Anyone blanching at the cost of this winter’s ski holiday would do well to check out the snow-home bargains in eastern Europe. Laura Henderson reports
It’s a little over a century since retired schoolmaster Mathias Zdarsky trialled the first modern downhill skiing techniques in the Austrian village of Lilienfeld. Since then, some 6,000 ski areas have opened in 80 countries worldwide.
The Alps still corners two-thirds of the market, with a strong holidaymakerto-homebuyer conversion ratio securing the ski mecca’s legacy. Bringing value and variety to the snow-home scene, however, is the latest batch of eastern European resorts. Here, groomed slopes, cheap fares and the chance to explore foreign cuisine and culture are attracting a fresh influx of buyers.
“The ski industry [in eastern Europe] is still very much in its infancy,” says Petra Gajdosikova from Slovakian Investment Property. “Historically, investment in facilities – especially chairs and lifts – has meant a less sophisticated offering compared with the better-known Alpine resorts. But all that has changed in the past five years, with ambitious resort blueprints in locations such as Zakopane in Poland and Jasna in Slovakia raising the bar.”
Developers are also successfully tuning into the zeitgeist for easy-care ‘hands-off’ investments – new-build apartments and chalets with on-site management and rental programmes adding a contemporary twist to more traditional stock. Those on the hunt can expect keen entry-level prices, with the added bonus of longer seasons, giving a fillip to rental returns.
“The mountain ranges here are high but compact, so you won’t have limitless skiing opportunities,” says Gajdosikova. “But if it’s a dual-season bolt-hole with extra-curricular entertainment you’re after, you’ve come to the right place.”
Poland
For a taste of winter wonderland Polska-style, toss your skis in a bag and hop in the car from Krakow and follow the snow line all the way to the Tatra Mountains.
Nestling in the mountain foothills, Zakopane – informally known as Poland’s winter capital – has come a long way from its bear steak and caving days. The resort attracts more than two million tourists a year, with the recent addition of low-cost flights to Krakow (a 90-minute drive away) doing its bit to improve access to the resort.
The region’s four downhill areas include the challenging slopes of Kasprowy Wierch, which are accessed by a stoic two-stage cable car. The town of Zakopane more than holds its own for slope-side charm against its west European Alpine counterparts, with a pretty river running alongside the car-free Krupowki Street, the main artery through the town.
“The resort has been a major attraction for the Poles since the 1870s,” says Nick Dare of Dare Property. “Many now own holiday homes here, so values have remained steady – up by 20 per cent over the past year.”
The ski season, adds Steven Penny of Invest Polska, is also long, with hiking, rock climbing and fishing bringing an active rental window of around eight months a year.
Zakopane town itself is a conservation area, which means building is strictly controlled and few developments within the town itself come on the market. Apartments sell for around €120,000, while traditional chalets fetch upwards of €230,000, with properties in prestigious Koscielisko commanding a premium. Access is also set to improve, with a new motorway intersection being built from Krakow airport, which will cut transfer time to around an hour.
Quiet Waters is a luxury development of 36 apartments in two architect-designed residences close to the centre of Zakopane. The apartments come fully furnished with private underground parking, and buyers have the option of customising their interior finish with Italian worktops and tiles. Units range in size from 35m² to 122m², and most have balconies. Prices start at €110,000.
Mountain Gardens is an off-plan alternative in Pardalówka, south-east of Zakopane, with Invest Polska. The three free-standing residences of six, nine and 12 apartments have wood and stone finishes and gable roofs and are close to Nosal Ski Complex. Prices start at €125,000. www.investpolska.com, www.dareproperty.com
Slovakia
‘Wild and wonderful’ should be Slovakia’s ski motto. The country’s lofty mountain range splits in two – the Low Tatras for crowd-free cruising and the High Tatras for snow-sure off-piste. Long popular with Austrians and Germans, recent improvements have alerted other European buyers to its potential, with a further €50m of government funding ring-fenced for use by 2010.
Just two hours’ drive from Budapest in neighbouring Hungary, and at 1,402m, Donovaly is one of the most popular resorts in the Low Tatras National Park. It has a high percentage of Slovakian second-homers who come for both winter and summer seasons.
Oozing traditional Slovak charm, the town boasts three cableways and 14 chairlifts, as well as 17 pristine downhill runs and an excellent ski school for children. “The resort is also popular with cross-country skiers and snowboarders,” says Vajda Botond of agents Patty Ski. “There’s a five-month winter season, but when it ends in April there’s still plenty to do, from rafting to paragliding.”
Donovaly Triangle is the perfect resort for those seeking an easy care family-friendly bolt-hole. Beautifully finished one- to three-bedroom slope-side apartments range in size from 40m2 to 120m2. One-bedroom units start from €93,000 with Arc Property.
