Where to buy a home for winter sun, on every budget

As the wintry days drag on, summer feels a long way off and many of us will be fantasising about escaping somewhere warm enough to enjoy a sunny stroll along the beach, a round of golf or an alfresco lunch. If you fancy joining the northern hemisphere “snowbirds” who decamp to second homes nearer the Equator between November and March, here are a few of the most popular places for winter sun, whatever your budget…

£100,000

TURKEY

Antalya is one of Turkey’s southernmost Mediterranean resorts and enjoys more days of sun per year than Bodrum or Kalkan. It’s warm enough to swim at the city’s Konyaalti beach at Christmas, and the championship golf courses of nearby Belek are busiest throughout winter; it’s too hot to tee off in peak summer. While Antalya is a vibrant, year-round city with an airport that is now the second busiest in Turkey, the region includes Alanya, a beach resort with an attractive historic centre, which is popular with Scandinavians and an increasing number of British buyers. “Apart from enjoying year-round sun, buyers can capitalise on the rise in property prices in Antalya,” says Cameron Deggin of PropertyTurkey.com. “Antalya is an apartment destination that’s great for holiday lets and you can get a three-bedroom property for £100,000. Alternatively you might get a small golf villa at Belek for £150,000.”
For sale: a spacious three-bedroom apartment in a boutique complex at Konyaalti beach, Antalya, offers a communal pool, fitness/spa centre and children’s pool £98,000, (020 8371 0059; propertyturkey.com).
Four-bedroom 140 sq m modern villa that’s part of a small complex in the golf resort of Belek and comes with a private pool £160,000 (020 8371 0059; propertyturkey.com).

^{Under £100,000: Konyaalti Apartments, Antalya, Turkey}

£200,000

CYPRUS

With the euro low against sterling, a €200,000 property in Cyprus is now £16,000 cheaper than a year ago for British buyers, and with property prices down 30 per cent in Paphos the interest is back. Gloria Aubury, of Cyprus Property Services says that with the banking crisis behind them, Paphos remains a popular location for British second-home owners (on top of 15,000 permanent residents). “There is loads to do in winter around Paphos – which averages 7.5 hours a day of sunshine in February – such as amateur dramatics, weekly walking groups and art classes alongside golf, horse-riding and rugby (Paphos Tigers).” Current properties include a town house for around €149,000 (£108,500, a short walk from the sea; or a three-bedroom penthouse five minutes from Paphos Town for €190,000 (£138,000). “Just make sure you buy a property that comes with title deeds,” she says.
For sale: in the charming village of Tala, near Paphos, a two-bedroom villa with distant sea views and pool €199,000/£145,000 (01767 641564; paphosproperties.com).

BARBADOS

You don’t have to spend £500,000 on a villa to stroll on the same sugar-sand Platinum Coast beaches as Simon Cowell, Gary Lineker or Rihanna, or be near the sought-after west-coast locations such as the Sandy Lane hotel, Holetown or Royal Westmoreland golf resort. The island now offers a much wider choice of new developments in the lower price ranges and the market has bounced back well from the global downturn, according to Stephanie Patterson of Chestertons. “With over a million visitors to the island per annum from its major markets including the UK, Canada, the US and Europe, 2014 was the best year for us since 2007,” she says. The Vuemont Lifestyle Resort near Speightstown is a 40-acre residential development with security and superb facilities that include two swimming pools, tennis courts, clubhouse and restaurant – and properties from £132,899. Or at Mango Court, also near Holetown, three-bedroom villas cost from £244,893 (chestertons.com).
For sale:  one-bedroom apartment in the Vuemont Lifestyle Resort in the hills of St Peter, just five minutes from the beach on west-coast Barbados £132,899 (020 3040 8210; chestertons.com).

^{Caribbean colour: Holetown, Barbados}

£300,000

TENERIFE

It’s no big surprise that the place with the best climate in Europe is holidaylettings.co.uk’s most popular winter-sun destination: the Canary Islands. Leading the way is Tenerife, only four hours away and offering life on the beach 365 days a year. Buyers are looking away from the hedonistic south to the increasingly upmarket area north of Costa Adeje. “There has been a move towards a higher quality of development around La Caleta, Puerto de Santiago and Los Gigantes,” says Alan Dennett of Salamanca Spanish Villas (salamancaspanishvillas.co.uk). “Or inland villages like Chayofa and Vilaflor.” He says €300,000 (£218,000) will buy a stand-alone villa, but also an apartment at the five-star Abama Resort nearby, a Ritz-Carlton-managed development. Year-round facilities are key to its success: a Dave Thomas golf course and academy, tennis school, pools, spa and 10 restaurants. In addition to apartments, there are villas for sale from €1.65 million (£1.2 million) or villa plots from €300,000 (£218,000).
For sale: A luxury 81 sq m one-bedroom apartment at the Abama Resort in south-west Tenerife offers a 26 sq m terrace and the facilities of the Ritz-Carlton hotel €350,000/£254,700 (0034 922 126011; abamahotelresort.com).

