PARADISE found

Simon and Lucia Long took a risk and built a zen-meets-tropical house in Barbados and now they’ living the island dream

- WORDS AND STYLING MARY WEAVER |

Living the dream on a sun-drenched tropical island sounds idyllic but when you've previously only experienced metropolises like London, Singapore, Los Angeles and Miami as Simon and Lucia Long have, does it live up to the hype? Yes, a million times over say the couple who have been residing full time in Barbados for four years, favouring an early morning swim over a commute on the tube. Previously they had both been living abroad — Simon is from the UK, Lucia from the US — before meeting and living in London.

‘We never set out to live in Barbados,’ says Simon, but we came on holiday and never left.’ Simon is retired and Lucia, who runs The Manifestation Institute, can operate remotely and their son Felix, five, is thriving at a local school and relishing the outdoor lifestyle.