd and Connections 6, is offering to recover up to £12,000 on behalf of timeshare owners. RDO does not endorse this type of ‘cashback’ scheme and is doubtful that owners would receive their money. Read more

Turkey has been one of the biggest success stories in the travel and resort development industry this year. Now travellers keen to sample Turkey’s wellbeing holidays can enjoy a taste of some Turkish spa delights at two resorts that joined RCI recently: Salutaris Thermal Resort, located inland from the Aegean coast of Turkey, and Kartas Thermal Spa & Resort in the Cavlak area of Bogazliyan, Yozgat.

Salutaris Thermal Resort in Omerli lies in the mountainous region of Afyon, inland from the Aegean coast and 250 kilometres south-west of Ankara. Afyon is rich in history, with many archeological sites and monuments, such as the ruins of a fortress, the Great Mosque, the 13th century Alti Göz Bridge and the statue of Hamm's symbolic white elephant. Read more

UPDATE: The planned strike has been averted. See this article on GoTimeshare.org for more information: 

easyJet is warning passengers to check their flight status given uncertainty over flying due to the Spanish air strike threat, before they leave for the airport and have said they will transfer passengers to an alternative flight to the same destination free of charge, all of which can be done at www.easyjet.com

Passengers who did not book their flights through the website, however, should request a flight rebooking by calling the call centre on 0871 244 23661.

Refunds may also be an option, although if flights were originally booked through travel agents, the flight cost must be claimed back through that agency. Read more

Club La Costa Resorts & Hotels will open a brand new resort in Kusadasi on Turkey’s Aegean coast next summer. Kusadasi Golf & Spa will be a first for both the resort developer, and Turkey, comprising a unique, mixed use residential development complete with its own 18-hole, par 72 golf course, spa, shops, sports and on-site restaurants.

The resort is set on a hilltop, close to one of the region’s most spectacular stretches of coast, “Long Beach”, and is just 11 km from Kusadasi, one of Turkey ’s top tourist spots earmarked to become a golf centre. Read more

Twenty-five years ago, Tenerife-based resort management company WimPen was part of construction giant George Wimpey’s European empire; today, WimPen provides management services for 13 resorts and communities in Tenerife, Lanzarote, La Gomera and the Costa del Sol, servicing 15,000 property owners.
  Read more

It has been brought to the attention of RDO [Resort Development Organisation] that a Singapore based company called United Wealth Management may be informing timeshare owners during presentations that the company is registered with RDO.

United Wealth Management is not associated with RDO in any way and is not authorised to act on its behalf. Members of the public should be on their guard if contacted by this company and are advised to take legal advice before parting with any money.
 
Timeshare owners who are asked to pay a sum of money to a company that promises to recuperate monies lost elsewhere - for example a deposit paid to a sales company that has closed down or a registration fee paid to a resale company - should be extremely wary as this frequently results in a further loss.
 
If you are told that the company is registered with RDO, check our website as it contains an up-to-date list of members, all of which sign up to a code of conduct. Go to www.rdo.org for further information. Read more

New Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, the smiling young South African who made winning the St. Andrews championship in high winds look like a breeze, knows just how breathtaking playing Scotland’s links courses can be.
Scottish golf is as famous as its whisky and Hogmanay parties, and now there’s a new links course and luxury resort, situated next to the original Machrihanish Golf Club on the Mull of Kintyre, for golfers and fresh air lovers to enjoy. Read more