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The 5 best islands to live on
What are you waiting for? Live the dream!
 | The sun sets near Playa Norte on Isla Mujeres, an island off the Yucatan Coast, Mexico. On the island, it's possible to enjoy a luxurious remoteness and local flavor, at a relatively low cost. |
Anja Schlein / AP file |
Ditch the watch. Forward your mail. And don’t worry about the bank account. If moving to an exotic island has been one of those things that you have (big sigh) always dreamed about, here’s some good news: It’s not that hard to do. On these five islands, you can still buy a bit of paradise for less than it might cost for a summer rental in the Hamptons. Internet access is (fairly) reliable, the natives are friendly and the governments are stable. If you do get island fever, there are cities less than 60 minutes away. So what are you waiting for? The hardest thing might be choosing which island to call home.
ISLA MUJERES
This tiny island off the Yucatán Peninsula blends the soul of Mexico with the beaches of the Caribbean. This is a hammock-swinging lifestyle, peppered with Mayan legends.
Why move here?
Only eight miles from hyperactive Cancún, Isla Mujeres is a throwback to Mexico’s more innocent days, a time when you might have driven a VW bus down the Yucatán Peninsula, slept beneath a million stars and cooked fish tacos over an open fire. Isla, as it is known, is a casual place that has added a few conveniences without sacrificing its Mexican soul. You can still wander sandy, unpaved roads into villages where fishermen are mending their nets. Hammocks take the place of beds in colorful, Caribbean-style casas; and to get from point A to B, the preferred transport is by golf cart .... After all the island is only five miles long, and what’s your hurry anyway? Remember, this isn’t just Mexico, it’s Caribbean Mexico.
At the same time, compact downtown Isla speaks to the hungry, restless traveler, with its bric-a-brac shops, taquerias and family-run hotels. In the evenings on Avenida Hidalgo and Avenida Rueda Medina, beef sizzles, ready for taco orders; fresh seafood is marinated for ceviche. As you sip tequila at La Adelita (150 different kinds), you’ll hear the cries of “arroz con leche,” locals selling rice pudding.
Offshore is a wild blue yonder with some of the best diving and fishing along the Riviera Maya. On Playa Norte, the water is blue enough to make the sky look pale. On the south side of the island are Mayan ruins and nearby the most touristed touch of all: El Garrafón, a water park that shovels in the tourists off cruise ships. But after the ships have departed, the town slumbers under its coconut palms.
Meet the neighbors
When you master Spanish, you’ll meet the islanders, many of them fishermen. In typical Mexican fashion, Isla’s villagers love a celebration. One of the biggest events is Diá de los Muertos, held in early November. Locals go to the cemetery to eat, drink and sing to the memory of their departed.
You know it’s an island when ...
There’s a traffic jam every morning in front of the navy base, where sailors unroll and raise the Mexican flag. Or your shopping plans in Cancún are cancelled, because of rough seas (the ferry isn’t running).
Escape clause
Cancún is a half-hour by ferry and an hour south is Playa del Carmen and Cozumel. From Cancún, you can also fly to Mexico City or Houston for big-city weekends.
Size: 3 square miles
Population: 14,500
Median Home Price: $199,000
On Isla, houses are cheap compared with property on other Caribbean islands. But purchase soon. According to Mary Grace Henry of Caribbean Realty & Travel Ent., property is appreciating steeply. Foreigners can only purchase property by setting up a trust with a local bank (or the Mexican branch of an international bank); or you can set up a Mexican corporation. For listings, see www.caribbeanrealtytravel.com.
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