Barcelona property, Catalonia: buy a grand Spanish flat or a better-value commuter home nearby, on the med coastline

Buy a piece of history with a grand flat in a Modernist palace in Catalonia’s vibrant seaside city.
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Cathy Hawker11 February 2019

Thirty-two million tourists flocked to Barcelona last year with many of them there to see its magnificent architecture.

The Catalonian seafront city is defined by its buildings: the mesmerising madness of Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia cathedral and the entire central Eixample district, built between 1880 and 1930 with bold, naturalistic flamboyance.

Most of Eixample’s buildings are now museums, corporate HQs or hotels so the opportunity to buy a modern home in a renovated city centre Modernist palace is rare.

Step forward Casa Burés, a five-floor corner building nearing the end of an intricate three-year renovation to offer 26 comfortable apartments.

From £1.4 million: Casa Burés flats with two or three bedrooms (lucasfox.com)

Designed by a close colleague of Gaudí and completed in 1905, Casa Burés was built for the Burés family, textile tycoons.

The evidence of their super-affluent lifestyle includes 16ft ceilings and ornate marble and gold leaf columns in the vast reception rooms, detailed wood panelling in the former nursery and exquisite pink and green flower tiles on the grand staircase.

The nine remaining two- and three-bedroom flats start from £1.4 million for 1,367sq ft with service charges from £690 a month, through Lucas Fox.

Commute to Barcelona: better-value homes in Maresme

Immediately north of Barcelona along the Mediterranean coast, the Maresme is a good-value region with a strong sporting pedigree.

It includes 24 miles of beaches, five marinas, three golf clubs, the much-praised Hamelin-Laie International School and exceptional vineyards at Alta Alella.

“The big draw is the peace and natural beauty with proximity to Barcelona, 25 minutes by car on a good run,” says Tom Maidment of Lucas Fox, who has lived in Maresme with his young family for 10 years.

“The beach is on your doorstep, there are 15,000 hectares of protected natural park with hiking tracks and a wealth of sports clubs. Catalans are very active. On Sundays everyone is in Lycra.”

For the price of a 1,290sq ft flat in Eixample you could buy a three- or four-bedroom house with a garden in Maresme, says Maidment: “We are selling homes from around £430,000 and large derelict properties, once estates owned by wealthy Barcelona families, from £1.3 million ready to be converted into hotels or apartments.”

A five-bedroom, 6,590sq ft contemporary villa over three floors with a large pool and terraces is £950,000 — which could make three large apartments. In Cabrils a four-bedroom house with a swimming pool is £570,000.

Most striking of all, a beautiful six-bedroom farmhouse in Premià de Dalt with wonderful gardens but no pool, is £1.12 million.

Living near Barcelona: ‘It’s mini London. I’ll never move’

Loving the sporting life: Noel Unwin, son Lucas and daughter Olivia at home in the Maresme

Software business owner Noel Unwin left the UK for Barcelona in 2009 before discovering the Maresme and now lives in Alella with his children Lucas and Olivia, aged 12 and nine.

“The weather, the central European location that makes it so good for travel, the excellent international schools and the great sports clubs are all part of the appeal,” says Noel, 45.

“We have tennis and golf clubs, watersports and cycling clubs on tap and with a family you are outside 90 per cent of the time, one of the things I love most about living here. Alella has an international feel and a strong community.”

Barcelona — “a mini London with its excellent, good-value restaurant culture” — is 20 minutes from his house. “I won’t ever move,” he says.

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