Friday, November 26, 2010

The Adriatic's new star: Albania's unheralded coast is opening up to tourists and British home-buyers

By Gwenda Brophy

Albania is only a short, 45-mile hop from Italy across the Strait of Otranto — but it has always felt an age away.

Occasionally, one of our national teams plays Albania in an important football match and, yes, it was mentioned a lot for its unbridled adulation of the recently deceased comedian Norman Wisdom. But that’s about it.

However, the Balkan nation has been hiding a few secrets, not least its miles of beautiful Adriatic and Ionian coastline, and a landscape of soaring mountain ranges.

Now the country is about to open up to foreign investment, while the Albanian tourism ministry reports fast-growing numbers of overseas visitors.

A coast with potential: The Albanian resort of Saranda has new developments at bargain prices

A coast with potential: The Albanian resort of Saranda has new developments at bargain prices

British Airways has regular flights to the capital, Tirana, which take around three hours, and the international airport has been upgraded.

‘Multi-nationals are setting up businesses in and around the capital, resulting in a need for good-quality housing for locals and expatriates — and making Tirana’s property market of particular interest to overseas investors,’ says Bernard Ellis, 90MD of British-based property company Albanian Acquisitions.

The city also has several universities and academies, ‘which give it a young population and a buzzing vibrant feel,’ says Ellis.

There is a vast new project on Tirana Lake, where Rotterdam-based architects MVRDV are planning to create new areas including an extensive lakeshore drive. A chain of parks around the lake will be the setting for homes, terraces, outside public pools, play areas — and bridges to walk over a planned ‘blue cloud’ of Jacaranda trees.,,,,,,,,,,........................

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-1333254/The-Adriatics-new-star-Albanias-unheralded-coast-opening-tourists-British-home-buyers.html

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-1333254/The-Adriatics-new-star-Albanias-unheralded-coast-opening-tourists-British-home-buyers.html#ixzz16OMkFu7I

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