How's the Ibiza villa build going, Rafa?


The £1m prize money Nadal has won from his second Wimbledon title will no doubt help pay for his new and very expensive Mediterranean retreat under construction back home in Spain.



As the 24-year-old Rafa Nadal (pictured, left) collects his eighth ‘grand slam’ title, the world's No.1 seeded player is also busy overseeing the construction of a home on the Balearic island of Ibiza on its celebrity-strewn southern coast.


The property, which Nadal is building as an ‘eco villa’, is estimated to be costing him £6.5 million and is in the southerly San Jose region of the island.


But his choice of location was a surprise to many as tennis star was brought up on neighbouring Mallorca.


"He’s been coming here to Ibiza for a while, and just loves the place," says Cathy Ouwehand of local Savills affiliate Ouwehand and Wall. "His solar-powered villa, which is being built in Cala Conta [by island green homes specialist Vitaeibiza Homes], is now waiting for its final building licenses to come through."


Famous neighbours

‘Rafa’ will be in good company. His neighbours include Danii Minogue, who has a villa in nearby Es Cubells and others with holiday villas on the Baleiric island include Kate Moss, Jade Jagger and James Blunt. Also, Sienna Miller, Naomi Campbell and Leonardo DiCaprio regularly take Ibizan holidays.


"Of the Balearics, Mallorca has more of a family feel," says Julian Cunningham of agent Knight Frank. "On the other hand Ibiza tends to attract more affluent singles and younger couples”. And with the summer season of hedonistic excess at clubs like Pacha and Amnesia now in full swing, it’s not hard to see why.


But although it’s still party central for the rich and famous, Cunningham says "the island hasn’t been immune from the recession". "Prices are down about 20% from the peak, with most of our enquiries now in the €2.5 million to €5 million range, down from €7.5 million a few years ago."


Across the island, classic whitewashed villas, many built in the 1960s and 1970s, are getting designer makeovers, with the emphasis on simple lines and plenty of glass to accentuate dramatic sea views.


“There isn’t much land left to build on and getting the right permissions for new-builds is difficult, so adapting an existing villa makes sense,” says Cathy Ouwehand. In these straitened times, houses with a proven rental history are particularly popular with discerning buyers - £15,000 a week in high season is not unheard of.


And although it is small (at just 30 miles wide) Ibiza has something of an east-west divide. The eastern coastal villages and the finca-studded northern region, favoured by supermodel Elle McPherson, are much quieter than the celebrity-filled western enclaves around San Antonio, and southern beaches like Cala Jondal .


Anyone aching to be ‘Rafa’s’ close neighbour should look at the ultra-modern five-bedroom Mansion San Jose (pictured, above), complete with 18 metre heated pool, gym, cinema ‘club’ room and tropical gardens, on the market with Savills for £5.3 million.


Alternatively, you can have Roca Llisa (pictured, left), a more modest semi-detached three-bedroom villa with pool, close to Ibiza town, for £575,000 through Knight Frank .


Either way, you’ll need to brush up your back-hand to give the world number one a run for his money.



credit