Located on the eastern two-thirds of the Caribbean Island of Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic stands with impressive mountain ranges blended with stunning rivers and waterfalls, white sand beaches, saltwater lakes, and swarms of exotic wildlife. Whether tourists seek relaxation and exploration, or looking to party, the Dominican Republic will keep each visitor busy with its seemingly endless activities and attractions.

Tourist attractions of the Dominican Republic vary in diversity and locations, from the colonial part of Santo Domingo, to the Southern Coast, and to the Northern Coast, places to see and explore remains to be endless.
 

Santo Domingo presents tourist attractions of the Dominican Republic that traces back to its history; the colonial part has been carefully renovated to retain its original charm, and is home to the first university, hospital, and cathedral built in the New World. The modern city of Santo Domingo, in contrast, is a flourishing port city ready with gambling casinos, shops, discos, and Cultural Plaza, which houses the National Theater and Gallery of Modern Art. Going east of the city, just a few miles is an extraordinary cave complex called the Los Tres Ojos de Agua or The Three Eyes of Water, alleged because it encloses three turquoise lagoons on three special levels each being noshed by an underground river and surrounded by myriad stalagmites, stalactites, and abundant tropical vegetation.

The Southern Coast to the west of Santo Domingo is San Cristóbal where the first constitution was signed on the 6th of November 1844. The city is one of most visited tourist attractions of the Dominican Republic, specifically by those who wish to get a closer look at the historical sites related to the life of the famous dictator who ruled with an iron fist from 1930 to 1961, Trujillo. Santa Maria’s church and caves is where the patron saint’s day is commemorated with drums and dance rituals. On the east of Santo Domingo about an hour and forty-five minutes away, is the city of La Romana which is the abode of the modest elegance and graceful charm of the seven-thousand-acre Casa de Campo resort. The resort houses a reconstructed 15th century Mediterranean-style village of culture and art called Altos de Chavón, perched high on a cliff that overlooks the Chavón River and the Caribbean Sea. Also on this southern coast are excellent attractions of the Dominican Republic such as Epidaurus, Manatí Park, Barahona, Cabritos Island, Lake Enriquillio, and many more.

The Northern Coast or Amber Coast also offers one of the most beautiful tourist attractions of the Dominican Republic taken from the name itself as the most striking amber in the world is mined in this coast. The Northern Coast attractions include The Amber Museum, Puerto Plata, Fort San Felipe, Sosúa, Costambar Beach Resort, Mount Isabel de Torres, Playa Grande, Playa El Caletón, Gri-Gri Lagoon, Samaná Peninsula, Gran Bahía Beach resort, Cayo Levantado, and El Portillo Beach Club. These tourist attractions of the Dominican Republic await and welcome every visitor to a journey through vibrant history of the Dominican Republic together with the verdant captivating loveliness of the country.

Margarita Island is one of Off Plan Property World’s newest and most exciting locations. An emerald gem in the Caribbean Sea, the island lies off the North coast of Venezuela, and is one of the least developed islands of the region, offering completely unspoilt beaches, and beautiful tropical greenery.

However, the island has more to offer than its climate and scenery alone. For those interested in the history of the region, the island’s capital, La Asunción, is the home of La Catedral de Nuestra Senõra de la Asunción, which is said to be the oldest church in the whole of Venezuela. As well as this, Porlamar, the largest and most commercial city on the island features plenty of restaurants, bars, clubs and shops. The shopping on Margarita Island may be particularly attractive to some visitors, with several designer boutiques, and all purchases being duty free.

As one of the least developed islands in the Caribbean, prices at the moment are extremely low: a litre of petrol costs around 15p, a meal for two is likely to cost no more than around £6, and a three-bedroom beach-front bungalow can cost as little as £50,000. On top of this, investment in Margarita Island has begun to increase significantly, with infrastructure improving, and focus being put on developing the tourist sector.

The location of the island at the far south of the Caribbean is also reassuring to those fearing the violent storms that have racked the Gulf of Mexico in recent years. Margarita Island lies far south of this weather system, well out of harm’s way.

With all of these factors in its favour, we’re predicting great things for Margarita Island. With Off Plan Property World, you could secure a slice of the Caribbean’s next big thing.

1. Margarita Island is an undiscovered gem in the Caribbean, offering investors a chance to get on board at the beginning of its development
2. New undiscovered market offering huge potential over the next 5 years
3. Extremely low prices, with beach-front 3 bedroom bungalows available for under £50,000
4. Low living costs, with petrol costing around 15p per litre, and a meal for two costing on average less than £7
5. Large investment being pumped into infrastructure and tourist development
6. No hurricane danger, due to its location at the far South of the Caribbean
7. Regular flights from many UK airports
8. Beautiful palm-lined, white, sandy beaches
   

Buying Property in Margarita, Property in Isla de Margarita can be purchased by a foreign national easily, quickly and without many of the restrictions seen elsewhere in the Caribbean, To buy property in Margarita, you will need a passport, and a "RIF" number, which is a local document that can be quickly obtained through a local lawyer.

