“The chance to explore the most beautiful parts of Europe and the UK, as a couple or with family and friends, but always with that guarantee of quality. That’s what HPB means for us.”
Dr and Mrs Robert Farquhar
Back in 1998, Bob Farquhar and wife Suzanne came along to look at Buckland Court, the Bond’s Cotswolds home. At the time they had just sold a house near Bordeaux, which was “lovely, but limited, holidays-wise,” says Suzanne. When they saw the location, superb accommodation and amenities at Buckland Court as well as the portfolio of properties offered by HPB, the couple had a brainwave. “Why not invest some of the money in a way that gives us a choice of high-quality holiday homes?”
That’s exactly what Bob and Suzanne did, and they’ve never looked back since! Over the past 25 years or so, the Farquhars have holidayed at “almost every” HPB site. Tigh Mor Trossachs is a favourite – “We both hail from north of the border, so it’s a chance to enjoy the scenery we love,” says Bob – as is El Balcón de Santa Ana on the scenic Canary Island of La Gomera: “Quiet, beautiful, warm and great for walking.”
Suzanne and Bob mostly holiday as a couple, but often with other family members. “Our son Diarmid and wife Antonia and two children now live in Australia,” says Bob. “We visit when we can, but unfortunately the HPB empire doesn’t extend that far! However, before they emigrated, Diarmid and Antonia enjoyed some lovely holidays with us at Henllys in Anglesey and Langton House on the Isle of Purbeck. Our daughter Catriona and husband Rob have also accompanied us on several Bond holidays with our two granddaughters: Matilda, 13, and 11-year-old Florence.
“We’ve taken the whole family with us to Encosta Cabo Girão, HPB’s cliff-top home in the stunning island paradise of Madeira, and also to Alfaix in Almeria with its fantastic facilities; and we often have the younger ones accompany us on more local breaks, a great way to occupy them at half-terms or school holidays, as there is so much for them to do.”
One of the family’s most recent adventures was to Sibton Park, the Bond’s Kentish home, to celebrate Suzanne’s birthday – Matilda loved the tennis courts and Florence the swimming pool. It was a great opportunity to visit Dover Castle with them. Visits to Duloe Manor in Cornwall always go down well, as does Langton House in Dorset.
But when it’s just the two of them, the Farquhars like nothing more than to head back to Constant in the Dordogne, the Bond’s historic holiday hamlet. “Not for nothing did we have a holiday home there,” says Bob. “We’re real francophiles and we love returning to the region, as well as going to Manoir du Hilguy, the Bond’s Breton château, and Le Mont de St Siméon near Paris.
“But it’s so nice to know that with HPB we not only have this, but so much more. Stigliano, the Bond’s Tuscan palazzo, for example; and Coo Palace in Dumfries & Galloway – one of HPB’s latest additions.”
If you enjoyed reading this article, why not take our short quiz about the Holiday Property Bond.
An initial payment from £5,000 and a quarterly fee of just over £35 (that is around £140 a year), which can increase in line with but not exceed the Retail Price Index Excluding Mortgage Interest (RPIX), gives you access to all HPB’s holiday homes. For each HPB holiday, you will pay a no-profit user charge covering only property running and maintenance costs and use of on-site facilities. The charge is the same throughout the year and for a studio averages about £347 a week and around £533 a week for a 2-bedroom property. Larger properties are also available. After an initial charge of 25% your money is invested in a fund of holiday properties and securities. The fund itself meets annual charges of 2.5% of its net assets at cost, calculated monthly. Your investment return is purely in the form of holidays and, as with most investments, your capital is at risk. You can surrender your investment to the company after two years or more (subject to deferral in exceptional circumstances) but you will get back less than you invested because of the charges referred to above, as well as other overheads and changes in the value of the fund’s properties and securities.
This advertisement is issued by HPB Management Limited (HPBM), the main UK agent and the property manager for HPB, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, registered at HPB House, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 8EH. HPB is available exclusively through HPBM. HPB is issued by HPB Assurance Limited (HPBA) registered in the Isle of Man and authorised by the Financial Services Authority there. HPBM promotes only HPB and is not independent of HPBA. Holders of policies issued by HPBA will not be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme if the company becomes unable to meet its liabilities to them but Isle of Man compensation arrangements apply to new policies.
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Last modified: August 7, 2023
