WATERFRONT living has become the trendiest lifestyle choice in Singapore and Sentosa Cove is one area to lap it up.

But those who are keen to get a property there will have to be prepared to pay a lot more as values in the 99-year leasehold gated residential enclave have shot up considerably.

If that is not an issue, there are still a few condominiums left on the island to look out for. Next month, the Lippo group aims to push out its 124-unit Marina Collection, with homes that sources say could be priced from $2,600 per sq ft (psf).

The showflat for the condominium - each unit will come with a complimentary marina club membership - is ready.

City Developments also has a 228-unit condominium coming up. If you can wait a little longer, luxury developer SC Global Developments - which won a site for a record $1,799 psf of potential gross floor area - will build a condominium right in front of Tanjong Beach.

And Ho Bee Investment and IOI Group will jointly launch a 151-unit condominium that has sea views.

Sentosa Cove has one last condominium site up for tender on Dec 12 - for which consultants have projected bids of at least $2,000 psf, putting the expected sale price to house-hunters at $3,200 psf and up.

It also recently put up its last four bungalow plots for sale. Such plots - for those who prefer to design their own homes - now cost up to five times more than they did in 2003.

When land sales started at Sentosa Cove back in 2003, at a time when the property market was in a trough, the enclave's master developer could not even award all the sites it had put up for sale.

The reason: Tender bids were below its expectations.

Those that it eventually sold in its maiden tender were priced just at $302 psf for seafront plots.

Ho Bee paid just $351 psf of potential gross floor area for the first condominium plot in Sentosa Cove and subsequently launched it in late 2004 at $785 psf on average.

Today, units in The Berth by the Cove have been sold for up to $1,790 psf on the resale market.

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