Which island?
 

We've been to the Caymans, Bahamas, St Lucia and Bermuda, but are wondering which would be the best for relocation? Which islands are safest? We also have a 5 year so there is schooling to consider. Looking for a friendly and safe environment (ideally!)
Any in-put would be much appreciated.

Re: Which island?
 

Welcome to the forum.
You have already completed a good first step - visit the islands. Other things to consider are: work permits, ease of access with Immigration for residency if that is your goal, medical care for your family, financial stability for your family (some islands are more expensive to live in than others). Safety in most places is just like in your home town (don't know where you are from)... don't wander around at night by yourself - common sense. Some locations do have a higher crime rate and you can find that out on the internet. We are looking to settle down on an island too but we have decided to rent for at least 6 months (or longer) in a location before deciding if it will work for us. It's not easy to answer your question as there are too many personal preferences that come into play in the decision process. Relocation to a tropical island requires a lot of homework and a major change in expectations on your part and those of your family. As you know from visiting, it is different here.... but visiting vs living here are two completely different things. I am sure others on this site will have more comments...

Re: Which island?
 

As you may have realised by now, Gazer, you need to add some personal information. Are you retiring or looking for a job? How much money do you have, or what trade do you have, and what qualification and experience? How many children do you have? Pretty basic stuff!

If you're looking to retire, or work from home, you might want to look again at one of the lesser-settled Bahamian out-islands.

Re: Which island?
 

About 25 years ago an american guy wrote 2 books, both out of print i think but both will give you most of the questions you need to ask for living, building, finance etc etc. Called Living in the caribbean and retiring in the caribbean. See if you can get a copy, but beware of googling it, so many websites are really selling you something/somewhere or are biased by a particular culture. A lot of it is to do with the locals, how sophisticated are they in general, whats the local income like, how well are they educated, how stable is the place politically. If local education is poor and income low, you may have problems with some services but on the other hand you can more easily employ people and this does add to the local economy of course [apart from you being a real green industry yourself...]

Re: Which island?
 

Re: Which island?
 

To expand on, and agree with UK_Grenada's comments, we researched and compared basic data on potential locations based on our preferences and priorities (everyone is different). Financial implications for gaining residency knocked out several locations right away, as did cost of living. Our list was also pared down by looking at crime stats, travel advisory sites, consumer price index, inflation rates, poverty, unemployment, human development index rank, likelihood of natural disasters, weather, availability of medical and health services, food supply, water supply, and other stuff that was important or critical to us (right down to “can you flush toilet paper). We analyzed and scored things based on the level of importance and came up with a few places to explore to prove or disprove our research. It took a while, but was a fun exercise to establish a short list for a course of action, and now we are doing what we call “slow motion travel” looking for the best beach and palm tree.

Re: Which island?
 

I wonder if the OP is aware that it's not all that easy just to choose an island and "relocate" there. Many of the islands' governments keep a tight rein on who they let in and for how long. Without more information from the OP, we can't really give him much useful advice, can we?

Re: Which island?
 

True, also you have to live somewhere for at least 6 months before you commit to anything. Possibly worth mentioning also that prejudice is universal, you will see it against all religions colours wallet size country of origin etc etc in the caribbean too...