I confess I’d barely heard of Noriega before I was posted off to sun-drenched Malaga to investigate. It wasn’t long before the world of Spanish-luxury-living unravelled itself before me. In Spain Noriega is a household name with an exclusive label attached to it; if your friends hear you’ve bought one of their properties they’ll soon be dropping by to check it out.
Our first stop was breakfast at the Noriega HQ in Cordoba. A very civilised affair where everyone in the office gathers on giant sofas for pastries and delicious fresh coffee, where they chat about the latest developments and generally ease into the day. How delightfully European! We sunk into the cushions to hear about the family empire behind one of the most prestigious property companies in Spain. Noriega, founded in 1962, is part of the Sanchez-Ramade Business Group, of which the grandmother of our host, Eugenio, is chairman. Each company under the family umbrella originated from the needs of clients, producing a range of organisations in such diverse areas as cinema and leisure to information technology and car retail.
Our first stop were the Noriega offices where a curtain of water cascaded down the far wall and the client areas looked like cosy living rooms with low coffee tables, sofas and circulating refreshments. We then ventured into the Architecture and Specialised Engineering Department, which buzzed with activity and people watching CGI material of future developments. The after-sales office, designed in case clients have any problems with the property after they’ve moved in, was reassuringly empty. Eugenio grinned “our aim is that this office should always be empty, but of course it is necessary to have it”. The properties are not flat-packed or factory-made but are crafted individually by skilled artisans. This special service ensures that if there were any problems they could be ironed out immediately.
Although the new sites are predominantly along the Spanish coastline I was keen to see some of the urban plots already in use in and around the historical city of Cordoba. The Itaca building is a contemporary collection collection of snazzy apartments with a soaring glass lift that take you to a spectacular open-air swimming pool on the roof. Views stretch out over the city to the mountains beyond. Eugenio, in dark glasses, paced up and down the decking pointing out sites and landmarks. We only wished that we’d remembered our swimming gear.
After a delicious lunch in one of Cordoba’s finest eateries we managed to orchestrate a quick viewing of the cathedral before heading down to the coast. It’s an extraordinary building that was originally built as a basilica in the 6th century. It was turned into a mosque during the Islamic take-over in 785 and was reconquered in 1236 by King Ferdinand III who converted it back into a cathedral, creating a fascinating fusion of religious architecture.
Leaving the ancient city walls behind us we headed out towards the new developments at Punta Paloma. Perhaps the most enticing of all, these properties are dotted along the coast where the deep blue Mediterranean is visible from every conceivable window. Many of the properties enjoy a whole 180 degree panorama. Each one is carefully designed to maximise your enjoyment of being by the sea. The terraces are huge with plenty of space for outdoor dining and lounging areas, and the balustrades are clear glass set in a seamless iron framework - allowing maximum light through. The other added bonus of the glass is that it allows you a clear sea view even from the depths of the sofas in the front lounge, as I discovered!
“Smart white ceramic panelling on the exterior façade acts as a sophisticated ventilation system, with an inner cavity that keeps the house warm in winter and cool in summer. ”
As with all the Noriega sites we’d looked at, Punta Paloma is contemporary, elegant and stylish. Created with natural materials of wood, stone, metal and glass, you get the feeling the buildings are constructed as part of the landscape and not just plonked on top of it. Each development is treated as a completely new architectural and design challenge, taking the surroundings and the environment into account and supporting sustainable, ethical development.
Smart white ceramic panelling on the exterior façade acts as a sophisticated ventilation system, with an inner cavity that keeps the house warm in winter and cool in summer.
They are big, bright and airy inside with pristine Travertine ivory cream marble floors and cupboards that run floor to ceiling through the corridors so that you hardly noticed them at all. It was no surprise that we failed to find any visible hinges anywhere. I can’t imagine Eugenio putting up with hinges on show, not a chance. Ample storage is a big bonus in anyone’s book, but what I loved about these cupboards was that the white panelling design perfectly imitated the ceramic finish on the outside of the house. This unified effect reoccurred throughout the house with wooden panelling in the shower room mimicking the Iroco hardwood slats of the terraces.
The bathrooms are also done in large sheets of travertine ivory-cream marble, and when we looked round workers were busy filling in the natural holes with resin for a smooth finish to suit the tastes of the client, although personally I like the roughness of freshly quarried marble. The floor in the kitchen is the exception from marble and is made up of ceramic gres tiles. Packed with modern appliances and with sleek sylestone work-surfaces it’s certainly not a bad place to prepare your terrace banquet from.
Also worthy of mentioning is that the house electronics can be controlled from your mobile phone. So as you touch down in Malaga airport, you can switch on the air-con, check the security alarm or up the heating in winter.
Pretending we were locals, we cruised 5 minutes down the road to Sottogrande. It’s a rather fabulous place where the rich and beautiful swan around in impractically gorgeous clothes drinking champagne and dabbling in the odd round of golf. We certainly got involved in the fine dining department with course after course of exquisite seafood, steamed, smoked or baked, followed by delicious desserts with ridiculous names like chocolate cascading volcano cake. We soon whiled away the afternoon admiring our impeccable surroundings and watching the more serious golfers teeing off in the afternoon sun.
