The are good London links to Nassau in the Bahamas which is also well-served from Miami

The are good London links to Nassau in the Bahamas, which is also well-served from Miami if you are happy with a connection. Communal pool.Agent: Savills, 020-7824 9030.Fact FileMost direct flights from the UK to the Caribbean take about nine hours.One of the best-served islands for direct flights from London is Barbados – Virgin’s economy return of just over £400 if you book two months in advance makes the region more affordable than many believe. The infrastructure does not always keep pace the with new developments; for example, Barbados traffic jams take on M25 proportions, while a few airports on smaller islands struggle to cope with increased tourist traffic in peak winter season.And remember that tropical storms lash the Caribbean most summers, although many developments are in relatively secure locations – and the World Cup takes place well before the bad weather starts.The solutionProperty one: Apartment in Emerald Cove Resort, NonSuch Bay, AntiguaPrice: From £268,620Agent’s details: Just being completed on the east coast of Antigua, 12 miles from the island’s airport, this resort is set in 190 acres of land in one of the best sheltered bays on the island. Caribbean governments are welcoming developers with open arms as they try to get income in place of declining industries.I have visited five Caribbean islands in 18 months and there is evidence that bland “global” designs from international builders are starting to replace local ones. Annual land tax can be high, especially on Barbados, while new developments can levy steep service charges – £20,000 a year is not unknown for flats in new resorts with boat shelters, hurricane-proof facilities and good security.Despite the costs, demand is high, especially from Britons and Americans.

Rules vary from place to place but usually foreigners require permission from the island government. This is often a formality but is expensive – Grenada, for example, charges up to 10 per cent of the purchase price of a house for issuing the licence to buy it.Buyers also pay stamp duty and transfer tax, up to 5 per cent of the purchase price, plus legal fees of up to 2 per cent. Different matches are going to be played in different Caribbean countries, so I am looking forward to island-hopping. But how much should I expect to pay for a property? Which islands are best for travelling directly to and from the UK? Is it easy to travel between the islands? Can you reassure me that this is a sensible move, and not one induced by the euphoria of England’s winning The Ashes?
The adviceGRAHAM NORWOOD REPLIES: Only you can judge whether this is a logical or emotional purchase, but plenty of Britons have committed to the Caribbean.There is huge choice. Although the Bahamas has many luxurious homes it also has some of the cheapest properties in the region, some in routine resorts lining the coast but also timeshares linked to premium-brand hotels allowing owners to use their facilities.

Unlike other Caribbean islands, most local homes are well maintained. While many coastal chattels were snapped up, knocked down and replaced by developments, those that remain sit side-by-side with large houses invariably owned by Britons or Americans.It is easy to buy on almost all Caribbean islands, although fees can be high. Most good-quality holiday homes are £450,000 to £4m or more, although for each property like that there are a dozen “chattel houses”, small homes for the 270,000 locals. Antigua is also quite cheap, although recent developments have attempted to take it upmarket.At the other end of the scale is Barbados, which lists Cilla Black, Cliff Richard and Gary Lineker among its second-home owners. The problem

STEVE DOYLE OF TRING WRITES: I am a cricket nut and I love the Caribbean, so I am going to pull down equity from my Hertfordshire house and buy a holiday home there in good time for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Tonight, however, the runarounds of FC Thun line up alongside the Ferraris of European football when they face Arsenal at Highbury in the Champions’ League. No wonder there is such strong demand for houseboats, especially in London where moorings are scarce.