Author: AJ
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Winter Olympics, past, present and future
Costing the host nation up to $51bn, it might appear to be a gamble of a region’s very livelihood to consider a bid to welcome athletes, support staff and fans to witness this Olympic spectacle in your town(s). But if the flip side of that coin happens to be a 150% rise in tourist occupancy…
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A twenty year love affair
It’s 2007, a global financial crisis and my failing marriage combine to inspire me to shake off the cobwebs and force feed myself a new hobby, one that I had been attracted to for a few years already but had never tried. This, despite having a deep rooted passion for the hills, the outdoors and…
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A dystopian view of the alps over the next three decades
We all remember Bladerunner and its depiction of urban city life in a distant and barely fathomable 2019 (at least there was no covid), alien looking, dark and incomprehensibly wet with these bioengineered, organic creations who battle to find a permanent place whilst hiding amongst the ‘gen-pop’ of us humans. Harrison Ford might not get…
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Above the treeline : trends shaping the French Alps
The alpine property market is rewriting the rules of luxury real estate and while many global prime markets slowed in the years since the pandemic, smart investors meanwhile took their seasonal escapes and transformed them into a permanent lifestyle. Topping those charts, the Alps is by far France’s best performing region. A momentum fuelled by…
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Guidelines for investors
When you have decided to buy a property in France as a rental investment, it is essential to take into account the taxation regimes applicable to rental properties. Among those available to the buyer, the para-hotel regime allows value added tax (VAT, or TVA in French) to be reclaimed upon completion of the acquisition. Whilst…
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A typical day in the saddle
There exists a certain honesty to riding the high Alps. Nothing is handed to you, every view paid for and every coffee tastes that bit better. In the crisp morning air we set off early, not in urgency, rather in anticipation of what is in store. Sharpness of mind meets the sharp alpine air, the…
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Walking in a winter wonderland
For many of us, our dog is a pivotal member of the family and someone we simply could not leave behind at holiday time, no matter how good a dog minder you may have found (perhaps one as good as Dogpanion, the boutique dog hotel that I used to run back in Bristol years ago). …
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Focussed crackdown on second homes in the Alps
As Chamonix led the way in imposing a ban on new build for second home use under Local Urban Planning Laws (PLU) and with their focus on 90% of new development being for primary year-round residences by 2035, what does this mean for the Rhone-Alpes region in general? New development arrives every spring in Val…