The Tabernas Desert – the only true desert in Europe – which occupies much of the uninhabited inland areas of the costa, has provided the setting to many a Hollywood blockbuster, including A Fistful of Dollars, Lawrence of Arabia and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

While in recent years the costa has become more and more popular with tourists and property seekers alike – particularly coastal resorts such as Albox, Mojacar, Roquetas de Mar and Almerimar – much of it still remains barely touched by tourism, leading to Almeria often being referred to as Spain's 'undiscovered costa'. Situated between the mountains of the Carbera and the Mediterranean, the Moorish town of Mojacar is arguably
this south-eastern corner of Spain's largest and most popular tourist centre, with the seafront resembling the type of thriving resort that can be found in other, more established costas.

Elsewhere, Almerimar is a purpose-built resort developed around a 27-hole golf course and a marina, while Roquetas del Mar is a traditional fishing village close to Almeria airport, between the sea and the Sierra de Gador mountains. Given the costa's desert surroundings, it's probably no surprise to learn that Almeria is the sunniest area of mainland Europe, enjoying over 3,100 hours of sunshine a year and an average temperature which hovers around the 19oC mark.

The transformation of Costa de Almeria from a budget filmset for Hollywood producers to a viable property destination for overseas investors can be attributed to two key factors: price and accessibility. "Almeria has become increasingly popular over the last five years with British buyers due to the low cost of property – there are certainly still bargains to be had – and improved access thanks to low-cost airlines," states Steve Koeck of Almerisol Properties. "Five years ago we only had only two flights coming here a week, now you can fly to Almeria every day with several airlines."

John Stimpson of JJ Properties also pinpoints the low cost of property as a key reason why this costa has experienced a spurt in interest from overseas buyers in recent years. "The lowest prices in Costa de Almeria start lower than most other places, generally 10 or 15 per cent below those in Costa Calida or northern Blanca," he says. In fact, according to Kyero.com the average property price in Almeria is currently 198,000 euros – 80 per cent that of the national average. "The costa has also become more popular as other areas of Spain have become fully developed," continues Stimpson. "There are far more new-build properties available in Almeria than there are in other costas." With this in mind, though, Stimpson does warn that: "in my opinion a lot of the development is too similar and may be difficult to resell when the time comes."

However, it is debatable whether the kind of buyers considering Almeria are necessarily all that interested in making a profit on their purchase. While it is becoming increasingly popular with tourists, and areas such as Mojacar and Almerimar wouldn't look out of place in any of the more 'popular' costas, to a large extent Almeria is still very much associated with being the home of a traditional Spanish lifestyle, and at present this is what is attracting a majority of the Brits interested in buying in the costa. It was the authentic Spanish lifestyle – and, of course, the affordable property prices – that attracted Mack and Alice Allan to invest in a property on a golf course in the costa. But Mack is not too concerned that a sudden influx of Brits will see the Costa de Almeria lose its local charm. "The new Mediterranean highway between Murcia and Almeria has been finished recently. This means you can drive from one to the other in 40 minutes, so more Brits will start to get to know the place better. "Inevitably, parts of the costa will become more commercial but the local authorities out there are aware of the beauty of the environment, and developers are not allowed to build higher than two- or three-storeys, which will help the area retain its character. This appealed very much to us."

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Article published November 2007