Completing in AP5 My Experiences

What's happening at Alcudia Smir?

Completing in AP5 My Experiences

Postby tucniak » Fri Jul 13, 2012 11:48 am

Please let me know if you want a PDF of the following as the forum will not allow this or a word document as an attachment.

After more than 3 years delay in the completion of AP5, we finally set a date to visit Morocco. Our purpose was to complete, furnish the apartment and grab a bit of sun. We live in Slovakia and took a direct flight from Bratislava to Malaga in Spain.
I had done extensive research and finally found one hire company who were willing to let us hire the car at the airport in Malaga and take it in to Morocco

The post covers the following subjects:

Car Hire
Ferry
In to Morocco
Snagging and property inspection
Independent and invaluable help
Experiences at the Notary
The top cooker
Air conditioning
Satellite connection
Moroccan Sim Card
Internet
Bank Account
Insurance for your property
Looking after the apartment
Food
Souvenirs shopping
Taxis
Dress code
Water
Eating Out
People

I am very happy to answer any questions anyone may have
John


Experiences and my views on recently completing on an Excelia 2 bed apartment at Alcudia Smir – Tamuda Bay Morocco

After more than 3 years delay in the completion of AP5, we finally set a date to visit Morocco. Our purpose was to complete, furnish the apartment and grab a bit of sun. We live in Slovakia and took a direct flight from Bratislava to Malaga in Spain.
I had done extensive research and finally found one hire company who were willing to let us hire the car at the airport in Malaga and take it in to Morocco.

Car Hire
Here is the process for hiring a car with the only company I found that would allow the car to travel by ferry in to Morocco:
1. The car hire company is http://www.transauto.es/
2. The owner Mike is going to update his website so that it has a special “Taking cars to Morocco” section (because currently their terms and conditions page says you can’t – but this will be changed)
3. All clients booking on the http://www.transauto.es/ website, must include the code 0400which will indicate that the hirer wants to take their hire car to Morocco (I have attached a screen shot showing that the code 0400 must go in the “Further Information” box once you have selected your dates
4. A normal level of Insurance will cover the hirer in Morocco, but it is not possible to take the “Special Total Insurance” that reduces any excess to zero
5. For the price quoted, The car hire company will prepare the hirer a Green Card and a vehicle authorisation paper – which tells the Border Control that you have permission from the car owner to drive in Morocco
6. Although not essential, the car hire company have said one of the better routes to enter Morocco by car is via Ceuta
7. Indicative prices are 300 euro for 6 days with a Renault Clio or similar
8. As far as our extensive research goes, this is the only company that will currently allow a Ferry crossing and travel in Morocco
9. I have also included a screen shot of the advantages of hiring from this company
10. The hire company have stated that they are fully booked in July and August this year. People can still enquire using the website booking form, but they need to be aware that there will only be a chance of hiring during these months this year if the hire company has had a cancellation.



Mike met us at the airport and provided all the documentation we needed.
The car cost us 300 euro (high season) but that included insurance, green card and authority to take the car in to Morocco – you must have this or you may be leaving your car at the border in Morocco.
One of the reasons for us hiring a car, was to go to IKEA in Malaga to buy all the small items for the apartment. In hind sight we would not have bothered buying a dining set as there are some beautiful items in markets in Morocco. However, I would recommend buying mattress covers, bedding including duvets and covers and pillows in Spain if you can.


Ferry travel
Now fully loaded with IKEA shopping we made the hour journey from Malaga to Algeciras where we were catching the ferry. You can use the AP7 toll road which is faster than, but not as pretty as the coast road. Total tolls were about 20 euro. We had pre-booked and used the following Ferry Company:
https://www.balearia.com/wps/portal/comercial
Other options are: http://www.frs.es/?L=1
http://www.trasmediterranea.es/
The ferry cost about 180 euro and that was for the car and 3 passengers. I believe it will cost about 30 euro per person travelling as foot passenger. Crossing was great and good views of Gibraltar. It took about an hour and I’d advise allowing an hour before your departure time to queue and board. Our crossing was to Ceuta (which is a Spanish enclave on the African continent). Crossing the border from Ceuta in to Morocco was pretty easy. You need to fill out an “arrivals” card for each passenger – these are given out free at the crossing and of course you will need your passport. The whole process took about 30 minutes. From previous experience, we were lucky at this point not to have out car papers, green card and luggage searched – so be prepared for at least another hour if this happens.




