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| Golfing in Cyprus |
Golf and holiday homes have been linked ever since the seventies when many British players decided enough was enough with our weather and flew off to Spain for a more civilised 18 holes.
The next logical step was to buy a holiday home near- or preferably next to – the first tee of their favourite sun-soaked course, where friends could relax or golf widows twiddle their thumbs.
That was 30 years ago. Now the golf resort is increasingly an established part of the Spanish, Portuguese and lately also the French property markets.
That was 30 years ago. Now the golf resort is increasingly an established part of the Spanish, Portuguese and lately also the French property markets.
Many of Europe’s top golf courses come with villas over- looking tees, fairways and and greens including Praia D’EL Rey in Portugal, La Manga in Spain and Valderrama within the upmarket Sotogrande property development between Marbella and Gibraltar.
But a brash new upstart is aiming to break into this market and offer British house- hunters afforordable homes next to golf courses. Cyprus already has three golf resorts, in total attracting 30,000 players a year, all outside Paphos to the west of the island. These are Aphrodite Hills, Secret Valley and Tsada.
But the islands government is encouraging more, and up to ten are being proposed – not bad for an island with fewer than a million inhabitants. The resorts are part of a ten- year plan to turn Cyprus into the next Majorca, with new airports in Larnaca and Paphos plus marinas in Limassol, Larnaca and Ayia Napa.
Of the ten golf resorts, the most likely to be completed (in approximately three years) will be three outside Paphos: one in an area behind Aphrodite Hills, one behind Secret Valley and a third in the Ayia Marinouda, a relatively undeveloped area.
Names being whispered are Peyia- Oroklini (also in Larnaca), Fasouri near Limassol and another near Ayia Napa. For the property and the golfer, this is good news. According to Litsa Chrysostomou of the local agent Antonis Loizou & Associates, wherever these resorts are announced, sales of both offplan developments and older properties are “going crazy” – and this on an island rising up by 20 per cent a year.
The excitement is building because although Paphos has several large – scale developments, the rest of the island is relatively untouched and inexpensive. For example, in the Limassol area it’s possible to pick up a three bedroom villa for under £180,000. Prices back at Aphrodite hills, on the other hand, are a lot higher, with apartments starting at £187,000 and rising to £670,000 for a detached luxury villa.
Courtesy of the Daily Mail, Friday, June 24, 2005
Reported by Nigel Lewis
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