Owning a home in a warmer climate means you’ll be spending more time outdoors. So when shopping for a house in a hot country, think about these features

The hot tub
Can you imagine a better way to chill out on a balmy Mediterranean evening than enjoying a sundowner or two in a hot tub? If you’re really lucky, you could add views of the sea or the twinkling lights of a resort into the mix.

The terrace is the obvious place for a hot tub – also referred to as an outdoor Jacuzzi, but if you have a solarium, your views will be extra special from there. Being small makes them just as viable for apartments as for townhouses or villas. Before you purchase a property with a hot tub, check the age, condition and functionality of it. Hot tubs are a useful way to give your property extra appeal if you’re letting to holidaymakers. The pictured hot tub comes with a smart new apartment in the Costa del Sol – for more information, click the image.

The summer kitchen
It’s no longer about the size and spec of your barbecue – if you want to take al fresco dining to a new level, you need a summer kitchen at your home in the sun. Your built-in brick barbecue, which may double as a fireplace, will be just one part of the set-up. Full-blown summer kitchens could also include a log-fired bread or pizza oven, rotisserie, bar area, sink, fridge and preparation areas, and a large eating area, typically all under cover – often thatched – but with open sides.

Of course, you don’t need all of these features, so you can choose according to space, budget and preference. Summer kitchens make parties and outside entertaining a breeze. The pictured summer kitchen belongs to a property in Portugal. To browse similar properties in the Algarve, click here.

Gardens and patio plants
Green-fingered overseas homeowners get especially excited by the range of plants you can grow in warmer climes compared to in the UK, and the longer time you get to enjoy being outside amongst them. Olives, vines and fruit trees – oranges and lemons in particular – are favourites. Nothing hits the mark in the morning like a glass of orange juice made from your own freshly picked fruit, or in the evening a gin and tonic made with a slice of home-grown lemon.

The longer summers and milder winters mean the growing season in Mediterranean Europe is far longer than in the UK. Depending on how much you wish to take on, it’s not unusual to have your own olive grove or vineyard attached to your property in rural parts of Spain, France, Portugal or Italy. Owners of apartments needn’t feel left out either – you can have lots of fun with potted plants on your balcony or solarium, creating your own little outdoor haven. This charming garden comes with a beautiful converted ‘trullo’ – a character stone property – in Puglia, southern Italy, and includes a kitchen garden, fruit and olive tree.