The buying process can usually be completed within 10 days and if necessary completed after you have left Margarita by giving your lawyer power of attorney to sign the purchase documents on your behalf.

The first step of the buying process is called "opcion a compra" or "option to buy". This usually requires the buyer to pay a deposit of 20% of the purchase price to the real estate agent, or lawyer acting on the buyers behalf. Once the deposit has been accepted, both the buyer and the seller are required to sign an agreement in front of a notary public. Once this agreement has been signed, both parties are legally bound to the sale of the property and the purchase price for the property fixed at the agreed sum.

The final document in the buying process can usually be signed within 10 days, when the remainder of the purchase sum needs to be paid. Both the buyer and seller are again required to visit the notary public and payment is usually made to the seller with a bankers cheque. The purchase agreement is then signed and the title documents handed to the buyer, who is now the legal owner of the property,

As with other matters, it is possible for the buyer to arrange for his estate agent or lawyer to legally represent him in all the above matters, by granting power of attorney.

Closing Costs

The closing cost of buying a property in Margarita is US$450 if you sign a contract whilst on Isla de Margarita, but vary between US$1,600 and US$2,500 if you sign a contract in you home country - the costs varying between countries.

The closing costs are an additional cost and not included in the purchase price.

Margarita Mortgages

Mortgages are not available in Margarita for foreign nationals, and in any case carry very unattractive interest rates as high as 28%.

Margarita Entry Requirements & Residency

A valid passport and a visa or tourist card are required to enter Venezuela. The tourist cards are provided by the airlines on international flights to Venezuela.

Tourists are usually granted 3 months to visit Margarita. The 3 months can be extended by leaving the country and obtaining a further 3 month entry permit on return. This is most easily achieved by taking a short flight to Curaçao, Trinidad, or Tobago or any other foreign country.

To reside in Margarita, it is necessary to apply for a "Cedula", which once granted needs to be carried at all times and is used as an ID and social security card.

Obtaining a Cedula is relatively easy, but does take time. If necessary you may choose to obtain the assistance of a lawyer.

The Cedula lasts for one year and needs to be renewed annually. Once you have held a Cedula for 5 years, you may apply for residency. Please note that there are different Cedula's, depending upon whether you are working or retired etc. and therefore it is important to apply for the correct Cedula.

Welcome to Cyprus, an island of legends that basks year-round in the light of the warm Mediterranean sun. A storied past 10,000 years long has seen civilizations come and go and the likes of everyone from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra stake their claim here - but then, people do tend to get possessive when faced with such beauty. Aphrodite made her home on Cyprus, and travellers throughout antiquity came here just to pay her tribute.

Today Cyprus is a modern country that effortlessly marries European culture with ancient enchantment. Here you will discover a compact world of alluring beaches and fragrant mountain peaks, vineyards studded with olive trees and ancient ruins that stir the imagination, citrus groves and old stone villages where sweet wine flows as freely as conversations at the local café. A carefree place where a sense of timelessness is magnified by the kindness of the people. Even though our business is to asist you in finding the right property overseas we also feel it important to supply you with indepth information and advice on all the countries that we offer.
 

Today, history and hedonism are comfortably intertwined on the island. Ravishing five-star resorts within walking distance of well-preserved Greek and Roman ruins offer every amenity the modern traveller has come to expect and more, from knock-out pools, gardens and beachfronts to state of the art thalassotherapy health spas. One of the most impressive archaeological sites, the ancient city kingdom of Kourion, overlooks a magnificent stretch of beaches with a sparkling blue sea beyond. Along the island's sun-kissed coastline., from Ayia Napa in the east to Pafos in the west, world-class beach resorts alternate with settings untouched since antiquity.

Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis Byzantine Church Kakopetria Venture away from the sybaritic shore - if you can bring yourself to - and succumb to the slow, seductive rhythms of the interior. There are old wine-producing villages with atmospheric winding streets and terraced vineyards. You can often stay the night for a song in cosy renovated traditional houses, part of the Cyprus agro tourism programme. Explore Greek Orthodox churches nestled in the hills whose walls conceal vibrantly painted Byzantine frescoes. Many are found among the pine-covered peaks of the Troodos, where a sublime silence can dissolve all sense of time, not to mention stress.

