Sometimes a Caribbean vacation isn’t enough.

A growing number of moneyed New Yorkers love the islands so much they’re buying second homes there in high-end resorts and communities.

There’s good reason for their purchases.

Getting to the Caribbean is easier than ever, thanks to an increase in the number of direct flights, and the perks — including tax breaks and weather that entices year-round — are hard to beat. Then there’s the advantage of living away from overdeveloped New York-area vacation spots, such as the traffic-clogged Hamptons, and the fact that a home in the Caribbean is often cheaper than paying for luxury vacations in the long run.

Another plus for some: Many islands offer citizenship to real estate investors. For example, in St. Kitts and Nevis, a dual-island nation that faces both the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, citizenship can be purchased with a $400,000 real estate investment.

“New Yorkers have realized that there’s a tremendous amount of value in buying in the Caribbean,” says Neal Sroka, founder of Elliman’s Sroka Worldwide Team. “Labor costs are lower than building in Miami and the Hamptons, so home sale prices are lower, and buying at a resort offsets monthly maintenance costs.”

The Caribbean offers a wide range of price points and options on islands from the less-exclusive Puerto Rico, St. Martin, Aruba and St. Thomas, to ritzier ones such as St. Barts, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia, Sroka says. And while it’s possible to score a condo for as little as $200,000 at those destinations with “mass appeal,” Sroka says, New Yorkers with big budgets are mostly buying on islands with branded luxury resorts, which offer a host of amenities.

The offerings at the Four Seasons Resort Estates Nevis, where there are 14 homes out of 81 still for sale (from $1.3 million to $7.2 million), include golf, three infinity-edge pools, a children’s program, a house manager, giant sea turtles sure to appeal to the kids and more, says Eric Johnson, its director of sales and marketing.

On St. Lucia, homebuyers at the Sugar Beach Residences from Viceroy Resorts have access to things such as family programs, water sports, a spa, restaurants and tennis. There, four homes are still on the market out of 27 (from $3.9 million to $15 million).

Laluna Resort on Grenada, which has three out of seven villas left (from $3.2 million to $3.6 million), owners enjoy yoga sessions, a spa, tennis, golf and a “couples only” area on the beach.

Turks & Caicos has homes at COMO Parrot Cay, a private island resort where four new beach houses are on the market at its private estates section (from $6.5 million to $15 million). None have sold so far. Over on Providenciales, the newest offerings from Grace Bay Resorts has two beachfront residences at The Dunes. One already sold for $4.65 million and one is currently available — though it has not yet been built — and will be asking $4.65 million, the spokeswoman adds.

The appeal of homes in the region is not lost on New Yorkers seeking relaxation.

“From our living room, I can look out to both the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean,” says Peter Gordon, 61, who last year bought a 5,500-square-foot villa at Christophe Harbour in St. Kitts with his wife, Patricia, 60.

For its part, Christophe Harbour is a community with a beach club, restaurant, tennis and, in the development stages, a marina village and a golf course. A Park Hyatt hotel, slated to open later this year, will provide more amenities.

The Gordons’ new home includes two guest cottages, a pool and a jacuzzi, plus direct access to Sandy Bank Bay and its beach. While they declined to discuss the purchase price, similar properties at the complex are on the market for $3.9 million, a spokesperson says.

“There’s a myriad of likeables,” adds Patricia Gordon. “Until recently, the island’s main industry was sugar cane, so lots of natural, unspoiled beauty exists, and the people here are extremely friendly.”

And because St. Kitts is a former British colony, the locals speak English “and follow a British system of law and government that is stable,” Peter Gordon says.

The two lawyers, who live in Scarsdale, and participated in St. Kitts’ citizenship investment program, are considering a full-time move to the island.

Meanwhile, at the Four Seasons Resort Estates Nevis, Peter Dunn, 67, and his wife, Cathy, 60, from Farmington, Conn., recently bought a five-bedroom villa. While they declined to discuss their purchase price, similar homes in the complex are on the market for around $3.9 million. The villa is an upgrade from a three-bedroom home that they had bought there in 2007.

“Unlike other islands overrun with building and development, Nevis has remained quiet,” Peter Dunn says. “There’s around 10,000 to 12,000 people, no red lights and no casinos.”

Of the other islands being discovered by Americans, Puerto Rico is an especially big draw. Its debt crisis has helped it become a veritable tax haven for American citizens.

And it’s attracting bold-faced names, too. Billionaire hedge funder John Paulson, who is investing in Puerto Rico hotels including the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort and the Bahia Beach Resort & Golf Club, is building his own residence in the vicinity.

New Yorkers are also Safirbet buying at Puerto Rico’s Dorado Beach Ritz-Carlton Reserve. Buyers become Dorado Beach Club members with access to three golf courses, a private water park, a tennis center, a spa, restaurants — including one by top chef José Andrés — and more.

So far, 55 Ritz-Carlton Reserve beachfront condos and homes have sold out of 65 (from $3.5 million to $6 million) and it’s currently building three estate homes that start at $10 million.

Etai Harel

Berger family

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Scott Berger, a 42-year-old real estate developer, bought a $3 million, four-bedroom condo at the resort with his wife, Deb, 43. The Bergers, who live in Short Hills, NJ, visit often with their three children. And while they don’t plan on making Puerto Rico their primary residence, they say it has major benefits.

“It’s easy to get here and relatively inexpensive,” says Berger. “It’s a beautiful resort with all the conveniences of the US, but with a wonderful climate, and it’s safe.”

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