The onset of winter in Europe and a second lockdown is a prospect few of us will relish. However, there are some parts of the world welcoming visitors who are longing to escape the gloom and find a little freedom.
Here are some hidden gems from where you can ride out the coming months in peace, luxury and, in some cases, warmer climes.
The Great British Countryside
The rolling hills and idyllic villages of the Cotswolds have helped make this corner of England an upmarket bolthole, just a couple of hours drive west of London. Here, you can fully embrace the outdoors with bucolic walks through acres of countryside intertwined with the River Thames and picturesque villages.
Daylesford farm is among the local establishments offering excellent local produce available for delivery during lockdown. Chipping Norton, Lechlade, Burford, Cirencester and Moreton-in-Marsh are just a few of the favoured spots where some of the most discerning members of society have main or second homes.
There’s no shortage of space among these properties, with sprawling stone farmhouses, period manors and estates the order of the day for wealthy buyers. You can expect to pay in the region of £5-7m for a home with at least eight-bedrooms.
Barbados
Working from home has become the new normal, but there’s nothing mundane about the pristine beaches and beguiling beauty of Barbados.
And this Caribbean paradise has now launched a ‘welcome visa’ which allows visitors to work remotely for up to 12 months on the island. Under this initiative, you could offset a day of zoom calls with an exquisite sunset or slip into crystal clear waters for a lunchtime dip.
Barbados’s gold coast, on the west of the island, has long been favoured by the rich and famous. Luxury villas dot this stunning stretch of island, providing a haven to escape winter in Europe and create a new home office.
Property prices in this enclave of the island are on par with parts of west London. Homes on the beach command the biggest premiums, with a two-bedroom house on Mullins beach fetching in the region of £1.3m.
A private island
You can truly dispose of facemasks if you hole up on your own private island for the duration of a pandemic. The Bahamas is welcoming international visitors back to its shores, with travellers no longer required to self-isolate upon entering the country.
This beautiful archipelago is made up of 700 islands, with around 365 within the flawless Exumas. Some of these exotic nirvanas are for sale, offering owners miles of sapphire seas white sandy beaches all to themselves.
Many have private airstrips, with customs and immigration available on the island, to allow visitors a seamless arrival into these havens. For around £58m, buyers can secure all this, as well a 12-bedroom residence complete with an outdoor pool.
The Cayman Islands
Nestled in the western Caribbean, the Cayman Islands offer spectacular beaches, snorkelling, scuba diving, plus an impressive array of fine dining options.
Furthermore, this British Overseas Territory is now welcoming affluent workers looking to take advantage of flexible changes to their employment.
As with Barbados, the Cayman Islands are offering a scheme that allows remote workers to call paradise home. Under its Global Citizen Concierge Program, digital workers can stay for up to two years, providing they earn from $100,000 (around £76,000) a year.
High net worth visitors can reset their work-life balance through a wide range of outdoor sports and activities that provide ample opportunity to explore this beautiful part of the world. For those who prefer the slower pace of life, you can lose yourself in the many tranquil bays and coves and soak up the laid-back hospitality offered by locals.
Grand Cayman houses the majority of high-end property on the island. High net worth homeowners typically live in luxury villas that offer seclusion, sea views and direct beachfront access.
The price-tag for one of these four-bedroom, four-bathroom homes comes in at around £4m.
Dubai
Sun-drenched Dubai offers iconic architecture on top of world-class restaurants, shopping, spas and entertainment. It’s little wonder it attracts wealthy travellers from across the globe, particularly those looking for a respite from the bleaker winter months in the UK and Europe.
Dubai has had relatively fewer cases of Covid-19 and contained outbreaks of the virus, allowing the emirate to happily open its doors to international tourists. Theme parks, restaurants, beaches, resorts and shops are open for business, bringing about a degree of freedom and normality for residents and visitors.
Luxury penthouses and apartments with stunning views over this desert haven provide state of the art living for residents. Palm Jumeirah Island, Dubai Marina, Emirates Hills, Umm Suqeim and downtown Dubai are among the city’s most exclusive neighbourhoods.
A four-bedroom duplex with sea views in one of these areas can be acquired for around £1.3m.
Lockdown on a yacht
Spend lockdown on a superyacht and the world, or at least the sea, is your oyster. Luxury yachts not only offer five-star living accommodation, but an attentive crew on hand to cater to your every whim and need.
These exclusive vessels can offer eight guest cabins and are complete with sun deck pools, spectacular spas and gyms. Most superyachts tour the Caribbean during the European winter and cross to the Mediterranean during the summer.
Buying a luxury yacht is the domain of ultra-wealthy costing at least a few million for smaller models, and up to hundreds of millions of pounds for the biggest and newest vessels.
Upkeep of both the boat and crew is a significant annual outgoing, again wholly dependent on size, but as a rough rule of thumb costing around 10% of the purchase price.
Hiring these floating homes are a more flexible option and allow guests to come and stay as required. A superyacht costs between £30,000 and £100,000 a week to charter.
How Enness can help
Language barriers, cultural differences, foreign credit processes and legal systems make the international mortgages market hard to navigate. That’s where Enness steps in. We work on your behalf to source and negotiate the best possible mortgage for you or your client’s circumstances. With offices in London, Jersey, Dubai and Ibiza, we work with a global network of over 500 lenders, ranging from small building societies to challenger banks, alternative lenders, and global private banks.
