Quietly Beautiful Akbuk Makes an Ideal Investment Location

The name Akbuk means white bay, and it is in a beautiful area surrounded by mountains, pine forests and olive groves while the bay itself has clear, calm waters. As yet, it's not a very well-known resort and has a tranquil atmosphere while still having a decent number of shops, bars and restaurants.

Its nearest neighbour is the lively resort of Altinkum which is just 20 minutes away and it's easy to catch a bus to both Altinkum and Didim. The nearest airport is at Bodrum which is about an hours drive away.

This former fishing village also has a reputation for being one of the healthiest locations in Turkey due to the low humidity and high oxygen ratio. If you combine this with the fact that it's possible to buy fish caught that day in the harbour, and that there is a wonderful fresh fruit and vegetable market then this area becomes very appealing for those looking for a healthy, laid-back lifestyle.

As yet property prices here are still quite low, but it has drawn the attention of overseas investors and developers who see its potential to become a prime holiday resort.

Building restrictions in the area means that only low rise properties can be built and there is still a number of seafront building lots available as well as a small apartment complexes near the beach, or detached villas. Owning a property here means being able to experience the best of both worlds as it's an easy trip to more lively resorts while Akbuk offers a peaceful and beautiful retreat.

Cape Verde’s Beautiful Boa Vista

The island of Boa Vista is one of the most appealing of the Cape Verde islands, not least because it has an international airport boasting direct flights from a number of well-known European cities.

The island is also currently under development with a number of high-quality residential accommodations and hotels being constructed, and as such there has been substantial investment in developing a tourism infrastructure. Boa Vista is the most easterly of the Cape Verde Islands and has 55 km of wonderful beaches but as yet remains very peaceful and idyllic.

The largest town on the island is Sal Rei which is the third largest city in Cape Verde. There is a port in the bay which has ferry routes to the islands of Santiago, Sal and Maio.

Although there is a thriving agricultural industry and other businesses, hotels, restaurants and bars account for much of the industry in Sal Rei. Tourists have the opportunity of taking sea excursions for fishing, scuba diving and snorkelling or can hire a quad bike, jeep or sand buggy to explore the sand dunes in the islands interior.

The argument for investing in Boa Vista is compelling, as it is a desirable tropical island paradise that is only a 5 1/2 hours flight from London, and which has a rich colonial history and a natural beauty.

The fact that it is still being developed makes now the ideal time to invest before prices begin to rapidly increase as the islands become more known to the general public. The international airport currently has flights from Glasgow, Manchester and Gatwick, with flights from Stansted and Bristol to be added shortly.

Hurghada Shaping up as Property Investment Hotspot

Hurghada is fast gaining a reputation as one of the most desirable Red Sea resorts in Egypt, as the tourism sector develops alongside new infrastructure. It is especially popular with British visitors due to the extensive number of cheap flights from the UK and the low cost of living and holidaying. British visitor numbers alone are estimated to be increasing by around 20% year-on-year.

Hurghada first began to emerge as a property hotspot during the global property boom, and is expected to remain a top location for overseas investors for some years to come.

Hotels and resorts are being built to cope with the increased tourism demand and many are being sold freehold; offering investors a hands-free managed investment with free usage into the bargain.

The property in this resort is amongst the cheapest in the world with one bedroom apartments being available for as little as £20,000. Two bedroom apartments can be purchased for £35,000 upwards, and the fact that this is a year round resort means there are impressive rental yields. In fact many properties, including the hotel room investments mentioned above come with guaranteed yields of around 10% in the opening years.

There are even properties in Hurghada where investors can choose to rent the property first and then buy it later, with the entire rental previously paid going towards the purchase price of the property. An added advantage is that during the rental period there are no annual maintenance fees, and the apartment can even be sublet to generate income. These types of properties are generally let fully furnished and can be bought at any time during the 15 year lease.

Cape Verde Set to Become Tourist Hot Spot

A tourism boom is anticipated in Cape Verde. The archipelago was named one of the top destinations to visit in 2011 by Lonely Planet and is attracting visitors from all over the globe, with the UK, Europe and the United States the dominant markets.

Cape Verde is ideally situated to become a top tourist destination, even though it needs to tread carefully due to the rich marine life. Humpback whales feed in the waters around the island and it's a vital nesting site for loggerhead turtles.

Currently a little over 330,000 visitors go to Cape Verde each year but the government tourist organization is actively seeking to increase this number, having invested heavily in tourism and infrastructure. New international airports have recently opened up in Boa Vista, San Vincente and Santiago and it's now possible to get a direct weekly flight from Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester.

Although Cape Verde is just 455 km from Senegal the country has a much higher income per capita than many African nations, and is actively seeking to have closer ties with the EU and US.

Cape Verde declared independence from Portugal in 1975. In 2008 the United Nations promoted it from the list of the 50 least developed countries making it only the second country after Botswana to have achieved this.

Economic growth has averaged 6% over recent years and the country has recovered well from the droughts of the 20th century. Nowadays a large portion of the population lives in other countries but choose to send their money home, bringing in much-needed foreign currency.