Aquitainia

[shawarma]

• Property name: Aquitainia (or Aquitania?)
• Development: France and Spain islands
• Location: The World by Nakheel
• Emirate: Dubai
• Completion date of construction (expected or actual):
• Completion date of construction (scheduled): 2012
• Start date of construction: Unknown, island purchase announced 19 June 2008, Aquitainia development announced 30 June 2008 (approximate dates only). Update 19 January 2009: Construction may start later in 2009.
• Project value: AED 5.5 billion (US$1.5 billion)
• Area (size): 1 million sq ft
• Number of units: 816
• Developer: 50:50 JV between Select Group (CEO and/or Chairman is Mr Rahail Aslam) and Select Property
• Consultants:
• Architect / Designer:
• Project manager:
• Construction firm:
• Escrow account details:
• Main/exclusive sales agent:
• Apartment types (studio, # bedrooms): 1 & 2 bedroom suites, 3 bedroom penthouses
• Number of floors:
• Car parking: No cars on islands
• Villa types: Beach and Water Villas
• Foreign / Expat Ownership: freehold (presumed, not confirmed)
• Residence visa included for expats: Presumably yes, not confirmed.
• Payment Plan: 15 years
• Mortgage finance from:
• Unit sizes (excluding/including balcony):
• Unit prices (Original Price / OP): AED 3.64m (1 bdrm)
• July 2008 prices: AED 3.64m (1 bdrm suite)
• OP per square foot: from AED 5,100 per sq ft (October 2008)
• July 2008 price per square foot:
• Transfer charges on resale:
• Telephone: +971-4-3683355
• Website: www.aquitainia.ae (or selectproperty.com/aquitainia/- was previous website)

Other facilities and information

Marina available (of course - well it is an island), 75 room boutique hotel.

The name Aquitainia comes from the Atlantic / Pyrenees province of Galia Aquitainia in southern France / northern Spain in the Middle Ages.

The two islands of France and Spain will be connected by a pedestrian walkway. There will be 6 different areas on the 2 islands with properties - Monaco, Cannes and St Tropez on France, and Marbella, Barcelona and Madrid on Spain. The Select Group press release says that Aquitania "will be the most exclusive address in The World". Ha ha, how original . Presumably every developer on "The World" will be saying something like that - the biggest, the brightest, the most luxurious, the whateverest ... in "The World".

DubaiFAQs.com pages with related information

• Buying property in the UAE
• Real estate agents UAE
• UAE banks - list of banks operating in the UAE
• Dubai suburbs - brief description of areas to live
• freehold property Dubai - a map and list of locations with freehold properties

Please reply to this topic with relevant information and this first post will be updated. If quoting this post, please remove unnecessary information. Thanks

In general, for all UAE property developments, information given here is usually based on information supplied from press releases, media reports, company marketing, and may not be independently confirmed. Unit sizes are unlikely to be vastly different but layout and design could change. Actual completion date could be months or even years later than promised delivery dates.

[shawarma]

Hilary wand will apparently be hosting the launch of the wand Aquitania at a reception at the Buddha Bar (in the Grosvenor Hotel, Dubai). A fitting choice perhaps. A million dollar baby for a million sq ft property . Kelly Rowland, an R&B artiste (was in Destiny's Child), will be performing at the opening ceremony. I didn't see a date, just that it would be before the October 2008 Dubai Cityscape.

[shawarma]

The National (19 January 2009) reported that the islands have been endorsed by Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. I don't know what that means though, are they less likely to sink? The National also said that prices were starting from AED 3.2m - a bit lower than the July 2008 prices. They also said construction was expected to start later in 2009 (how much later wasn't clarified)