investalot

I think the Bahamas and especially Grand Bahama.
English spoken,beautiful island,house prices reasonable (in dollars) climate great all year,access to Florida only 55 miles,locals friendly,tax free income and no CGT...for me best place in the world to live and invest !!

Islander Girl

I live in st lucia and it is fantastic. if you do want your name suggests then it is worth looking at buying on the island as it is going through a boom time at the moment. Let me know if you want more info and I will see if I can help.

Stewn

Hugely interesting thread folks. Myself, I'm trying to find a place where I can settle down and raise a family - somewhere without the god-awful weather and crime of my hometown (Liverpool).

I've lived in Taiwan for the past 5 years, and while it's been a great experience, I certainly wouldn't recommend it for people to set up there. For one, the bureaucracy of this place is just unbelievable and anything like buying a house or setting up a business would be met with many obstacles. Then there's the pollution and language barriers etc.... I would recommend it for younger people to get out and see a different culture, but as I've done all that, and I'm no longer a 'younger person', it's time for me to move on.

So, I'm heading to the UAE next month to earn a bit of money and get some good experience on my cv, and then I'll be looking to settle down and raise that family after a few years in the middle east (s'pose I need to find myself a wife first!). I'm a pretty well qualified English teacher, so in theory I should be able to land myself a fairly respectable job in most countries.

Keep the responses coming folks, you may help my decision a bit

investalot

Hi Islander Girl
I had a look at St. Lucia and I agree with your comments but after checking out most of the Caribbean islands I found Grand Bahama checked nearly all my boxes.I can buy brand new 3 bed 2 bath houses on the water for less than £150k (check www.ladylakebahamas.com) and there is a huge demand for rentals here.They also have NO C.G.T. or property tax and with Tax exemptions through the Port Authority in Freeport I found this most attractive.I think if more investors looked away from Europe especially with the exchange rates now and checked out the Caribbean they might be suprised that it is very affordable.
Have a great day in the sun !!

uk+kiwi

Sounds good as long as the Florida property effect doesn't spread. Many people have lost a lot of money through property investing in Florida. Although if the market has bottomed out, there are some bargains to be had there. Wouldn't risk it personally though.

Dago

I told you - go to Gambia. So go there!! Now - what are you waiting for?

pgtips

I second that, whenever I am in Rodney bay, St Lucia, I am amazed by the unspoiled beauty of the place and the convenience of having all the mod cons, shopping, marina, beach, golf, right on your door step. I give St Lucia a definate thumbs up. Still affordable but I would say it will be right on Barbados's heels within the next ten years or so, plus scenically much more beautiful than Barbados. Lots of development going on. Marina is having a major overhaul and will be able to cater for the super yachts soon. can't wait to set up home there.

Mexicanwhite

You could always consider in or around Pto. Vallarta - Mexico. great weather most of the year, most people speak English and there's bi-lingual schools. Everything you need.

I live in Guadalajara which is about 4 hr drive from there and visit quite often as do most people from here.

If you need any more advice look me up or contact me at : [email protected]

Regards,

Jon

pgtips

Why recommend 4 hrs from where you are ? what is Guadalajara like ?

Mexicanwhite

Hi,

The reason I recommende a place 4 hrs from here was because of your criteria !
I live in a city of around 6 million and growing and is the 2nd largest city in Mexico. However unless you have some knowledge of what your letting yourself in for not speaking the language etc I would say the best option would be Pto. Vallarta. Plus we all love to go there from this city and there is an ex-pat community there.
If you can imagine a foreign family who don't speak English and have the same criteria as you guys have and someone recommends to them going to live in let's say Newcastle, that to me would be a big mistake, not saying that Newcastle isn't a nice place but you get my point !

Why not do a google search on the place and see what you think and get back to me ?

Jon

manc1

I believe you would find Australia to expensive. Bali would be a great spot so long as you didn't need to work. Good luck.

Dago

Gambia - nowhere else.

pgtips

Why gambia ?

lady c

hi islander girl and other readers

ST LUCIA & OTHER PLACES

Loving this thread. my parents used to have a place in Rodney Bay, seriously thinking of coming back

Can you recommend a long term rental agency there? thanks

****

TO ALL

now going to also look into Chile and uruguay ... any other suggestions for family with 6 mth old baby: should i be worried about areas with typhoid, as he can't be vacinated til 2yrs?

we want to travel before school is an issue for little one and HAVE GOT TO GET OUT OF LONDON NOW!

other place we are considering are; Cape Verde, Guadeloupe, Mauritius, Malaysia, Polynesia .. so all advice gratefully recieved!

thanks

pgtips

Hi, what is the urgency to get out of London now ?