Top 10 Private Island Real Estate/Vacation Companies
"Infinite views, the serene sound of lapping tides and secluded elegance await on your private island paradise..." - Sotheby's International Realty.
[On buying a private island]: "Money doesn't buy you happiness, but it buys you a big enough yacht to sail right up to it." - Johnny Depp.
A PRIVATE ISLAND is a disconnected body of land wholly owned by a single private citizen or corporation. Although this exclusivity gives the owner substantial control over the property, private islands remain under the jurisdiction of national and sometimes local governments.
Compared to property on the mainland, an island property has much more restricted access, both by potential trespassers and by the residents, who need to transport all supplies by boat or aircraft. Livestock has often been kept on islands, because an island is a natural enclosure, preventing the escape of cattle and sheep.
There are many thousands of uninhabited islands in the world with potential for commercial development of tourist resorts or private recreational use. Commercial development of uninhabited islands can raise ecological concerns, as many have a fragile environment. Some islands can be bought undeveloped, while others already have roads and/or houses. Islands are also available for rent. Some celebrities have their own private islands.
There are widely varying government policies regarding private islands: for instance, islands off the coast of China, like any other land within the country, cannot be purchased outright, but only leased from the government for a maximum period of 50 years. Virtually all islands in the world are claimed and governed by some national government. That nation's laws apply, and any attempt by the owner to claim sovereignty would generally be unrealistic. Nevertheless, some people still try to set up their own micronations on islands, like real-estate millionaire Michael Oliver's attempt at building a libertarian city-state called the Republic of Minerva in the southern Pacific Ocean.
"Private" islands in the United Kingdom, Brazil, Chile and other countries are not legally entirely private – any foreshore, such as a beach, is owned by the state, and is hence publicly accessible property, despite what the owners of the land on the island may wish to claim. The same applies to freedom to roam in Nordic countries: only the yard of a house and the immediate vicinity is legally protected against trespassing, and the water bodies around the island are freely navigable.
A DESERT ISLAND, deserted island or uninhabited island is an island that is not permanently populated by humans. Uninhabited islands are often used in movies or stories about shipwrecked people, and are also used as stereotypes for the idea of "paradise". Some uninhabited islands are protected as nature reserves and some are privately owned. Devon Island in Canada is claimed to be the largest uninhabited island in the world.
Private Islands News, Reviews & Resources
- 6 Luxurious Private Islands For Sale - Forbes.
- 6 Private Island Rentals on Airbnb - "Why limit your vacation to just part of an island when you can rent the whole thing?"
- 7 Stunning Private Islands You Could Actually Buy - Cosmopolitan.
- 8 Stunning Private Islands To Rent In 2023 - "A secluded private island holiday might be more accessible than you think. There are numerous companies who will arrange this or, for a DIY approach, there are islands located around the world listed on Airbnb. In some cases, they can be more affordable than staying at a hotel in a crowded beach resort. For instance, the only private island in El Nido, The Philippines, is available through Airbnb from around £300/night and that includes all meals and daily housekeeping."
- 18 Private Islands You Can Rent on Airbnb & Vrbo 2022 - "If vacationing on a private island sounds like something only the wealthy can afford, think again - there are actually a number of such spaces across the United States (and beyond) for regular folk to rent and enjoy. If the past year has you wanting escape while still upholding some social distance, there really is no better option than renting your own private island. Keep scrolling for options from Florida to Maine to Washington state and beyond."
- 19 best Greek islands - The Telegraph.
- 20 of world's most fascinating remote islands - The Telegraph.
- $33,000-a-night private island where you can swim with sharks - "How a $33,000-a-night private island inspired by the Kennedys became a beacon for sustainable tourism."
- A home on a private island paradise in Belize could be yours - for $4.5 million - "Four Seasons Hotel & Resorts is set to turn Caye Chapel - a private island off the coast of Belize, in Central America - into a luxury club community with residences, estates, a five-star hotel and a championship golf course. It is scheduled to open in 2025. "
- A private island off the coast of Ireland just sold for $6 million. The buyer only saw it in a video tour - "A private island off the coast of Ireland boasting three beaches, seven houses and natural wildlife has been sold for more than $6.3 million -- with the anonymous buyer not even visiting the location in person before going through with the purchase."
- America's most beautiful islands - CNN travel.
- As Climate Change Accelerates, Floating Cities Look Like Less of a Pipe Dream - The New York Times.
- best islands in Europe for getting away from almost everyone - "From legendary nightlife hotspots to volcanic outposts far off the continent's mainland, Europe has islands in spades. But for every Mykonos, Ibiza or Santorini, there's someplace lesser known and equally lovely to escape to where you can ditch the crowds and get closer to nature."
- Billionaire Private Islands: 10 Luxurious Retreats & Hidden Hideaways - Forbes.
