Cyprus and Cape Verde – island destinations popular for winter sun and both benefiting from landmark new developments. Which would you choose?

Sparkling new waterfront developments are helping to put Cape Verde and Cyprus on the radar of international buyers who want luxury property with year-round sunshine and long-term investment potential.

In Cyprus, work on a new marina development in the resort of Ayia Napa got underway at the end of 2016. The Ayia Napa Marina project, a mixed-use complex worth £190million and due for completion in 2021, will comprise 190 apartments split across two towers, designed with an eye-catching twisting design. There will also be 29 luxury detached villas, 18 of which will have private berths.

A collection of waterfront dining and retail outlets, as well as an events centre, collectively called Pyare Village will form a semi-circular basin with covered promenade around the 600-berth full-service marina. There will also be two beaches and a private beach club, with infinity pool, bar and kitchen.

Ayia Napa Marina is expected to attract wealthy foreign investors including yacht-owners, as well as become an upmarket leisure hub for the local area. Given the resort’s proximity to the Turkish and Greek coastlines, the marina should become a popular place to winter boats, cementing its year-round appeal.

Aside from Ayia Napa, other areas popular as second home destinations along the Cypriot coastline include Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos. As well as the lifestyle, the island’s low taxation, residency and citizenship schemes and widely spoken English make it attractive to foreigner buyers.

Meanwhile, on Boa Vosta island in Cape Verde, an archipelago off West Africa, the first of six new developments centred around the island’s stunning Santa Monica Beach is underway. This is the construction of the White Sands Hotel & Spa, a world-class resort with 835 luxury units, including duplex and penthouse suites, suites with private gardens, swim-up pools and hot tubs, plus a range of villas.

Facilities at White Sands will include restaurants and bars, a nightclub, retail outlets, a spa and fitness centre, six pools with swim-up bars, children’s club, pools and playground, and a Gabi Club beach club. Properties at the resort are sold with a range of ownership options, including the opportunity to sign up to the Hotel Managed Rental Program. Guaranteed rental return and resale options are also on offer.

The masterplan for Santa Monica Beach, fully endorsed by the Cape Verdean government, includes a marina complex. The developer has already successfully built and launched beach resorts on the island of Sal.

In the Atlantic Ocean just an hour further south of the Canaries, Cape Verde enjoys year-round temperatures of 25-30°C. The climate, combined with the white sandy beaches and clear waters, make it an idyllic year-round holiday destination. The Santa Maria area of Sal island is the hub of Cape Verde’s tourism market, but the new White Sands resort should help to put Boa Vista in the spotlight too.