Unique Homes Blog

The supersonic aircraft is credited for Barbados’ envious development.

One lime, two parts simple syrup, three parts Mount Gay Rum, four parts water and a dash of bitters serve as a recipe for a tantalizing rum punch — a Bajan favorite. The arrival of passengers decades ago on the turbo jet-powered Concorde was an even sweeter concoction, igniting Barbados’ luxury real estate market.

At 23 miles per minute, passengers flew aboard the Concorde from London and Paris to Barbados in jet-setting style. When they arrived, the calm Caribbean, located on the west coast, was calling for those who searched for a sweet escape. On the east coast, the Atlantic Ocean set the stage for extreme sporting.

“The Concorde brought a certain level of people and made Barbados a destination that could be reached from the other side of the Atlantic in four hours,” says Jennifer MacPherson, marketing manager of Altman Real Estate. According to MacPherson, the Concorde’s weekly arrival also gave Barbados’ luxury real estate market an edge over its Caribbean counterparts.

“Buyers and visitors come [to Barbados] for the weather and the lifestyle,” says Pooka Yhap, an agent at Altman Real Estate. Yhap describes high-end real estate in Barbados as lifestyle purchases — luxury living offered around a centralized theme.

Sandy Cove in St. James, Barbados, represents a lifestyle purchase of Caribbean and white sand delight. Mahogany trees shade the Colonial-style condo positioned for snorkeling, sunbathing and romantic walks along the west coast beach.

Within 15 units — ranging from 2,786 square feet at $3.25 million to a 6,169-square-foot penthouse listed for $8.5 million — owners will find private plunge pools, open floor plans, natural light and ample closet space to store beach apparel.

Lion Castle Polo Estate, Waterhall, Sugar Hill Resort and Royal Westmoreland also afford luxury living around a centralized theme. Whether the focus be on polo, tennis or golf, living comes easy in these tropical, worry-free communities.

Because direct flights are easily accessible from Europe, most of Barbados’ buyers are British. And, according to Robin Walcott, developer of Beach View Condo Hotel in St. James, Barbados, the British buyer is not an impulse buyer.

“Most buyers in Barbados have stayed in the islands for years before they made their purchase,” explains Walcott.

New to the island is Walcott’s Beach View Condo Hotel, boasting a strong family orientation. The condo hotel rests on 3 acres and features two- and three-bedroom condos that look out on the Caribbean and the property’s child-friendly pool.

While appealing to an elite clientele — Queen Elizabeth II returned from Barbados via the Concorde in 1977, Tiger Woods said his vows at Sandy Lane Resort, and Rihanna calls the island home — Barbados hasn’t lost its historical past.

Barbados’ British upbringing is channeled while walking through historic plantation estates, such as St. Nicholas Abbey — a Jacobean manor house set on 400-plus acres. Quaint chattel houses, which were constructed as movable structures and occupied by slaves before slavery was abolished in the 1800s, serve today as craft houses and offer a charming touch to the island’s simplicity.

Monday through Thursday, food aficionados may find themselves at Zagat-rated restaurants such as The Tides, Wispers on the Bay or Restaurant at Southsea. Come Friday night, there’s no other hot spot on the island than Oistins Fish Fry. Grab a seat next to a friendly Bajan, grab a Banks beer (a hometown brew), and order the daily catch right off the grill.

Though the Concorde stopped flying in 2003, that hasn’t stopped visitors from returning to the island again and again for the lifestyle communities, Bajan culture and an ever-enticing rum punch.

—Lauren Varga

Top image, Sandy Cove; bottom image, Beach View. Images courtesy Altman Real Estate.

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