The Balkan thrillogy

ALONG CROATIA'S lengthy coastline you can find a wreck to do up for pounds 30,000 or treat yourself to your own private island for around pounds 1 million. But whatever you choose, a home by the country's unspoiled Adriatic shores guarantees lazy summers swimming in secluded coves, breathtaking scenery of wooded slopes tumbling into a turquoise sea and about 3,000 hours of glorious sunshine a year.

Italy, France and even Spain now have a largely unbroken ribbon of development constricting the western Mediterranean but Croatia is determined not to go the same way.

During a recent visit to the UK, tourism minister Pave Zupan Ruskovic pledged to develop her country's tourist industry without destroying what is the Mediterranean's last significant stretch of preserved coastline.

Along that coast you can take your pick from dozens of enchanting centuries-old Venetian towns, where elegant stone houses line narrow streets running down to the sea, and more than 1,000 islands, most of which remain uninhabited. If you fancy an island home, then Hvar, in Dalmatia in the south, boasts sunshine and fresh fish, eaten at waterside restaurants with excellent local wine for about pounds 15 a head.

Edward Cowan is looking forward to completing his purchase of a large house in Hvar. "We went by boat from Split to Dubrovnik and were struck by the beauty of the scenery but we made a careful study before choosing Hvar."

Cowan, Britain's former defence attach in Belgrade, wanted a house big enough to be used by his sons and their families. They chose a home built in the 1970s, with three patios, five double bedrooms and four bathrooms, for pounds 150,000. Costs and taxes typically add another seven per cent to the price.

Cowan admits that while Hvar is beautiful, transport can be a problem when travelling from the UK. During the summer, the national carrier, Croatian Airlines (020 8563 0022), runs direct flights from London and Manchester to Split and Dubrovnik but there are no charter flights and, as yet, little competition. For many, a better route is via Ryanair to Ancona on the Italian east coast, then an overnight ferry to Split (cabins cost from pounds 30 per person).

The Istrian peninsula in the north is virtually on the doorstep for travellers from Austria and Germany and is the most well- developed tourist area in Croatia.

Immediately to the south, the gaunt crags of the Velebit mountains rise sharply 2,000 metres from the sea, making development virtually impossible.

But in the south, the Dalmatian coastline and islands offer magnificent scenery, mild winters and the clearest seas of the Mediterranean.

Maria Bennett from property search agency Homes in Croatia says that an increasing number of purchasers in the south come from Britain or Ireland.

She has a number of properties available close to Dubrovnik in the far south, from a substantial five-bedroom restored town house, to a 400-year-old manor with 13 bedrooms and outbuildings suitable for a hotel. Prices rise to about pounds 400,000.

"There are fewer properties but what there is doesn't sell fast, so people have more time to think about it."

FOREIGNERS must obtain permission from the Croatian government to buy property, but it is usually a simple process. The property market, however, is still fairly immature in Croatia, with many sellers making unrealistic estimates of what foreigners will pay and a shortage of experienced estate agents.

In common with most western Mediterranean countries, the system of land registry can be bureaucratic but accountants KPMG have produced a useful guide which can be downloaded from its website. Allow at least six weeks for all the paperwork to go through.

Also, if you buy a beach house, the public will have access to the land to at least 6m above the waterline - a policy that has resulted in several Hollywood stars reportedly withdrawing from island purchases because of the lack of privacy. On the other hand, planning permission for new homes is often easy to obtain, especially if you are replacing an old one, even if it is just a pile of stones.

Fancy owning an entire island? Bennett has several on her books priced up to pounds 1.3 million for an island of eight acres with sandy beaches and all services. But she warns: "The first step is probably to take a holiday in the area and look around and see what you like." You might be returning more often than you thought.

Homes In Croatia (020 7502 1371; www.homesincroatia.com); KPMG Croatia (00 385 1 4666 440; www.kpmg.hr); Croatian Tourist Office, (020 8563 7979; www.croatia.hr).

Andrew Smyth has spent several years cruising around the Dalmatian coast and has just published Caesar's Passage, a novel inspired by his travels in Dalmatia (Calypso Press, ISBN 0-9542270-0X; pounds 12.95). It is available to Homes & Property readers at pounds 9.95 (plus pounds 2.25 p&p). Call 01524 68765 with your credit card details ready.

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