denisecain

Hi
thanks for that, my family originate from St Vincent, however i feel that it is too slow for me and as beautiful it is to be unspoilt it is not enough for me and like everywhere else getting quite violent. This is very sad in saying that i am sick of England and did intend for my children to return to England for college once their secondary education was complete.
I am coming to St Lucia in May during the half term break, would like to buy and would only live in Rodney bay or a gated community as i am very westernised in fact too much so.
looking for decent friends on the Island.

glitterycloud

I have been a member on this site since before I moved out to St Lucia and I must admit that I am in agreement with Pitsolpete2. My husband is St Lucian and all his family and friends are here in St Lucia.

I don't regret moving over here, however I wish I had more information before coming over. We have struggled to find secure well paying employment, we have found that unless you are rolling in money finding good childcare is nigh on impossible, the crime rate has escalated this year tremendously and if you don't have alot of money the wealthy expat community don't want to know.

We do love the beaches, the weather and the local food and beer is pretty good too!

Having just returned from a visit to the UK I can't wait to move back there, and although it does have its problems, the UK is the place for us St Lucia is just to 3rd world for me and my family.

I would suggest you do as much research as you can, try and make contacts when you come over in May as it is who you know not what you know. Research good secure places to live, find real estate agents, speak to expats find out what they think of living here the good and bad points. Try and visit schools to see what you think of teaching, find out what salarys teachers get and work out whether it is financially right for you.

good luck!

Pistolpete2

wow Glittery!

And to think that my rants didn't even touch on the education side of things.

My views have a UK slant to them because of my own priorities for further education THERE.

At one time the one private primary school Tapion was well patronised by expats from the UK and Canada in particular who were actively involved but with more choice this is no longer the case. As a result one tends to think that the priority is to giving the kids a loving rather than quality education experience. This is unlikely to sit well with parents who are fully aware that there is no time to lose in getting their kids used to a more pressured and demanding academic ladder - sad though that prospect is. I believe that the schools in the north are a bit more organised today but in general the priorities are parochial as indeed they still are at secondary level.

At secondary level there really are only two choices, namely St Mary's for boys and St Joseph's for girls, though parents have tended also towards Hess where the atmosphere is less demanding and the young male principal has a good reputation. The International School is too structured towards Canada for most parents' tastes.

Pistolpete2

Hi Glittery!

Here's my two cents worth in counter to your views.

1. I would really hate to have somebody come out to St Lucia to fulfill a long term dream only to have that dream shattered by some "unforeseen" event which would cause them to have second thoughts and then quit, turnaround and head homeward.

2. Crime is indeed very serious right now with (according to my reports) over twenty homicides since January 1st in what is really just a big town in terms of population (imagine!!!).

but

3. Most of the serious crime is gang and drug related which spills over into vigilante and vendetta type revenge killings.

however

4. Illegal activities are the only source of "income" for a significant portion of the male population at the very least as there is no welfare and there are no active programmes to seek out work alternatives. Meaning that this crime wave and general crime problem which includes break-ins and aggravated assaults, muggings at knife point etc. etc. is NOT going away any time soon and can only get worse. Due to the level of homicides, this is the crime that the media focus on (just about now, as there are so many) and the other regular crime both NORTH and south, tourist and local, doesn't get a look-in. I say BEWARE! As you state, the folks up north do not seem to care much about these goings-on as they do not touch their everyday lives so there is no impetus for change or improvement from where the supposed smart guys are.

5. The last boom-time in St Lucia was pre-Cricket world Cup 2007 when all sorts of extravagant claims were being made about the number of tourists/supporters who would be visiting for the event were being banded about, not to mention the number of concessions (political favours) that were granted. The end result was a major investment by locals in improving their properties to accommodate all of those visitors - I saw the figure 14,000 (4,000 was closer to the truth). The end result was a massive disappointment that loaded the public (as well as the country) with all sorts of crippling debt. Though tourist NUMBERS are up the hotel building spree has not wrought expected dividends and the country is on a downhill path in key employment areas, such as bananas, construction and stable tourism employment*. This means, as you state, that there are few areas to find a decent paying job.

*A number of hotels are in financial difficulties or receivership

6. We are about to spend 400 million EC dollars on a new Hewannora International Airport terminal. Need I say more?

7. For pgtips - There can be no question that St Lucian descendants of migrants back in the fifties/sixties feel a draw back to the island at retirement or even earlier and I sense that most of those come from the London area where property prices have risen tremendously and if the timing was good (around December 2007) they could have cashed in over there and bought into St Lucia quite nicely. Once here though there is no going back FINANCIALLY once you've exited the London property market (and St Lucia real estate is unbelievably illiquid) so I don't see many St Lucians who would want to return to the UK permanently though I'm sure there are plenty who make use of the NHS when they visit. Others would check it out over here but would rather keep their NHS treatment going over there PERIOD so never actually settle here.

Considering the massive diaspora of St Lucians who left to find work in the UK alone, I really do not sense there are that many retired St Lucian couples or their children who actually end up (re)settling in St Lucia at this point in time. Ten to Fifteen years ago yes but not now.

