Brian Taylor
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The letter from the independent review of the accounts has been added to the accounts documents. Apologies for delay in publishing, as the letter is dated August.
You will see it mentions potential legal fees. Your Club has agreed fees of up to €3000 as a 1/3 share, along with the other 2 main European clubs, as a contribution to cover the costs of the legal challenge to the Anfi Beach OGM elections, where Anfi used their own unsold weeks votes to elect their own manager as “your” elected representative to the Beach committee.
Any costs incurred this year will be included in the final 2024 accounts.
Liaison Committee Meeting – October 2024
The liaison committee met on 15th October. Sr Luis Martinez, General Director of Anfi, was present though had formally been replaced in June by Sr Emilio Rodriguez, Head of Anfi Legal Services, who was not present due to business commitments. Ms Christine Johnson and Ms Maria Hildago were also present.
We looked in some detail at the club results. Occupancy in Monte is very high with over 80% of available apartments being used across the year, and around 91 – 93% in use from January to March and October-December is expected to be around that level too. The only months with lower vacancy levels are May and June with 66% and 57% respectively.
Costs this year are close to budget and expected to be breakeven at the year end. Savings on electricity, and some wage costs along with much higher bank interest offset higher costs on laundry and maintenance and replacement.
Anfi are still planning to provide body wash and shampoo dispensers in the showers to reduce the plastic waste caused by the small toiletry containers. The items have been purchased but not arrived yet.
Some members have still not paid their maintenance fees – British owners are about 16% of the fees still owed. The fee invoices are on the Anfi web site in the Members Area under the ‘Collections’ heading. Paper invoices are not routinely sent out.
Chromecast – installation has been delayed due to problems connecting the units to the Wi-Fi system and tests are being carried out.
Furniture replacement – I mentioned above the frustrating delays on making progress. The items to be changed are lounge chairs and coffee table, dining table and chairs and the bed headboard and bedside tables – as the beds, sofa beds and curtains have already been renewed. We are promised more info by the end of December.
Work to paint the corridor railings and varnish the balustrades will be carried out next year.
Lifts – the upgrade to electronics and displays has been deferred, due to appointment of new lift contractor who started at the beginning of October. The contractor will be carrying out a detailed review of the current system over the next few weeks.
In the weeks after the meeting the lifts appear to be very unreliable with some days when only 1 of the 3 main lefts were working.The change of the cards used to access apartments will be made next year during a low occupancy period, probably May and June.
Regarding the debt balances in the accounts, Sr Martinez will try to arrange a meeting with the committees with Anfi CEO Sr Jose Luis Trujillo to discuss this and related matters.
The future committee meetings will take place on:
· 27/02/2025 – Thursday
· 24/06/2025 – Tuesday
· Budget Videoconference (13/10 – 19/10/2025)
· 04/11/2025 – Tuesday
· OGM 06/11/2025 – Thursday
2026
· 26/02/2026 – Thursday
· 23/06/2026 – Tuesday
· Budget Videoconference (13/10 – 19/10/2026)
· 27/10/2026 – Tuesday
Monte Anfi Report – October 2024
The contents of this report are confidential and should not be published outside the Anfi UK Club.
The committee meeting on the 15th October set the budget for 2025 and also was a regular liaison committee meeting. I have had a few queries from owners since the last meeting and have done what I can to answer the queries or refer to Anfi management.
Budget Meeting
We only had the budget proposals given at the committee meeting, despite having requested in advance. Last year we had asked for a higher increase to replenish the replacement fund, but that request was not accepted, resulting when combined with a higher spend by end of 2023, with a lower replacement fund than forecast.
Work on replacement furniture has been deferred into 2025/26 in part due to shortage of funds. Very frustrating! The furniture choice has not yet been made and the idea of a demo suite changed, as Anfi are now selecting based on experience at Puerto.
Maintenance fees in 2024 are very little above the 2020 fees. An additional aspect this year is that Anfi advised that for the weeks tied up in the court process and the weeks cannot be used or rented out and the owners not paying, and that Anfi Sales will no longer cover this lost income. Therefore, it must be made up by the remaining owners, otherwise the club would face income roughly €200,000 lower than it needs. At Monte 292 weeks are caught up in the legal process.
For a 2 bed 2 bath apartment the extra cost to make up for these weeks adds 2.57% to the fees which is about €20 per apartment.
Whether any of this money might be recovered when the weeks are finally released from the court process remains to be seen. It seems doubtful. There is also some backdating of none payment which is likely to require a slightly higher fee increase to be maintained over the next few years.
