Pristine white and pink sandy beaches, a delectable climate, sumptuous cuisine and a wealth of outdoor activities and water sports - what's there not to like about Barbados?

This 166 square-mile island paradise is the ‘the little Britain’ of the Caribbean with historic ties to Blighty and a populous, extremely hospitable and welcoming to British tourists and investors alike.

Its Kensington Oval cricket ground - one of the sport’s world landmarks - will host the final of the 2007 Cricket World Cup and like all Caribbean islanders, the Barbadians, or Bajans as they refer to themselves, are nuts about the game.

Its west coast is home to a host of celebrities and big hitters from the business world who are seduced by the Barbadian climate, relaxed pace of life, high standard of living and acclaimed golf courses.

But what about the property market - is there still some decent real estate for investors to get their hands on and turn around some healthy profits?

Kevin Fleury, Regional Manager for the Caribbean at overseas mortgage specialists Conti Financial Services, knows the Barbadian market well having lived there himself for three years.

His experience suggests that after a sluggish couple of seasons, there are promising signs that the property market in Barbados is beginning to pick up again.

“It’s certainly stronger than it was,” he says. “I judge everything by mortgages and this season - November through to about March - I’ve received 70 to 75 enquiries. This time last year I’d received about 12. That should tell you that the market is active; people are buying again.”

He reckons the recent upward trend can be attributed to Barbados’s consistent pull as a top draw tourist destination and getaway for financially prosperous Brits.

“It’s an all year round market. The rainy season isn’t that bad for a rainy season. Direct flights come in from all over the world and looking at all the other islands around St Lucia and Antigua for example then Barbados is the British island. It’s where Brits have gone traditionally in the winter and now in the summer. “Historically, the island lagged behind for a couple of years and people went to other islands, but I don’t think they matched up to what Barbados has to offer.”

He adds: “It’s not cheaper by any stretch of the imagination, but you know what to expect; people are friendly, the food is good, the beaches are always open and you get that as a result of decades of Barbados being a tourist destination. It’s the same every year and people like that. I certainly enjoyed my three years there.”

This isn’t bargain basement territory, though, when it comes to buying - on the west coast, where all the ‘old money’ can be found, you are looking at shelling out anywhere from £400,000 to £1.1m for a well-heeled villa replete with ‘olde worlde’ charm and class in monied havens such as Hole Town, up to the coast to Port St Lucy.

For more modern apartments and condominiums, the south coast is where your money wants to go, reckons Fleury, sniffing out properties in places such as St Lawrence Gap. Expect to be paying in the region of £230,000 to £400,000. Here, where it’s a little more tourist-orientated with bars, well populated beaches, with a bit more of a buzz about it, the market is a little more dynamic.

“The south coast has more of a buzz about it. Property on the west coast is so expensive, the south coast is coming up in leaps and bounds,” Fleury says.

Having said that, the clamour for properties adjoining golf courses is having something of an impact on west coast properties, but mainly for those that are run down and can be refurbished. Anything else in this highly sought after market prices out most mortals.

“There’s a couple of courses down there that they’ve built around - Sandy Lane, for example - and the properties around the fairways are, well... priceless,” says Fleury.

“I’ve never understood that because there are lousy golfers who put golf balls through your windows but the values are there! And some people are buying those old properties on Sandy Lane for £800,000 to £1m, sprucing them up and then they almost double. So there’s a bit of a refurb going down on the west coast, because of the old properties.”

Historically, conveyancing and getting hold of a mortgage in Barbados has been a painfully slow process - but Fleury has some invaluable advice to offer would-be purchasers to get around the red tape.

“Conveyancing is slow,” he concurs. “But the key is to pick the right lawyer and I always say: ‘Pick a lawyer younger than 40.’ The reason being they’re not from the old school. The old school would bring in all the other businesses they possibly could. I use two young lawyers down there - both under 35, and they are on the ball and they get things done.

“Also, the bank is improving because they realise they’re missing a market. So what used to be a five to five-and-a-half month process is now a two-and-half to three month process.”

Furthermore, be sure you can prove your income before applying for that all-essential mortgage.

“In the UK you have self-certification and buy-to-let - very easy mortgages. They don’t exist down there,” explains Fleury. “The loan is based on your ‘provable’ income. Provable is the key word there. They won’t take an accountant’s letter, they want to see your tax returns - and your accountant’s letter. Everything has got to match up. If you’re employed - your pay slips, your employer’s letter and your tax returns. So they really do want to get to the bottom of it.”

What other steers can he give for investors with an eye on Barbados?

“Ask yourself three questions: first off, ‘will I qualify for a mortgage?’ Second - ‘what kind of property should I buy? Will it be a villa, a condo or a condo hotel?’ The important point there is which will sell better when I am ready to liquidate? What’s your exit strategy and which unit will have the better one accordingly? You’ll find that on the south coast, apartments will sell better, whereas on the west coast, the villas will sell better.

“And the third point - ‘where do I see the market going?’”

The bottom line for Fleury is that those who stand to benefit the most from investing in Barbados are those who love the Caribbean in the first place.

“The market’s steady and strong,” he says, “but ultimately Barbados is great for the investor who, wants to make some money, but who also just loves the Caribbean - the lifestyle, the golf, the food and the beaches. Most Caribbean investors visit their property around four times a year...”

Once your feet sink into the warm golden sand and you feel the rich beauty of this special part of the world you’ll see how easy it is to fall under its spell. Now, slap another snapper on the grill and pour out another glass of that fine rum.