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The villas at Jalousie Plantation have one of the most magnificent settings in the Caribbean. They stand on the hillside, among massive tropical trees and flowering plants, with views that stretch for miles, west down to the Caribbean Sea, and north onto the 2500 ft, burnt black flank of the Petit Piton, which dwarfs the whole magnificent valley.
A total of 160-180 villas, Single villas, One-bedroom villas and Double villas (a Double is a Single and a One-bedroom villa combined) will be built over the coming years. In fact the villas are actually the ‘rooms’ of the resort, but they are undergoing a complete rebuild - everything but the walls is being rebuilt. They are being enlarged, opened out and sharpened in style to create a completely different feel in contemporary plantation style.
Inside, bedrooms and sitting rooms have been clad with tropical hardwood, given traditional frames around the doors, dado rails and pitched wooden ceilings with uplighters. The bathrooms have been enlarged with a tub, a large outdoor shower and a double vanity and marble floors and a separate lavatory. Outside, the cottages still have a stone footing with clapboard walls, gingerbread trim and pretty cedar shingle roofs, but a covered marble deck with armchairs has been added and the pool has been expanded. Villas have also been fitted with modern comforts, such as air-conditioning (in the bedroom and bathrooms) and wifi. There are no kitchens, but the hotel runs an all-inclusive plan and during their stays guests are entitled to use all the facilities of the resort.
Single villas are for two people. They consist of a large bedroom, a suite in fact, a covered veranda with daybeds, a table and chairs, a pool (small, but larger than a plunge pool) and a deck with loungers. They are 1268 square feet in size, 788 square feet of which is covered. One-bedroom villas are the same but for the addition of a sitting room with a foldout double bed. The villa can actually sleep four if you are travelling with your family. One-bedroom villas are 1330 sq ft, 960 of which is covered. Double Villas are combination of the Single Villa and a One-bedroom villa, giving a space with two master bedrooms and master bathrooms and two pools, which can sleep six. The Double Villa is 2598 sq ft in total, of which 1748 is covered.
It is worth noting that the development of the new villas is taking place in line with the status of the area as a Unesco World Heritage Site, in which it is not permitted ‘to expose the villa to the bay’. Trimming and cleaning up of trees and undergrowth is allowed, but of course the trees themselves have been maintained.
The villas are all set on the hillside, which is quite steep in places, in a curve above and behind the central areas of the resort – the Reception and the Great House close to the beach. The whole of the resort is under gradual redevelopment, starting with the higher numbered clusters (which are also situated higher up the hill). The first phase has included villas in the 700, 800 and 900 section. Most of these villas have already been sold.
Phase II will start - with the 600s and then heading steadily down the hill - when the first phase is finished. Eventually the Sugar Mill close to the Great Room will be converted into a series of villas and a handful of new villas will be constructed south along the shorefront along from the main beach.
Finally there is room for some independent new villas, larger in size but still following the same contemporary plantation design as the rest of the resort. An additional eight plots are available, in a separate gated community higher up the hill closer to the entrance to the resort, around the small golf course area. These villas may contain kitchens and are very likely to have nothing formal to do with the hotel, though they will be able to use some of it facilities.
The redevelopment work is being carried out by Caribbean architects Lane Pettigrew, who have done a great deal of work in St Lucia over the years. They were the original builders of the Jalousie resort in the mid 1990s.
The Villas of Jalousie Plantation are for sale at US$485,000 for a Single Villa, at around US$610,000 for a One-bedroom villa and at around US$1.2 million for a Double Villa. Ownership of the villa is outright but it must be returned to the rental pool of the hotel when the owners are not in residence. As a part of their package owners are permitted four weeks on an all-inclusive basis - with all the facilities of the hotel at their disposal. |
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Jalousie Plantation Hotel
Jalousie Plantation is an all-inclusive hotel and so when you are resident all meals, drinks and the on-property activities and facilities are free of charge.
The facilities are extensive. These include a pool, beach restaurant (Bayside) and watersports shop down by the beach (with waterskiing, windsurfing, small sailing and kayaking) and above it the Great Room, where you will find an elegant formal dining room (The Plantation Room) as well as the regular dining room (The Verandah Terrace), a bar and a nightclub (The Palm Court Bar). Another waterfront restaurant (The Pier) is situated on a deck in the south of the property. There is also a children’s centre and a dedicated wedding co-ordinator.
Other facilities, higher up in the resort, include a fitness room, a tennis court and a squash court. Close by, the Rainforest Oasis takes full advantage of magnificent setting of the hotel, looking onto the massive flank of the Petit Piton. It contains a beauty salon and a full service spa. Each guest is allowed one treatment as day included in their package. Finally there are walking trails and three golf holes.
Jalousie is relatively remote on the western coast of the island. There is a helipad for transfers from the airports.
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Buyer’s Guide
The Villas of Jalousie Plantation are some of the top property for sale in St Lucia, part of a huge increase in the availability of St Lucia real estate and – among with a general increase in Caribbean investment opportunities - the availability of property for sale in the Caribbean.
You will need an alien land-holder’s licence (EC$6000).
Stamp Duty (payable on purchase) is 2%
There is no VAT or capital gains tax in St Lucia
Owners at the Jalousie Plantation are exempt from St Lucia tax on rental income for ten years.
There is an annual property tax of 5% of the annual unfurnished rental value of the property. This is not in the rental arrangement with the management company at the Villas at Jalousie Plantation.
If you sell your property, you are liable to a Vendor’s Tax of 10% (5% for St Lucian nationals). |
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Currency Transactions
When buying property abroad, it pays to consider carefully the method of transferring the money. Do not assume your bank will provide the best rates or the best service when it comes to large currency transactions. By exchanging currency at commercial exchange rates it may be possible to save a significant amount. At DefinitiveCaribbean we have a good broker to recommend.
Currency brokers HIFX plc are based in Windsor in the UK, but they also have offices in San Francisco, Australia, New Zealand and Spain. Regardless of where you live, they are happy to assist you and – with their extremely competitive exchange rates - they should save you money on your currency transfer.
The price of Caribbean property is almost always quoted in US Dollars. However with floating exchange rates, the cost to you (in, say pounds or Canadian Dollars) will continue to change as the rate fluctuates between exchange and completion. HIFX can help you to fix the exchange rate, even if you don't have all the funds available up front. You should speak to their dealers to discuss this. On single transfers they have a minimum of £5000 or equivalent in another currency, but they have a facility for regular payments abroad, which works well in the case of a foreign mortgage or a pension transfer. This is via direct debit from your UK bank and carries no transfer fees.
HIFX consultants are consistently friendly and offer a good personal service to private clients and major corporate clients alike. Whether you are the Royal Mail or Mrs Jones from Devon, the company says, its job is to save you money and to keep the transfer process as simple as possible.
To read more about HIFX please use the banner below to link to their website, which also gives access to the online currency converter (there are just a few fields to complete before you gain access).
Alternatively, HIFX have assigned a dedicated broker to help customers that come via Definitive Caribbean. Her name is Polly Summers, you may reach her by email here. Just mention our name to get the best service. If you live in the UK you may also contact her on a dedicated number at 0845 3705227. |
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