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Favorite caribbean spot - vacation/retirement home

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by Carsonp, Jul 31, 2011.

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  1. Carsonp

    Carsonp Formula 3

    Sep 29, 2004
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    Minnesota - NW subs
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    Carson Partain
    #1 Carsonp, Jul 31, 2011
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2011
    At some point in time i would like to buy a vacation home somewhere in the Caribbean with the intentions on making it a place where the wife and i will stay 1/2 the year after retirement. I have been to 4 islands during a cruise (cruise line owned one in the Bahamas, st maarten, st Thomas, and grand turk), none of them for more then a day so my experiences dont really count for too much other then i certainly enjoyed my self and definitely fell in love with the idea of buying a place there some day (and rent it when i am not there)

    Anywho, I'm not terribly familiar with island life or the way things are typically handled as far as owning a place down there. For example, my initial thought was the Bahamas due to being so close to the main land (Nassau for example) but is it still north enough for the weather to get "chilly" during the winter? I know south Florida had some almost freezing temps this winter :eek: And the outer islands might be a bit cheaper but without "large" towns it might get old for the long term.

    So then you go further south like St maarten. But arnt flights considerably more expensive? Is it a "safe" place for Americans off of the main tourist places?

    How about St. Thomas? The US virgin islands are at least still part of the US, but a quick search didn't look promising for under $1mill and there wasn't a ton of Beach's so having a place on or very close to one probably isn't realistic.



    So the ideal situation would be the following

    -on or close to a nice beach
    -within an hour or so from a good size town (less?)
    -relatively cheap flights to the main land
    -safe and stable government
    -"relatively cheap" (a million dollars for a 2 bedroom box in the middle of town isn't going to cut it)
    -a good spot to rent it when i am not there



    sorry for the long post. Please add comments and opinions if you are more familiar with the situation them i am.

    BTW im only 26 so im not talking about doing this SOON, but if its not nieve to think you can buy a decent place for under 7 figures, go there 3 or 4 times a year and rent it out enough to come close to paying for it... who knows
     
  2. Bas

    Bas Four Time F1 World Champ

    Mar 24, 2008
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    #2 Bas, Aug 4, 2011
    I used to live in the Caribbean, and before that I visited there 2/3 times a year.

    I lived in Curacao, 30 miles away from a more familiar place to Americans Aruba. I've been there a lot of times and can definitely recommend Aruba (Curacao is utterly brilliant, but Aruba is more Americanised if you will).

    Freezing temperatures? Hmm...Once a year we have rain 'season' if that counts. Maybe 10 days of rain a year. Coldest we ever had it was around 25c celcius. At night it's never been lower than 23c Celcius, so when you party and fancy a jump in the sea you'll actually be warmer!

    In the end, on none of the islands there's actually that much to do. I definitely recommend having a boat, even just a Scarab with 2 250s. You can use it to island hop for the weekends etc. If you like your sports just get a surfboard and/or a jetski...:)

    Honestly, I can't wait to go back and live there.
     
  3. Bas

    Bas Four Time F1 World Champ

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    #3 Bas, Aug 4, 2011
    Re st Maarten and safety. My sister used to live there for about 2 years. It's unfortunately not as safe, but that's only if you really walk into really dodgy areas, so you kind of expect it. Don't walk into any areas you wouldn't walk into at home, and you'll be good. She's never had anything happen to her (nor did we). Her boyfriend at the time did, but that's because he was an idiot and was desperate for some coke. :)
     

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