The final fee increase is 5.41% which allows for a 13% contribution to the replacement fund – about €790,000 – which may sound a lot but the furniture changes may be circa €1m and will have to be spread over 2 years.
The final figure for a 1 bed will be about €42 more than 2020, and for a 2 bed 2 bath €51
Thanks Roger, I stand corrected!
Last chance to send any photos in the next few days – we’ll be working on the newsletter this weekend.
If you have any photos, especially any seasonal Xmas ones, you feel we could use in the newsletter please send using this link – member photo upload – please put a title and a brief description.
From a bit of Google searching I can’t see how FNTC relates to Anfi
For FNTC see this info https://www.travelandleisure.co.uk/fntc-first-national-trustee-company/ and has link to FNTC siteNow our weeks at Anfi are registered with Continental Trustees and this article has a bit of info on trustee companies https://timeshareconsumerassociation.org.uk/2014/10/20/timeshare-trust-companies/
Members might like to scan over the info as it explains a bit how trustees work in the timeshare worldI can’t see that FNTC and Continental are linked though maybe I missed something!!
And Philip who is the Director Chairs all the Anfi OGM’s and was at the Gran Anfi OGM last month
Companies House info:-
[Continental Trustees Limited is a private company limited by shares that is registered in the Isle of Man. The company’s officers include:
Philip Michael Broomhead: Director and solicitor
Brigit Scott: Director and chartered secretary]
Hi Robert
I haven’t had a call, though had heard that other members had recieved calls from quasi legal companies.
This seems to have stepped up since the recent court info about Carzola.Whilst Lopesan own 50% of Anfi and aim to acquire more, it is Anfi that holds your data and the relationship regarding payments etc, as I’m sure you know.
Let’s hope your post encourages anyone else who’s had calls to share that info
Regards, Brian
Hi Philip
I’m not seeing an Anfi travel on the anfi.com page – it’s not on the homepage or when I log into members area
Where are you seeing it, or can you send a linkRegards Brian
In case you missed it the crossword is copied here, and answers can be found on link in post above
All clues relate to Anfi resorts or local locations
Pam and I got back last week from a 3 week stay at Anfi – did some of our favourites and one or two new ones – not a top 5 as such but the ones we went to!
– Valentinos food was good as ever – though the service was poor, took 15 minutes to get order taken and 30 minutes for a drink to arrive. This seemed to be the one waitress who was serving the table area we were in.
– By Roccio (next to Sagitario) – went on a Sunday when they have live music (you can book off the Fork app which is easy way to book table) – really good food and excellent service, probably the best of all the restaurants we went to.
– Taj Palace in Mogan Mall – very good Indian (again can book via Fork app)
– Fernandos in Patalavaca – very good food and reasonably priced
– Cuerva Pirata – good meal and good service
– Misbah, in Meloneras – Indian style food, though not as good as last time we went.
– Milo Sun – had to go after all the good reports and not disappointed, excellent service and good food at a very reasonable price
– Kai (Chinese at Los Olas centre) – there are lots of restaurants in the Los Olas centre, near Puerto Rico – Kai is excellent food, great service and really good value – we chose a la carte but you can get a 2 person menu deal for €38 which looked very good. Will definitely go back on our next visit.
– Heinrich’s – this is a small supermarket and restaurant called El Greco and is next to the communal pool at Los Caideros. Roger Byatt and Mike Corrigan took us and Roger has done a write up for the Winter 2024 newsletter. Quite different to other restaurants but great value and though the chef chooses the food i.e. one choice per night, it was a really nice meal and you can get cakes that have been baked by one of the family.
Do book as it gets busy!– Taste (Arguineguin) – we had been a about 2 years ago and was very good. This time we ended up with table that was ignored and had delays in getting order taken. They seemed short of staff. Food was good but nothing like what it was on our last visit.
Will give it another go next year. They are having some works carried out to renovate parts of the restuarant, so that affects things too.
The EU have now delayed the intro of the EES, due 10th November. No new date yet.
BBC News – European Union delays introduction of new border check system – BBC News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgey0vvxxw7o
The next Monte committee meeting is on the 15th October, if you have any questions or comments please let me know.
The October meeting sets the budget for 2025 which includes the contribution to the replacement fund, though the replacement fund allocation is not detailed until the February 2025 meeting.
The committee is an consultative one so can comment on what Anfi proposes though Anfi have the final say.The % increase in 2024 was kept low by Anfi and the replacement fund needs to be increased to cover items like the furniture replacement, some lift controls, as well as the normal replacement items.
And more info on the 2025 ETIAS
——————-In 2025, the EU will introduce the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).
