Halcyon Hills Resort, Samos, Greece
August 15, 2009 by Perspective Magazine | Timeshare & Fractional ReviewsManaging Director of Barrasford & Bird Worldwide, Robin Barrasford recognised the potential of the overseas property industry over seven years ago. It was whilst purchasing his own property abroad that he began to realise that the UK and other worldwide investor property markets were underexploited. From this early overseas buying experience, Barrasford & Bird Worldwide was established, created to introduce and guide new and seasoned property buyers to the potential of property investments abroad. Today the company employs over 30 staff in a variety of worldwide locations and develops its own luxury resorts in Greece and the Caribbean.
Robin Barrasford achieved a degree in ‘Computers and Information Systems’ at Manchester University before starting a post-graduate course in Mathematics and Education at the University of Sussex. However, after the first year, he became frustrated with academic life and joined Sussex Police. Robin stayed in the police force for ten years and became one of the youngest ever sergeants in the history of the force before being promoted to acting Inspector duties in the seaside resort of Eastbourne. Before Robin Barrasford began to explore the overseas property market he took a year long break from his distinguished role as Police Inspector, to focus on family life. Moving to the southwest of England he bought and converted a collection of barns into a family home. Whilst the country living experience tempted the family enough to permanently settle in Cornwall, Robin Barrasford was seeking a way to extend his love of property and combine it with a full time entrepreneurial business.
Recognising the potential of the property market in Bulgaria, long before the boom in Eastern Europe began, Mr Barrasford was quick to envisage the full potential of this new property market, and created a sales and marketing company to package the property to the investor market and first time overseas property buyers. The company he created was Barrasford & Bird.
Before long the Bulgarian property market had begun to blossom. Not content with emerging eastern European markets, Mr Barrasford co-developed developments both in Bulgaria and the Caribbean. Barrasford & Bird became a worldwide success story, consistently sourcing new markets, packaging them to investment purchasers with the mainstay of the business built on customer service and excellence in the industry. To date, Barrasford and Bird worldwide had handed over more than 2000 completed properties.
In 2005 the overseas property industry came together with the notion of self regulating its practices and Robin Barrasford was one of the first to champion the notion of a voluntary set of guidelines and regulations that would translate customer confidence and industry excellence. Today, this initiative has become the Association of International Property Professionals, an upstanding industry voice and the regulatory body of the overseas property industry.
From day one, Barrasford and Bird Worldwide endeavoured to offer the best customer service in the industry, backed up by a lifetime aftercare guarantee. The company employed more support staff to look after customer needs than sales staff to achieve this goal and has an exemplary reputation within the industry.
However, it became apparent that the developer on occasion was the ‘weak link’ in the process. Therefore, Robin decided that the only way to ensure a consistent quality of service from reservation to full ownership was to become the developer as well as the agent.
The next step was to canvass the company database of over 18,000 (now 65,000) clients to ascertain what clients actually wanted from their overseas property. Once this information was collated, Robin then sought out markets with genuine exit strategies and strong government support for tourism. It was from this research and the company’s dedication to customer service that the Halcyon Hills resort in the Greek Island of Samos was born.
In 2008 Robin Barrasford was the only overseas property industry expert from the UK asked to judge the prestigious AIPP awards, and along with a distinguished panel of professionals including the Ombudsman for UK estate agents, his wealth of experience and renowned professionalism helped choose the most prestigious award winners in the industry today.
In July 09 Barrasford & Bird Worldwide were proud to announce an affiliate partnership with RCI’s The Registry Collection. Having great success with Fractional Ownership sales for over 6 months, the
team at Barrasford & Bird Worldwide were looking for an additional string to their bow for the luxurious Halcyon Hills Resort, Samos, Greece. RCI approached Barrasford and Bird with the many benefits of joining a shared usage programme. It was the clarity of branding and the sumptuous lifestyle of The Registry Collection that finally tempted Barrasford & Bird Worldwide to sign up.
Customer orientated, Barrasford & Bird Worldwide wanted their buyers to enjoy the luxurious element of shared ownership that complimented the five star facilities to be implemented at Halcyon Hills, Greece.
Halcyon Hills is situated in what is undoubtedly one of the finest locations of a hotel resort anywhere in the world. The site looks across an expansive azure sea to Asia Minor and the soaring mountains of a forestladen national park. The gentle waters of the Aegean lap against the beach which hugs the curve of the bay while the channel between Asia Minor and Samos ensures that the waters remain calm, offering superb swimming and sailing.
The village of Klima rests next to Halcyon Hills and has two delightful tavernas gracing its shoreline. The small, boutique tourist resort of Psilli Amos is two bays to the West, while the historically rich harbour of Pythagoria (Named after Pythagoras who was born there) lies 3 miles to the West. The islands capital is a 15 minute drive away from the resort and the international airport is just a short 20 minute drive.
Halcyon Hills has been meticulously designed with its stunning location firmly in mind. Every property at the resort enjoys the panoramic sea views from the terrace and is centred around a 1200m2 spa.
The resort was created by one of the most respected architects in Greece, Yiannis Vikelas, and he was give guidelines to work within when designing the halcyon Hills experience.
• Halcyon Hills should complement the natural beauty of Samos
• The Resort must feel authentically Greek
• No two properties should look the same
• Every property is to have a sea view
• From the sea, Halcyon Hills should look like an authentic Greek village
• The resort must have all the facilities, quality and services of a five star resort
Once the concept was achieved architecturally, the interior design then needed to be addressed. Once again, the overriding principle was that the resort must feel as if it fits like a glove in Greece and that it is not just another luxury hotel that could be anywhere else in the world. The Halcyon Hills experience is centred around Greek style whilst ensuring that the owners benefit from five star service and quality.
With the success of Fractional Ownership at Halcyon Hills partnered with the stunning opportunity that is The Registry Collection, Halcyon Hills Spa and Marina Resort offers a slice of the highlife for a fraction of the cost with prices starting from just £21,000 for 1/12 ownership of a variety of property styles.
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