Playa Tropical, Blocks A and B in 1969. In 1972, Block C was added. To the left of Block A, the foundations and walls of the first "Antiguo El Meson" can be seen.
Playa Tropical, Block A and B in 1969. In 1972, Block C was added.~
To the left of Block A is seen the foundation and walls for the first "El Antiguo Meson".
MilestoneIt was in 1968 that the history of Playa Tropical began.
It started with an advertisement in Berlingske Tidende, which among others prompted Mr Max Ludvigsen to register as a buyer.
Below is one of the documents that led to him acquiring his apartment, which he still uses in 2016:
RESERVATION FORM
The undersigned hereby expresses the wish to purchase a fully furnished apartment for the period stated below in the apartment complex located at Playa de Velila, Almunecar, Costa del Sol.
It is a prerequisite for the purchase that the apartment has a direct view of the Mediterranean and that no building is erected later that will obstruct this view – furthermore, that it is located and equipped as described in the sent brochure with accompanying papers. It is also a prerequisite that, apart from the purchase price and notary fees stated below, an annual amount of no more than kr. 200 may be demanded to cover taxes, administration, and maintenance.
On the above conditions, the undersigned wishes to acquire either
apartment no. 2
or apartment no. 3
in the period from 15/10 to 15/11
for a total purchase price once and for all of 2,000 Danish kroner.
For this amount, as the owner, I have the right to use the apartment during the said period, just as I can let or sell it.
The undersigned accepts the following terms:
Upon signing this agreement, to deposit the down payment of kr. 400 with state-authorised estate agent Finn Daugaard.
Said amount will only be released when Playa Tropical A/S provides written confirmation that the desired apartment period has been reserved for you. If reservation cannot be granted as desired, the deposited amount will be refunded in full.
The remaining purchase price is to be paid in 3 instalments of kr. 535 into account 13.321 Banco del Bilbao, Granada, where they will remain in a blocked account until you release them, i.e., when the building is finished.
The first instalment is to be paid no later than 1/2 1969, and the second instalment no later than when the ownership documents can be transferred to you by Playa Tropical A/S.
Signed by Max Ludvigsen in Copenhagen on 13/11 1968.
Afterwards, things moved quickly, and Finn Daugaard called the first meeting between the first Danish buyers of apartments in Playa Tropical:
FINN DAUGAARD
State-auth. estate agent M.D.E. Bonderosevej 1
4000 Roskilde
THE SUNSHINE CLUB ?
At the request of several parties, I am hereby taking the initiative to convene all buyers of apartment periods in the property complex sold by Playa Tropicai S.A. The meeting will be held at:
Hotel PRINSEN Roskilde
Monday 9 June 1969 at 7:15 pm
The purpose of the meeting is to investigate whether there is an appetite among the buyers to form a club or similar to take care of arranging group trips down there and possibly exchanging apartment periods.
Present at the meeting will be Playa Tropicai S/A represented by director Antonio de Cienfuegos and his Danish secretary Mrs Marianne Martens. You will therefore be able to get answers to all questions regarding the apartments, surroundings, etc., and hopefully it will also be possible to show you pictures from down there. Furthermore, the head of a travel agency has been invited. He will provide an overview of how he, as a professional, believes the trips can be arranged most cheaply and best.
We expect to have a pleasant and rewarding evening where we can get to know each other, so we have arranged with the hotel that a cup of coffee and cakes will be served for kr. 7.50 all-inclusive. Your friends and acquaintances are very welcome.
If you would be so kind as to let us know how many of you are coming, we would be grateful, but you are also very welcome even if you should forget to call me before the meeting.
My phone number is (03) 35 78 81.
Hoping to see you on Monday 9 June at 7:15 pm in Roskilde.
Yours sincerely, Finn Daugaard.
It turned out to be a pleasant evening, where it was decided to found an association which was not named the Sunshine Club, but:
Club Andalucia Denmark ,
which on 1 October had 33 members paying an annual subscription of kr. 25.
CuriosityPerhaps the association's name should have been:
Club Playa Tropical Dk,
bearing in mind the close historical relationship that has existed between the association and Playa Tropical.
Afterwards, advertising and work to recruit more buyers – and members for Club Andalucia – continued:
FINN DAUGAARD
state-auth. estate agent M.D.E. Bonderosevej 1
4000 Roskilde
tel. (03) 35 78 81
Your own place in the sun
for 2,750 kr. once and for all
We hereby have the pleasure of sending you a brochure and information about a brand new and interesting HOLIDAY DEVELOPMENT on one of the most beautiful coastlines in Europe – namely the COSTA DEL SOL.
