Irish buyers account for almost a quarter of property sales so far at Desert Springs golfing resort in southeast Spain, according to the Almanzora Group, a sister company of the UK-based Robert Hitchins Group. The lush fairway greens provide a stark contrast to the surrounding parched, rugged desert landscape, where the developers own over 1,000 acres.

Desert Springs is situated on a plateau above the dry Almanzora river valley, and when finished in 10 years time, will span 600 acres of desert parkland with planning permission for 1,800 homes at a cost of some £130 million (€165.1m). The Almanzora is one of the oldest inhabited regions in Europe; land there has been mined for copper, silver and gold since the third millennium BC.

So far 200 homes have been sold at Desert Springs including apartments, villas, townhouses and cottages. There is still plenty of time to buy. Prices seem modest enough at £104,000 (€132,080) for apartments. Two townhouses are available from £174,000 (€220,980); five country cottages with garages and a communal pool start from £156,000 (€198,120) for the two-bed version rising to £232,000 (€294,640) for the four-bed cottage. There are seven country villas with individual swimming-pools, garages and a fairway position, ranging in price from £298,000 (€378,460) to £350,000 (€444,500).

Purchasers are entitled to two memberships of Desert Springs golf club where a round of golf costs £50. The 18-hole golf course, the Indiana, is the first desert golf course in Europe. Construction of a second course is expected to begin within two years. There are plans for a 60-bed luxury hotel for the resort as well as a restaurant, Caribbean-style thatched long house with heated pools, bar and dining terraces, and a steamboat lake.