Saint Lucia Property Investment For Sale

"One of the most modern and efficient Caribbean islands."

Voted the world’s most beautiful island, Saint Lucia is famed for the jagged mountain range that runs through its centre, with the Gros Piton and Petit Piton peaks rising 2,000 feet above the sea.  Blanketed in dense forest the island is known for its birds of paradise and wild orchids and jasmine.

Tourism is Saint Lucia’s main source of jobs and income but it also has the most diverse manufacturing sector in the Eastern Caribbean and crops such as bananas, mangos and avocados continue to be grown for export.

Saint Lucia is also considered one of the most modern and efficient islands with a stable government and exchange rates, excellent health facilities and one of the region’s lowest crime rates.

In many ways the island is comparable to Barbados but with property prices dramatically lower and it is also one of the most accessible in the region with direct flights from US, Canada, Germany and the UK.  As a top wedding and honeymoon destination tourist number continue to flourish whilst the property market is strong as like several of its neighbours Saint Lucia is a tax haven with not VAT, capital gains, heritance and estate tax.

Geography

St. Lucia is a volcanic island and the most mountainous out of all the Caribbean islands, with the volcanic peaks of Piton and Petit Piton rising out of the sea on the west coast of the island. Situated midway along the Caribbean chain of islands St. Lucia is nestled between the island of Martinique and St. Vincent. The island has a wide variety of exotic plants, animal life and rainforests. The west coast is most commonly known as the most popular tourist destination on the island partly because of the beautiful beaches and warm Caribbean Sea.

Government

The government is a constitutional monarchy with the Prime Minister Stephenson King as the head of government and the British monarchy as head of state.

Language

English is the official language of St. Lucia but a dialect with French and African influences is frequently spoken.

Standard of Living

St. Lucia enjoys a comfortable standard of living where the local people are friendly and the facilities are modern. The island has good medical facilities, an excellent legal and educational system and social services which are available to both local citizens and tourists. The citizens of St. Lucia welcome foreign investment and in time this will further increase the standard of living on the island.

The economy of St. Lucia used to rely on banana production and exports to maintain economic growth but now tourism and financial services are the key employers.

Key Industries

Currently France is the island's main exports trading partner, with bananas accounting for 41% of the total commodities. The leading import partners of the country used to be France but have now been succeeded by the US. Key industries outside tourism and financial services are bananas, clothing, cocoa, vegetables and fruit.

Voted the world's most beautiful island, with 19 acres of rainforest and an array of outstanding beaches, St. Lucia rivals the more established Caribbean destinations. Much has been invested in infrastructure improvements making it one of the most modern and efficient islands. Stable government and exchange rates, excellent health facilities and direct flights from the UK means St Lucia has a lot to offer both tourists and investors alike. More importantly, its property prices are below those on neighbouring Barbados meaning properties there have excellent potential for capital appreciation. 

Anse la Raye

Anse le Raye is a quarter on the west coast of St. Lucia bordering the Caribbean sea. As a result, citizens within this quarter are mainly fishermen and agriculture workers. Anse la Raye is around a twenty minute drive from the main town of Castries. The town is home to a weekly seafood market which caters for both tourists and the locals offering drinks, music, seafood and steamed fish.

Canaries quarter

The Canaries quarter is a west coast fishing village, favoured by the locals as the best place to buy cassava bread. The village is situated along the west coast road between Anse la Raye and Soufriere. There are many attractive views from most sides of the village.

Castries quarter

The city of Castries is the capital of St. Lucia. There is an annual Saint Lucia jazz festival held on the island and the Castries quarter hosts some of the festival stages.

Gros Islet quarter

Gros Islet is one of the newest towns on the island of St. Lucia and has recently gone from being a village to a town after the increase in tourist interest.  The town is located to the north of Castries.

Rodney Bay area is a lot more built up than the main town of Gros Islet making it very popular with holiday makers. It has variety of shops, malls and restaurants and in the peak winter season the resorts are lively with a number of different clubs, bars and live entertainment. Property in the Rodney Bay is very expensive and seafront property is owned by hotel and restaurant developers.

Soufriere

Once the former capital of St. Lucia, Soufriere is now a town which revolves around its fishing port and growing tourist industry.

The town has many attractions such as a drive in volcano, possibly the only one of its kind in the world, historical mineral baths and the Diamond Botanical Gardens which featues a waterfall and black sand beaches nearby. The coast near the town is renowned for its scuba diving and snorkelling facilities.

Vieux Fort

Vieux Fort is the second largest town on the island of St. Lucia and is home to the country's international airport. The town isn't known as a popular tourist destination although tourist's interest is growing. On Fridays and Saturdays the town holds a weekly market with traditional local produce on sale such as spices and fruits.