How many times have you dreamt of escaping the harsh and often
unpleasant realities of life and running off to your own private island?
Imagine… pure white sand, luscious exotic vegetation, an intimate
luxurious cabin, all surrounded by the crystalline blue sea and topped
off with peace and harmony. Sounds like an idyllic getaway, in which you
can recharge, rest and relax. You can certainly sign us up for this
break from the daily grind. However, for some owners of private islands,
this is a daily way of life. Some high-flying
executives also invest in
these islands as a sort of private holiday resort. We have a run-down
of some of the most beautiful private islands – if you can’t go there in
person, they would certainly serve as a great setting
for your dreams!
1. Necker Island – British Virgin Islands
virginlimitededition.com
This is the home and favorite hideaway of Virgin Group CEO, Sir
Richard Branson, by his very own admission. He purchased the 74-acre
island way back in 1978 for a measly $180,000, when he was only 28. He
invested $10 million to develop the resort, in a three year timeframe.
He built a 10-bedroom Balinese-style villa, with Brazilian wood, Asian
antiques, Indian rugs as well as fabrics and bamboo from Bali. The Grand
House (the island’s largest and main structure) made international
headlines in August 2011, when a fire burnt down the house. British
actress Kate Winslet, who was a guest of Branson at the time, heroically
pulled out his 90-year old mother, Eve from the burning building. Both
women, together with Branson’s 29-year old daughter Holly and the other
guests at the house escaped the flames, unscathed.
2. Bougainevilla House Villa – Great Exuma
tradetotravel.com
This Villa, which opened in 2003, has hosted the likes of Penelope
Cruz, Javier Barden, Glenn Close and Maury Povich, together with a host
of other celebrities. With 7 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms and two kitchens, the
villa can host up to 18 adults. The going rate is of $28,000 per week,
and includes use of a 10-passenger 26-foot catamaran, and captain.
Bougainevilla has 2 separate wings, a garden cottage, and an impressive
8000 square foot outside deck. The Villa is listed with Southeby’s Real
Estate for a jaw-dropping $7.5 million
3. Tavern Island – Connecticut
tourkontakt.ru
Located in Connecticut’s Norwalk Islands Chain, this 3.5 acre island
was purchased by the Zesigers for just under $1 million in 1981. The
6100 square foot main building was completed in circa 1900 in
Tudor-style. The understated interiors feature large windows, to ‘bring
the outdoors inside’. The island has a pool, an Asian style tea-house
and a boat house, which includes a game room, guest bedroom and
bathroom. The private mansion, which was once owned by the showman Billy
Rose, is now up for sale for a whopping $10 million.
4. Lady Blue Villa – Great Exuma, the Bahamas
vrbo.com
This beach-front villa was completed in September 2014 and was
designed along the lines of a Tahitan village. The villa features 4
bedrooms, 4 ½ bathrooms and an infinity edge pool. Each bedroom is a
separate structure, with its own bathroom. All 5 buildings are connected
by a covered deck. A large outdoor living area ensures that guests can
make the most of their experience at Great Exuma. The bright white
furniture and balanced, summery décor is in keeping with the ethos of
this beach paradise getaway.
5. Easter Sister Rock Island – Florida Keys
americanhungarianjournal.com
This 2500 square foot beachfront villa includes 3 bedrooms and 2
bathrooms, a swimming pool and a helipad. The list is topped up with an
impressive 2000 square foot covered verandah, on which guests can admire
uninterrupted 360-degree views of the island. The villa was built in
Bahamian-style, with plenty of glass doors and an open plan
kitchen/living room, ensuring plenty of social and entertainment space.
The interior of the villa employs soft, muted tones, leaving
center-stage to the vista which can be admired through the glass doors.
6. Punto de Vista – Costa Rica
pinterest.com
This fully-staffed Pacific coast luxury villa, overlooks Manuel
Antonio beach and is the only hotel on a 2.5 acre tropical reserve. The
edgy, modern villa has won several awards for its design and somehow
fits in nicely (if unexpectedly) with the natural landscape. Punto de
Vista (which means point of view) has an elegant interior décor, with
plenty of earth colors and a neutral, harmonious palette. The design
maximizes on the natural beauty of the outdoors with large
floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing the light and magnificent beach
views, inside
7. Little Thatch Island – The Caribbean
denoxa.com
Sea Grape Cottage is nested happily on the beach of the quaintly
named Little Thatch Island, which is part of the Virgin Islands. The
cottage is really a villa, which was built in the traditional
West-Indian style, featuring a simple but understated and authentic
décor with white painted wood, clay tiles and terracotta trim. Rugs,
rattan furniture and bamboo are the key themes of the interior soft
furnishings. The villa features an impressive outdoor dining area,
complete with barbeque, grill and hammock, upon which to gently rock to
sleep after post-prandial liqueurs. The 54-acre island has hosted a
number of celebrities over the years and surely if the coconut palms
lining the beach could talk, they would have some juicy tales to tell.
resumodanet.com
Yep, you read right, the Antarctic…in Dubai. Not really, though!
‘Antarctic’ here refers to one of the 300 artificially made islands off
the coast of Dubai. The archipelago known as The World is an
architectural feat, with the islands designed to mirror the shape of the
world map. This island was gifted to former Formula 1 racer Michael
Schumacher by Dubai’s crown prince Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
as a retirement present. Antarctic Island is worth a whopping $7
million and can only be reached via boat or helicopter. After the racing
legend’s unfortunate skiing accident in December 2013, the fate of the
island remains unknown.
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