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ancient rock forwith the region’sof the oldest in the – some g’ lookout mations Peninsula. new geo- New ‘floatin Iberian blends into its SPECTACULAR has been featuin wildest corner The minimalist structure with no flashy logical viewpoint the Canta- opens wild surrounds,mountain majesty and unveiled high in offering Asturias res – just pure raw geology. brian Mountains, of one of of appears to float 360 degrees of panoramas valley, the lookout jaw-dropping giving visitors valleys. in the above the landscape, Spain’s most dramatic La Farrapona sleek an up-close enPerched near the Valley, rugged Salienciaplatform was de- c o u n t e r steel-and-w ood & Sanchez Arquidesigned by Puerto public a tectos after winning run by Somiedo sign competition its Sustainable Town Hall under Tourism Plan. point of the Set at the highest
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KET ON FIRE LUXURY MAR
inthe top 10%. fuelled by strong The surge is being – particularly from ternational interest– combined with donorthern Europelow interest rates and demand, is By Walter Finch Zamo- mestic economic recovery. property market ongoing with tighter budgets, fall, dropping 9%, SPAIN’S high-endof cooling, with luxentry point to luxSpain’s For buyers Soria saw prices Sanshowing no signsjumping an average of Mallorca remains luxury ra offers the cheapest– followed by Palen- Only Ceuta remained flat. Toledo, each while where with Palma de tury. €240,000 and Pamplona ury home prices year. exclusive market, , near Madrid, follows – the ury – just ta Cruz de Tenerife and Huelva (€293,250). at Guadalajara while Madrid itself has most now start at €2.1 million 15% over the past thresh- cia (€290,000)level, the Baleares top the posted modest 4% gains. at homes jump, the study looking Idealista looked - pushing the only city to cross the €2 million provincial €2.95 According to over €860,000 – the a 35% At at 28% portal by climb starting study The 10% luxury homes provincial capiin seen prices homes costing threshold (the top hikes have been growth list with followed by Malaga province data from all of Spain’s May 2024 and capital’s luxury price) to €1.85 million. old. most dramatic price showed more modest places. from €1.29 million, and Madrid (€1.56m). where tals and regions between 26%, Barcelona of properties by some unexpected meanwhile is up up by at 8%, with luxury defined en- (€2.2m) Real ranks lowest, leads the charge, in May 2025. Malaga has officially are both Oviedo, in Asturias, by an astonishing San Sebastian with prices Ciudad gets you a top-tier home in million, while Lugo and Las Palmas with prices rocketing €225,000 million-euro club, healthy demand 22% confirming Spain and the Canar- tered theat €1.045 million. 43% in just 12 months. starting historic city’s football both the north of It comes as the back to La Liga ies. a centeam just got promoted in a quarter of for the first time
goes loco property market y Spain’s luxury across the countr as prices soar
The style that took Baroque to the extreme and then on to the Americas in our Property Magazine inside
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Blistering SPAIN has broken its all‑time June heat record, with temperatures hitting a blistering 46°C in El Granado, Huelva, near the Portuguese border. The milestone, recorded on Sunday, is still awaiting official confirmation from national weather agency AEMET. It comes as a fierce heatwave grips southern Europe, placing Portugal on red alert and pushing France and Italy into the low 40s. Portugal’s meteorological institute has urged locals and tourists – including thousands of Brits on the Algarve – to stay indoors as the mercury rises. Lisbon hit 42°C, while Badajoz, just over the border in Spain, reached 44°C.
