And with international travel finally starting to open up again, many people will no doubt be considering not just a short break away, but potentially buying their very own holiday home in the sun to retreat to.
But what are the best destinations for those looking to buy a holiday home? We’ve analysed locations around the world based on factors such as things to do, affordability, and the local weather, to find out!
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As the capital of the northern Italian region of Veneto, Venice is known for being built upon a lagoon of over 100 small islands on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, with no roads and only canals traversed by gondolas.
As the capital of the northern Italian region of Veneto, Venice is known for being built upon a lagoon of over 100 small islands on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, with no roads and only canals traversed by gondolas.
The main reason it ranks as our number one holiday home destination is the sheer concentration of things to do and places to eat and drink within its relatively small area.
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While Venice is an amazing place to visit, you might want a holiday home somewhere with fewer tourists where you can really immerse yourself with the locals. In this case, Paphos in Cyprus may be a good choice.
The city, on the southwest coast of the island, benefits from the Mediterranean climate, with an average annual temperature of 19.2˚C. It’s also among the more affordable places we analysed with an average house price of £1,329 per square metre.
As well as several historical sites (particularly relating to Aphrodite, the goddess of love), there’s also the more modern New Paphos area around the harbour with lots of bars and restaurants to enjoy.
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If you fancy a holiday home in the Middle East, Abu Dhabi might just be the place for you.
As well as having high temperatures (averaging 27.6˚C) and low rainfall (around 10.8mm each month), Abu Dhabi has one of the lowest crime levels, too.
Situated in the Persian Gulf, the city has grown rapidly in recent decades, with modern skyscrapers and shopping malls gracing the city’s skylines, as well as reminders of the area’s cultural heritage through the likes of the vast Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
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(358 attractions per 10,000 people)
As previously mentioned, Venice is a relatively small city given its immense popularity with tourists, and as such, has a high concentration of things to see and do, with 358 sightseeing destinations per 10,000 people.
Some of the top attractions in the “La Dominante” include St Mark's Basilica, the Doge's Palace, the Grand Canal, and the Piazza San Marco.
(2,628 eateries per 10,000 people)
Similarly, Venice took top spot when it came to the number of restaurants. The city doesn’t have its own specific cuisine as such, but given its location, seafood features prominently on menus, as does produce from the various islands in the Venetian Lagoon and other Italian staples from the mainland.
While it’s great to have so much choice in the city, it pays to try and look a bit deeper than the usual touristy venues and find the places where true locals eat, which is where buying a holiday home and spending an extended break here comes in handy!
(12.04 rating out of 100)
Feeling comfortable and safe in your home away from home is massively important, and Abu Dhabi scored the best when it came to low crime levels.
Of course, no city is completely free of crime, but as a relatively affluent place, you rarely have to worry about safety in Abu Dhabi.
(£969 for a family of four)
Affordability is always a big concern, especially as the cost of living can vary quite wildly around the world.
With this in mind, the most affordable destination on our list in terms of the cost of living is Antalya, in Turkey, where a family of four can get by on less than £1,000 a month.
(£528 per square metre)
Once again, Antalya was the cheapest place when it came to buying your holiday home, at an average cost of £528 per square metre.
(28.5˚C)
The warmest of the destinations on our list was Male, the capital of the Maldives, with an average annual temperature of 28.5˚C.
So, if relaxing on the beach with the sun shining down upon you is the most important thing for you, it’s pretty clear where you should be looking!
(8.9mm per month)
Given that it’s located in the middle of a desert, it should be no surprise that Las Vegas was the destination that experienced the least rainfall, with just 8.9mm falling on average each month.
We analysed over 50 global destinations on the following factors, giving each a normalised mark out of ten for each factor before averaging the scores.
Things to do
The number of things to do listed on Tripadvisor, per 10,000 people according to City Population.
Restaurants
The number of restaurants listed on Tripadvisor, per 10,000 people according to City Population.
Safety
The destination’s Crime Index Score according to Numbeo, with a lower score meaning less crime at that destination (data sourced September 7th 2021).
Temperature
The average annual temperature of the destination, taking an average of the temperatures for each individual month from Holiday-Weather.com.
Rainfall
The average annual precipitation in the destination, taking an average of the rainfall for each individual month from Holiday-Weather.com.
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