- Celebrity Islands: Top 10 Most Amazing Privately Owned Islands - "Sometimes, instead of battling the crowds and the peak-season prices, we wish we had a spare 10 million to buy our own exclusive island to retreat to. Wait, who are we kidding? We wish this all the time. Join us in weeping as we take you through the top 10 privately owned celebrity islands."
- China puts hundreds of uninhabited islands up for rent - "China's northeastern Liaoning province is home to hundreds of uninhabited islands -- and they're available to rent."
- Craggy island for sale: gulls, grass, wind & no mod cons - "Uninhabited High Island off the west coast of Ireland can be yours for £1.1m."
- Desert island - Wikipedia.
 - Fisher Island - census-designated place of metropolitan Miami, Florida, located on a barrier island of the same name. As of the 2010 census, Fisher Island had the highest per capita income of any place in the United States. The CDP had only 226 households and a total population of 132 persons. Named for automotive parts pioneer and beach real estate developer Carl G. Fisher, who once owned it, Fisher Island is three miles off shore of mainland South Florida. No road or causeway connects to the island, which is accessible by private boat or ferry. Once a one-family island home of the Vanderbilts, and later several other millionaires, it was sold for development in the 1960s. The property sat vacant for well over 15 years before development was begun for very limited and restrictive multi-family use.
- Forget the mega yacht - tomorrow's billionaires can buy a portable ISLAND - Daily Mail.
 - Gaiola Island - one of the minor islands of Naples, off the city's Posillipo residential quarter, in the Metropolitan City of Naples and Campania region, southwestern Italy. Naples's legend has considered Gaiola a "cursed island", which with its beauty hides a "restless fate", the "Gaiola Malediction." The reputation developed from the frequent misfortunes and premature deaths in the families of its 20th century owners. For example, in the 1920s, it belonged to the Swiss Hans Braun, who was found dead and wrapped in a rug. A little later, his wife drowned in the sea. The island has also since belonged to: Gianni Agnelli, the Milanese owner of Fiat Automobiles, who suffered the deaths of many relatives; and to billionaire J. Paul Getty, who experienced from afar the suicide of his oldest son, death of his youngest son, and kidnapping of a grandson, before his own death.
 - Gardiners Island - Gardiners Bay, East Hampton, New York, U.S.A. It is 6 miles (9.7 km) long, 3 miles (4.8 km) wide and has 27 miles (43 km) of coastline. The island has been owned by the Gardiner family and their descendants for nearly 400 years, and it is the only American real estate still intact as part of an original royal grant from the English Crown. It is one of the larger privately owned islands in the United States.
- How to buy a private island - even if you're not a tech billionaire - Business Insider.
- Inside a $218 million private island in Palm Beach - Florida’s most expensive home for sale - "A private island in Palm Beach could become the most-expensive home ever sold in Florida, if it gets its asking price of $218 million. Developer Todd Michael Glaser and his partners bought 10 Tarpon Isle - the only private island in Palm Beach - for $85 million in 2021. They built a brand new house, turned the existing structure into a guest house, and added a giant pool, tennis courts and other amenities and have now relisted the property."
- Inside Harry & Meghan's 'private island plans' after being ousted from Frogmore Cottage - "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to be talking about buying another home, after a tumultuous few months for the pair, with Harry thought to be keen on a private island."
- Island won in a poker game on sale for $17 million - "Stunning Great Barrier Reef island, once won in a poker game, is up for sale."
 - Jeffrey Epstein’s Two Private Islands In The Caribbean List For $125 Million - "First reported by The Wall Street Journal, the pair of properties includes Great St. James and Little St. James. Great St. James is the larger of the islands, encompassing nearly 165 acres and situated near St. Thomas, and is fairly untouched. Little St. James, spanning roughly 72 acres, has a main residence, four guest houses, a helipad, private dock, gas station, three private beaches, two pools and a gym. The island, the same location where it was reported that underage girls were forced into sexual servitude, also has a flamingo-laden lagoon, library, cinema, and cabanas. The island also has a mysterious striped temple-like structure, and it’s unclear what the building’s purpose was."
- Lady Elliot Island: A paradise island where you make a pledge - "On Australia's Great Barrier Reef, tourists can play a role in an island's epic regeneration story."
- List of high profile island owners - Wikipedia.
- Lists of islands - Wikipedia.
- Lessons in Luxury: the Seychelles private-island resort that has saved a species - The Telegraph.
- Luxury Caribbean island hideaway can only be bought using bitcoin - The Telegraph.