MALTA

Although mostly known as a summer destination, Malta is popular with winter-sun seekers. It offers a high level of year-round amenities outside the beach resort areas, but also year-round fiestas and festivals. A benign tax regime alongside the Anglo-friendly culture (English is widely spoken) also helps draw buyers. “Sliema and St Julian’s are super popular with full-time residents, seasonal visitors and tourists and are in many ways the island’s 'capital’,” says Nick Bilocca of agent Frank Salt. “The historic districts of Valletta and the Three Cities – near the world-class Grand Harbour Marina – are being regenerated and offer investment potential.” While you can buy a town house ripe for development in seafront Senglea (one of the Three Cities) for €122,000 (£88,800), expect to pay nearer €350,000 (£254,600) for a high-end luxury apartment at nearby Vittoriosa.
For sale: three-bedroom apartment in the seafront St Angelo Mansions development at Vittoriosa in Malta’s Three Cities that offers stunning views across the Grand Harbour to Valletta €440,000/£320,160, (00356 2379 4000; franksalt.com.mt).

^{Sliema, Malta, is popular with full-time residents}

GULF COAST FLORIDA

If the theme parks of Orlando or the high rises of the East Coast’s Daytona Beach aren’t your bag, then Sarasota, the cultural capital of the Sunshine State, is worth a look. With one of the best beaches in the US, Siesta Key, plus many more around the Gulf of Mexico, as well as top golf courses such as the TPC Prestancia, it is a magnet for Canadian and European snowbirds, while the Downtown Sarasota offers opera, ballet, theatre, art and concerts galore. Property prices are still 20 per cent down from the market peak, according to Patricia Tan of agent Coldwell Banker, who suggests buyers might choose between a home on a gated country club such as Lakewood Ranch or Heritage Oaks (two-bedroom homes for just under £200,000) or a new luxury condo in Downtown.
For sale: Condos in a luxury high-rise development on Main Street in the heart of Sarasota on Florida’s Gulf Coast come with private balconies, spa facilities, concierge from $442,500/£287,100 (001 941 504 9232; yourglobalagents.com).

£500,000-PLUS

MALDIVES

After a trio of Caribbean hot spots and Thailand, the Maldives are Quintessentially Villas’ fifth most popular winter-home destination this year. In an embryonic property market, villas based within hotel complexes predominate on these Indian Ocean atolls ringed by reefs and turquoise sea. It’s possible to buy private residences on five-star Soneva Fushi for $3.5  million to $15 million, although the Soneva Group is launching a new island retreat this month.
For sale: Villa 16 at the Maldives’ Soneva Fushi resort is 645 sq m with outdoor bathrooms and an infinity pool from $3.5 million/£2.27  million (0066 2631 9625; soneva.com).

^{Reefs and turquoise sea: the Maldives}

SEYCHELLES

A more developed destination in the Indian Ocean than the Maldives, yet also a collection of castaway isles that are heaven for divers and snorkellers, the Seychelles are only a four-hour time difference from Britain and enjoy a humid equatorial climate. At one end of the property spectrum is a one-bedroom apartment at the Eden Island marina development for about £225,776 (savills.com); and at the other, at the Four Seasons Resort overlooking Petite Anse Bay on Mahé, villas cost from $7.25 million (£4.7  million).
For sale: three-bedroom villa on stilts, with walkways connecting sleeping pavilions, at the Four Seasons Private Residences, Seychelles $7.25  million/£4.7 million (020 3667 7016; akinternationalestates.com).

MIAMI

South Florida’s gateway to Latin America has evolved from being a seasonal destination to a world-class, year-round city with fashionable restaurants, hotels and art galleries, and many New Yorkers are swapping those harsh winters for a state with zero income tax and a lifestyle spent on the beach or boardwalk. Like Tracey Emin, global investors are also snapping up homes in beachfront luxury high-rise condo blocks and driving prices up again. The Ritz-Carlton Residences on Miami Mid-Beach offer super-luxury homes with access to a private marina and vessel, golf course and a host of other state-of-the-art services, from $1,389,000 (£901,060).
For sale: residences at the Ritz-Carlton, Miami Beach, cost from $2 million to $40 million (001 877 630 8155; onesothebysrealty.com).

^{World class city: Miami's South Beach}