Hi All,
How are you all? If moving to an exotic island has been one of those things that you have (big sigh) always dreamed about, here’s some good news: It’s not that hard to do. On these five islands
ISLA MUJERES
This tiny island off the Yucatán Peninsula blends the soul of Mexico with the beaches of the Caribbean. This is a hammock-swinging lifestyle, peppered with Mayan legends.
Why move here?
Only eight miles from hyperactive Cancún, Isla Mujeres is a throwback to Mexico’s more innocent days, a time when you might have driven a VW bus down the Yucatán Peninsula, slept beneath a million stars and cooked fish tacos over an open fire. Isla, as it is known, is a casual place that has added a few conveniences without sacrificing its Mexican soul. You can still wander sandy, unpaved roads into villages where fishermen are mending their nets. Hammocks take the place of beds in colorful, Caribbean-style casas; and to get from point A to B, the preferred transport is by golf cart .... After all the island is only five miles long, and what’s your hurry anyway? Remember, this isn’t just Mexico, it’s Caribbean Mexico.
Offshore is a wild blue yonder with some of the best diving and fishing along the Riviera Maya. On Playa Norte, the water is blue enough to make the sky look pale. On the south side of the island are Mayan ruins and nearby the most touristed touch of all: El Garrafón, a water park that shovels in the tourists off cruise ships. But after the ships have departed, the town slumbers under its coconut palms.
Meet the neighbors
When you master Spanish, you’ll meet the islanders, many of them fishermen. In typical Mexican fashion, Isla villagers love a celebration. One of the biggest events is Diá de los Muertos, held in early November. Locals go to the cemetery to eat, drink and sing to the memory of their departed.
You know it’s an island when ...
There’s a traffic jam every morning in front of the navy base, where sailors unroll and raise the Mexican flag. Or your shopping plans in Cancún are cancelled, because of rough seas (the ferry isn’t running).
Escape clause
Cancún is a half-hour by ferry and an hour south is Playa del Carmen and Cozumel. From Cancún, you can also fly to Mexico City or Houston for big-city weekends.
Size: 3 square miles
Population: 14,500
Median Home Price: $199,000
KOH SAMUI
Only an hour from Bangkok, Koh Samui and the surrounding islands are the bit of tropical Thailand that time (and the crowds) seem to have left alone.
Why move here?
Anyone pondering a move to Koh Samui should rent The Beach, the Leo DiCaprio film set on the dreamy Thai island of Phi Phi, which was a stand-in for Koh Samui. Ignore the Hollywood melodrama about sharks and drug runners and concentrate on the backdrop: the golden sand, the softness of the southeast Asian sky and water in shades of teal, tiger-beetle green and peacock blue. That part of the movie is real.
Samui society is increasingly multicultural. It is easy to mix with the Chao Samui (as the native islanders are called), who have a high literacy rate and often speak English. Join the fun at Songkran, the annual Thai New Year celebration, which is three days of good-natured water fights and feasting. “If you haven’t got a BIG water gun, your street cred goes out the window,” says realtor Wesley Morlham, a local veteran of the water wars.
You know it’s an island when ...
You get tired of phanaeng gai (spicy chicken curry). Thai food is yummy, but a steady diet of chili can wreak havoc with unaccustomed innards.
Escape clause
Direct flights to Bangkok and the island of Phuket are about an hour.
Size: 95 square miles
Population: 40,000
Median Home Price: $100,000
EXUMA
One of the less visited Bahamas, Exuma retains its slow pace, even though it’s only 250 miles from Miami. Drop anchor, cast a line, or dance away the days.
Why move here?
Exuma is a waterman’s paradise, with secluded coves for picnicking or fishing; and George Town’s Family Island Regatta, where local fishing boats vie for bragging rights, is a big party every April. Waste away days bonefishing at the world-renowned Exuma flats. Or plunge into what Mark O’Brien calls the “most beautiful, impossible-to-describe water in the world.” Four years ago, O’Brien and his wife moved to Great Exuma from Kentucky, spending $450,000 on a 25-year-old beachside bungalow at Tar Bay, six miles from George Town.
Exuma is the place to go if you want to remain relatively close to the U.S. mainland yet like the idea of splashing in a turquoise-water paradise and immersing yourself in a different culture.
