Dubai/from €367,000: Ireland's rugby captain, Brian O'Driscoll, has splashed out around €680,000 ($875,000) on a lavish apartment in the Palm Jumeirah development in Dubai ahead of the launch in Dublin this weekend of homes in the luxury waterfront scheme.
O'Driscoll, who had been apartment hunting in Dubai since his initial visit there in April for the Under-19 World Championship, has bought his two-bedroom apartment in The Tiara Residence, a V-shaped scheme off the main "trunk" of the vast island development being built in the shape of a palm tree.
Due for completion at the end of 2007, The Tiara will have 670 apartments in seven 15-storey blocks overlooking the water. Extensive landscaped grounds include private gardens and freeform swimming pools. Dublin is the second stop on a worldwide Tiara selling tour - after the Far East - with the UK launch scheduled for the autumn. A model of the development will be on show at the Four Seasons Hotel this Sunday where Irish sales agent Alva Gunne and Tom McCormack of Connexions PR will be hosting a three-day exhibition.
Prices start at €367,000 for one-bedroom units that are bigger than many four-bed houses and fitted out to an extremely high specification, according to Gunne, who has visited the development. Marble floors throughout, expensive kitchen and bathroom fittings and deep balconies are standard. One bedroom units have 178sq m (1,915sq ft) while two-bedroom apartments starting at €480,000 have 229sq m (2,464sq ft). Larger still,three-bed apartments start at €641,000.
