Did you invest in Halcyon Retreat Golf & Spa Resort?

According to the Companies House website, Robin Barrasford and Alan Bird have been Directors of many property- and finance-related companies over the past 20 years, including:

• South West Commercial (Devon) Ltd, previously known as Overseas Dreams Ltd, Barrasford & Bird Worldwide Ltd and South West Commercials (Tavistock) Ltd
• Hera Bay UK Ltd, previously known as Halcyon Hills UK Ltd
• Halcyon Palms Ltd
• Halcyon Retreat Finance Ltd
• Timeshare 2 Freehold Ltd, previously known as Barrasford & Bird Ltd
• Barrasford & Bird Worldwide Ltd, previously known as Halcyon Resorts Management Ltd
• Halcyon Marketing and Administration Ltd, previously known as Halcyon Developments Group Ltd

Alan Frank Bird has more than 20 active appointments according to Companies House, including Director for numerous other ‘Halcyon Retreat’, ‘HR’ or ‘Château de la Cazine’ styled companies. Château de la Cazine is the grand, historic house that serves as the centrepiece for the Halcyon Retreat resort.

SAS Halcyon Retreat, a French company, is named as the developer behind the resort project and owner of the resort’s assets. Robin Barrasford and Alan Bird are named company officials.

Halcyon Retreat UK Ltd is currently an active company in the UK, with Alan Bird listed as a Director.

Robin Barrasford was listed as a Director of the Association of International Property Professionals (AIPP) between 2006 and 2013. The AIPP is the independent trade body for professionals worldwide who deal with buyers of foreign property.

Halcyon Retreat offered investments in the exclusive French golf and spa development through loan notes. These are essentially a promise by the issuer (borrower) to repay a specific sum with interest to the lender (noteholder/investor) by a set date.

Loan notes (also known as mini bonds) are frequently used by companies to raise funds for large-scale building projects, but investors should be aware that they are regarded as high-risk, unregulated schemes.

Victims of investment scams are often lured by ‘guaranteed’ high returns, which frequently prove to be too good to be true. Many overseas property deals are not FCA-regulated investments, and in September 2025, the FCA issued another warning to investors considering investment in high-risk, unregulated schemes, particularly ‘unlisted loan notes or mini-bonds’.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is an independent financial regulatory body in the UK. Among its functions, the FCA works to protect consumers from financial risks and harm.

A Ponzi scheme is a type of pyramid scheme in which money paid in is never invested as promised. Instead, it ends up with fraudsters who may use new investors’ funds to pay small ‘returns’ to earlier investors, leading them to believe everything is fine and that their investment is growing as expected. Pyramid schemes eventually fail when no new investors join or current investors want to cash out.

Although the investment has not been officially or legally classified as a Ponzi scheme, many Halcyon Retreat investors have reported missed payments and unfulfilled promises over the past decade and more.

These are red flags similar to those observed by investors in other suspected Ponzi schemes, such as the widely reported 79th Group loan notes investment.

Many investors have raised concerns, as no returns have been paid to them so far.

The latest Trustpilot reviews for Halcyon Retreat include many one-star ratings, with investors feeling ‘duped’ by the owners, whom they label ‘crooks’, and claiming the scheme is a ‘scam’. Some investors have endured ‘lie after lie’ for years and received nothing but ‘false promises’. People have been unable to withdraw their earnings or recover their initial investment, and they are warning others to ‘avoid, avoid, avoid’.

Regarding the future of the luxury development, one reviewer states that the site has been ‘completely abandoned for years, without electricity or water’, and another confirmed that a French court ordered liquidation of the luxury hotel-restaurant on 21st October 2025.

A particularly astute reviewer observed that all of the four- and five-star reviews for Halcyon were posted by new reviewers within a short period, suggesting they may be fake. There are also allegations that Halcyon sought to have investors sign Non-Disclosure Agreements and offered compensation if they removed negative reviews.

