Jacqueline, property consultant at IRG, participates in World Human Mattress Domino Day for Guinness Book of Records, Football Stadium in Algarve, 12 September 2009

Jacqueline van den Hemel

World Human Mattress Domino Day

World Human Mattress Domino Day

A couple of months ago one of the parents from the São Lourenço International School came up with the idea of trying to break the world Human Mattress Domino Day record.
Following a lot of organizing up front it was finally the big day! The children were all transported to the Algarve Football Stadium by bus, very excited and in good spirit.

The world record prior this day was 123 human mattresses. We had about 250 mattresses available. After registering and receiving our number we then entered the stadium where all the mattresses had been laid out. The local press and a TV station were there to broadcast this fun domino day. Everybody then held up their mattress. First there was a trial attempt and then we had to do the real one and remain on the mattresses until the official count was done. The smaller children were watching it all from the grand stand and were helping with the count down and due to their enthusiasm created a great atmosphere.

All parents, teachers and friends had also been asked to come along to this enjoyable event. The ambience was fantastic and the turn out was excellent.

We managed to absolutely smash the world record and are holding the current title with 244 mattresses. São Lourenço International School will soon be in the history books!!

Have a look at the video on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBf3RvD3BWA

Jacqueline van den Hemel
Property Consultant at IRG International Realty Group

IRG International Realty Group invites you to spend New Year’s Eve 2009/2010 at Troiaresort, Portugal’s hidden jewel on the Blue Coast

Troiaresort Cool Ice New Year’s Eve 2009/2010 Package

Troiaresort True Green New Year’s Eve 2009/2010 Package

IRG International Realty Group invites you to spend New Year’s Eve 2009/2010 at Troiaresort, Portugal’s hidden jewel on the Blue Coast.

For further information about these exclusive New Year’s Eve packages against Earth global warming, please contact IRG International Realty Group
at +351 289 397 653 or e-mail info@irgportugal.com

Pedro da Silveira attends Lux Alliance, a prestigious Gourmet Design event, at Palácio Sotto Mayor in Lisbon

Pedro da Silveira

Lux Alliance, Palácio Sotto Mayor

Pedro da Silveira, a property consultant at IRG International Realty Group’s Lisbon office, was invited by Sucre, a prestigious member of Lux Alliance, to atend this unique Gourmet Design event, which took place last month at Landmark Barclays Premier, Palácio Sotto Mayor on a fantastic autumn night in the cosmopolitan city of Lisbon.

“The Sotto Mayor Palace was the perfect location to host such a premium event, where I had the opportunity to meet with business partners, customers and friends” commented Pedro.

It was a very well organized event where luxury brands such as, Aston Martin, Gageenau, Barclays Premier, Omoura, among others were presented and superbly catered by Lágrimas Catering, making this a private pleasure and a unique experience for all guests in a sophisticated and luxurious atmosphere.

IRG Team Members invited to first practice day of the Superbike World Championship in Algarve

James & Jamie’s Dream Sports Car

Lunch at Vip Tower Box

Race Track Practice

The Superbike World Championship’s final round of the season took place at the well-known Algarve Race Track, also known as “Autódromo do Algarve“, in Portimão from 23 – 25 October 2009.

Jamie and I were invited to a VIP lunch on the first practice day, Friday 23rd, which included a full tour of the paddock, pits and VIP areas. The day was hosted by Parkalgar and we were treated to the best seats in the house in one of the VIP Tower boxes.

Upon arrival we were shown through to the inner circle and parked beneath the Tower where a livery of some fine sports cars, owned by Parkalgar, caught our immediate attention! A selection of BMW’s, Porsche’s and Ferrari’s greeted us and it was definitely a perfect photo opportunity. As we entered the box, we were treated with champagne and canapés from Bistro d’es Artes Restaurant in Almancil. They continued to serve us a first class selection of food and our host, Darren Malkin, a professional driver at the track informed us of the benefits of owning a box at the circuit…..very tempting!!

We thoroughly enjoyed the day and we highly recommend a visit to the circuit as the infrastructure is fantastic and there are a lot more high profile events to come in the near future.

