I would like to try to live on an island for a few months (with my girlfriend who needs to finish her thesis). The timeframe is from January to March 2013.<p>We have looked at Curacao, Bali, Cahuita and Seychelles.<p>Does anybody have any experiences doing this? If so what would you recommend and what are the pitfalls?
Bali-I sepnt a couple of weeks there for "Startup Abroad" and connected with the local scene. There is a new 'Startup City' in the process of being built, theres co-working spaces, lots of great ex-pat locals, foods amazing, money goes far, its paradise, people are amazing, local culture is rich and evident, cheap to do small weekend tours to Indonesian Islands etc.<p>Contact me if you want some more thoughts / have any questions.
Singapore. Seriously, check it out. Great stability, awesome for business, gateway between east and west (in both directions), thriving startup scene, govt grants for entrepreneurship. Downsides: cost of living is a bit high, culture can be hard to adapt to for some, weather can be stiffling (equatorial tropics are hot and muggy).
Curacao is a gorgeous place to visit - not sure if I would want to live there for more than a few weeks. It is incredibly small -- maybe try a bigger/more populous island? I loved St. Kitts, although that's still quite small and there are lots of gorgeous, secluded areas.<p>Good luck!
I don't know what your criteria are, but I have some experience with this. I lived on Honshu Island for 5 months, Penang Island for 2 months, and Manhattan Island for 2 years. I recommend all three. The pitfalls: 1) the islands are somewhat expensive compared to many other islands, although there are inexpensive locations on all three 2) and they are somewhat noisy and distracting.
One of the San Juan Islands in Washington state, US. Possibly San Juan Island itself, depending on your needs and what's on offer.<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Juan_Islands" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Juan_Islands</a>
Tuvalu - not only have they only gotten their money from the .tv domain, but they'll be gone once climate change wreaks its havoc. The dollar goes a long way and it'll be a very unique experience and you'll likely work hard too.
Australia. Maybe Tasmania for something different ?<p>Otherwise Thailand would be nice. Cheap. Great food. Decent internet in parts. Good beach. Bali will suck a bit because of all the tourists (Bali is Australia's Cancun). But inland it is much better.