8. The big PLUS for St Lucia is that it is fairly easy to come up with a budget to handle living costs to fit one's income and then live to it because the "bar" is not set too high here. As time passes I make it a challenge to get better and better at it. Of course the key is to have an income. I regret that I am not familiar with the onus of finding childcare here as I got that away in Bermuda (where we were spoiled for childcare choices) before coming here. The problem here is that extended family (Granny) is the usual cover for all eventualities so choices would be limited. Facilities as they are would tend to be around Castries and I am aware of a couple of places there (in Sans Souci and on the Morne).

pgtips

Pistolpete2, I must say you have brought a breath of fresh air to this forum, and I always look forward to your contributions !!! You are spot on here

What are your thoughts on the area around Gablewoods mall ? Sunny Acres.
I have a family member moving there soon. They have decided that is where they want to be and are planning to leave one of the better parts of London to live there. they are late 40's with a young child. I can't say I have spent much time in Sunny Acres so would be glad to hear your view.

I am also glad that you mentioned once you have sold up in London and emigrated it is very hard to get back on the property ladder if you choose to come back. It is very difficult to get a mortgage now, and property prices are still sky high. It may also take you a very long time to get a buyer for your St Lucian property. If at all possible, keep a property in London or UK, and maybe rent in St Lucia to guage whether it is for you before committing. I am talking of renting for maybe 2 years before you make any final decisions.

Pistolpete2

Don't really know much about that Gablewoods/Sunny Acres area but I understand that JQ Properties have a big development coming on stream there. Was shown property there when we were looking to buy around 2003 but the land is heavily sloped up behind Gablewoods Mall and that kind of put me off for kids and for the poor old car's tyres. But it is a much easier commute to Castries for them plus there are a number of office blocks nearby (Pinnacle/Sagicor/JQ/BDO Stoy Hayward)(but if retired I would probably be further north as there is nothing much there apart from a few shops and the supermarket plus Mega J a mile away).

I agree with you on all of the property stuff plus right now it is a renter's market with lots of choice. One pad in London and one in St Lucia sounds good to me. If you are St Lucian and spouse non-citizen that should be fine also as you could start the citizenship process when you have ticked most of the St Lucia boxes (children will get citizenship right away) once resident even if just renting.

You might want to bring your personal treasures "stuff" though and get your duty free allowance on that AND YOUR CAR BOUGHT HERE*. There are removal people here such as West Indies Shipping to handle the move into your own place when the time comes.

*You are not allowed to sell a duty free car until you have owned it at least three years and even then, only with permission from Customs. You get the duty free allowance if you have lived off St Lucia for ten years or if you have never lived here.

sugababe

As Pg has mentioned the island life is a bit strange. On one side you have the very rich and sheltered folks and on the other side you have the very poor.

Just like the UK there are ppl living in poverty, unlike the UK there are no benefits and free housing for the poor living in most caribbean countries. I had walked into friends home in the UK who have never worked a day in their life but they still can afford a 50'' plasma, a brand new car, house highly furnished, etc. There is no way someone in the Caribbean who have never work can afford that.

I can only speak for here. Unemployment rate is about 20%. Are these people really unemployed and actively looking for work? Most of this percentage of ppl are self employed, they trade in the market, on the street, at home etc but for tax purposes etc. their status is unemployed.

To live a comfortable life on these Islands you need money, thats the bottom line! WhenI get bored I fly out to Miami and have a retail therapy. I have friends that drive out to their beach front cottage every weekend, this takes money.

Yes the crime rate is high, yes these are third world countries. There are some areas that are untouched by crime. With technology, you will forget that you are living in a third world country.

altaus

hello again!

Finally for multiple reasons, I took my decision and I will give a good try to St-Lucia! Will be there in one month!

I have read that you talk about bringing your personal stuff... I wonder how much Tax, at the airport, I will need to pay if I bring a DVD Home Theater that I bought few months ago, here, in Asia?

Do you have any idea or anybody else on the forum...

Thanx for your lights!

see ya!

You might want to bring your personal treasures "stuff" though and get your duty free allowance on that AND YOUR CAR BOUGHT HERE*. There are removal people here such as West Indies Shipping to handle the move into your own place when the time comes.

*You are not allowed to sell a duty free car until you have owned it at least three years and even then, only with permission from Customs. You get the duty free allowance if you have lived off St Lucia for ten years or if you have never lived here.[/QUOTE]

Pistolpete2

[/QUOTE]

Duty-free allowance is on personal effects. I'm not sure if the DVD would fit into that category.

pgtips

[/QUOTE]

These are the rules for what returning nationals can bring in duty free.
Have a look down the list as it tells you what you can bring in for each room.
http://www.customs.gov.lc/travellers.html#ret_nationals

Pistolpete2

These are the rules for what returning nationals can bring in duty free.
Have a look down the list as it tells you what you can bring in for each room.
http://www.customs.gov.lc/travellers.html#ret_nationals[/QUOTE]

Hi pg

I thought that all citizens who have never lived in St Lucia got the full duty free allowance. I see personal and household effects but the rest is for citizens and spouses only, the car and a container load etc.?

pgtips

Hi pg

I thought that all citizens who have never lived in St Lucia got the full duty free allowance. I see personal and household effects but the rest is for citizens and spouses only, the car and a container load etc.?[/QUOTE]

Yes all citizens and spouses who have not lived on the island for at least ten years. What other allowance/ citizens are you referring to. ?

Pistolpete2

Yes all citizens and spouses who have not lived on the island for at least ten years. What other allowance/ citizens are you referring to. ?[/QUOTE]

The car and the full container of specified items pg.

pgtips

The car and the full container of specified items pg.[/QUOTE]

Everybody I know has been allowed their car and container in duty free.

Pistolpete2

Everybody I know has been allowed their car and container in duty free.[/QUOTE]

Have spoken to Nissan sales who have no experience of ever selling a duty free car to anybody other than a local or spouse thereof (after ten years away).

Is everybody you know a local or spouse thereof or citizen by descent who has never before lived in St Lucia?