Shanghai Daily news

A few years ago there was absolutely nothing in Jinqiao. But in typical Chinese fashion, today it boasts properties worth more than a million US dollars apiece.
The Spanish-style Vizcaya housing estate in Jinqiao is now the area's most prestigious development. At the moment only phase one has been completed, but when all four phases are finished, Vizcaya will have 180 three- and four-bedroom homes.
A separate entity to the housing, the Vizcaya Club is owned and run by the property developer, Rama Property Development Co. Featuring a 45-meter swimming pool unlike any other in Shanghai as well as state-of-the-art fitness facilities, director Rob Young says the club is designed to ensure residents need never leave their immediate area.
While living in a Spanish villa in the middle of Pudong might sound ridiculous, you don't need to spend long in this club before starting to warm to the idea. The Shanghainese developer, Yang Litian, is a rare breed among property developers, having trained as an architect before entering the business. Vizcaya is expensive but it's not ostentatious or gaudy. It was designed by an American company and the interior decoration was completed by a French company with an eye for detail.
"The developer made many trips to Spain and took all the project managers. A lot of effort was made to build in an authentic style," says Young.
Jinqiao is far away from the downtown Puxi side of life, in more ways than one. It's a 40-yuan (US$4.94) taxi fare, or half-hour journey from the city center and is not exactly the most bustling or vibrant place in which to soak up Shanghai's nightlife. That's probably why all the tenants living at Vizcaya seem to have a couple of things in common, like having a car and driver and at least one child.
With monthly rental of more than US$7,000 per month and a waiting list as long as your arm to move in, Vizcaya is part of an emerging market of people who have moved to be closer to Shanghai's new schools.
Young says the Dulwich College opening last September meant at least 500 families were looking to move into the area and when capacity at the school doubles next year, another 500 will be looking for somewhere to live that is close by.
But family life need not be dull, as proven by the amazing space that is the Vizcaya Club. Not only does it have the standard issue pool, tennis courts, gymnasium and spa areas, it has really great quality restaurants too. Members (of which there are around 200 at the moment) can spend their entire weekends in the club without ever having to leave.
Young says the club was also designed to be extremely child-friendly. It has a special room for teenagers only, with PS2 machines and quiet areas for reading or doing homework and a kids' playroom where the littler ones can play under full supervision while their parents workout or enjoy the spa. It's not a daycare center but it does provide welcome respite for busy parents.
Anyone with kids and an awfully generous housing allowance is sure to enjoy life in this estate, if they can manage to find a place to rent. The second-phase development of 60 houses sold out in a day or so, while phase three took longer because of government  regulations designed to stop speculators entering the market. Still, all these properties sold in three weeks.
There's an undeniable air of exclusivity at Vizcaya and club memberships cost US$4,000 per family per year. At the moment, people living outside the complex can join, but this will soon change as more people take up residence in the newly completed phases. While it may seem like a long way away from Shanghai proper, those who've made the move remain convinced it was the right decision.
"I've never heard of anyone regretting moving this far out. They're all the envy of their friends," says Young.
And taking a look at the facilities on offer at Vizcaya it's not hard to see why.