The local investment is seeing a major return. Apartments and villas are realising a year-on-year increase of as much as 30 percent, and two bedroom apartments which were available in 2000 for £6,000 are now asking upwards of £25,000. The area has seen its first sale of a single property over £200,000, and while this is still remarkably cheap to European eyes, it marks a major achievement for Altinkum, posting its entrance into same league as Bodrum and Fethiye, which have been established property hotspots for many years.

Altinkum’s future is assured. The once-seasonal holiday town, deserted in winter by all but a few, now has a wealth of full-time expat residents. The more confident restaurateurs are staying too, providing excellent food and a place to meet throughout winter. The biggest hotel in Altinkum held its first New Year’s Eve party this year, and next year promises a yet larger crowd to please as more and more buyers take plunge and choose Turkey for Christmas.

Author: Laura Bower Original Article: http://www.tropicalbeachhomes.com/ http://www.tropicalbeachhomes.com/News.asp?N=5&L=EN

Back in downtown Vancouver, Gastown district is one of top tourist areas for boutique shopping and souvenirs. Don’t miss steam clock that rings on hour. Vancouver has one of largest Asian communities in North America so Chinatown nearby as expected has some of best dim sum luncheons outside of Hong Kong. Further boutique shopping can be found in Yaletown and Granville Island districts.

If time permits, one of recommended day trips to do out of Vancouver is to drive up Sea & Sky highway to Whistler, one of North America’s largest ski resorts. During off ski season, Whistler is all season resort with many activities such as hiking, biking, festivities and shopping in village. A ride up gondola here will enable visitors to get a bird’s eye view of majestic Canadian Rockies mountain range. The drive itself to Whistler, about two and a half hours along coastline, offers many wonderful scenic points as well.

Vancouver is a great city to visit as one can really see how a major city can still be in very scenic surroundings. For those coming to Vancouver as departure port of a cruise to either Hawaii or Alaska, it is highly recommended to allocate at least a full day before or after cruise to see what city has to offer. As I mentioned before, on a sunny day with sea on one side and mountains on other, Vancouver is really hard to beat.