The Caspian is the world’s only completely landlocked sea. It is the world's largest inland body of water, with a surface area of 143,000 square miles. Enjoying air temperatures of over 30C and water temperature exceeding 24C in the summer months, the Caspian coast of Azerbaijan was a popular holiday destination in the Soviet times, and is quickly regaining its previous status, simultaneously becoming a prime residential development location.
The Caspian, and the Azerbaijan coast in particular, features stunning undulating sandy beaches stretching for miles on end along the entire coastline of the country. The sea is mostly calm in summer, the tidal ranges are virtually imperceptible and there is no seaweed or sea predators. All this combined offers ideal opportunities for perfect  seaside living and recreation. Whilst an occasional oil tanker is sighted and offshore oil rigs are visible from some part of the coast, the sand and water are amazingly clean and clear. The Caspian in summer has the colour of emerald, which together with the gold of the sand, the white of the surf and the almost lilac colour of the wave on the beach at sunset makes a lasting impression. The Apsheron peninsula is densely populated but the construction of beachfront properties is a recent development. The beach is public and you are not allowed to build less than 130 meters from the waterline, although this regulation has been given lip service in some areas. There are some stunning villas already bulit, for example in the Mardakian area, and the speed of new construction is quite breathtaking. A distinct benefit of this is the improvement of the infrastructure which in places had previously been sorely lacking. The developments are now stretching north and south of Apsheron where villas, hotels and spas are being built. A beach property on the Caspian makes sense both as investment and either as a permanent home or weekend retreat away from Baku, where the hot summer days can sometimes be unbearable. Get yourself a first-line property and use your chance to walk or jog on the sand and swim in the morning and then enjoy the sunset on the beach with champagne (imported) and Beluga caviar (local, arguably the best in the world and still ten times cheaper than in the UK at the time of writing). |
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