The holiday of a lifetime – or a lifetime of holidays? We’re glad we chose the latter!

By Holiday Property Bond Jun 1, 2023

Early in 2017, Norman and Liz Wright faced the nicest of dilemmas. “We had a bit of a financial windfall,”says Norman, “and were wondering what to do with it.

“The money was enough to pay for a one-off, once-in-a-lifetime holiday – and I won’t deny, we thought about it. But we were aware of the Holiday Property Bond; some close friends of ours had become Bondholders many years ago, and had nothing but good things to say about HPB. But as so often happens, we put it off and put it off – life, as they say, kept getting in the way.

Bondholders: Mr and Mrs Wright

“I guess, looking back, and knowing what we know now, we wish we’d done it earlier. The fact is we hadthe money; we saw an advertisement in one of the weekend newspaper colour supplements; we went onto the HPB website and saw there was an Private Tour happening quite near to our Norfolk home, atthe Barnham Broom Hotel and Country Club where HPB has a number of properties; we went along and had a look; and that was that. The representative wasn’t at all pushy, which impressed us; but the qualityof the accommodation and the facilities – two Championship-standard 18-hole golf courses, the fully-equipped gym, the spa, the onsite restaurants – spoke for themselves.”

Liz and Norman became Bondholders in May 2017, and took their first HPB holiday to Tigh Mor, theBond’s Perthshire home, and a jewel in the HPB crown. “I think we chose well,” laughs Liz. “What a place! That amazing, turreted edifice, looking like a fairytale castle, and its location, just take your breath away –it helped to reconfirm that we had done the right thing.”

After varied careers both have retired: Norman, after a long career in banking and, latterly, working for the couple’s local district council. “I consider myself fairly shrewd,” he says, “and work has taught me time and again that the devil is in the detail. I like to look before I leap, to check things out – but I have to say, withHPB there was little or nothing to check out. The Bond is exactly what it claims to be, no more, no less; everything is totally transparent. We, as Bondholders, get to holiday paying only a not-for-profit UserCharge, which is entirely justified: as well as heating, lighting, laundry and so on, it pays for onsite facilities that are beyond fantastic.

“Since our first HPB holiday at Tigh Mor we have enjoyed wonderful experiences at other locations, including the stunning El Balcón de Santa Ana in La Gomera; and closer to home the delights of the Lake District, explored during a Christmas stay at Merlewood with our cockapoo Rupert; and two separate visits to Duloe Manor in Cornwall with our friends, who are long-standing Bondholders.”

“One of the reasons we signed up was so that our three children, and their children, could benefit, nowand in the future – our three, Lee, Kay and Laura, will inherit our Bond in the fullness of time – and we knew our grandchildren would love it,” says Liz. “And so it has proved.

“If the proof of the pudding is in the eating then we have satisfied our appetites!”, she continues. “Highlights with family have included summer holidays in Encosta Cabo Girão, Madeira, and then in 2021 – with the pandemic in abeyance – apartments at Santa Rosa in Lanzarote. Seven of us were able to take advantage of lower occupancy special offers at that time to stay an extra week.

“This summer we are looking forward to a first trip to Sibton Park in Kent, with a friend and two dogs in tow, so there is still plenty of variety yet to be had from our Bond.”

“It’s the quality that we’re paying for,” adds Norman, “and to know that we’ve structured our Bond so that the children can have the investment passed on to them, is a very satisfying thought.

“We have been confident enough to introduce friends to HPB and they are now looking forward to enjoying the Bond for themselves, as they too can see the value in a lifetime of holidays.”

REQUEST A BROCHURE

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.