St. Lucia has been described as “One of the World’s most beautiful islands” by Conde Nast Traveller magazine and is listed in Oprah’s O magazine as “….. one of the top five places in the world that you simply must visit before you die!”. St. Lucia is only 238 sq miles in area, but within that area is some of the most diverse landscape that can be found in any of the Caribbean Islands, ranging from beautiful golden beaches and amazing rain forests, to stunning mountain vistas.

St. Lucia enjoys year round sunshine with temperatures rarely exceeding 32 degrees and most areas enjoy the cooling tropical breezes that regularly cross the island from the Atlantic Ocean in the east, to the Caribbean Sea in the west.

St. Lucia benefits from economic and political stability and seems to have something for everyone. It has already established itself as a yachting haven, being one of the hosts for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. It has a growing number of world class signature golf courses and an extensive music calendar which includes the world renowned St. Lucia Jazz Festival, recently featuring the likes of Anita Baker, Michael Bolton, Dionne Warwick, Wycliffe Jean and many other internationally renounced artists.

It is for the above and many other similar reasons that St Lucia has become one of the most sought after locations in the Caribbean for second home owners, investors and those looking to retire in a tropical and safe environment.

Over the last two years St. Lucia has seen a growth in its property (house and land) prices of between 11-21%, with the strongest growth being in the sought after north of the island. In particular there has been an explosion in the growth of luxury waterside apartment, condominium and townhouse communities. These include the Landings, The Reserve, Allamanda, The Harbour and the Seaside. Also for those who prefer their sea views to include golf course views and beautiful mountain vistas, there are condominium developments such as Zara Villas and the soon to be registered prestigious Belle Vue Heights.

Many of these new developments offer a tax-friendly tropical lifestyle for both investors and live-in homeowners with property and income tax holidays of up to 15 years.

Obviously there is a limit to the availability of prime development sites for the sort of properties described above. Given the relative small size of St. Lucia, together with the recent boom in these new developments, now is the time to pick the best spots for a home in Paradise.

With the recent credit crunch in the USA and Europe, the St Lucia market is relatively stable. However there is no doubt that once the credit crunch is over, the island will continue to experience the recent rapid growth in the property market, until prices become equivalent with those experienced in neighboring Barbados. It is for this reason, and the shortage of future prime development sites, that now is the time to invest in the Paradise island of St Lucia.

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