One fraction costs from about £60,000 for a semi-detached cottage, with a 75-year government lease which may be renewable.Cricket fans who like sailing might prefer The Landings, a marina resort on Rodney Bay. These benefits make now the best time to invest in the West Indies for the foreseeable future.One of the most unusual new developments under construction on St Lucia is Calabash Cove, a place designed to relax in after the stress of the match. The low-rise apartment blocks employ a Mexican/Caribbean style of architecture, with arcades on the ground floor and big verandas above. All will have a mooring on a new lagoon dredged out of the sand.Prices at The Landings start at about £250,000 for a one-bed apartment, rising to £600,000 for a three-bed unit overlooking the bay. "There will be direct benefits in the form of new developments, roads and so on, and we are offering special incentives to developers to increase the number of beds."These include a tax holiday on rental income for a period and duty-free import of construction materials, Hilaire explains.
India will be based in Trinidad and Tobago, and Australia in St Kitts and Nevis. St Lucia has pulled out the plum booking, however: hosting the England team. This means the island is likely to be overrun with the Barmy Army, the 15,000 fans who have made bar-owners round the world rich overnight."It will bring tremendous benefits to the island," says Ernest Hilaire of the St Lucia government team that put together the proposal to host the tournament. The Cricket World Cup goes to the West Indies in 2007 - and the desperate need for rooms for the legions of fans makes now the best time ever to invest in the area. According to some estimates, the host countries expect to benefit to the tune of £300m over the next three years from the event.
To ensure there are enough rooms to cope with the crowds, island governments are offering tax breaks to developers to encourage them to complete their schemes before the competition starts, and owners of rental properties can expect to get top dollar when the time comes. Or, of course, they can stay there themselves and gloat about the money they save. For most people, running their own fishing business has to remain an archetypal dream."Waterside Properties International, 01903 850017, Clearwater Lakes, 020-8699 5310 /00 33 297 394 266, Paradise Lakes, 020-7407 4550, Francophiles, 01622 688165, VEF (UK), 020-7515 8660, . He attributes his success to the fact that he bought early, while prices were low, and did his research: "This kind of business takes years to build up. I don't make pots of money but I've gained many regular clients over the years, which makes it easier."Morrell took three years to find a suitable location but, subject to planning consent, there are properties with lakes attached for those who are prepared to search hard and have an ample budget. Francophiles find that few properties with lakes ever come onto the market but currently has a trout farm with lake for sale, which comes with its own converted watermill and two cottages set in 42 acres, near Aurillac, in the Cantal region, at €435,880.VEF is marketing a 10-acre property, currently operating as a fishing business, with lakes, woodland and two-storey house which needs renovating for €229,930.