Brunt
Inland southern Spain is bearing the brunt, with unofficial readings smashing the previous June record of 39.7°C. On the Costa del Sol, temperatures peaked at 38°C, raising wildfire fears and pressure on cooling systems. Experts say official figures due this week could confirm it as Spain’s hottest June ever. Paris reached 41°C yesterday, while Rome roasted at 40°C today. Mediterranean waters, now up to 5°C above average, are worsening the heat and even threatening to disrupt France’s nuclear power plants. See Page 3
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Vol. 19 Issue 472
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A SOBBING female detective warned the grieving parents of a British expat to look at their son’s body ‘carefully’ with fresh eyes before cremating him. Sandra and Rob Adams were just about to sign the paperwork after police told them that Brett Dryden, 35, had died from a blood clot on his lungs, a year ago this month. They told the Olive Press it was this emotional tip-off that shifted the entire investigation – and ‘shook their lives’ to the core. “When Rob went to the police station, one of the female detectives started crying and said to him ‘you need to look further into this – you need to go see the body because he’s got more injuries than what they’re telling you,’”
DISTRAUGHT: Rob and Sandra Adams
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Hint from helpful detective led British parents to refuse to cremate their dead son until a proper investigation is launched
By Walter Finch
Sandra, 57, told the Olive Press this week. Police had initially closed the case just two days after Brett’s body was found in his seaside apartment in Almeria, on July 21, 2024. “It was only after I got to the funeral home, and they were hurrying me to sign the papers for his cremation, that I noticed the brand-new iPhone 15 I had just got him was gone. “Then I saw his belongings were missing. That’s when the penny dropped – something simply wasn’t right.” Sandra revealed how she had to race to the courthouse in Mojacar to stop the cremation – and the destruction of what she now believes was vital evidence of foul play. Despite an autopsy showing Brett had been badly beaten, police closed the case. He had bruising to his jaw, cuts to his face and a 4cm gash above his right eye. Video footage from his flat shows blood on the sofa, curtains and walls, with a bloody handprint near a light switch. “The lady in the funeral home said she’d never seen anything like it,” said Sandra. “They just wanted to get it over with – get him down to ashes – fast.”
After Sandra persuaded a judge to reopen the case, the Guardia Civil reportedly sent a senior officer from Almeria to criticise the local team’s handling. Sandra explained that on the day he died, Brett had planned to meet friends for lunch. In his final phone call, he told a friend: “I have to go now, they’re here” – making her believe he knew his killers. Stepdad Rob, 54, later obtained CCTV from a neighbour showing three people fleeing with a bag like the one Brett used to carry takings from the legal cannabis club he ran. “Brett’s death has created a lot of fear in the community,” a close friend told the Olive Press. “People have theories about who did it – and that they’re still out there. The friend added: “I think the Guardia didn’t want a murder on their hands in summer – especially with drugs involved – so they swept it under the carpet.” Nearly a year on, the case remains unsolved. The Guardia Civil would only confirm the case is still ‘open’. Brett’s family – including his six-yearold daughter – will return to Mojacar this month for the anniversary. They plan to lay flowers, release lanterns and distribute leaflets in Spanish appealing for witnesses. “I find it disturbing how quickly they
MYSTERY: Why was there a bloody handprint on Brett’s wall?
shut the case down,” Sandra added. “And we’re not the only ones.” She is now in contact with other British families who have lost loved ones in Spain in similar circumstances – and felt let down by the authorities. One is the family of Nathan Osman, 30, from Pontypridd, who fell from a 200-metre cliff in Benidorm last September, just hours after arriving for a lads’ holiday. Separated from his friends on the first night out, Nathan was later found dead. Police quickly called it an accident or suicide. The case was only reopened in March – six months later – after 2 3000m shop his siblings launched their own investigation, going door-toLarge parking area door and gathering key CCTV footage. They built a dossier to show 952 886 814 Nathan was a devoted father-offour and not just another ‘drunk 699 572 116 Brit’ abroad. Sandra and Nathan’s families A7, Km 166. C/Séneca 2, now support each other, sharing tips on navigating the SpanVilla de Costalita, ish legal system and how to find ESTEPONA, Málaga trustworthy lawyers. The Olive Press is aware of other British families affected by mysterious deaths in Spain. Several asked to remain anonymous for fear of jeopardising ongoing cases. “There’s a definite pattern here,” Sandra concluded. “When British people die in Spain, the police too often ignore it – they just don’t do their job. your next shop
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