Of all the islands in the sun, Barbados seems most favoured by British entertainers. Sir Cliff Richard lives on the exclusive Sugar Hill estate. Cilla Black escapes to a beach apartment at Reeds House. Nearby are the villas of Jasper Carrott and the former Test cricketer Mike Gatting. At Alleynes Bay is the tropical home of Bob Monkhouse, Sandcastle 2.

He is now selling up to move elsewhere on the island. Last year, the seemingly indestructible comedian contracted prostate cancer, but treatment has been so effective he jokes: “I now have cancer light.”

Monkhouse, gearing up for a Royal Variety performance next month, says: “When I became ill, I really thought I was going to die, and I wanted Jackie to be in a gated community where she could enjoy a social life and not have to worry. Our new house is a delight, too, with a pool and wonderful views. I suppose we’re not really beach people any more.”

At least with Sir Cliff as a new neighbour, the Monkhouses know where to turn if they run out of sugar.

Barbados is shaped like a leg of lamb standing on its thick end. A tad bigger than the Isle of Wight, it has a reputation for balmy climate, peaceful prosperity and an absence of racial tension. Barbadians, or Bajans, retain touches of British tradition, such as driving on the left, hanging pictures of the Queen on their walls and playing cricket with ardour.

The east coast, facing the Atlantic breakers, is rugged and unspoilt, with good surfing, although undertows and rocks make it unsuitable for bathing. The south coast is closest to a Barbados package-holiday business, with the attractions of the capital, Bridgetown, nearby. It is the west coast, by the Caribbean, that is the desirable residential area.

The littoral is lined with beachfront hotels, restaurants and enclaves of private houses. Beachfront means just that. Properties abut the shore without intervening walls or promenades, and are sometimes cantilevered out over the sand. Beachside property here is now the most expensive in the world, costlier than Malibu or the Hamptons. Two houses with four bedrooms on the beach recently sold for £12.8m. Although all beaches are public, you could be forgiven for imagining that your domain reaches to the waves.

The Monkhouse villa has that effect. The view of gently swaying palms, golden beach, sea and sky in varying shades of blue from the first-floor drawing room seems idyllic. Cleverly designed on various levels, the house has two bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms. The most spectacular part of the house is the main floor, a large open-plan sitting room, dining area and kitchen, taking advantage of the view and spectacular sunsets.

Barbados is best for the well-heeled. “Many of our purchasers don’t bother with mortgages, but pay cash,” says Dietmar Caspar-Richards, director of Hamptons. Non-residents can take out loans in US dollars from Barclays Bank or some of the Canadian banks on the island such as Royal and CIBC for up to 60% of the value. Land tax is a modest 0.2% up to $350,000 (£225,000), 0.7% to $850,000 (£547,000), and above that, 1%.

If the buyer lets out the property, Vat at 7.5% has to be added to the rent. It is worth bearing in mind that annual dues on a three-bedroom town house at Sugar Hill, for instance, could amount to £5,000.

Sugar Hill, the Monkhouses’s new home, is in a 50-acre David Lloyd resort sloping towards the sea. At its heart is a clubhouse, a 2,000sq ft pool, a gourmet restaurant, a fitness centre and tennis courts, with coaching programmes devised by Lloyd.

The smallest houses are one-bedroom tennis villas. There are also two- and three-bedroom houses under construction. Larger building lots are available, and a purchaser can build their own house if the design is approved by a construction committee. House and land prices range from £1.4m to £4.2m. Next year, the final phase of Sugar Hill will begin, with the development of another 240 acres, about 100 residences (from £580,000) and an 18-hole golf course and clubhouse.

Eclipsing Sugar Hill is the 500-acre resort Royal Westmoreland. Villas, positioned to enjoy sea views, sit around a world-class golf course.

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