

Ask HN: Best island to live and work from? - amix

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?
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scottmcleod
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.

Contact me if you want some more thoughts / have any questions.

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shirkey
Seconding @scottmcleod as well as @taligent below -- key issues with Bali are
traffic and tourists. You could also consider neighboring Lombok / Gili
islands which are growing more expensive and more trendy, or if you find you
can do without any western amenities, there any number of hidden coastal gems
through the archipelago such as Manado / Bunaken. IMHO, quality of Internet
varies inversely with quality of life -- live happy :)

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sol2k
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).

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mdda
Are you in Singapore at the moment? Would you mind answering a few questions
about the 'scene' there? My email is in my 'about'.

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bobf
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.

Good luck!

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amix
Is it possible to get any work done on Curacao given how hot and humid it is?
And does air conditioning cancel this issue? Also what about the Internet :-)?

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tsuyoshi
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.

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antidoh
One of the San Juan Islands in Washington state, US. Possibly San Juan Island
itself, depending on your needs and what's on offer.

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Juan_Islands>

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antidoh
Ah, I notice you may not be US-based.

If you don't want to pass through US customs, you can probably get a similar
experience on an island near Vancouver BC, Canada.

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ALee
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.

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gadders
Great Britain. Friendly locals and no language issues.

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jamesjguthrie
Looks like you were downvoted too...

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gadders
Blatant racism ;-)

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jamesjguthrie
The UK or Ireland.

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jamesjguthrie
Downvoted? Why?

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_ryanschmidt
Anyone have any experience with Kona, HI?

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taligent
Australia. Maybe Tasmania for something different ?

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.

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amix
Where would you stay in Thailand?

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murtza
Chiang Mai. It's in the north of Thailand.

Pros: cheap, people are really nice, more relaxed and cleaner air than
Bangkok, some expats, the food is delicious, and the internet is not fast but
reliable.

Con: Not an island