An attractive alternative are the Patty apartments from agents Patty Ski, which are tastefully furnished and just minutes from the resort’s ski lifts. Prices start at €59,455 for a one-bedroom apartment, rising to €259,000 for a 143m² penthouse, with a managed rental programme available during winter. www.pattyski.eu, www.arc-property.co.uk, www.slovakianinvestmentproperty.com
FR> Hors des pistes battues
Les Alpes ont beau dominer le marché des biens immobiliers des stations de sports d’hiver, on assiste toutefois dans les domaines skiables d’Europe de l’Est à l’arrivée de nouvelle options qui diversifient l’offre, avec la chance pour un nouveau flux d’acheteurs d’explorer une culture plus lointaine. Les investisseurs à la recherche de biens peuvent s’attendre à des prix d’entrée concurrentiels avec en prime des saisons plus longues et par conséquent un bénéfice locatif plus stimulant.
Pologne Nichée dans les Montagnes Tatras, Zakopane en Pologne est la ‘capitale officielle de l’hiver’. Très appréciée des Polonais depuis les années 1870, la fenêtre de rentabilité de Zakopane en termes de revenus locatifs s’étend sur huit mois de l’année. Les appartements se vendent pour €120,000 et un chalet traditionnel atteint les €230,000+. L’intersection autoroutière prévue depuis l’aéroport de Cracovie réduira le transfert à maximum une heure.
Près du centre ville, Quiet Waters est une zone de développement de standing, avec des résidences conçues par deux architectes. Les appartements meublés (35-12m2) avec parking en sous-sol démarrent à €110,000. Ou au sudouest de Zakopane à Pardalowka, le projet d’investissement Mountain Gardens géré par Invest Polska, propose des appartements une chambre à partir de €125,000. www.investpolska.com, www.dareproperty.com
Slovaquie ‘Sauvages et magnifiques’, les hautes chaînes montagneuses de Slovaquie se répartissent entre les Basses Tatras pour des descentes solitaires, loin des foules de touristes, et les Hautes Tatras pour l’assurance de pistes parfaitement enneigées. Donavaly, la station la plus fréquentée dans le parc national des Basses Tatras se situe à deux heures de route de Budapest, dans la Hongrie voisine. Pleine du charme slovaque traditionnel, la station de Donavaly Triangle convient à ceux qui recherchent un refuge familial et accueillant. Les appartements en bord des pistes, de 1 à 3 chambres (40-120 m2) se vendent à partir de €93,000, via l’agence Arc Property. Une alternative intéressante est la Résidence Patty Ski Patty, meublés avec goût le prix des appartements commence à €59,455, jusqu’à €259,000 pour un penthouse de 143 m2. www.pattyski.eu, www.slovakianinvestmentproperty.com, www.arc-property.co.uk
A suivre….dans le numéro du mois prochain, où nous vous dresserons un aperçu du marché immobilier émergeant dans les stations de sports d’hiver près de Moscou et de Munich.
NL> Nieuwe pistes
De Alpen mogen dan de skivastgoedmarkt domineren, de nieuwe Oost-Europese skioorden creëren flink wat meerwaarde en variatie op de markt van de skiverblijven. De kans nieuwe culturen te ontdekken zorgt voor een nieuwe injectie van kopers op de markt. Vastgoedinvesteerders kunnen zeer gunstige instapprijzen verwachten, met als bonus langere seizoenen, die een extra prikkel voor de huurinkomsten betekenen.
Polen In het Tatrasgebergte ligt de officiële winterhoofdstad van Polen, Zakopane. De stad is al populair bij de Polen sinds 1870 en de actieve verhuurperiode bedraagt er acht maanden per jaar. Appartementen kosten €120.000 en traditionele chalets beginnen vanaf €230.000. De geplande snelwegverbinding met de luchthaven van Krakau zal de reis tot een uur inkorten.
Vlakbij het stadscentrum ligt het luxebouwproject Quiet Waters, met twee door architecten ontworpen residenties. Gemeubelde appartementen (35-122 m²) met ondergrondse parking beginnen vanaf €110.000. Ook is er het off-plan Mountain Gardens van Invest Polska in Pardalowka, ten zuid-oosten van Zakopane, waar de appartementen met één slaapkamer beginnen vanaf €125.000. www.investpolska.com, www.dareproperty.com
Slovakije Slovakije heeft de Lage Tatra voor het rustige pistewerk en de Hoge Tatra voor sneeuwzekere avonturen buiten de piste. In het Nationale Park van de Lage Tatra ligt het populaire Donavaly, op twee uur rijden van Boedapest in het naburige Hongarije. Het Donavaly Triangle resort ademt traditionele Slovaakse charme uit en is ideaal voor wie op zoek is naar een ontspannen en familievriendelijk vakantieoord. Appartementen met 1-3 slaapkamers (40-120 m²) op de skihelling vind je vanaf €93.000 bij Arc Property. Een aantrekkelijk alternatief is de Patty Residence van Patty Ski, met prijzen van €59.455 voor een smaakvol bemeubeld appartement met één slaapkamer tot €259.000 voor een penthouse van 143 m². www.pattyski.eu, www.slovakianinvestmentproperty.com, www.arc-property.co.uk
Word vervolgd… In het volgende nummer bekijken we de vastgoedmarkt in opkomende skioorden nabij Moskou en München.
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