Tenerife
Tenerife is known as the Island of Eternal Spring, and it’s not hard to figure out why. It has a perfect year-round climate, is bathed in almost continuous sunshine and possesses a natural beauty that stuns even the most seasoned traveler.
The diverse landscapes of the island are a sight to behold. Long sandy beaches span the coastal resorts, followed by rising mountains covered in pine forests which give way to the spectacular lunar landscapes of Las Cañadas and imposing peak of Mount Teide.
Aside from its natural beauty, Tenerife is a cosmopolitan island with a large number of visitors from throughout Europe, making it very accessible to the British traveler or migrant.
Tenerife
Lanzarote
Closer to Africa than Spain ; drier than parts of the Sahara ; ecologically friendly; and a visitors delight. These are just some of the assets of Lanzarote, the archipelago's most easterly island.
Another title, Land of 100 Volcanoes , understates the influence nature has had in sculpting this fascinating island. There are actually 300 volcanoes, some still bubbling quietly, some snuffed out. The largest and most visible, Fire Mountain , lies at the heart of the island. It's historical fury, though terrifying at the time of its major eruption back in 1730, has left a legacy of landscapes sublimely tinted red and shadowed by eerie basalt formations.
Some of the island's beaches are covered with black volcanic sand but many are clothed in the golden glory of the nearby Sahara . This geographical proximity to Africa is often overlooked by visitors dining on Spanish-style tapas, paella and creative Canarian cuisine at the island's vast array of excellent restaurants.
Lanzarote
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Fuerteventura
Over 70 kilometers of pristine white beaches; an unbeatable climate; friendly people and sugar cube villages. These are some of the reasons why the Canaries' second largest island is becoming a Mecca for those seeking a picture postcard lifestyle.
With virtually the same climate as Florida and Mexico, Fuerteventura is like an all over tonic where you can't help but feel the stresses and strains of a North European winter disappearing over the horizon with the setting sun. For clouds and rain imagine a seamless stretch of sapphire blue with 360 days of sunshine per year; for the fumes of traffic torment think clean ocean breeze from a coastline never far away; for industrial hi-rise cities picture sugar cube villages and tiny fishing hamlets.
Some of the most popular areas for visitors are the capital - Puerto del Rosario, Corralejo in the north, Caleta de Fuste on the east coast and Morro Jable at the Fuerteventura’s southernmost point:
Fuerteventura
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Gran Canaria
Roll the world into a small, round island - okay, you can leave out the cold bits at the top and bottom - and there you have it, Gran Canaria. A continent in miniature. The glow of the sub-tropics; the greenery of a temperate climate; and the drama of a volcanic landscape.
Those who live here know that the Canaries' second biggest island has it all. That's why the biggest problem facing the resident population is where to go for a holiday. Another part of the island perhaps?
Gran Canaria is the island with the greatest variety of climatic conditions in the archipelago. Contrary to popular belief, even in summer, the island is not a steamy hotbed of unbearable temperatures. Cold sea currents from the Gulf of Mexico have a tempering effect on the summer months. Combined with the trade winds from the Azores, the average temperatures vary between 18 and 25 degrees C. In short, Gran Canaria's climate follows the same seasonal rhythm of the Mediterranean with short, cool and wet winters, and summers that are long, warm and dry.
Gran Canaria
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Cape Verde
A few years ago most people in Britain would have been hard pushed to place the Cape Verde Islands on a map, but now this archipelago is listed as one of the top 20 locations to buy property abroad this year, interest in this former Portuguese colony is growing rapidly especially with the property developers.
Cape Verde has been billed as the next hot tourist destination above the likes of the French Riviera, Costa del Sol and Tuscany. Situated just off the west coast of Senegal, the Cape Verde Islands have the highest standard of living in West Africa and when Cape Verde's Prime Minister suggested that the Islands be given a "special status" relationship with the European Union it was clear to many that the Cape Verde archipelago may be joining the likes of the Canary Islands, Azores and Madeira in shifting itself economically and culturally towards Europe.
The property boom that the Cape Verde islands is starting to experience looks set to last for a while. Cape Verde is the closest tropical islands to Europe and is blessed with year round sunshine, stunning white beaches, exotic landscapes and a friendly and happy local populace. With the opening of an international airport on Cape Verde’s capitol city of Praia on San Tiago island the current seven hour flight from London via Lisbon will become a direct flight of little over five hours encouraging more and more people to the area.
The interest in Cape Verde is definitely hotting up with many people agreeing that the islands are where the Canaries were 20 years ago and the property market is booming. With 9 islands to choose from (Santa Luzia being a national park with no residents at present) the average property is selling for around €40,000 for a studio apartment by the sea on the busier islands and on the quieter islands two or three bedroom villas, five minutes from the beach complete with communal pool and fruit gardens of lemon, palm and papaya trees are on offer for only around €140,000.
Many people are deciding to invest their money in off plan property in Cape Verde. However, there are no mortgage finance schemes by Cape Verde banks for foreigners to buy Cape Verde property. It is not too complicated to borrow the money in the Uk for your dream Cape Verde home but if you are purchasing off plan you need to check that the seller has got a good reputation and planning consent. The Cape Verde legal system is still the same as the Portuguese system so it is well established.
The main islands that property investors and being encouraged to look at are San Tiago, Sal and Boa Vista, which is where the main bulk of the property development is underway. Buyers have many options open to them as to what they do with their new Cape Verde property. Keep as a holiday/retirement home, resell at a profit, rent out to ex-pats or even lease the property out to travel companies who will in turn rent the property to holiday makers on package tours. With potential rental returns of up to 11% a year and the value of property likely to increase by around 25% a year, purchasing property in Cape Verde seems to be a very good investment.