Residences at Secret Bay — Mapou Waterfront Villa IV, Dominica
Mapou Waterfront Villa IV is a one-bedroom villa in the waterfront collection at Secret Bay, a 27-villa Relais & Châteaux resort at Tibay near Portsmouth on Dominica's north-west coast. Whole ownership here carries 10 to 24 weeks of personal use a year depending on the villa; the resort rents it the rest of the time. It suits a buyer who wants a managed resort address and, possibly, Dominican citizenship — not one who wants a house he controls.
What you actually own
The developer publishes the waterfront Mapou villas at 880 square feet, one bedroom and one bath, built in Guyanese Greenheart hardwood at the northernmost point of the property, with trail access to Tibay and Coconut beaches. The collection is priced individually between US$1,390,000 and US$1,580,000, so this villa sits near the bottom of that spread.
Pin down what the 880 square feet covers: for the standard Mapou villa the developer publishes 1,220 square feet of which only 540 is interior, the rest covered terrace, pool deck and plunge pool. Ask for a dimensioned floor plan. Ask also, in writing, whether you take title in your own name or an interest in a company — the developer's returns disclaimer refers to “LLC/Villa performance” — and how many weeks this villa carries and who allocates the calendar.
The honest cost of buying it
Buyer-side costs, per the Invest Dominica Authority: stamp duty 2%, judicial fee 1%, assurance fund fee 1%, and a solicitor's fee of up to 2.5% plus 15% VAT — roughly US$96,000 at this price, with valuation and survey outside that. Invest Dominica also publishes a 10% alien landholding fee charged on land value, payable even below the acreage at which a licence becomes compulsory. Advisers routinely say it is waived inside an approved citizenship project; I could not confirm that from primary government text, so have your Dominican attorney settle the point in writing before you sign.
There is no capital gains tax. Rent paid to a non-resident carries 15% withholding, and VAT is 15% generally, 10% on hotel accommodation — establish which applies to rental revenue, and whether distributions reach you gross or net.
This property qualifies for the Dominica Citizenship by Investment program.
More in Dominica.
Waterfront Residences at Secret Bay, Dominica
Secret Bay's Waterfront Residences are one-bedroom clifftop villas of 85 sq.m above the Caribbean Sea near Portsmouth, offered freehold from…
Anichi Resort & Spa
A completed, income-producing hotel unit at Anichi Resort & Spa, a Marriott Autograph Collection resort on Picard Beach in Portsmouth, Dominica.
Jungle Bay Resort
A completed one-bedroom hotel unit at Jungle Bay Resort on Dominica's southern coast at Soufriere, held freehold and income-producing.
Residences at Secret Bay
A completed one-bedroom, one-bath hotel residence of 128 square metres at Secret Bay, the clifftop resort near Tibay on Dominica's northwest coast.
Residences at Secret Bay — Cliffside Kampesh II, Dominica
A three-bedroom cliffside villa at the Residences at Secret Bay, above Tibay Beach near Portsmouth, Dominica.
Residences at Secret Bay — Cliffside Ti-Fey II, Dominica
A two-bedroom cliffside villa at the Residences at Secret Bay, on Dominica's north-west coast.
Interested in Residences at Secret Bay — Mapou Waterfront Villa IV, 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
What does it cost to hold each year?
There is no published whole-ownership fee schedule. Secret Bay's "no annual fees" line is written against its fractional shares and club memberships, not whole ownership. Ask for the management fee, furniture and equipment reserve, insurance recharge and utilities in writing, and ask who funds the gap in a year when rental revenue does not cover operating costs.
Can I rent it out?
The resort rents it in the weeks you are not there, and the developer's own caveat says coverage of fees and any return are contingent on market conditions and LLC/villa performance, with no guarantee. Ask for three to five years of gross revenue, operating expenses and net distributions for this villa specifically, not a resort-wide blend. Rent paid to a non-resident is subject to 15% withholding.
Does it qualify for citizenship?
Yes. The Residences at Secret Bay is on the Citizenship by Investment Unit's approved real-estate list, and the US$200,000 government minimum for that route is comfortably cleared at this price. Government charges sit on top: for a single applicant, US$75,000 plus US$1,000 processing, US$7,500 due diligence, US$500 for the naturalisation certificate and US$1,000 for the interview — about US$85,000 — and the property must be held three years from the grant of citizenship, or five if your eventual buyer is themselves an applicant. If you are a US citizen or green-card holder, a second passport does nothing for your tax position: the United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income regardless of what else they hold.
What is the catch?
Hurricane exposure is real — the National Hurricane Center recorded Maria's 2017 landfall on Dominica as a category 5 with maximum winds of 145 knots, with the majority of structures on the island seriously damaged or destroyed — so ask for the insurance schedule, the named-storm deductible and who funds a rebuild. Value and income both depend on one operator running one small property on one island, and resale is thin: your likely buyer is another citizenship applicant, which anchors your price to the program minimum of the day. Stay a week at your own expense before you wire anything.