Costa That Costs less The Daily Mail 01/07/2005 When Nissan decided to name their latest car the Almera in 1995 many people were puzzled. Although they modified the spelling, why name a model after a dusty, deserted and little-known part of the Spanish Coast best known for the plastic growing tunnels of its vegetable and fruit industry? It can only be assumed that no one at the car maker's HQ in Japan had visited the Spanish region. Ten years on, however, it might be a little more understandable. Sandwiched between the Costa Del Sol and Costa Blanca- Malaga is 130 miles to the west and Torrevieja 180 miles to the east- the area is just starting to be discovered by British home buyers. High prices, overdevelopment, and uncertainty about the more glamorous property markets to Almeria 's east and west has persuaded buyers to seek out this little known region where prices are still relatively cheap. A three-bedroom, two-bathroom detached house with a private pool 20 minutes from the coast are on the market for as little as £120,000-half the price of a comparable property on the Costa Del Sol. For would –be second home buyers who think they will never be able to afford to buy a Spanish holiday home, Almeria is the area to look in,' says Charlotte Billington of Ultra Villas. ‘But you need to get moving. In the past three years, prices in the region have risen by 20 per cent a year and this upward trend is likely to continue.' For anyone who does jump on the easyjet flights to Almeria (which cost about £80 return if you book three months in advance) the sight that greets them might seem familiar. In the Sixties and Seventies, its unspoilt Moorish towns and untouched landscape were a favourite of Italian director Sergio Leone, who filmed many of his ‘Spaghetti Western' films starring Clint Eastwood in an area about eight miles north of the region's main port, also called Almeria. These included A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. Despite this free publicity, development along Almeria 's coast is about ten years behind the Costa Del Sol or The Costa Blanca. Whereas their coastlines are rapidly filling up and beaches are heaving in the Summer, Almeria 's often pristine white sand beaches are deserted, dotted with the occasional Spanish family enjoying a beach picnic under a parasol. But this may change soon. The big developers have realised that Almeria is ripe for a building bloom of its own - and it remains to be seen whether the authorities will allow the kind of unbridled, badly co-ordinated development that has blotted some of the Costa Del Sol 's once empty coastline. The latest development to get the green light is Desert Springs, a huge villa and golf course resort on the Almanzora Coast. Apartments there start at £145,000 and villas £300,000 - although these are 50 per cent more expensive than traditional properties in towns and villages nearby of a comparable size. The one factor that is likely to save Almeria from a fate worse than the other Costas is he agribusiness lobby, which is still a big employer in the region, so a wholesale takeover by holiday home builders is unlikely. ‘It's going to take another five years before it really takes off' says Charlotte Billington. She says Almeria is still in the ‘dark ages' in terms of price and property development, so just from an investment point of view, it could be promising Harbour Lights, Villaricos, from £127,600.
This development of apartments and town houses is nearing completion on a site overlooking the harbour of this unspoilt Almeria fishing village. Prices start at £127,000 for the two-bedroom apartments and the whole development is designed to blend in with the local architecture, which has a Moorish influence. Villaricos is a relatively undiscovered gem featuring sandy beaches, cafes and restaurants. |
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