Meet the neighbors
Exuma’s largest landowner and slave owner was Lord Rolle; when he freed his slaves, he gave them land, and many took his name. West African traditions prosper in the form of goombay music, Jump-In-Dance, and Junkanoo, where revelers parade in colorful costumes and make music with goat-skin drums, cowbells, horns and whistles.
You know it’s an island when ...
You look forward to Mondays, when rake ’n’ scrape music plays at Eddie’s Edgewater.
Escape clause
Other Out Islands are easily accessible and Nassau is 25 minutes by air. It’s a 90-minute flight to Miami or Fort Lauderdale.
Size: 61 square miles
Population: 3,570; 5,000 (winter)
Median Home Price: $575,000
HVAR
Long warm days, old stone homes, vineyards and fields of lavender. Welcome to life on Hvar. Croatia’s little island in the Adriatic is safe, affordable and, well, intoxicating.
Why move here?
Floating just off Croatia’s drop-dead gorgeous Dalmatian coast, Hvar is far different from the other islands featured in this story: Think olive trees, fields of lavender, vineyards and rocky shores. But what Hvar shares with the other islands may surprise you: With an average of nearly eight hours of sunshine per day and water temperatures that hover around 70 degrees for at least half the year, it has one of Europe’s best climates.
Hvar, with a fairly homogenous population, was spared the ethnic and religious violence that decimated other parts of the region. Croatia is scheduled to join the European Union in 2009 or 2010 and the euro will become standard currency.
The “in” thing to do now is buy a 17th-century stone farmhouse, plant a few grapes and cork your own vintage. Londoner Tim Coulson moved here in 2004 and did just that. “Now I wake up in the morning to the beautiful, crystal-clear blue sea, big green hills, clean air and lots of old stone,” he says.
Meet the neighbors
Easter Week is the biggest annual bash and newcomers are welcome to join Za Krizem, a candlelight procession between five villages held the night before Good Friday. If you want to score points with the neighbors, bake the traditional Hvar cake made from saffron, honey and coriander.
You know it’s an island when ...
There are no quick conversations. “On Hvar,” says Coulson, “all business is done with coffee — before, during or after.” Translation: Be patient as you house hunt.
Escape clause
Dubrovnik — one of Europe’s most intact Renaissance cities — is only 30 minutes away by high-speed ferry. During the summer, there are also ferries to Ancona and Pescara, Italy.
Size: 115 square miles
Population: 11,500; 55,000 (summer)
Median Home Price: $279,000
VANUA LEVU
If you want to get off the tourist track but not stray too far from superb diving, cool waterfalls and friendly villages, Vanua Levu is the Fiji that you’ve always imagined.
Why move here?
If vanishing from the planet sits anywhere near the top of your to-do list, Vanua Levu may be the island for you. This second largest Fijian isle remains pleasantly undiscovered and thoroughly unpretentious.
The mountainous island is smothered in jungle and surrounded by a labyrinth of coral reefs and some of the world’s best diving. Much of the island is accessible only by foot or boat, and along vast stretches of shoreline you’ll never hear the din of traffic. Follow a trail up into the hills and you could end up at a waterfall with a clear cold pool or at a natural hot spring.
Meet the neighbors
As on the big island (Viti Levu), the population of Vanua Levu is about evenly split between native Fijians and Indians. The former tend to live in villages, the latter in Labasa and other towns. “The Fijians,” says Boernke, “like to talanoa” — which means talk a lot — mostly by enjoying their beloved bowl of kava and sharing legends. Don’t be fazed when your neighbors (both expat and locals) drop in at any hour of the day to borrow anything they darn well please. Fiji’s village life is founded on a communal culture where everything from meals to most property items are shared.
You know it’s an island when ...
You find yourself poaching yellowfin tuna over one of the steaming volcanic “hot spots” around Savusavu that many locals still use for cooking.
Escape clause
There are dozens of smaller islands around Vanua Levu that make excellent weekend escapes. Try surfing world-famous Taveuni or if you crave an urban experience, hop the puddle-jumper to Nadi (home to the international airport), just an hour’s flight away on Viti Levu.
Size: 2,140 square miles
Population: 130,000
Median Home Price: $150,000
Best Regards....
The 5 best islands to live on??
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