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Did you get the latest ISLANDS eNewsletter? It’s your gateway to the new Best Islands to Live On Finder. Use this interactive calculator to find your dream island life. Plus, contests, free wallpaper and more. Sign up for the free ISLANDS eNewsletter and have exclusive editorial content and the best island deals delivered to your inbox every week.
Tags: eNewsletter
Best Islands to Live On 2009
Great island real estate runs anywhere from $55,000 for a house on Langkawi to $3.4 million for a mansion on Maui. And there are island homes to be had at any price range in between, like a $169,000 two-bedroom bungalow on Florida’s Big Pine Key and a $330,000 four-bedroom home with private beach on Palau. We feature some of our favorite island real-estate listings — and the stories of expats living the island life — in the Best Islands to Live On 2009 list. I just added it to the ISLANDS magazine Best Islands to Live On archives on Scribd. Best deal of all: This whole 10-island feature is only a buck. (You can find our 2008 and 2007 lists too.)
Tags: Big Pine Key, Hawaii, Langkawi, Maui, Palau
Where to go next?
Our top 5 picks are coming from the Best Islands to Live On database. Whether your retirement is tomorrow or far in the future, start planning or start dreaming with these places for where you can enjoy the true golden years.
1. Ambergris Caye, Belize
With good island homes starting at less than $100,000, the islands of Belize are popular not just for travelers, but for retiring expats too. Ambergris Caye features much of what people love about the Caribbean, crossed with Central America and all still very accessible from the grandkids in Texas. Direct flights from Dallas to Belize are very reasonable.
Tags: Ambergris Caye, Aruba, Belize, Crete, Greece, Hawaii, Maui, Nevis
British Virgin Island's Oil Nut Bay
In the new Best Islands to Live On issue of ISLANDS magazine, we showcased 10 destinations with real-estate listings for your dream move. We also have links to 50 islands in our Best Islands to Live On directory. But if that’s still not enough for you — and I understand that the more choices you have, the better — here are even more Best Islands to Live On for your consideration.
Tags: Bahamas, BVI, Caribbean, Turks and Caicos
On the islands.com home page, we just now posed the question, “Which Do You Think Is the Best Island to Live On”? We actually don’t rank them in the Best Islands to Live On issue (yet), preferring instead to highlight 10 islands we recommend and letting readers find the best ones for them. I’d love to hear what your personal best islands to live on would be. In the meantime, here are mine:
1. Waiheke, New Zealand
The green hills, the beaches, the cottages, the no stop signs. Sold! And yes, that’s the island on our new cover.
2. St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Here’s an island that was a web-only offering on the 2008 Best Islands to Live On list. Love the ease of having no immigration hurdles and the less touristy vibe.
3. Taveuni, Fiji
Just the idea of saying, “Yes, I live in Fiji,” is incredible motivation. The story of an expat who made it happen despite some rough personal circumstances is even more inspiring.
4. Big Pine Key, Florida
To be honest, with family and job, an island move isn’t happening in the near future — unless it’s a move to an island surprisingly close yet with that faraway feel.
5. Nevis
Then again, that $3.5 million hillside home overlooking this Caribbean gem is hard to pass up…
Best Islands to Live On 2009
Today the “Best Islands to Live On” issue of ISLANDS magazine goes on sale at newsstands, bookstores and airports across the country. We took a different approach to this cover, trying to celebrate just how exciting it can be to move to an island. Whether you like the cover or not, let us know. You can reach the ISLANDS editors in whichever way you prefer:
We love to hear from fellow island travelers. Hope you enjoy the new Best Islands to Live On issue!
The annual list of the Best Islands to Live On is the most popular issue here at ISLANDS magazine. Here is the introduction from the new issue:
Your Cayman Islands home?
Is This Your Island Home?
Go ahead and put yourself in this photo. Imagine this is your home. If doing so is a stretch, that’s understandable. Today’s headlines encourage thoughts of staying put, shelving dreams and being grateful for what you have. To dare ponder living on an island right now may seem indulgent.
Still, go ahead. Consider the island life because, chances are, you’re halfway to it already. Living on an island starts with a re-evaluation of life’s basic needs, though not just those that merely target survival. I’m talking about basic needs that target, well, living. You know, aspects of life that make you feel happy, alive and content with your place on this planet. Moments that evoke a snapshot in your mind burned to memory forever. Those life essentials.
They could be all that separate you from expats already enjoying the island life. Their stories of finding island real-estate to live the island life serve as more than just “lucky them” teases. From kiteboard instructors to business owners, they decided to take the plunge by ignoring headlines, expectations and ad-driven promises of happiness. They took a higher perch, cleared their heads and simply asked: “What aspects of life truly make me happy? Where will such things play a greater role in my life?”
Having lived on several islands, I know these questions well. They resurfaced while assembling this issue and discovering things like a two-bedroom house on Crete can start at about $170,000, or that it’s easy to immigrate to Palau, or that locals on Nevis are said to live to be 120 years old. All such things speak to why these islands represent more than an indulgent dream. They’re an alternative way of life — perhaps your life. One that’s well within reach and satisfies your basic needs — all of them. So go on, put yourself in this photo. For real. — Eddy Patricelli, editor, editor@islands.com
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