In to Morocco

The road from the border is easy to follow and the Alcudia Smir apartments are about 20 minutes drive when you have entered Morocco at the border crossing at Ceuta.
We rented an apartment on the complex for the first 2 nights while we completed. I am very happy to rent out my apartment to anyone completing – please contact me on john.rice@freshvue.co.uk for availability.


Snagging and property inspection

On Sunday 24th June we inspected the apartment with Hasna and her team and I was very impressed with the quality and completeness of the apartment. We made a few observations and I would advise people to check the following items specifically:
1. All water and taps for leaks
2. The shower screen for leaks
3. All the electric sockets (we found that most had not been earthed properly and were receiving small shocks from the fridge until the electrics were sorted
4. That all doors and windows close properly
5. That the motorised shutters all close and open again
6. That there are keys in all the internal doors
7. That you change the barrel on the main door lock – this is an easy process and ensures that only you in future will have access to your property


Independent and invaluable help

I should also state at this stage, that we employed the excellent services of a local Moroccan man called Hamid. He is independent of the developer. He charges £550 for a week of his time and you can use him to do a pre visit inspection to your property before you arrive. He will take pictures and email them to you – this way you can see each room and any specific problems can be sorted before you arrive. Hamid also will help and do any of the following while you are in Morocco:
1. If you decide not to hire a car in Spain then he will pick you up from the border in Ceuta or in Tetouan.
2. He can help you hire a car in Morocco if that is what you want
3. If you decide not to hire a car, he will pick you up from your apartment each day and take you to buy furniture in Tetouan – which really is the only major shopping place for furniture that is reasonably close (just under 1 hour drive from the apartments)
4. He will also act as your witness when signing the title deeds – we decided against using a solicitor as many people have now completed. In using Hamid, he will then also be able to take you to register for Electric and Water in M’diq (about 15km from the apartments)
5. Once you have signed the notary papers, you will receive an authority to connect the water and electric – this process however takes a week or so – therefore if you are not staying the electric and Water – we left about 100 euro for each utility
6. He ensures that you get the best prices and service. All the companies we purchased from delivered and assembled on the same day of purchase and this was mainly down to Hamids help and knowledge of the local shops
7. He knows all of the places where you can get things made (we had some shelves made at a local carpenter).
8. He will show you where is good to buy all your electrics too – fridge, washing machine etc. He has no affiliation with the places he takes you too – but knows the best shops for the best prices and after service
9. Translation – English, French, Arabic


Experiences at the Notary

We were taken to the Notary in Tetouan by Hamid and as I said, he was great at translating and acting as a witness so that the utilities could get connected when we left. (The team at Alcudia Smir were great in connecting us with temporary electric and water while we were there).
The Notary will require your passport and some Dirhams (if you have not had an offer from the developers to pay the completion costs). We were also joined by Farah from the Excelia team. One cost we were not prepared for was the upfront request from Excelia for the first years maintenance charges (about 5000 dirhams or 450 euro). This is for upkeep of the grounds, rubbish collection etc.
You will not receive your title deeds when you have signed that day. It takes about 4 weeks to go through a validation process. The Notary will not post or send you the deeds or allow another person to collect them on your behalf. We did not pursue this stance as we will be visiting again soon – but this could be an issue if you are not planning to return within a year.
The whole process was smooth and well explained and took just over an hour in total. You will leave with a copy of the contract and the letters of authority for connecting the electric and water.

Everything Else

Our experience of completing once on site was very positive. There are many builders and tradesmen still onsite and they are very willing and able to help sort out any issues. You may need to chase a couple of times, but for a coffee and a few dirhams they were brilliant. There is also a desire from the management to ensure each client is happy which is a massively refreshing change from a very unhelpful and bad experience prior to our arrival.

The top cooker (i.e. 4 burners) are gas and you will also need to purchase a gas bottle, regulator, some hose and jubilee clips. Again Hamid was invaluable here. In our apartment we decided for both space and a feeling of increased safety, that we would run a large length of hose (5m) from the cooker to the store/water heating room off the kitchen. This ensures the tank is not taking up space in a kitchen cupboard and we felt having the bottle in the outer room was safer. You would also need to get a large hole drilled in the wall to put the hose through.

Air conditioning is essential if you want to rent during the hottest months of July and August. We installed 2 Samsung units which cost 450 euro each including fitting. The Samsung units have a special outdoor protection coating which is important being next to the sea (everything will corrode and rust eventually if not treated). The guys installed them well and there is pre made cavities for the pipes. The other advantage of the air conditioning units is that they can be used as heaters in the winter as there is no preinstalled heating in the apartments.