(Today, of course, we know that our coastline is called Costa Tropical).
We know owner-occupied apartments back home, but the clever thing about the Spanish system is that you only need to buy the apartment for the period you know you can normally use it. After all, very few people can take a holiday 12 months a year, and it is therefore entirely unreasonable to incur the expense of a holiday home beyond the time you have the opportunity to use it. Should you, despite everything, not be able to use all the periods you have bought in any given year, Playa Tropical's Danish secretary Mrs Marianne Martens is at your disposal, and she will be able to let the apartment for you so that you thereby achieve an extra income.
Should it happen, for personal or other reasons, that you do not enjoy the apartment in the future as much as you expected, we are very much at your disposal should you wish to sell the apartment again. If you buy now, you can expect a significantly higher price than you paid yourself, as the price of the various periods will rise considerably after 1 January 1970.
THE APARTMENTS ARE LOCATED:
in Almuñécar, a cosy and genuine Andalusian coastal town with 15,000 inhabitants, 85 km northeast of Malaga airport. The drive here will remain in your memory for the rest of your life, and the town is situated very beautifully right by the Mediterranean and ringed by high mountains. It has large, first-class hotels, excellent restaurants, nightclub bars, etc. The apartment complex is located right on the beach, separated from the Mediterranean only by 2 swimming pools and the beach promenade. All apartments have completely unobstructed views of the Mediterranean and access to a 3 km long beach. There are rich opportunities for anglers, especially spear-fishing, and the area offers unlimited opportunities for wonderful walks and excursions in a landscape where bananas, oranges, olives, and many other fruits ripen in the winter half-year. You do not need to leave your skis at home, because in winter you can take a trip to the Sierra Nevada mountains in a single day and thoroughly satisfy your desires there.
All the apartments are identical and consist of a living room with a bar-kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom, and each apartment has a magnificent balcony directly facing the Mediterranean. The apartments are fully furnished and decorated in Spanish style by one of Spain's leading interior architectural firms. Each apartment is equipped for
2–3 people and is further equipped with central heating, running hot and cold water, a lift, and a telephone. You do not need to bring anything down there; there is everything you need, but if you wish to bring some personal items, you can have them stored in a locked storage room for a small fee so that you do not have to transport them out and back every year.
PRICES AND TERMS OF SALE.
The prices listed below are what you must pay once and for all, after which the apartment will remain yours for the purchased period forever with the right to let or resell it, just as you can bequeath it.
Period Price Down payment 3 INSTALMENTS of kr.
15 Oct. – 15 Nov. sold out
15 Nov. – 15 Dec. 2,750 550 735
15 Dec. – 15 Jan. 4,100 800 1,100
15 Jan. – 15 Feb. 2,750 550 735
15 Feb. – 15 Mar. sold out
15 Mar. – 1 Apr. 2,750 550 735
1 Apr. – 15 Apr. 3,200 650 850
15 Apr. – 1 May 3,200 650 850
1 May – 15 May 3,635 725 970
15 May – 1 Jun. 3,635 725 970
1 Jun. – 15 Jun. 4,300 850 1,150
15 Jun. – 1 Jul. 4,300 850 1,150
1 Jul. – 15 Jul. 4,300 850 1,150
15 Jul. – 1 Aug. 5,300 1,000 1,435
1 Aug. – 15 Aug. sold out
15 Aug. – 1 Sep. 5,300 1,000 1,435
1 Sep. – 15 Sep. 4,300 850 1,150
15 Sep. – 1 Oct. 4,300 850 1,150
1 Oct. – 15 Oct. 2,750 550 735
EXAMPLE:
If you purchase an apartment in the period between 15 February and 15 March, you must pay 550,- kr. upon conclusion of the agreement (which can optionally be split). This money will be deposited into the estate agent Finn Daugaard's client account until Playa Tropical confirms that the apartment
has been reserved for you for the desired period. In the period between the reservation and the time when you finally receive the title deed, you must pay 2 instalments of 735,- kr. each to Banco del Bilbao into account no. 13.321, where the money will be held in a blocked account until the title deed is handed over to you. The final payment must be made no later than the day you receive the title deed, this only applies if you pay in 3 instalments, as 3 instalments are considered a cash purchase.
The only expense you will incur thereafter is a 10% fee to the notary for registration and issuance of the title deeds, as well as an annual amount of 1,000 pts, = 108,- kr. to cover property tax, insurance, administration, maintenance of the building, swimming pool, garden, etc. For this amount, the apartment will also be cleaned after each period.
