'St Lucia is a special place': Why you should retire to the Caribbean

St Lucia is special – you can’t beat the climate, the island lifestyle and it's easy to make friends here."
Andy de Verteuil, retiree, Cap Estate.

Cap Estate, a development of around 400 properties situated in the north of St Lucia with two luxury golf courses and a country club, is hugely popular with retired people.

The area is renowned for being quiet and offers a thriving community with around 80% of homes there permanently occupied and 20% which are let for holidays and lived in by their owners a couple of months of the year.

Cap Estate has the appealing town Rodney Bay and its shops and restaurants close by and although the Hewanorra International Airport is a couple of hours drive away situated in the south, you can make the journey by helicopter at the cost of a couple of hundred $US.

Andy de Verteuil, who hails from Barbados, travelled to St Lucia extensively throughout his career as an engineer and when it came to buying a retirement home, said the island was 'his favourite choice.'

"St Lucia is a beautiful island as everybody knows. I have been living here almost 10 years as a retiree and I love it because of everything that goes with retirement life.

"Being retired I keep busy and one of my pastimes is golf and we have two lovely courses right here in Cap Estate.

"I also keep busy doing a lot of volunteer charity work. I am involved in the youth football club in the Gros Ilet village; we have a programme there for over 40 boys and girls."

Sandals Golf and Country Club, Cap Estate, St Lucia. Pic: Brown&Co

"There are many places that are ideal for retirement but St Lucia is special – you can’t beat the climate, the island lifestyle and it's easy to make friends here. 

"I have met many local people and expats in St Lucia who have become very good friends, together we enjoy a very good social life. We dine out, we have beach parties, boat rides - it all makes living here so special."

Andy de Verteuil on the balcony at the Country Club at Cap Estate - just a couple of minutes' walk from his home.

Mr de Verteuil, who is President of the Cap Estate Residents' Association, said he'd never return to his former home.

"St Lucia has become home to me now, my children, grown up who live abroad, love to come here with our grandchildren and spend holidays - that’s another plus.

"For retirees or anyone living here in Cap Estate, it’s very convenient; five minutes away in Rodney Bay we have everything we need, there are excellent medical facilities; doctors and dentists as well as other amenities such as grocery stores, banks, insurance companies, restaurants and nightlife."

Mr de Verteuil said around 20% of the properties in Cap Estate were let for holidaymakers and used by the owners for a few months of the year to escape the winters back home. However, the majority of Cap Estate was lived in by people permanently.

There was still a lot of vacant land in the area, he said. "Supply still outstrips demand so now is the time to buy."

If you are retiring and considering living abroad, please contact Asnia Ste Marie, office manager in our St Lucia office, for information on suitable properties for sale. You can contact Asnia by emailing asnia@brown-co.com or calling her on 001 758 451 6151 or 001 758 716 7133.

St Lucia homes for sale