The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly eager to add to their property portfolio in this increasingly trendy hotspot – Anadolu
The two couples have long been close. Eugenie and Brooksbank visited the Sussexes in California, and Eugenie made a brief appearance in their 2022 Netflix documentary, shown playing on the beach with nephew Archie. It was also revealed in the docu-series that the quartet joined forces to “pull the pin on the fun grenade” in October 2016, enjoying a final night out at a Halloween party in Toronto before news broke about Prince Harry and Meghan’s relationship.
If Harry and Meghan, who were once described as “grifters” by a Spotify executive, have bought at CostaTerra, they might be looking at a sizeable family discount. Brooksbank works in sales and marketing for Discovery Land Company, run by American property developer Michael Meldman (who is also George Clooney’s business partner in tequila firm Casamigos – Brooksbank previously acted as a brand ambassador). The members-only CostaTerra club in Portugal is Discovery’s first foray into Europe: Meldman has previously overseen the building of similar golf communities in America, the Caribbean and Mexico.
It’s also the type of uber-exclusive, opulent yet superficially authentic and laidback brand that would doubtless appeal to the Sussexes. Its website boasts that it epitomises “the simple luxury of natural European living”, with its surfing, golfing on the Tom Fazio-designed course, seafood-based healthy cuisine, and a wellness centre offering yoga, spa treatments and “bio feedback”: neuro-mapping technology that analyses stress factors. There is also a handy kids’ club, and eco credentials trumpeted via a sustainability “master plan”.
‘The spot is family-orientated, and is a place where lots of Portuguese locals have been coming for years since they themselves were children,’ says travel expert Mary Lussiana – Alamy
Meldman has said he’s not interested in creating more ultraconservative, snobbish golf developments with a prohibitive dress code. His target market instead seems to be the modern executive nomad who lives in multiple properties around the world, works from anywhere, and is more likely to wear shorts and flip-flops than a suit.
But not just anyone can buy into the Discovery dream. It’s rumoured that prospective purchasers are carefully vetted and selected, and then have to pay a hefty service charge. In 2020 it was reported that at Discovery’s Silo Ridge development, near New York City, buyers such as former NFL player Tom Brady paid an annual service charge of $30,000 (£23,000), so CostaTerra buyers could well be looking at six figures. That gives you private access to super-luxe amenities, and, crucially, a high level of security.
Meldman said in 2020 that he was planning to price his 300 lots of land at CostaTerra at £1.9 million to £7.7 million; that chimes with Lussiana, who says when she recently enquired, she was quoted a figure of around £3.3 million. Of course you spend a lot more on top of that building your actual house – and there will be architectural guidelines from Discovery, with certain restrictions on size and style.
Another potential lure for royal exiles Harry and Meghan – especially American citizen Meghan, who never got her British citizenship before the couple left Frogmore Cottage and the UK – might have been gaining Portugal’s “Golden Visa”, which grants visa-free access to the EU’s Schengen zone. However, Portugal actually changed the terms of its scheme last October after too many investors bought up property, shutting out locals, so that is currently not a qualifying factor.
But the Sussexes, who are used to running with a Hollywood crowd, would definitely find themselves rubbing shoulders with other high-end American buyers and holidaying celebrities. Clooney is a shareholder in the Discovery Land Company, and the actor and his wife, Amal, are reportedly considering buying one of the CostaTerra lots. Other rumoured buyers include actress Sharon Stone, reality star Paris Hilton, and Tom Brady’s ex-wife, supermodel Gisele Bündchen.
Jose Mourinho already lives locally, while Madonna owns a £6.8 million, 18th-century Moorish mansion in the nearby hilltop village of Sintra. The singer was spotted visiting Comporta’s Cavalos na Areia riding school in 2017, enjoying a gallop on the beach. Nicolas Sarkozy, Carla Bruni, Philippe Starck and Kristin Scott Thomas are also loyal visitors.
The area may soon become much busier as the hotels open up this market considerably. Recent additions include AlmaLusa in Comporta – a relatively affordable option, points out Lussiana – and Christian Louboutin’s five-star Vermelho in Melides, which only has 13 rooms. But the shoe designer is planning two further developments, says Lussiana, and there are other mooted projects, so that might change the tenor of the place in future.
Other hotels in the area include Christian Louboutin’s five-star Vermelho in Melides, which only has 13 rooms
That is the irony really. Celebrities such as Harry and Meghan are flocking here because of its exclusivity and privacy, but their star power has in turn put a massive spotlight on the region. However, given that the Sussexes aren’t exactly averse to publicity, perhaps that won’t be a deal-breaker – and this idyllic stretch of coastline, with its leaping bottlenose dolphins and Instagram-friendly sunsets, would certainly lend glamour to their next inevitable self-aggrandising documentary.
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Publish date : 2024-10-17 11:09:00
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