When ETIAS is introduced, you will need to apply for authorisation to enter Schengen area countries if using a UK passport. You will need to provide personal information and details about your trip, and pay a 7 Euro fee, as part of the authorisation process.
The EU has already set out more information on ETIAS, including what information will be required from each nationality, on the EU’s official Travel Europe website. – https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees_en
Restaurante Valentino Patalavaca reopens again on 2nd September 2024 – more info on their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/kXpz8r8tBDiHxaqa/?mibextid=WC7FNe
“Hello dear guests, our holidays are also coming to an end.
From the 2nd of September we will be back for you. We are happy to pamper you again.
Greetings from the crew”
Geoff has been known to have a routine where he does 3 of the shuffleboard sessions ending up at Monte, which of course follows onto Bingo and happy hour!!
Pam & I took our grandaughters to Vinci’s last year – we ate at about 6.30 but by 7.30 ish there were people queuing waiting for tables to come free, it seemed very popular.
The Indian, Taj Palace, at Mogan Mall is good, as is the Taj Palace at Purto Rico marina area.
There is also a Steak Bar bar near the Indian which is good to.
Goldcar have had a really poor Which? rating for over 10 years – I do hope Bob gets on OK.
Cicar come out well on Which? ratings. I found their check-in process quite slow – even though I filled in precheck online. And I’ve seen some very long & slow moving queues for Cicar at the airport.
If anyone is looking to use Cicar at Anfi, best check prices as when I looked a year or two ago, it cost more for 3 or 4 days hire at Anfi than it does for a week from airport. Though no queue as Roger points out.
There is another company near Arguineguin that one of our members, Wolfgang, recommended – I’d have to look up the name.
Roger, I used Royal Mail tracked to send some documents to Anfi Management – it took over 2 weeks to get there and the tracking was aweful, RM processed same day at their office near my house BUT 2 weeks later it was still not registered at Heathrow RM depot, and then a few days later it showed as delivered (Anfi did sign for it, though tracking showed the first delivery attempt failed).
Apart from the members recent DHL experience, I used DHL to send some documents to a slightly remote non-EU country – sent on a Friday and got there on Monday. Brilliant!
Does cost more though but I think it is worth it if docs are valuable or hard to replace.
There is another benefit of the new contracts, in that it states your right to hand back, provided mainentance fees are up to date.
There is a potential downside if you have a floating/points contract – the new contract replaces this with 3 documents
– your underlying week
– a Flex contract to put the week into floating system
– an AVC contract
The above, in itself, is fine and replicates the old floating or points contract.A member recently tried to change to their underlying week and have been told they cannot remain in AVC if the underlying week is reclaimed. This may not matter if you are looking to sell the week, and only affect members wanting to get their fixed week and remain in AVC.
A member recently used DHL for sending sale document to Anfi – the tracking worked fine and the document got their in 4 days – pretty good service
recent Which? report is available without a Which? login
https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/car-hire-rip-off-tactics-exposed-aKcWZ6M7AM9h
Hope you have a good flight – the Which? member reviews for Ryanair are not great, but Robert and other members have had good experiences and great value.
I’ve had some issues with BA flights. As I live in south west London, Luton or Stanstead are a bit of a haul though the Ryanair fares look good.
I said back in Feb that Easyjet seemed more expensive than British Airways and that difference seems even bigger now – I was looking at prices for Feb next year and Easyjet around 50% more expensive that BA on like for like booking
Anyone else finding any good deals
Hi Clive
Thanks for update
Be interested to know how it ends up – on the new contracts, as far as I recall, you have 3 docs:-
1 – the ownership one with the underling week
2 – then you have flex contact that put week into flex/floating, with the 5 year cycle
3 – then a separate AVC contract
I think you’d argue that all you are doing is removing No2 the flex element and that your AVC memnbership remains as isI’ve not used RCI for some while, and hope other members may have info for you
Good luck
Kind regards, Brian
Hi Diane
Thank you so much for this post and such a lovely story, and I’m so sorry to hear of your loss.
Amazing to think that your parents bought when there was only one block and no pool or garden, they really bought into the Anfi dream.
I can see your father was a member of the Anfi UK Club many years ago. I’m really pleased to hear they sold and built a conservatory as a result of the sale proceeds.Pam & I bought in early 2020’s much like you. We bought when Gran was still being built around 2002.
We only got into it as Pam’s Mum & Dad had RCI, and a year or so before Pam went to Anfi with her Mum via RCI, and thought it was great. We then went out to Sonnenland the next year and it was aweful – so we went to Anfi and signed up there and then!I never knew Puerto did free champagne when they opened – don’t recall that at Gran!
Kind regards
Brian
