Buyers are hip to the wonderful islands of the Caribbean. Johnny Turner sees what’s on the market in some of the more sumptuous locations
The Landings is an award-winning five-star development of waterfront luxury homes on Rodney Bay, in the thriving north west of St Lucia. Its freehold residences are built around a private yacht harbour on one of the finest beaches in St Lucia. Properties overlook either the beach or the harbour with views over Rodney Bay and the calm Caribbean Sea.
More than just a residential development The Landings is a resort with an extensive range of on site facilities. A concierge service will ensure that every owner’s whim is catered for, from ensuring their fridge is stocked prior to their arrival to organising a babysitter or booking a massage. Amenities on site will include yacht mooring and slips, beach club, water sports, sunset lounge located on the pier, a gourmet restaurant, fitness club, luxury spa and salon, swimming pools, boutique, tennis courts and resort reception area. Owners at The Landings also have membership of the St. Lucia Golf and Country Club, which is a five minutes drive from the resort.
Since its launch in January 2005 The Landings has won two highly coveted Bentley International Property Awards for ‘Best Marina Development’ and ‘Best Caribbean Development.
There is a choice of one-, two- and three-bedroom residences, built in a traditional Caribbean architectural style and fronting the beach, marina or channel. Apartment and balcony sizes are generous, with many properties having balconies at the front and rear of the property for alfresco dining and enjoying sunset cocktails. A one-bedroom apartment offers an overall space of 1,300 sq ft, a two bedroom 1,850 sq ft and a three bedroom apartment 2,640 sq ft. All are finished in high-quality materials such as stainless steel, exotic wood, imported tiles and stone. Air conditioning will be fitted as standard throughout.
Interiors have been designed by award-winning designer Alex Chapman & Associates, whose work includes the exclusive Cotton House resort on Mustique and the Trump Riverside development in New York. Owners have the choice of two bathroom/kitchen and general finish packages with the option to upgrade to alternative finishes and fittings. Also, the properties will be built to internationally accepted hurricane, seismic and general building codes.
Residences at The Landings are priced from $595,000 to $1.69 million. Call 0870 3891936 or see thelandingsstlucia.com.
Award-winning developer SANDS Caribbean has launched the first phase of their Adam’s Bay Luxury Beach Club resort on the island of Bequia. The island is located eight miles south of St Vincent and has been described as an undiscovered treasure in The Grenadines.
The Adams Bay resort offers a range of properties including traditional Caribbean ‘Gingerbread’ cottages located on the white sand beach, luxury hillside villas with elevated ocean views and on the ridge top sumptuous Ridge Residences with views over the beach, the Grenadines, Port Elizabeth and St Vincent.
The Adams Bay Luxury Beach Club resort has been designed with the entire family in mind, providing a variety of services and activities that will keep residents and guests entertained from sunrise to sunset.
The Beach Club features an a la carte restaurant, beach bar/restaurant, children’s play areas and club and a stunning beach with Grenadine views. There is also a boutique shopping area with a number of everyday convenience stores and a spa treatment area. Other amenities include tennis courts, boat/dock and outstanding fishing and diving.
Bequia’s average daytime temperature varies between 24ºC and 30ºC. Like its Caribbean neighbours, the island sees the usual season cycle. Its dry – and ultimately peak – season runs from December through to April, after which the rainy period sets in from May until June.
Bequia’s clear, warm waters and tropical inhabitants provide the perfect environment for diving and snorkelling, while the Atlantic breezes make sailing, windsurfing and kayaking equally popular past times. The interior mountains and moor lands of the island also offer exceptional hiking opportunities. Alternatively, joining the locals for a laid back session of fishing is also an option.
Bequia is reached by air from North America and Europe through six major gateways: Barbados, Grenada, Martinique, St Lucia, Puerto Rico and Trinidad. Bequia is a short 25- to 30-minute flight from most of these hubs. The resort is situated two minutes from the airport.
Two- and three-bedroom beach cottages at Adams Bay are now available from $704,000.
Recently drawing the tourists and raising its profile by hosting the Cricket World Cup, the Caribbean offers both sports lovers and sun lovers alike a fabulous holiday destination. For those looking to find a ‘great catch’ off the cricket field, the Caribbean presents an exciting opportunity for investment. Real estate in the Caribbean and Central America can offer the serious investor many opportunities to make substantial gains on their investment in just a few years. Real estate prices on many islands continue to increase each year, but many great bargains can still to be found.
St Lucia
Located between Martinique and St. Vincent, St. Lucia covers 238 square miles. This is a physically dramatic Caribbean island, with dense tropical forests, the towering peaks of Gros Piton and Petit Piton, a volcano, sulphur springs, mineral baths and secluded beaches.
St. Lucia's early history is sketchy; there is some debate as to whether the island was discovered by Columbus in 1503, or by his map maker Juan de la Cosa in 1499. The French eventually settled the island in 1650, but were constantly challenged by the British which meant that St. Lucia changed flags 14 times before the British finally triumphed in 1803. The French influence is still very evident in the culture, the language spoken (Patois, a Creole-like dialect) and local cooking which still has French derivations. St. Lucia still remained British through to 1979, when it became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations.
St. Lucia presents what by most opinions is now a rarity in the Caribbean: a natural wonderland of lush, mountainous topography and a mostly undeveloped island. Currently, St. Lucia's commodities are simple: ubiquitous coconut palms, banana plantations, and radiant colors.
Development is certainly occurring, but the island will continue offering raw beauty for many years to come.
Ocean Breeze Villas
One of the most spectacular of the Superior developments, homes at OceanBreeze offer spectacular views, peace and tranquility and a glorious tropical setting. Each detached villa is designed in a distinctive Mediterranean Andalusian style with great emphasis put on quality, elegance and finish. Plot sizes are very generous and are typically between a quarter and one third acre in size. All villas come with the option of a private swimming pool with a variety of designs and sizes to choose from. There is a choice of 13 villa styles to choose from and in addition Superior can also design a custom villa for those with their own design concept.
Prices start at £150,000.
Call Superior on +44 (0)870 7504477 or by email at info@superiorworld.com