Adriatic fantastic

BY SHANE MCGINLEY

With beautiful beaches, historic towns, and plenty of investment opportunities, Croatia is a magnet for holidaymakers and buyers alike

During the 1980s, Croatia was a tourist mecca. Half a million Brits, the same amount of Germans and different nationalities from all over Europe made a beeline for this haven on the Adriatic. Then in the 1990s, this all changed, as Yugoslavia’s civil war made Croatia a no-go area and tourism was wiped out.

But since 2000, the popularity of the country as a tourist destination – and as a market for property investment – has continued to rise. In 2006, the number of Brits visiting the coastal nation had reached 250,000 – and it’s easy to see why.

Oceanographer Jacques Cousteau once commented that Croatia’s sea was “the cleanest sea in the world”, while Irish playwright and Nobel Prize winner George Bernard Shaw proclaimed: “Those who wish to see heaven on earth should come to Dubrovnik.” With low-cost airlines such as Ryanair flying there, and incredible weather and value for money – compared with many of the Italian and Greek alternatives – it’s no wonder Croatia is going from strength to strength.

My first time in Croatia was for a friend’s wedding. After she came here on holiday, she dropped her plans for a big Irish day, and opted for a sundrenched Croatian one instead. That was in Dubrovnik, in the south of the country. An almost self-contained city state and UNESCO World Heritage site, the town has been popular through the ages as a sunny and exclusive getaway.

However, the serious contenders for great-value property are the coastal Dalmatia region (Ryanair flies to Zadar), and the northern province of Istria, known as “the Croatian Tuscany” (Ryanair flies to Pula).

Croatia has about 1,200 one-bedroom apartments in coastal towns, with prices starting at about €56,050, and there are numerous developments under construction. Sea-view apartments start at about €125,000, with more traditional stone houses available from around €250,000.

In 2006, the European Tour Operators Association voted Croatia its top European location. Istria was highlighted for its beautiful countryside, activities, yachting and excellent food. The region’s most famous delicacy is the white truffle, and Istria holds the current record for the largest piece of truffle ever found. Pula is famous for its well-preserved Roman amphitheatre, while the surrounding coastline boasts many secluded bays and beautiful beaches, making it popular with naturists. Croatia is considered a real hub of Europe’s “Free Body Culture”, and people have been frolicking in the area since the 1930s.

Dalmatia has benefited greatly from the completion of the Zagreb-Split highway along the Adriatic coast in 2005, giving European buyers and travellers much better access to areas such as Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Split and even Montenegro.

Considered a “door to the national parks”, Zadar is close to North Velebit National Park, which has been declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. Then there’s the nearby city of Nin, the historical birthplace of the Croatian state, which is home to the smallest cathedral in the world.

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