A suitcase full of inspiration
Long summer days on the Cote D’Azur, or balmy evenings sipping rosé at some cosy Tuscany trattoria can beguile the senses and restore the work-worn mind. But the property buff never stops noticing the little things; the details that make those places so magnetic.
So while our team has been chilling out, or rocking out, this summer, we’ve also been quietly taking notes. Spotting those magical details about the towns and cities we chose to escape to, and bringing back the best of each of them, as inspiration for when the work begins again.
Some things are timeless, like the gentle breeze of life in an idyllic village square. But much is changing. You’re more likely, our travels have confirmed, to find a group of Gen Z friends hanging out getting LED facial treatments or loafing around in magnesium-rich warm mineral pools than ever before.
We all love the London lifestyle, but the capital can’t offer the bliss of beach life. That’s what drew Michaella to Cornwall, for a taste of sun, sea and sand. And she noticed a few things about where young people down there are at in their own lifestyle choices, things that are relevant anywhere you go.
Cornwall’s always been a party place. A summer on the coast meant surfing by day, partying at the beach bars by night. But that might have changed, says Michaella, with the wider trend of younger people living more health-conscious lives.
Where towns like Newquay were all about the bars and clubs, now, she says, you’re more likely to find younger people winding down with wellness.
She says: “There are lots more hot saunas and sea plunges down here. Also padel has reached Cornwall and like London it is near impossible to book a court.
“There is a lot more of a focus on young people post-work going surfing, or doing something in nature than there is going out drinking”.
In fact the P-Three team’s travels abroad this summer have confirmed a global trend we discussed in depth earlier in the year1: everywhere you look, Gen Zs and Millennials are shunning boozy nights in bars and clubs to hang out in instagrammable spas and health and ‘longevity’ clubs.
As Ishbel says, to her contemporaries back home in Brisbane, “wellness is the new weekend out”. UK property professionals take note.
“I went to Soak Bathhouse in Brisbane2,” she says, “a rooftop club offering hot and cold therapies, and it was packed with Gen Zs. It really feels like wellness is the new weekend out for my generation.
“I also noticed how many young people are using the CityCat ferries over buses or trains, which feels like a more lifestyle-led decision.”
From Brisbane to Lisbon, which Oscar visited this summer, the same trend emerges. In the Bairro Alto area of the Portuguese capital, which Oscar describes as “an alternative and leisure heavy area, think Manchester northern quarter or Shoreditch London”, young people are right on the wellbeing trend.
Oscar says: “There was a very popular hot and cold club, offering ice baths and saunas. It was interesting to notice how the leisure scene was evolving from traditional nightclubs to health clubs, reflecting the demands of the younger demographic.”
And if you need any more confirmation of the dramatic shift towards clean living, you just have to look at the rock festival scene.
Reading Festival has hosted Nirvana, Black Sabbath and Rage Against the Machine over the years, but today the crowds seem to be less about rock, rage and rebellion, and more about clear heads and early, active starts, looking their insta-ready best, and world gourmet eating.
That’s certainly what Kate and her Reading-veteran husband observed last year. One new addition is the free to use "Get Ready with me Stations" equipped with mirrors, plug sockets for hair tools and essential toiletries.
Quite the change. As Kate’s husband says: “We have teenage relatives who have said they won't be going because it’s gross and too dirty. Back in the day it was the dirtier the better!”
This might not directly impact real estatem unless festival campsites are a niche alternative asset of the future. But the stories people are coming back with, about the priorities of the people going to festivals, certainly are to be taken note of as fundamental lifestyle shifts.
But there are some things you see on holiday to remind you that a more timeless way of life exists. Where life goes on in ancient towns and cities seemingly blissfully unaware of the rapidity of life and the trends and fads that hurry it along; where time itself seems to go at a much lazier, more pleasing pace.
That’s what brings Justin back to France for his summer escape. And it’s the little things, he says, that make the culture so rich and inviting, something we might, sadly, have let slip away back in Britain.
He says: “I'm always struck in France how even in small villages French culture is underlined with a successful market, a great boulangerie, often more than one, and an active participation in the village square, with games like boules. This year they spiced things up with a mini music festival in the square.
“It all leads to that sense of community enjoyed by all age groups that seems to be missing in many of our UK towns and villages.”
And after trips to Greece and Spain this summer, it was the superb quality of food on offer at even modest supermarkets that stayed with Thomas.
“There’s such an emphasis on quality food, and quality ingredients. The focus on quality local produce is self-evident. Even the local EUROSPAR3 near us in Spain had a exceptional butcher’s counter with all sorts of fresh meats, from chicken to rabbit to goose.
“I feel that’s something we’ve lost. European countries seem to have a greater level of respect for food and ingredients.”
“And in the town we saw the local patisserie served as a community space. Everyone was there earlier in the morning having their espresso and pastries. It was the centre of the community.”
Some things are timeless, like the gentle breeze of life in an idyllic village square. But much is changing. You’re more likely, our travels have confirmed, to find a group of Gen Z friends hanging out getting LED facial treatments or loafing around in magnesium-rich warm mineral pools than ever before.
But if the changing habits we’ve observed from Portugal to Australia, even at the festival scene, is a new pressure for landlords, especially those with a lot of bars and clubs among their assets, our summer trips have also uncovered the hot new places and properties that can be the change the new generation wants.