In addition to the furnishings you can see in the picture in the brochure on page 1a, a refrigerator, various lamps and pictures, as well as necessary bed linen, kitchen utensils, crockery, towels, etc. for 2–3 people are included. Renewal of the furnishings is also covered by the 1,000 pts. you must pay annually.
Regarding the journey down there, as an agency we cannot undertake to arrange your transport out and home, but the buyers of the 130 periods already sold to Danes have formed a club, "Club Andalucia Danmark", to look after your interests in Spain, and the club will also be helpful in pointing out the cheapest travel options to you.
The club is represented by Director J. Hastrup-Stilling, Chairman; Auditor H.C. Gejlsbjerg, Secretary; and
Senior Police Officer Poul Ankjærgaard, Treasurer.
If you wish to contact other buyers who have stayed in the apartments, join the club, or reserve an apartment period, please kindly contact me by telephone
(03) 35 78 81
With thanks for your enquiry, I remain
Yours sincerely,
Finn Daugaard
As evident from the above, the apartments were sold in 24 units of 14-day periods, but were otherwise divided into a total of 19 periods – namely 14 units of 14-day periods from 15 March to 14 October and 5 units of 1-month periods from 15 October to 14 March.
For all 19 periods, 1000 ptas/year had to be paid in administration fees, which in winter was therefore half of what had to be paid in summer.
Playa Tropical also possessed a small bus with a permit to transport passengers from Almuñécar across the mountain to Playa Tropical and vice versa – as there was initially no road along the coast.
As most Danish owners and users of apartments in Playa Tropical know, Hans Chr. Gejlsbjerg became a board member, secretary, and later chairman of Club Andalucia – a task he put a great deal of work into until April 1998, when he was succeeded by the then editor of the association's club magazine, Kaj Grosen.
Hans was also president of Block A for a period and editor of "Medlemsnyt", which was the forerunner to the wonderful club magazine that Kaj Grosen created in 1984.
The first Medlemsnyt was published in October 1969, a little content of which is shown below:
"A PLACE in the SUN"
This is the board's first – perhaps slightly clumsy – attempt to start a "magazine" whose purpose is clear and simple: to spread information to our club members about conditions and circumstances connected with our shared Spanish interests.
Many Club Andalucia members, most of whom have not yet seen their "Spanish possession", have let it be known that there is a need for ongoing information that can serve to shed light on matters that are now – and surely will also be in the future – unclear, confusing, and little known.
We have all invested money in a dream, in a holiday home under the southern sun and by the blue Mediterranean, and we would all like to see this dream manifest into realities that come as close to our individual expectations as possible.
For this to succeed, the editor of this magazine asks its readers to recognise the necessity of showing tolerance towards such conditions which, on their first trip and first visit to Playa Tropical, may not quite live up to their expectations.
All beginnings are difficult, and Spain is not Denmark! That is probably, fundamentally, one of the reasons why we have chosen Spain as the location for our holiday homes!
The editorial team believes that this magazine can become the tool that, properly utilised, will help us all get greater benefit and satisfaction from our Spanish investment.
But for this to hold true, there is one condition that must be fulfilled:
that each individual member regards themselves as a contributor to the magazine by providing the editorial team with such notices, information, and details that are of general interest to Playa Tropical owners.
And this is our plea to you: let us have your contributions – whether they concern visit reports, wishes, complaints, praise/criticism, or suggestions – in writing! An informal "rough text" about this or that is far preferable to a verbal (telephone) enquiry. Through such cooperation between you and us, we have a better opportunity to enjoy and benefit from our shared place under the southern sun.
J.H-ST.
A first visit to Almuñécar
On 23 July 1969, we were in Almuñécar to inspect our apartment.
By appointment, we sought out Mrs Martens at Playa Tropical's office in Almuñécar.
She accompanied us out to Playa Tropical, which is beautifully situated by the beach.
The entire first block was finished, the garden in front of the block was landscaped, and a swimming pool to the left of the entrance was in use – the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors were already inhabited.
We viewed an apartment on the 5th floor and were delighted with what we saw.
The apartment is wonderfully furnished: The living room feels very well-furnished and cosy, and so does the bedroom. The bathroom is definitely as magnificent as we had been told. The balcony is wonderfully large and has a marvellous view.
Our expectations for the apartment were fulfilled.
In front of the complex, three retail premises were almost finished, one of which was to be a supermarket.