 - Mustique - small private island that is one of the Grenadines, a chain of islands in the West Indies, and part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The island covers 1,400 acres (5.7 km²; 2.2 sq mi) and it has several coral reefs. The land fauna includes tortoises, herons and many other species. Its year-round population of about 500 mostly live in the villages of Lovell, Britannia Bay, and Dover. The island of Mustique is owned by the Mustique Company, which in turn is owned by the island's home owners. The island has approximately 100 private villas, many of which are rented out through the Mustique Company. In addition there is one hotel called the Cotton House, owned by the Mustique Company, and one privately owned seven-bedroom hotel called Firefly.
 - Necker Island - 30-hectare (74-acre) island in the British Virgin Islands just north of Virgin Gorda. The island's land is entirely owned by Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of the Virgin Group and is part of the Virgin Limited Edition portfolio of luxury properties. The whole island operates like a resort and can accommodate up to 34 guests, with additional room for 6 children.
- Spend Christmas On Richard Branson’s Private Island - "Necker Island, Richard Branson's famed private island, is breaking with tradition this holiday season. Known for its exclusivity and hefty price tag, the island is offering unprecedentedly for the December 20-27 festive week. Usually, those wanting to experience the lush life on Necker Island have to cough up a substantial sum, as the island has predominantly been available for complete buyouts. A night here usually costs a guest a whopping $115,000. But for a brief window this Christmas, Branson is allowing individual room bookings, making the renowned luxury of Necker Island more accessible for travelers keen on a different kind of festive experience." Forbes.
 - Paradise Island - an island in the Bahamas formerly known as Hog Island. The island, with an area of 277 hectares (685 acres) (2.8 km²/1.1 sq mi), is located just off the shore of the city of Nassau. It is best known for the sprawling resort Atlantis with its extensive water park rides, pools, beach, restaurants, walk-in aquarium and casinos. Huntington Hartford, the A&P supermarket heir, arrived on Hog Island in 1959. Hartford bought Hog Island from Axel Wenner-Gren and changed the name to Paradise Island. Paradise Island was purchased in the 1980s for $79 million, then sold to Merv Griffin for $400 million. It was last sold for $125 million to the current owner, Sol Kerzner. The current estimated value of the island is about US$2 billion.
- Private island - Wikipedia.
- Private Island News - "Established in 2011, is a web site connecting readers to news about the private island world. It aims to accurately reflect the state of this global market, with informative news items and feature articles, covering a wide variety of issues affecting private islands."
- Private island off Ireland's south coast sold for €5.5m via video - "Horse Island, a 64-hectare retreat in Roaringwater Bay, is part of a bucolic Atlantic region."
- Private Islands for rent - "A Wish List by Airbnb."
- Private Islands For Rent in the US - Thrillist.
- PRIVATE ISLANDS MAGAZINE - "A lifestyle for the independent adventuous personality." Showcasing the world's most exclusive island properties for sale and rent. Produced biannually, Private Islands Magazine contains more than 112 pages dedicated to the most beautiful, unique islands in the world. Explore the possibilities.
- Private Islands: The Ultimate Status Symbol - Elite Traveler.
- ‘Robinson Crusoe-style living’: the Australians turning to private islands - "Sale of Temple Island on the Great Barrier Reef for $1.75m reflects trend towards Australians seeking isolation and pristine environments."
 - SKORPIOS - private island in the Ionian Sea, Greece. Mainly known as the private island of the late Greek shipping billionaire Aristotle Onassis. Bought in April, 2013 by Ekaterina Rybolovleva, 24, daughter of Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev.
- 'Stunning' Scottish island up for auction with bids starting at $112,000 - "An auction house is selling an entire rugged Scottish island at an opening bid of £80,000 ($111,700), an amount that wouldn't even buy a tiny apartment in London."
- The Maldives is auctioning off 16 private islands to the super rich - "At 10am local time on June 24, the Maldives government is auctioning off 16 of its 1,190 islands, to tempt foreign investors into helping to boost a tourist economy that has been hit hard by the pandemic. There are no reserve prices for the islands, each of which comes with a 50-year lease."
- the richest of the rich & their island getaways – interactive - The Guardian.
- The tropical islands that fell into ruin - "In recent years, Dunk Island off Australia's Queensland coast has been the private holiday retreat of its owners."
- Top 10: world’s most exclusive island resorts - the Luxury Travel Expert.
- Waldorf Astoria's new Maldives private island costs $80,000 per night - "For those with the means, a private island in a tropical destination is the ultimate place to isolate from the global pandemic."
- Walker's Cay - the northernmost island in the Bahamas, part of the North Abaco district. Once a popular sport fishing location, the island has been deserted since 2004, following severe hurricane damage. One of Walker's Cay's seasonal residents was American businessman Robert Abplanalp, the inventor of modern-day aerosol valve for spray cans. Abplanalp bought the lease on the island in 1968 and continued to develop it as a sport fishing destination, while paying attention at the same time to the conservation of the island. Various celebrities became regular visitors of Walker's Cay, such as US President Richard Nixon, actress Jane Fonda, singer Roger Daltrey and athletes like Davey Johnson and Roger Staubach.