James Carter
Algarve Brokerage Manager at IRG International Realty Group

IRG International Realty Group’s Hockey Pro

Mario Sardo at the Portuguese Hockey Challenge

Mario Sardo, Senior Property Consultant at IRG’s Algarve Brokerage in Quinta do Lago, participated in the Portuguese Hockey Challenge over the weekend. Albufeira hosted the first of four hockey matches to be played in various locations around the country over the next few months. The Algarve team played consistent throughout the preliminary round making it through to the semi-finals.

The semi-final was a closely contested match beating FPH 3 – 1 with two goals being scored by our Mario Sardo in the final minutes of the game, therefore ensuring their place in the finals. The experienced Lamas team from Porto controlled the final and proved they were a stronger team that day by convincingly beating the Algarve 2 – 0.

The fantastic weather and exciting hockey ensured a good time for all players and visitors attending the tournament.

We will be sure to keep a close eye on how the Algarve team is doing in the next coming months!

Mario Sardo at the Portugal Masters 2009, Oceânico Victoria Golf Course, Vilamoura

Portugal Masters 2009 in Vilamoura

The Winner – Lee Westwood

Oceânico Victoria Golf Course

Mario Sardo

I had the pleasure of attending this years´ Portuguese Masters which took place at the Oceânico Victoria Golf Course in Vilamoura, from 15th to 18th October 2009.
The golf course was in fantastic condition with this years´ event attracting many top golfers from around the globe competing for the €500,000 first prize. The weather was superb which gave me, and the thousands of people attending, an opportunity to relax in the sun whilst watching golfing legends like Colin Montegomerie, Padraig Harrington, Retief Goosen, Lee Westwood and many others compete for this years title.

The afternoon of the final day was spent with friends around the 18th green and keeping a close eye on the scoreboard as Francesco Molanari and Lee Westwood were neck and neck for the title. My afternoon almost ended earlier than expected when a stray shot from Gareth Maybin flew over the crowd missing my head by millimetres!! I soon recovered from the near miss to watch Lee Westwood birdie the 18th and take a well deserved victory in front of thousands of cheering supporters. After the prize giving and speeches from the sponsors, I was invited to the clubhouse where I had the pleasure of sharing a few drinks and laughs with South African golfers Hennie Otto and Andy McLardy.

The Portuguese Masters was an outstanding event in Vilamoura, which set a perfect stage for golfing, providing yet again that the Algarve is top international holiday and golfing destination.

Mario Sardo
Senior Property Consultant at IRG International Realty Group

Christie’s Great Estates sells the world’s most expensive private residence and also sets the record for a home in the United States this year.

Christie’s Grea Estates Global Annual Conference in Boston

Social Networking Panel

Some of Christie’s Great Estates’ Affiliates at Cheers

Christie’s Great Estates hosted this year’s premiere luxury real estate conference in Boston, from 14th to 16th October 2009, for owners and senior management. International executives gathered in Boston to converse about housing market data, social media trends, industry best practices, and much more.

Comprising 143 affiliates, Christie’s represents 900 luxury real estate offices in 42 different countries. Conference attendees shared statistics from their local markets, contributing to a truly global perspective on luxury real estate. After three days of presentations and discussions, brokers from across the globe came to a consensus that the luxury market is experiencing promising activity.

Luxury buyers are by no means dormant. Earlier this year, the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge auction house sale in Paris featured the largest collection of art and artifacts in our lifetime, bringing in over $400,000,000 in revenue. Christie’s affiliate Sibarth Real Estate made the world’s largest home sale, a St. Barth’s property that sold for $80,000,000 to a Russian oligarch. And another Christie’s affiliate – Joshua & Co. – made the largest U.S. sale: a $43,000,000 estate in Aspen, Colorado. Apparently not everyone is suffering from the economic squeeze.

Ole Jespersen, owner of IRG International Realty Group (exclusive affiliate of Christie’s Great Estates in Portugal), participated in the Boston conference. He commented: “The results and figures shown are great in these times. This shows the strength of the top end individual brokers’ ability to link extremely expensive product to the very few clients around the globe based on our relationship with Christie’s. Remember, we are not franchise holders – we are owner brokers with a real connection with the world’s largest auction house – and it creates results!”
At the conference, Ole Jespersen gave a speech to the 150 participants from around the world about “Social Media in Marketing”.

