(CYPRUS) - The whole world comes to Dubai to sell property, and as the once-overheated UAE market cools, international investors and vacation seekers attend property fairs in Dubai to find places like Minthis Hills in Cyprus, a luxurious development of ultra modern hilltop villas.
Designed by Woods Bagehot, the well known resort architects, the villas are constructed of local wood and stone to conform to the landscape and provide unobstructed views. They are something entirely new on Cyprus, an island that has been inhabited for thousands of years.
On a huge site of more than five million square meters, only two percent of the area is being built on. The rest is part nature preserve, part manicured green areas. More than 30,000 native trees have been planted to create a hilltop oasis of shade under the strong Mediterranean sun.
Minthis Hills launched the first series of 30 plots this year; the smallest are more than 800 square meters. Prices of villas range from $1.75 million to $3.2 million for configurations of two to five bedrooms and 161-298 square meters. The largest villas include a guest house. Many have infinity pools.
The complex is being built around an 18-hole par 71 golf course. It includes a clubhouse and conference center, tennis academy, and Cypriot tavern in addition to vineyards and olive oil plantations.
Spectacular natural scenery is tied to history. The property includes the 500-year old Minthis Cross monastery and is near several sites named on UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage list such as a Byzantine castle, the Tomb of the Kings, St. Paul's Pillar, and Roman mosaics.
Minthis Hills comes from Pafilia Property Developers, a Cyprus-based company owned and managed by Elias Eliades who writes in the company magazine, "We've always thought of our homebuyers as part of our extended family." Pafilia also provides financing and other services to make resort home shopping easier.