We work hard for most of our lives and when we reach a certain level of accumulated wealth, we can begin to think about acquiring a holiday home. Of course, everyone will have their own favourites, but just to increase your options, here is our list of the top 5 global locations to buy a holiday home.

  • Phuket, Thailand – This has to be paradise on Earth, and for many UK and European semi-retired people, this gorgeous island in the south of Thailand is the ideal location for a second home. There are, for example, stunning lagoon front pool villas in Phuket from a top developer that offers a comprehensive solution. Land prices will continue to rise in this select region where the weather is always warm and with a top developer looking after your holiday home, you can rest assured that all is well when you are at home.
  • Costa Rica – With coastlines on both the Caribbean and the Pacific, you have a choice of beach regions, plus the low cost of living in Costa Rica means cheap living and land prices are very low when compared to the West. Costa Rica has a very stable government and is a popular tourist destination for many Americans for this very reason. English is widely spoken in the tourist areas and the people are naturally very friendly, which is important.
  • Chiang Mai, Thailand – If you aren’t really a beach person, yet you love nature, why not consider buying property in the far north of Thailand? The colourful culture makes for an interesting place to spend half the year, and even in the winter, temperatures remain comfortable.
  • Beachfront Property in Vietnam – While a foreigner cannot own land directly, you can own the house and with a long, renewable lease from the Vietnamese government, your property is safe. There are thousands of miles of stunning beaches along the coast of Vietnam, and buying now would see relatively low prices when compared to other Asian countries, and with a surging economy, owning real estate in Vietnam could turn out to be very profitable.
  • Sri Lanka – After many years of conflict, Sri Lanka is now a very popular tourist destination and if you are smitten with this unique land, it is possible to own property. There are two ways in which you can do this; you can purchase the property outright if you are prepared to pay the government 100% of the value in tax, or you could lease the land on a long-term renewable lease, which means you would only pay 7% tax.

Of course, the above are just a few of the great global locations where you could buy your holiday home, and wherever you decide to retire, make sure you have a trusted lawyer handle the legal aspects and you can rest assured that all will be well.

With some careful research and a bit of travelling, you should be able to find your dream location and set about looking for the perfect property, or better still, have the home designed and built to your specifications.