Residences at Secret Bay — Mapou Fractional Ownership, Dominica
A share in a one-bedroom Mapou villa at The Residences at Secret Bay, a Relais & Châteaux resort at Tibay, just outside Portsmouth on Dominica's north-west coast. Nothing here is off-plan — the resort is open, the villas are built and published as bookable accommodation, so you can sleep in one before you decide. It suits either a buyer who wants Dominica citizenship held in something with a use value, or one who has already priced what a few weeks a year at a small, well-run resort costs as a hotel booking.
What you actually own
You are not buying a small house. You are buying a defined slice of a villa somebody else operates, and the calendar is the product. The developer's own footnote says annual fees and return payments are “contingent upon market conditions and LLC/Villa performance” — which points to a villa held inside a company, with buyers taking an interest in that company rather than registered title in their own name. That changes how you are taxed, what you can borrow against and what you can sell. It also means the “no annual fees” line is not fees absent; it is fees expected to be met out of villa earnings. In a year the villa does not earn, assume they land back on you.
Citizenship, and what it costs on top
The resort is on the Citizenship by Investment Unit's approved projects list, and the program's minimum real estate investment is US$200,000. The purchase price is not the cost. Government fees on a real estate application are US$75,000 for a single applicant or US$100,000 for a main applicant with up to three dependants, plus US$25,000 per additional dependant under 18 and US$40,000 aged 18 or over. Then US$7,500 due diligence on the main applicant, US$4,000 on each dependant aged 16 or over, US$1,000 processing, US$1,000 for the mandatory interview and US$500 per person for naturalisation. Agent and legal fees sit on top. You must hold for three years after the grant — five if your buyer is themselves an applicant.
This property qualifies for the Dominica Citizenship by Investment program.
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Interested in Residences at Secret Bay — Mapou Fractional Ownership, Dominica?
Book a private call with Dan to explore availability, ownership options and eligibility.
Book a Private CallDan Merriam & Associates acts for the buyer. Our advice is independent, not contingent on any sale, and we hold no brokerage or developer mandate.
Frequently asked questions
Does this fractional share actually qualify for Dominica citizenship?
The project is approved, but the Unit's published material sets a minimum value for the real estate purchase without spelling out how a fractional or shared interest counts against it. Get written confirmation from the Unit, through an authorised agent, before you rely on this share for a passport; a developer's assurance is not that confirmation. A Dominica passport reaches 145 destinations visa-free or visa-on-arrival on the Henley 2026 index.
What does it cost to hold each year?
The fractional tier is marketed as carrying no annual fees, but the developer states that fee coverage and the quarterly return payments both depend on market conditions and villa performance. Ask for the gross annual charge before any offset, what it covers, who sets it, and how much it has moved over the last five years.
Can I rent it out?
Not on your own terms. This is a managed program — the resort books the villa, sets the rate and takes its cut, and you receive a distribution. Dominica requires 15% to be deducted at source on payments to non-residents, including rent on immovable property, under the Income Tax Act, Chapter 67:01. Mapou villas are published from US$789 a night, so multiply that out and hold it against the capital you are tying up.
What is the catch?
Liquidity. Fractional shares are the least liquid Caribbean real estate there is, your future buyer probably needs a passport too, and the five-year hold removes that segment for two extra years. The developer advertises an exit path after three years — establish in writing whether that is a buy-back at a defined price or nothing enforceable. And if you are American, note that US citizens are taxed on worldwide income regardless of any second citizenship; this is mobility, not a US tax result.