Gibraltar property awarded best in europe

Photo: Steve Slater

Gibraltar's New Aloes has been handed Best Property Single Unit – Europe in The International Property Awards. The win sends Gibraltar into the World's Best finals in Dubai, where it will go head-to-head against winners from Africa, Arabia, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the UK. 

Sandra Lamplough, Marketing Manager for Fairhomes Group, the developer behind New Aloes, says: “It's one thing to be acknowledged as having built the best home in Gibraltar but quite another to beat off competition from the likes of Cyprus, Italy, Spain and Montenegro, to earn the accolade of best property in Europe. A great deal of precise engineering, construction and design went into New Aloes and we have been rewarded with the chance to grab World's Best in Dubai on Thursday 4 December – that would be some early Christmas present.”

Fairhomes Group has won multiple trophies over the years, in particular for its mixed-use Marina resort, Ocean Village. However, this is the company's first win for a single unit.

Built on the site of a former Ministry of Defence building of the same name, New Aloes is a substantial 21st century home of 9,526ft² with 4,402ft² of terraces and 6,243ft² of garden. It enjoys strong views, including the Rif Mountains of North Africa and the busy Strait of Gibraltar. Floor-to-ceiling wall-to-wall glazing keeps the view alive from dawn until sunset.

Some of New Aloes' highlights include a cavernous 1,237ft² living-dining space, a 592ft² kitchen complete with 25ft long all-in-one preparation-dining island, wet rooms with over-bath rain showers, a second-floor fitness suite with a Klafs sauna-with-a-view, a 12-car garage, Otis lift to all floors, and gadgetry such as electronically-operated full-height terrace doors and window blinds, auto-lighting for wardrobe hanging rails, an iLight lighting control system, video entry and a zoned alarm system with CCTV.

Outside, New Aloes' gardens are zoned into areas for rest and relaxation, entertaining and exercise. A shaded patio leads down to a thatched Tahiti-style chillout bar alongside a circular two-tier swimming pool with Jacuzzi effect jets. This connects, via a shallow stream, to the main infinity-edge heated pool with remote-operated colour-changing LEDs and water jets. The upper Spa terrace has a further heated pool with mosaic hydro-massage beds and, on the top floor, a glazed observatory-esque viewing area and two generous roof terraces.

Does New Aloes' mark the start of a new period of popularity for Gibraltar?