Love Goddesses and Sacred Mountains

Along the route that leads from the port city of Lemesos (Limassol) to Paphos, the roadway opens up to reveal a magnificent stretch of coastline where chalky white cliffs stand watch over a dazzling aquamarine sea. Here sun worshippers make detours for a picnic and a swim at Petra Tou Romiou, a boulder that marks the spot where Aphrodite emerged from the sea foam in ancient times. In the Akamas region, hikers exploring the area's rich flora can cool off at the grotto where the love goddess bathed after her amorous interludes.

Throughout Cyprus, the typically Mediterranean landscape is still blessed with the timeless beauty of antiquity. There are crusader fortresses framed by tall cypress trees, Greco-Roman theatres carved out of cliffs and Byzantine monasteries perched improbably on mountaintops. Sophisticated cities successfully balance the ancient and modern. The capital, Lefkosia (Nicosia), is surrounded by Venetian walls with heart-shaped bastions; Larnaca, site of the major international airport, is also home to St. Lazarus Church and the crypt of the eponymous saint resurrected by Christ. Near the animated harbour at Paphos are the Roman floor mosaics of the Houses of Aion, Achilles and Dionysus, their depictions of mythological scenes amazingly well preserved.
 
All Eyes on Cyprus

The Cyprus mystique is as much a product of its legendary beauty as it is of millennia of competing empires, all unable to resist the island’s strategic allure of the island. The perfect location, of course, never goes out of style. Nestled into the eastern Mediterranean Sea and a veritable crossroads of three continents, Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean and an ideal starting point for the discovery of other exotic locales such as the Greek Islands, Egypt and the Middle East - in fact, mini-cruises set off for these places from Cyprus almost every day. But close as Cyprus may be to the world's center stage, it is a distinctive place that can feel blissfully apart from it all.
   
Cyprus Information

Abundant copper in antiquity put small Cyprus on the map. In fact Cyprus (Kypros in Greek) gave copper its Latin name: cuprum. In the late Bronze Age, Mycenaen Greeks settled on Cyprus and established trade links with Egypt and the Aegean islands. This is also the period when ceramic art first flourished. As centuries drifted by, the island came variously under Persian, Assyrian, Egyptian, and Roman rule. It was during the latter era that Marc Anthony, enraptured by the island's sweet wines, gave Cyprus as a gift to his lover, the matchless Cleopatra. After a long period of Byzantine domination, European awareness of Cyprus surged with the Crusades. In 1191 a fierce sea storm led Richard the Lionheart to put his ship into port at Lemesos. He claimed the island as his own.

From 1489 to 1571 the flag of Venice flew in Cyprus, until which time the Ottoman Turks moved in. That era ended in 1878 when Cyprus became part of the British Empire. Despite a turbulent past, or perhaps because of it, the Cypriots themselves are a resilient people. They have always remained a distinct culture - different even from their closest cousins, the Greeks - and retained their unique character. The Republic of Cyprus achieved independence in 1960 and is now in line to join the European Union.
 
House of Dionysos, Paphos, Ganamedes and EagleFrom independent travellers to honeymooners, archaeology aficionados to friends of nature, every visitor to Cyprus finds the island offers layer upon layer of discovery. Food lovers delight in farm-fresh halloumi cheese and delectable meze, the local specialty appetizers that mix Western ingredients with Eastern zest. Travellers on business appreciate the fine conference facilities and warm, professional service at more than 64 hotels and resorts, and like incentive groups value the proximity of the beach. And that golden Old World sunshine - there are generally 300-plus sunny days per year - is something few can resist. Add it all up and you have an ideally-situated island that truly has no equal. A place that measures up to its mystique: Cyprus.

Cyprus: The Cruise Centre of the Eastern Mediterranean

Before the armies of Alexander the Great made their famous thrusts east toward lands unconquered, their ships called into port at Cyprus to be readied and refitted. The same strategic location, at the crossroads of three continents, Europe, Asia and Africa, that made Cyprus a crucial starting point for Alexander’s expanding empire makes the island a desirable centre today for a calmer kind of maritime activity: cruising. Whether for a cruise that originates there, as a port of call or a fly and cruise option, today Cyprus is among the premier cruising destinations in the Mediterranean.

As the easternmost island in the Mediterranean, Cyprus is a natural point of departure for exploring this amazingly diverse region. Throughout the year locally based cruise lines help locals and tourist alike get a first hand perspective of the splendours of ancient Egypt, major attractions in Israel and Lebanon and, of course, the Greek Islands. Every year there are around 800 such “mini-cruises” leaving from the port of Limassol (Lemesos), one of the leading cruise ports in the Mediterranean, carrying around 250,000 passengers.

Port of History and Civilisation

Many international cruise ships utilize Cyprus as a major port of call on their international European and Mediterranean itineraries. Every year more than 30 of the finest international cruise ships make more than 80 calls at the ports of Limassol and Larnaca carrying in excess of 100,000 passengers to visit the major attractions of Cyprus.