Sitting about halfway down the Lesser Antilles, the small island of Saint Lucia is a tropical getaway unlike many others – the forested, mountainous terrain remains relatively undiscovered by the legions of tourists that cover the rest of the region. Surrounded by the Caribbean Sea on the West coast and the Atlantic Ocean to the East, St Lucia is home to a blend of French, British and more traditional Caribbean styles in culture, architecture and cuisine. Whilst the island does see a fair few tourists arriving, most are merely stop offs for cruise liners and the country’s economy is still dominated by the banana industry, though tourism is fast catching up with the now-struggling industry.

First settled by Arawak Indians from around 1000 to 500BC, St Lucia was invaded by the Carib who eliminated the Arawak and created settlements. Unlike on many other Caribbean islands, the Carib were able to repel attempts at settlement by the Spanish and French until 1746 when the French finally established their first settlement, after negotiations with the locals. By 1778 the British invaded and this began 36 years of the island see-sawing between control of the two battling nations until control was ceded to the British in 1814. The French influence on culture still stands today, and one main reason for this is that the British occupiers were slow to oust the French way of life from the island, and it was many years until English was instilled as the island’s official language. By 1967 St Lucia had internal autonomy, and by 1979 the country attained full independence, remaining in the British Commonwealth. Recent years have not been so kind to the island, and the main export industry of bananas has been on the decline thanks to EU rulings in the early 90s and a World Trade Organisation ruling in 2005, which have left the country unable to compete with the larger economical clout of countries like South Africa. Nevertheless, the country is set to sort itself out, with tourism becoming ever bigger in the region and the economy slowly recovering – reforms to the banana industry are also planned, and St Lucia will hopefully have a brighter future to look forward to.

Whilst the country has taken something of an economic battering over the last decade or so, the country remains utterly beautiful and generally unspoilt. There are a great deal of opportunities for potential off plan investors to put their money into the country, and the government are pushing for foreign investment to help things get back on track. Friendly people and an absorbing culture just add to the benefits!

The standards of healthcare in Saint Lucia are generally very good, but cost of treatment can be prohibitive. Health insurance is essential.

Mobile phone coverage stretches across the country. Landlines are widely available and lines are of a decent standard. A few internet cafes are available.