Despite economic setbacks, Christie’s Great Estates is taking significant steps forward. Two additional headquarters of global referral offices are soon to open in New York and London, and Neil Palmer – the network’s newly appointed CEO – has concrete plans to launch a fresh website, update the magazine’s distribution, and expand Christie’s global presence in Asia and throughout the world.

For more information on international luxury markets, visit IRG International Realty Group’s website www.irgportugal.com or contact us for more information on +351 210 305 022

Ole Jespersen visits Madeira Palace Residences’ construction site, 7th October 2009

Ole Jespersen

Madeira Palace Residences

Last Wednesday, Ole Jespersen had the opportunity to view first hand the continued progress of Madeira Palace Residences.

IRG International Realty Group is proud to have been recently appointed as the exclusive agent for the marketing and sales of this prestigious resort, comprising of 100 homes ranging from one bedroom to four bedroom apartments, all with garage parking and storage, the development benefits from spectacular views over the Atlantic. Constructed around an interior garden, where exotic water features play an integral role, the development has been designed to provide a restful and elegant environment.

IRG International Realty Group appointed exclusive agent for Madeira Palace Residences

Madeira Palace Residences

IRG International Realty Group, the exclusive affiliate of Christie’s Great Estates in Portugal is selected to be the exclusive agent for the marketing and sales of the prestigious resort Madeira Palace Residences. In 2005 the Fibeira Group, owned by Engº Armando Martins bought the prestigious Madeira Palácio Hotel together with the project for Madeira Palace Residences.

Designed by Ricardo Bofill Associated with Atelier Caires – João Francisco Caires e Associados, the Madeira Palace Residences are a striking example of the best in contemporary architecture and quality living.

With 100 homes ranging from one bedroom to four bedroom apartments, all with garage parking and storage, the development benefits from spectacular views over the Atlantic.
Constructed around an interior garden, where exotic water features play an integral role, the development has been designed to provide a restful and elegant environment and will be forecasted to be ready in the summer of 2010.

A serene and private haven, Madeira Palace Residences represents the best in luxury living.

Residents will have access to the services of the adjacent five star renovated Madeira Palácio Hotel including spa, restaurants, room service, laundry and cleaning, and membership of the Beach Club.

The Hotel Madeira Palácio Hotel has a very rich history. It opened its doors in 1971 and was operated by Hilton Hotels between 1971 and 1973 owned by Robert Jabara Pereira Ganhão (Pastelaria Suiça), TAP and Hotel Palácio in Estoril. In 1982 the hotel was bought by the Albaker Group that owned the Marriott (formerly known as Penta), Eden Hotel, Hotel do Mar and Hotel Palácio Estoril.

The renovation of the hotel has been designed by WATG associated with Atelier Caires – João Francisco Caires e Associados – Projectos de Arquitecture Lda.

An extensive program has been implemented to give the Madeira Palácio Hotel a five star luxury rating according to international demand including a sophisticated interior design for the rooms and public areas.

For further information, please contact IRG International Realty Group on +351 289 397 653 or info@irgportugal.com

Naturarte, a jewel in the Alentejo

Kayley Moxon

Naturarte, Odemira

My partner and I were no strangers to Naturarte’s charm, we got married there only 3 months ago, but to go back under much more relaxed circumstances was heavenly. Welcomed as usual by the friendly staff we were shown to our room – named the romantic wing, simply perfect for a honeymoon. The owners and gracious hosts were on hand to make us feel very welcome once again and full of ideas for days out and places to eat – brilliant recommendations each and every one.

There is plenty to do once there, from horse riding, tennis, cycling, walking, fishing to picnics on the beach or just sampling the many restaurants and bars in nearby Vila Nova de Milfontes and surrounding areas.

We wholly recommend Naturarte not only for romantic breaks but also for corporate getaways. Naturarte is fully equipped for a team building, work related break with its very own conference room perfect for seminars and tutorials for IRG’s Real Estate Academy in a unique relaxed atmosphere.

Naturarte is only one and a half hours picturesque drive from central Algarve, situated north of the town Odemira and 10 minutes east of the charming seaside town of Vila Nova de Milfontes.

To visit Naturarte go to www.naturarte.pt and reserve your very own tranquil weekend or mid week break guaranteed to relax and sooth the soul.