There are 15 members of the Commonwealth of the Caribbean. In an era of global mass tourism they are all trading on the picture perfect image of white sandy beaches, palm trees, clear skies and warm turquoise seas; however one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to assume all the islands are pretty much the same!

There are differences in population, size, income and GDP. Some islands such as Jamaica have been tarnished by a bad crime record, some such as the Bahamas and Haiti have been hit by hurricanes and there are even slight differences in the weather. Therefore, like every property decision, doing your homework is essential!

Most property developments around the world, and indeed in the Caribbean, are anchored around a golf course. This is the first area where Antigua, which is part of the English speaking Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, roughly 17 degrees north of the equator, is different.

Ever since Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493 and the legendary Admiral Horatio Nelson set up base in English Harbour in 1784, sailing has been the main attraction on the island of Antigua and each April the island is teeming with yachts and sailors for Antigua Sailing Week . . . one of the top three regattas in the world.

In November, Dutch company La Perla Living, the creator of luxury international developments around the world, announced the launch of the second phase of its development at the secluded NonSuch Bay on the East of the island.

As part of phase two, 56 hillside apartments and nine exclusive town houses have been released in the gated private estate, two minutes walk from the sea.

"The privacy afforded by the surrounding hills gives a sense of serenity and exclusivity, which has certainly contributed to the outstanding success of the first phase at NonSuch Bay. This new phase is now offering an even wider range of exclusive homes . . . from beachside to hillside, apartments to townhouses and expansive plots for luxury villas, " says Meri Braziel, La Perla Living's marketing manager.

The three-bed waterfront townhouses are available from $825,000 [ 686,650] and one- and two-bedroom apartments are available from approximately 273,000 and 368,000 respectively. A few villa plots are also still available starting at 436,000.

Designed to blend in with local architecture the properties are spaced out along the beach and in the hills overlooking the sea and are set in 16 hectares of exotic palm and banana trees.

The properties have been finished to the highest standards with interior design by Spanish designers Marbella Living Interiors, Italian designed kitchens, American stainless steel appliances and bathrooms with spa baths and French windows opening out onto wide wraparound verandas.

All owners are entitled to use the facilities of Club La Perla Living, a concierge service of sorts for residents.

Members also enjoy discounted rates at selected boutiques, golf courses and restaurants as well as preferential treatment at NonSuch Bay's on-site La Perla Beach Cafe, which overlooks the sea.

Other on-site facilities include shops, the La Perla Clubhouse, a communal pool, tennis courts, a boat dock with room for 25 vessels and the La Perla Beach Club.

Cricket is the national sport in Antigua so expect to see plenty of bats around during the cricket season from January to May. There are three public golf courses nearby but during Sailing Week yachts become second nature around Nelson's Dockyard, which has been completely restored, and it is now the only Georgian dockyard in the world.

When it comes to the Caribbean Islands size also matters. The larger islands such as Jamaica and the Dominican Republic may have bigger infrastructures because of their size but they also lack the seclusion and sense of ease that the smaller islands possess.

Antigua is one of the smaller islands with 442sq km and has 153km of coastline, including 365 beaches [one for every day of the year] and has still retained its local intimate character and sense of security.

While it may be small, Antigua is also one of the most affluent of the smaller islands. It enjoys the highest per-capita income in the Eastern Caribbean and the absence of personal income tax results in a higher level of disposable income than most Caribbean countries.

Blue signs with yellow stars are commonplace across Ireland as the EU has funded many projects across the country but I was surprised to come across them in Antigua.

However the development of European-Caribbean links was recently increased by the announcement this year of 110 million EU funding for the area to promote private sector business.

PROFIT is an initiative introduced by the European Commission which plans to promote investment in tourism and support partnerships between European and Caribbean enterprises, through joint partnerships and ventures.

While we were on the island some Europeans who had moved to the area reported that it was difficult to get quality long term rental accommodation on the island, even for those being housed by their companies, therefore as the number of Western businesses increase on the island, property developments such as NonSuch Bay may offer luxury rental opportunities for those seeking accommodation and potential revenue for owners.

But why should Irish buyers and investors, on the other side of the Atlantic choose Antigua over the multitude of developments on similarly sized islands in the Caribbean?

The answer is "diversity" says Harold Lovell, the Antiguan Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation.

"Antigua offers geographical diversity . . . because of Antigua's geology you get the mountainous South West and at the same time the flat coral lined North East and that in itself allows for a diversity of scenery. That kind of diversity you don't get in many places, " says Lovell.

