James Bond, one of the world’s best loved action heroes is back with his latest adventure, Quantum of Solace. The films are notorious for taking place in some of the world’s most stunning locations and, if you want to follow in his footsteps and live where Bond’s been, here’s a round-up of some of the top property locations 007 films have featured.

Panama City
Panama makes its appearance in Quantum of Solace and it’s a very well-timed inclusion, as property in the country is booming at the moment. Located between Colombia and Costa Rica, Panama’s a comparable size to Ireland and has coastlines bordering the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. It’s already very popular with North American buyers and tourism in Panama has become one of the fastest growing in Central America. As well as areas around the coastline, Panama City is one of the hottest places to invest in property.

Montenegro
The film Casino Royale was partially set in Montenegro, with a particularly high stakes poker game located in a Montenegrin casino. The country has recently become even more accessible for property buyers, thanks to the launch of direct flights from the UK. With tourism increasing, there are likely to be good opportunities for renting out properties too.

The Bahamas
The sandy white beaches and pure blue seas of the Caribbean islands in the Bahamas have featured in several Bond films (no wonder, as they’re gorgeous), including Thunderball with Sean Connery and Casino Royale with Daniel Craig. The Caribbean is one of the ultimate dream locations for foreign property buyers and, with no income tax, capital gains tax or inheritance tax, it’s got definite perks.

Cagliari, Sardinia

Sardinia
The beautiful Italian island of Sardinia, the second largest in the Mediterranean, was included as a location in The Spy Who Loved Me. Located 120 miles from mainland Italy, it’s blessed with a diverse landscape and numerous sheltered sandy beaches. Already favoured by many rich and famous stars, Bond fits into the lifestyle here perfectly. The Spy Who Loved Me was filmed in the Porto Cervo area of Sardinia, one of the most popular areas of the Costa Smeralda on the north-western shores of the island.

While the UK property market may be slowing down, international property in many countries is still buoyant. One country where the outlook for international buyers is looking particularly good – and is set to get even better – is Croatia.

Blessed with long stretches of wonderful coastlines (5,835km, if you want to be precise about it), no less than 1,185 islands, historic towns and cities, and a fabulous Mediterranean climate along the Adriatic coast, it’s obvious why Croatia is so appealing. Interest in the country has grown over the last five years, with the property market seeing price rises of 10% to 15%, and it could be set to increase more, thanks to a new, forthcoming law.

The Croatian government recently announced that, from 01 February 2009, all buyers from EU member states – which of course include the UK – will have exactly the same property buying rights as Croatian nationals, other than when buying some land. This is great news for UK buyers and is likely to encourage even more international buyers to take the plunge and buy in Croatia.

Croatia itself isn’t yet a member of the EU, but is set to join within the next few years. Even before the change in law was announced, property analysts were predicting that prices in Croatia could rise by a further 15% to 20% in the next year. If previous examples of countries joining the EU recur in this instance, then demand for property in Croatia could increase, coupled with property price rises.

For now, though, properties are well priced and there’s something there for all budgets and buyers. There are many areas of Croatia worth checking out, not least the multitude of islands, which each seem to have their own unique personality. But it’s the areas around the picturesque Istrian Peninsular that many buyers fall in love with.

Easily reached from the UK via a 2.5 hour flight, the Istrian Peninsula is in the northwest of Croatia and still has a touch of Italian influence about it, left over from earlier Venetian rule. In fact, sometimes it’s still affectionately called the ‘Croatian Tuscany.’ Pula, Istria’s largest city, boasts one of the biggest and best preserved amphitheatres in the world, and coastal towns such as Umag and Novigrad are popular with property buyers.

Whatever your Croatian property dream, you’ll find a wide variety of properties in Istria, from traditional stone homes, to luxurious new villas and apartments. So whether you’re planning to buy a second home, holiday home, retirement nest egg or investment property, Croatia has plenty to offer the discerning buyer.