- Welcome to the world's smallest inhabited island - The Telegraph.
- What to get a woman who has everything? - Daily Mail.
- Why millionaires are buying deserted Indonesia islands - "Meet the millionaires (and billionaires) behind Indonesia's best island hotels."
- Why this Scottish isle is in big demand - "Unadorned, unkempt and unloved, Ulva is the Scottish island no one wanted to live on. But now an era-defining community buy-out is behind its welcome resurrection."
- world's best private islands - The Telegraph.
- world's 19 weirdest islands - The Telegraph.
 - Yacht Island Design - since 2011. The Yacht Island.
- You Can Now Spend Christmas On Richard Branson’s Private Island - "Necker Island, Richard Branson's famed private island, is breaking with tradition this holiday season. Known for its exclusivity and hefty price tag, the island is offering unprecedentedly for the December 20-27 festive week. Usually, those wanting to experience the lush life on Necker Island have to cough up a substantial sum, as the island has predominantly been available for complete buyouts. A night here usually costs a guest a whopping $115,000. But for a brief window this Christmas, Branson is allowing individual room bookings, making the renowned luxury of Necker Island more accessible for travelers keen on a different kind of festive experience." Forbes.
Private Islands for Sale & Rent
- 8 Stunning Private Islands To Rent In 2023 - "A secluded private island holiday might be more accessible than you think. There are numerous companies who will arrange this or, for a DIY approach, there are islands located around the world listed on Airbnb. In some cases, they can be more affordable than staying at a hotel in a crowded beach resort. For instance, the only private island in El Nido, The Philippines, is available through Airbnb from around £300/night and that includes all meals and daily housekeeping."
- ‘Robinson Crusoe-style living’: the Australians turning to private islands - "Sale of Temple Island on the Great Barrier Reef for $1.75m reflects trend towards Australians seeking isolation and pristine environments."
 - Airbnb - Private Islands for rent - since 2008. "Private island rentals in the United States."
 - Dream Exotic Rentals - since 2000. "Private Island Vacation Rentals."
 - ERA Dupuch Real Estate - since 1993. "Bahamas Islands For Sale."
 - FlipKey - since 2007. "Private Island Vacation Rentals." For those travelers who crave sun, surf, and - above all - privacy, there's only one place to go: your own private island. FlipKey has a selection of private islands around the world for you to enjoy.
 - Isola Santa Cristina - "Rent a Venice Private Island." ‘... arguably the most exclusive place to stay near Venice.’ - Departues.
 - Migaloo Private Submersible Yachts - since 2013. "Private floating habitat based on semi-submersible platforms." Designers have come up with plans for a floating private island that could be moved anywhere in the world.
 - ORSOS ISLANDS - since 2012. "An exciting new Home or Holiday experience." ORSOS Islands stands for an easy going, relaxed and personal holiday experience that combines all the positive aspects of mainland real estate and luxury yachts.
 - Private Islands Inc. - since 1999. "The foremost global marketplace for private island sales and rentals. Whether you are in the market to purchase your dream island or ready to sell your prized property, we are 100 percent dedicated to the world of private islands."
 - PRIVATE ISLANDS ONLINE - since 1999. "Browse hundreds of islands available for sale and rent worldwide. Private Islands Online is the World"s most comprehensive marketplace." Representing the largest majority of islands available for sale, Private Islands Online (PIO) is the only international real estate web site dedicated exclusively to island properties. Established in 1999, this fully searchable and interactive site unites and categorizes the otherwise fragmented and disparate island marketplace. With over 4 million annual site visitors and 70,000 subscribers, Private Islands Online is the center of the island world.
 - SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL REALTY - since 1976. "Private Island Properties." Infinite views, the serene sound of lapping tides and secluded elegance await on your private island paradise. Discover the true definition of escape and tranquility when our unrivaled international network of real estate professionals matches you with the private island of your wildest dreams.
 - Taprobane Island - "Sri Lanka’s only privately owned island. The No.1 address in the Indian Ocean." Taprobane Island was originally built in the 1920's by the romantically-named but self-styled Count de Mauny-Talvande. The island, with its neo palladian mansion, has played host to kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers, aristocracy, writers and eccentrics, giving it a very colorful history, which guests can now share. The Island comprises two and a half acres of sheer tropical fantasy with nothing between it and the South Pole. Accommodation includes five en-suite bedrooms, with spacious living areas, balconies, verandahs, tropical gardens and a stunning infinity pool.
 - VLADI PRIVATE ISLANDS - "Meet the world record holder in selling private islands worldwide: 2,650+ certified island sales since 1971."
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