The island also offers peace, comfort, security and good weather adds Lovell. "Antigua still has a relatively low crime rate, " he reports, "we still have that feeling of security and I don't want to lose it." Climate wise Antigua is officially classified as the sunniest and driest in the Eastern Caribbean and although temperatures are generally in the mid 80s it benefits from the cooling effect of the trade winds.

Tourism is the largest contributor to the island's GDP and according to government statistics agriculture and fisheries have dropped from 40% of GDP in the 1960s to about 12% today. While the manufacturing of sugar was previously the big cash spinner, tourism now accounts for over 50% of revenue. The World Travel & Tourism Council's Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Monitor has awarded Antigua as being one of the top 10 most open economies for tourism.

Some 28% of tourists travelling to Antigua come from the UK and Ireland, however nearly two-fifths come from the US. Therefore after the 9/11 terrorist attacks when Americans did not travel, tourism and therefore the economy of Antigua and the Caribbean in general, suffered a slump.

However in recent years this has begun to turn around.

In 2004 statistics from the World Tourism Organisation showed that revenue from tourism rose by 7.5% in general across the Caribbean, however in Antigua growth was higher at 12.3%.

"We have a very investorfriendly climate and recognise the need for foreign direct investment to drive the economy, " says Lovell. The Antiguan government has stated that it wishes to become the "best brand in the Caribbean" and wants to target upscale tourism rather than mass market tourism in areas such as Mexico or Cuba.

In order to nurture this they have launched a number of initiatives such as a Tourism Transformation Taskforce to draw up long term plans, an island-wide poster campaign to promote courtesy and customer service towards tourists and training and educational programmes to educate young people in the industry.

Flights to Antigua are not yet direct from Dublin, however BMI flies from Manchester, from Heathrow BWIA flies twice weekly and out of Gatwick British Airways flies daily and Virgin Atlantic flies twice weekly.

The average flight to Antigua from the UK takes eight hours. Minister Lovell also reports that the airport is being redeveloped in time for the Cricket World Cup in 2007.

When buying a property in NonSuch Bay the main costs incurred include obtaining a Non-Citizens Licence, stamp duty and legal costs which should be respectively estimated at 5%, 2.5% and 1% of the property's value. As a guide the costs for purchasing a $300,000 [ 250,000] property would be $25,500 [ 21,200]. A withholding tax of 25% of net rental value is payable to the Antiguan Inland Revenue by all nonresident property owners.

Property management fees are usually on average 10% of the rental value for longterm lets and 20% for shortterm lets. Antigua Villa Rentals is currently advertising three-bed luxury villas for rent at US$10,500 per week in high season from December to May and US$8,400 per week the rest of the year. For apartments www. antiguanice. com advertises one-bed apartments for US$225 per night in high season and US$140 per night in low season while two-bed apartments fetch US$295 per night and US$185 per night respectively.

However properties at NonSuch Bay, which will be luxurious in nature, may possibly command higher prices, especially as the area develops, as many other large developments are also taking place across the island, such as the $28m expansion of the Sandals Antigua Resort and a large project by Italian developers which we could see taking shape up the coast from NonSuch Bay.

Cruising around the South coast of the island the sight of the nearby island of Montserrat is a timely reminder of how delicate the area can be.

Once a retreat for the rich and famous the island was battered by hurricanes and in 1995 the volcano erupted and destroyed much of the island and small ash clouds can still be seen over the crater. Luckily in Antigua, guarded by its reefs, it has not been damaged by any hurricane activity and is not burdened by volcanoes, however all properties are built to hurricane standards and in the event of any storm damage insurance is built into the price.

With its dependence on tourism the island appears to be putting a lot of effort into developing its economy long term and with an already affluent population, a diverse climate and geology and a secure environment Antigua appears to have it all and with NonSuch Bay moving into its second phase Irish buyers can now get a piece of it for themselves.

IRISH JOIN THE JET SET

MANY celebrities have flocked to Antigua to set up home, with Giorgio Armani buying a $3.7m retreat, Timothy Dalton buying a second home and Eric Clapton owns a whole headland with a large sprawling mansion and has even set up the Crossroads Centre, which is an addiction and rehab clinic for those who have overindulged on life.

Along with such luminaries, Irish recruitment consultant Katherine Grace, from Tipperary, also bought a property in Antigua. "The stuff is all five star, " says Katherine who bought an apartment in NonSuch Bay during phase one.

She was particularly impressed with the Club La Perla Living concept. "If we were going over and we asked them to have dinner at five o'clock they will have dinner waiting for you in your apartment." Katherine bought her one bedroom apartment for $250,000 last year and already she says she has had it valued at over $300,000.