Sarah Spruce, Legal Director at TLW Solicitors, commented:

“Investors with Halcyon Retreat were offered attractive returns of 9 or 10%, and some received initial payouts, as promised. After those early instalments, payments stopped. This is common in failing investment schemes, where the funds simply aren’t there to pay the promised returns, or worse, other investors’ money is used to cover the initial sums, such as in a Ponzi scheme.

Barrasford and Bird are reportedly connected to The Corran Resort and Spa in South Wales and the Hera Bay Luxury Resort on the Greek island of Samos. Both developments offered investors the chance to buy fractional shares in luxury overseas projects, with ‘guaranteed’ high returns. Barrasford and Bird acted as sales intermediaries, marketing these schemes to potential investors. Sadly, for investors, both projects ultimately failed.

I would urge investors in Halcyon Retreat, or indeed any other similar overseas property investment, to get in touch with my team. We can look at your case and advise on next steps. If you have not received your promised payouts, you may be the victim of an investment scam, but help is available. Get in touch for a confidential, no-obligation discussion to explore your options.”

Halcyon investors were told in early October 2025 that the company was ‘undergoing a restructuring’ and that there was a ‘temporary pause on sales and returns’. As a result, investors are unable to access their money and may feel they have nowhere to turn, but there are several routes to compensation.

Bank negligence claims

Victims may be able to make a claim through their bank. If they invested from 2019 onwards, they may be able to make a claim under the Contingent Reimbursement Model (CRM) Code or, for payments made after 7th October 2024, the Mandatory Reimbursement Scheme (MRS).

FOS claims

In addition, the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) remains an option for those who invested via a regulated financial firm or adviser. FOS is a government-backed, independent body, set up 25 years ago to settle disputes between consumers and regulated financial services businesses.

Following the introduction of the Consumer Duty in 2023, there has been an increased onus on financial services firms to offer products and services that meet their clients’ needs and offer fair value. Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) providers, in particular, have been warned that they must fully understand their role, conduct proper due diligence, and ensure pension holders do not invest in high-risk or unregulated schemes.

In a recent FOS decision, a complainant (Mr M) invested his pension funds via a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) administered by London & Colonial Services Ltd (L&C). The pension was used to invest in Château de la Cazine (CDC), which was owned via SAS Halcyon Retreat. Mr M later complained that L&C should not have accepted the investment from an introducer firm, ARLWM Ltd, and that it failed to conduct adequate due diligence or to look after his interests.

The Ombudsman upheld Mr M’s complaint, stating that L&C failed to exercise proper care and diligence or to consider whether the investment was suitable to be held in a pension scheme. Redress awarded to Mr M aimed to restore his pension to the position it would have been in had he not invested in CDC. He was also awarded £750 for the distress and inconvenience caused.

The Ombudsman disagreed that L&C operated on an execution-only basis and said it had wider obligations to assess what it accepted into a pension wrapper.

The Ombudsman further added that, of 12 firms introducing customers to L&C to invest in CDC, over 50% were introduced by ARLWM, accounting for £1.3 million. The Ombudsman said that L&C should have considered this to be unusual and ‘a clear and obvious potential risk of consumer detriment’.

FSCS claims

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) can accept claims against firms that are no longer trading and pay out compensation of up to £120,000, depending on when investments were made.

ARLWM Ltd, trading as Montgomery Financial Consultants, was declared in default in 2020, and the FSCS are accepting claims against it.

Get in touch with the experienced team at TLW Solicitors, who can help you with your investment mis-selling claim.

The claims process can be complex and time-critical. Many people opt to work with a solicitor to ensure their case is properly presented and supported by evidence. At TLW Solicitors, we handle the entire process – from submitting your complaint to reaching a resolution – all on a no-win, no-fee basis.

If you are unsure which route to redress to follow, we can advise you on the most suitable option based on your circumstances and when the mis-selling occurred.