Living next to the Caribbean Sea is a dream for many of us.
Imagine waking each morning to the gentle rustle of palm trees swaying in a warm tropical breeze, as sunlight dances across turquoise waters just beyond your window.
The air carries a salty freshness mingled with the subtle scent of hibiscus and frangipani. The beaches, with their soft, powdery sand, are a short walk away…this is where you can soak up the sun, take a stroll at sunset, or simply watch the waves roll in.
Vibrant coral reefs teeming with marine life lie just offshore, offering plenty of snorkeling and diving opportunities. Evenings bring the glow of golden sunsets, painting the sky in hues of orange, pink, and violet.
The Caribbean is a vast ocean and has long been a coveted destination for those seeking a slice of tropical paradise.
I’ve dipped my toes in this mesmerizing sea plenty of times… and I’ve also brought members of my Real Estate Trend Alert plenty of incredible deals in locations that touch the Caribbean Sea.
And a number of Caribbean locations have made it into my new 2025 Real Estate Trend Alert International Real Estate Index, my ranking of the 25 best places to buy real estate next year.
I released this index earlier this month to members of my Real Estate Trend Alert group. This isn’t simply a table with rankings. It’s a comprehensive, 20,000-word report featuring maps, photos, and detailed introductions and analysis of all 25 destinations on my beat.
This report is available to RETA members only. If you’re not yet a member, but would like to join us, go here where you’ll find everything you need to become a member. And you’ll get full access to the 2025 Real Estate Trend Alert International Real Estate Index.
Today, I’m going to share with you the top three Caribbean locations featured on the index and explain why I think they are places to consider buying in 2025.
No. 1: Cap Cana, Dominican Republic
I’ve long kept a close eye on the Dominican Republic. After Mexico’s Riviera Maya, this Caribbean destination gets the most tourists in the entire region. And just like Mexico’s Riviera Maya, this country is smashing tourist records.
In 2023, it welcomed more than 10 million travelers…a first for the Dominican Republic. It’s expected to see 11.5 million by the end of 2024. That’s astonishing growth.
Most of these arrivals go to Punta Cana, easily the country’s biggest destination.
Development is tearing ahead in the Punta Cana area now. And this is where you’ll find the vast master-planned coastal community of Cap Cana…
At 30,000 acres, Cap Cana is twice the size of Manhattan. And it’s just 10 minutes from the Dominican Republic’s Punta Cana International Airport, with regular flights across Canada and the American Northeast.
Everything in Cap Cana screams luxury.
Cap Cana is more than just a “master-planned” community, it’s the ultimate in luxury living.
It’s home to 5-star resorts…world-class golf…incredible fine-dining…state-of-the-art equestrian facilities…the biggest water park in the Caribbean…and there’s also a university campus, convention centers, a fire station, medical and veterinary clinics, high-speed internet, and over 62 miles of paved roads.
I’ve never seen sands so white, or waters so quintessentially Caribbean, as at the Juanillo Beach Club in the heart of Cap Cana.
This description “master-planned community” doesn’t do Cap Cana justice. This is a vast semi-autonomous city-state of luxury.
Cap Cana is a new city rising on the Caribbean. And for a limited time, there’s an incredible opportunity to own on the ground floor here…
In September 2024, I was able to bring my RETA group our first off-market deal here. This was a chance to own luxury condos in Cap Cana from a RETA-only price of $382,400. I bought alongside members in this deal.
Not long after we launched this deal, the developer sent word he was already raising prices and two-bed condos similar to those available to RETA members from $384,400 were now listed at $440,000. That’s an uplift of $55,600 in less than two months!
This shows the immense potential of Cap Cana and the huge demand for best-in-class real estate here.
No. 2: Playa Del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico
For many decades, the town of Playa del Carmen on Mexico’s Riviera Maya was little more than a few dusty dirt roads, with rustic accommodations and eateries by the ferry terminal for the few people who decided to stay the night. Think palapas and even livestock roaming around. It was, as one visitor commented, a “one burro (donkey) town.”
But Playa has innate appeal. It boasts glorious white-sand beaches…stunning azure Caribbean waters…perfect weather…
Playa del Carmen’s soft Caribbean beaches are a big draw for the millions of visitors who walk their sands each year.
As the years passed and the resort destination of Cancún, located an hour north, became busier, tourists started to look for quieter alternatives on Mexico’s Caribbean coast.
Over time, the sandy streets gradually got paved. Small boutique hotels opened, as did trendy restaurants, and organic cafés. Development spread quickly along 5th Avenue, which today is the city’s main drag, a miles-long pedestrian street lined with cafés, stores, restaurants, bars, nightclubs…
Today, Playa del Carmen is hip and chic. And it’s maturing into a sophisticated, upscale destination increasingly drawing a well-heeled clientele with money to spend.