Satellite connection is easy. Although not promoted as a benefit by Excelia, there are 2 dishes provided free for each block. They are Astra 2 and a local dish. So all you need is the Free to Air Receiver box, the cable and you will be able to connect. We watched the Euro football while we were there. Hamid can help with all of this. Installing another satellite dish will be difficult unless you are the owner of a top floor property with access to the roof.

Moroccan Sim Card – these can be purchased on a PAYG tariff and only cost about 5 euro. We found them very useful as any calls made or received on my UK SIM was very expensive out of Europe. Hamid had our Sim card waiting on the first day. I am sure you can get Sim’s with a data package – but we didn’t bother as we were buying a dongle for the laptop.

Internet – the best option for this is a Dongle from Maroc Telecom. Again the wonderful Hamid had this waiting for us too. It cost about 30 Euro and came with an unlimited data package for 30 days. It can be topped up when you need it – but I believe it will be disabled after 6 months of inactivity. We are planning to leave it with Hamid next time we go and lend it out to friends and family who are renting from us.

Bank Account – if you have opened a bank account in Morocco or are considering it, then I would give the following serious consideration. We were told we needed an account and opened one with Banque Populaire in London and chose Fndiq as the local branch. All went well, but on withdrawing the money in Fndiq for our furniture, I discovered that as a non resident, I would never be able to pay money back in. It is only a withdrawal account. This means that even if you are paid rent for your apartment, you will not be able to pay it in to this account. I am not too bothered about this, but it seems to me rather pointless going through the acc opening process.

Insurance for your property – this costs about 100 euro and insures your contents and building for 20,000 and 100,000 respectively. This I believe is essential if you are planning to rent it out and also leave it empty for some periods. Hamid can arrange.

Looking after the apartment – when you are not around in Morocco we decided to pay a small yearly sum to Hamid. For this he will ensure the apartment is checked and aired every few weeks.. It also includes tidying and washing of bedding and towels ready for our next visit. I think it covers about 4 “personal” stays”. If you are planning to rent it out week by week, you can either get Hamid to quote you for the services he and his wife can offer.



Food - there is no shop, or let’s put it in other words - there is nothing except the apartment buildings onsite. This means you should try to get some food and whatever you might need on the way - either in Ceuta or in one of the bigger Moroccan cities. Smaller basic shop is about 5-10mins drive towards Alcudia Smir. Big and relatively cheap supermarket is in Tetouan and is called Marjan. Depends what you decide to buy - local food is cheap, imported food is very expensive (e.g. 1kg of olives is about £1.50, pack of french biscuits is about £3). Sea food and fish is cheap, be aware of different hygienic standards in supermarkets, e.g. flies are everywhere. Also, if you want to take home some spices, you will find those big buckets even in the supermarket.

Souvenirs shopping - best done in M’diq or Tetouan. Things are reasonably priced (table runner about 8€, very large throw about 30€, locally made leather handbags and shoes cost between 10-30€ and will do as very nice presents.

Taxis - old Mercedes cars that can will pick you up/drop you off anywhere (imagine the hop-on/hop-off tourist bus). This way you might share it with other Morrocans - I think the limit is about 6-7 passengers per car.

Dress code - there is a variety of costumes worn by local ladies. However, anything is accepted, that includes normal European swimming costumes on the beach.

Water – we were buying drinking water in large 5l or 10l containers. Having said that, no one seemed to have any problems drinking the tap water in the apartments. Elsewhere, I would not be able to say because we did not want to risk it.

Eating Out - there are plenty of restaurants in M’diq or Tetouan. Try the Tagine dishes, seafood, fish or Kafta (Meatballs). Prices are anything between 4€-10€ per dish. Please note that only a few restaurants are licensed to sell alcohol, so you might only be able to get water or tea with your meal.

People - people are generally very kind and polite. They speak Arabic, most of them (but not everyone) French and now and again English. But a smile does it all.

If you have any further questions or comments or want to rent our lovely apartment for a few nights, please email me at

john.rice@freshvue.co.uk

John Rice 10th July 2012
tucniak
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2012 6:20 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Postby oulad » Sun Nov 11, 2012 3:40 pm

Sounds nice! How much does Hamid charge for opening the appartement every now and then? I reckon he is truly reliable?
oulad
 
Posts: 84
Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2012 3:49 pm
Location: Nederland


Return to Talk About Alcudia Smir

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests

  • Advertisement
cron