Peace of mind; pleasure beyond price
“A great commitment to pleasure; quality accommodation and service guaranteed. I could sell this product!” – Catriona Davies
I became a Bondholder in August 1987 having read the promotional literature on the flight to Malta for our first ever package holiday. My husband, myself and our two young children loved the island, the people and its history but our self-catering accommodation was of a very poor standard.
I was due to receive an inheritance from my grandfather, an architect who was a great believer in preserving buildings of merit even if that meant a change of use. He would have greatly approved and appreciated the HPB method of buying and repurposing properties that needed love and imagination rather than razing to the ground.
All seemed very promising and appropriate when I read about the Holiday Property Bond. However, there is the old adage: “If it looks too good to be true it probably is”! So, I did a great deal of research and was reassured by everything I was able to find out. It certainly looked very good and TRUE. Our first visit to Barnham Broom confirmed that the accommodation was excellent; re-confirmed at every subsequent stay at every one of the HPB properties. The added genius is that all sites cater for an active lifestyle but allow for relaxation. As a family which enjoys being fit and active, these are dream sites: plenty to do, and a pool to relax in.
As we were both teachers we decided to commit an amount that would give us three weeks’ worth of holiday: a week at Easter and a fortnight in the summer. I decided to go ahead and invest, thinking, if it has been too good to be true, if we get three years of holidays we will have had our money’s worth. That was 36 years ago!
Bondholders: Mr and Mrs Davies
During those years we have holidayed at home and abroad using most of the HPB sites with our children and with friends, some of whom have subsequently invested themselves. We gifted our son and his wife, who had planned a camping honeymoon in France, a week at Constant in the Dordogne followed by a week at Le Manoir de Hilguy in Brittany. They have continued to holiday with HPB and love providing their daughter with the wealth of activities and safety that HPB sites offer. Their favourite site is currently Lucker Hall, not least because of the Harry Potter-associated places within easy access – perfect for the “world’s biggest Harry Potter fan” – 10-year-old Beatrice.
My daughter and her two children are torn between Henllys in Anglesey and Tigh Mor in the Trossachs as favourites. Both offer a climb to the top of a mountain, boating and horse riding – but only Tigh Mor offered deep-fried Mars bars so they think the Trossachs win!
Perhaps the most memorable visit for myself was Stigliano in Tuscany. We were touring with friends, driving through France, Switzerland and Monaco and to spend a week, mid-tour, at Stigliano was magical. The friends we were holidaying with could not believe it when we drove up the drive to “our place”. Weary, we parked up and walked into our cool and immaculate apartment with its welcome tray. The pool was glistening in the sunshine and, as night fell the fireflies glowed from the hedgerows. Perfection!
Now retired, we are able to take advantage of Points-free holidays and Tenancies. The ability to add family names to the Bond allows the initial investment to be the gift that keeps on giving.
The HPB Travel Club and links with Riviera Travel mean you can rely on guaranteed quality and service when you don’t want to plan it all yourself.
To sum up what HPB offers: The peace of mind that comes from knowing that we have bought into an organisation that offers excellence as standard, and places our interests firmly to the fore.
Sometimes it is TRUE!
Lead image: Stigliano in Tuscany
Exclusive holidays for life: An initial payment from £5,000 and a quarterly fee of under £38 (that is around £150 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 average charge is the same throughout the year, and for a studio is around £360 a week and £540 for a two 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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