It’s also a favorite of Americans, Canadians, and Europeans, not to mention Latin Americans and Mexicans from other parts of the country. And it has an enduring appeal to diverse markets, from vacationing families and couples of all ages, to groups of friends, snowbirds spending the winter season south of the border, expats, remote workers…
This is a true beach city where people want to come and live year-round. That means Playa del Carmen has a very bright future. Prices will continue to push higher here. Find the right real estate at the right price in Playa del Carmen and you’ll do very well.
Over the years, I’ve been able to find some incredible deals here for my RETA group. To give just a few examples…
- $309,018 More—In 2021, RETA members had the chance to buy two-bed condos in a community called Singular Dream in Playa from $265,304. In early 2024, a two-bed condo in Singular Dream was listing for $574,322.
- A Boost of $225,609—Back in 2017, I brought RETA members an opportunity to lock down two-bed condos in a community called Siempre Playa at exclusive, off-market pricing of just $193,800. In November 2023, retail prices for two-bed condos in Siempre Playa started from $419,409…that’s $225,609 more than RETA members paid.
No. 3: Tulum, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Tulum started out as a stop on the backpacker trail. Back in the 1970s and ’80s, it was a favorite of hippies and the like. This was a place to “drop out.”
By the early 2000s, when I first scouted it, Tulum was attracting hipsters and fashionistas from Manhattan and elsewhere who wanted to lounge in a beach bed all day, maybe do a bit of yoga, dance the night away at parties in the jungle…and get up and do it all again the next day. In 2004, The New York Times declared Tulum a “counterculture haven” in a story about a pioneering San Diego resident who opened a yoga retreat center here.
As time has gone on, Tulum has grown more and more popular. Today, it has entered the mainstream. It’s well-known to all sorts of people, from all walks of life. Couples young and old, retirees, snowbirds, families, remote workers…they are all coming to Tulum.
Maya ruins, quintessential Caribbean beaches, and a chic and artsy vibe has turned Tulum into one of the most popular spots in Mexico’s Riviera Maya.
For decades, a massive Path of Progress has been pushing south on the Riviera Maya from Cancún. I already outlined how the city of Playa del Carmen has been transformed. The scale of the transformation in Tulum has been equally astonishing.
For instance, a brand-new airport opened in Tulum in November 2023 and so far has exceeded all passenger number expectations. And soon Tulum will have a station on the new Maya Train network (this will eventually 1,000 miles of rail across southern Mexico connecting five states: Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo).
Tulum is on a trajectory to becoming a true city. Because I’ve been putting boots on the ground here for two decades, my Real Estate Trend Alert group has been ahead of the mind-blowing transformation here. And we’ve had some killer deals…
- In October 2017, I brought RETA members the chance to own in Tao Tulum from $154,500 for a two-bedroom condo. I bought one of those condos and sold it in 2020 for $225,000. In October 2022, premium penthouses that RETA members could buy in Tao Tulum in 2017 for $225,555 were listed at $377,000 to $417,000.
- In October 2021, RETA members could buy luxury two-bed condos in a stunning, best-in-class called Samsara from $198,600. In July 2022 the remaining units went retail. A mezzanine unit that RETA members could buy for $212,300 was listed at $298,200…$85,900 more. In October 2022, two-bed mezzanine condos that RETA members could buy for $232,400 were listing retail at $332,800, a $100,400 uplift.
It’s remarkable to think that there was nothing in Tulum 50 years ago…even when I first visited in 2004, it was small and undeveloped. Today, this is one of the most desirable destinations in Mexico and throughout the Caribbean.
The full 2025 Real Estate Trend Alert International Real Estate Index report is available to all RETA members…if you’re not yet a member, you can join here today and you’ll get access to the full Index.
As well as more about the destinations you’ve read about here today, you’ll also find:
- Overlooked coastal destinations in the far north of Portugal, including the small town, largely unknown to foreign tourists, where I’ve just bought a historic mansion…
- Three up-and-coming towns and cities in Baja California that have immense potential as growing numbers of people look to own in lesser-visited destinations on the peninsula…
- “Hidden” Rivieras in Europe that boast some of the most stunning coastlines on the planet…
- An under-the-radar town on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast that’s on the cusp of a huge transformation…
- And much more…
Plus you’ll get a link a link to a downloadable spreadsheet with all our data so you can filter and re-order the index based on the criteria you’re most interested in.
Join RETA today and you’ll get access to the entire 2025 Real Estate Trend Alert International Real Estate Index report. All the details you’ll need to become a member are here.
Ronan McMahon, Founder, Overseas Dream Home & Real Estate Trend Alert
P.S. Do you agree/disagree with my top Caribbean locations for 2025? Have to you been to any of them? Or have you been one of the lucky RETA members who bought in any of these locations? I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a line here and tell me what you think.