Was there then nothing that was not quite up to expectations? Yes, the beach! It was somewhat stony. But they were fixing it. Stones had been removed and it had been leveled. Mrs Martens said that a kind of matting was to be laid out to make the beach more inviting – but we were in the water, which was very clean.
The Jeppesen family
Perhaps it will also be interesting for both "old" and "newer" owners of apartments in Playa Tropical to read the report by Club Andalucia's former secretary and chairman, Hans Chr. Gejlsbjerg, about his first trip to Almuñécar:
What was it like then?
It was with a certain amount of scepticism that I embarked on my first holiday trip to Playa Tropical in Almuñécar on 25 October 1969.
I had made sure from home that there was a possibility of renting a room at a hotel in Almuñécar, just in case Playa Tropical turned out to be a castle in the sky.
It must have been with similar feelings that other members embarked on their first trip.
I will try to present my impressions from the trip that might be of interest to the members in the following sections:
Transport to and from Málaga airport
Arrival at Playa Tropical (as well as departure)
Buildings and installations
Shopping opportunities
Restaurants
Surroundings and the weather
Transport to and from Málaga airport
As it is left up to each individual member to figure out transport options from Denmark to Málaga (see, however, offers from Raffel Rejser), and it has turned out that travel arrangements do not include transport from the airport to Playa Tropical, it is a great convenience that bus transport has been arranged in connection with the flights bringing a certain number of travellers whose destination is Almuñécar. This bus waits at the airport; it is easy to spot (look for the name "Club Andalucia"). The price varies according to the expected number of travellers and the time, approx. 150 pesetas. The bus is from Almuñécar and was ordered by consultant Sten Jacobson, who resides permanently in Almuñécar and serves as vice-chairman of Club Andalucia, Sweden.
Should there not be enough people for a bus, one is referred to the public bus or taxi (a taxi to Playa Tropical costs approx. 1,000,- pesetas).
It is therefore of the utmost importance that, before departure from home, one writes to Sten Jacobson, Apartado 92, Almuñécar (Granada) and informs him how many people are coming and when to the airport.
The bus journey feels strenuous after the flight, but it cannot be denied that one gets to see magnificent scenery on the 2-hour bus ride.
Arrival at Playa Tropical (as well as departure)
Upon arrival, one applies to one of the 2 charming Spanish public relations girls sitting in the lobby, and one is shown to the office there.
In the office, one signs an inventory list and has the opportunity to pay the period fee of 1,000,- pesetas.
Upon departure, one must compensate for any missing or damaged items as well as pay a small amount for gas, electricity, telephone, and Playa Tropical's bus (more on this later) – all according to the degree of usage.
One is shown up to one's apartment, handed 2 of the 4 keys available for each apartment, and there are no further formalities until the time of departure, when the apartment must be inspected together with someone from the administration.
We were explicitly told down there that the apartment was in no way expected to be cleaned upon departure, as it had to be cleaned anyway and the linen had to be changed.
Buildings and installations
One must get used to the fact that installations in Spain do not function as reliably as back home – at least that is the impression of several members – but the 2 PR girls will do everything to remedy any shortcomings. It should just be mentioned that one of the lifts always stopped at the 6th floor, and that it was a common occurrence for the lifts to get stuck (we thought this might be due to heavy power loads at certain times of the day).
The central heating should be working now, there should also be hot water in the bathroom, but the swimming pool is apparently not yet installed with heated water, and the temperature in the pool was therefore only approx. 18 degrees in November.
Just today I received a letter from Sten Jacobson, writing that telephones have been installed in the apartments (phone no. Almuñécar no. 250, 251, or 252).
There is tableware for 6 people, bed linen for 3, and plenty of towels for 3. You can have your linen changed every Tuesday for a small fee.
The house rules state that you must not remove towels from the apartment, so remember beach towels. There is no dishcloth or washing-up brush, and the espresso coffee pot must be kept in constant operation for us northerners to be able to quench our coffee thirst (a coffee pot should, in my opinion, be brought along). Should you be 180 cm tall or more, you will get some fresh air for your feet at night, but
you adapt to that. No consideration has been given to children in the design of the swimming pool, as it is approx. 1.60 m deep at its lowest point.
Shopping opportunities
Shopping for household supplies can be done at the on-site supermarket at prices that, according to several members, are up to 20% higher than at the supermarket (on the corner by the harbour in Almuñécar), but goods and service are
Do you have memories, pictures, or club magazines from 1969? Then we would love to hear from you.
Sources
- Club Andalucia's history, told by Preben Mikkelsen (club archive)
