by Fleur Kinson
There’s no doubt about it, Sardinia is one of Italy’s most special places. Unique and even a little enigmatic, there’s nowhere quite like it. Basking in the middle of the Mediterranean between Sicily and Corsica, Sardinia is rather sleepier, less crowded and arguably even more enchanting than either of its neighbour islands. It has an intriguing history and features strange prehistoric towers unlike anything found elsewhere. Its wildlife is so diverse and exotic that Sardinia has sometimes been dubbed “the Galapagos of the Med”. And its exceptionally kind and gentle inhabitants speak one of Italy’s very oddest dialects. Clean, elemental and distinctive, there’s an awful lot about Sardinia to beguile you.
The island’s extraordinarily colourful and unspoilt landscapes deserve particular mention. Sardinia holds countless gorgeous beaches of white or golden sand lapped by bright turquoise water. Its vineyards and olive groves sprout from rich, dark paprika-coloured soil. Low hills stand cloaked in cork trees and pine forests, and high mountains decorate the far distance. Despite these manifold charms, Sardinia remains astonishingly unravaged by mass tourism. Wise restrictions have kept buildings low-rise and sympathetic to surroundings. The island has long appealed only to discerning travellers, who enjoy its physical beauty and genuine, undiluted character.
Perhaps surprisingly, there are properties on Sardinia to suit every budget. For as little as €25,000 you could pick up a country house in the island’s centre. For €80,000 you could secure yourself a nice one-bedroom apartment in a family-friendly beach resort, or a two- to three-bedroom house to restore a few miles inland (this might cost €40,000 to buy plus €40,000 to restore). For €150,000 you could consider a two-bedroom seaside apartment or semi-detached house, while €300,000 or more gives you a wide choice of villas or country houses. Sardinia’s most expensive area is the Costa Smeralda on the northeast coast, where a studio apartment could set you back by as much as €400,000, but just a few miles away you could get a small seaside villa for half this amount. Meanwhile if you’re looking to spend €500,000 to a million euros or more, Sardinia offers some truly gorgeous homes. The island is still the haunt of the rich and famous, and there are plenty of properties here that reflect this.
Like much of Italy, Sardinia has a very stable property market, usually characterized by very slow, steady growth. During the recent international recession, buyer numbers dropped quite a bit, but Sardinia’s property prices tended to respond by remaining static rather than going down. This contented island is not a place of jittery market booms and busts. Your money is very safe here. And so, in fact, is the rest of you. Sardinia offers everything to enhance your all-round well-being. The pace of life is leisurely, the sense of community is strong, and levels of crime are rock-bottom. Of course, the climate and bountiful landscape are on your side, too. If you’re hoping to offer holiday rentals on a property in Sardinia, you’ll enjoy very good prospects, especially on a home near the sea. More importantly, you can enjoy the considerable delights of visiting that property yourself, and relishing this enchanting paradise island.
