On ambergris cay in the British West Indies, life isn’t just unhurried. It’s downright slow. Even the golf carts—the only motorized transportation allowed on the 1,100-acre island—come with speed governors. After all, iguanas sometimes share the road. And besides, in a place where a morning stroll can bring you to towering dunes overlooking migrating humpback whales in the ocean below, why would you ever want to rush in the first place?

Living amid such natural beauty probably conjures up images of rustic cottages or beachside cabanas. But what if you could buy a generous tract of land on the island with all the amenities of home, and then some? The folks at DPS Sporting Club Development Company have made this vision a reality with the Turks & Caicos Sporting Club, a members-only community located a mere 575 miles from the United States. And they’ve done so in a way that will keep your conscience as clear as the blue skies and turquoise waters that will surround you.

One-third of the island has been set aside as a nature preserve, and the architectural footprint kept small. Sustainable technology creates potable water from seawater and treats wastewater for irrigation. The Turks & Caicos Sporting Club also partnered with the San Diego Zoo to sponsor an endangered rock iguana breeding and relocation program, and with the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens in London to preserve the flora species.

Don’t feel like cooking? Let the island chef prepare fresh tuna with mango and Peruvian spices wrapped in a root beer leaf. This frees you up to explore the island with your complimentary field guide in hand, marveling at the ospreys and rare native plants (five of which are found nowhere else on Earth). Or ask the on-staff naturalist to show you around. As for the surrounding waters, pick your pleasure: bonefishing the flats, sea kayaking, sailing, boating, windsurfing, deep-sea and blue-water fishing, or some of the best scuba diving in the world along a 7,000-foot diving wall that rivals Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Not a bad way to spend a day, or a lifetime.

For more information, including prices, go to www.tcsportingclub.com or call 877-815-1300.