For many of the world’s wealthy, true relaxation can be obtained only in surroundings that offer the ultimate in privacy and safety. Many high-profile people recognize that owning one’s own island is among the few reliable ways to completely escape the pressures of work, curious onlookers and the paparazzi.
Today’s famous island-owners include Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage, Brooke Shields, Richard Branson and Ted Turner.
Farhad Vladi, one of the world’s most prominent private island brokers, estimates that there are about 30 island transactions a year. Brokering island sales and rentals for more than 30 years, Vladi Private Islands has sold some 2,000 islands to date. The most expensive island for sale on Vladi’s Web site (www.vladi-private-islands.de) is Great Hans Lollik in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a 500-acre (202 hectare) patch of sand and tropical vegetation that is available for $45 million.
Vladi divides the islands into two main categories: ‘‘quality islands’’ that are very habitable, close to infrastructure, not too far from the mainland and with easy access to medical care; and ‘‘adventurer islands,’’ which don’t offer these advantages.
‘‘We can see today that the quality islands are sought after by people who intend to personally use these islands — in general off Europe, North America, New Zealand
and Australia,’’ says Vladi. ‘‘On the other hand, investors tend to buy adventurer islands in the hope of selling them for more at a later date, as these are inexpensive properties.’’
Vladi bemoans the fact, however, that quality islands are almost always in short supply as their owners tend to hold onto them for some time because they are
strongly attached to them emotionally, and the islands are stable financial assets.
One of Vladi’s hot properties at the moment is Sanda Island, oft the coast of Scotland. Located 45 mmutes by helicopter from Glasgow, this 400-acre chunk of history also entitleses its owner to the neighboring islands of Sheep and Glunimore as well as the the right to use the title "Laird of Sanda" and to issue one's own stamps and gold coins.
Of course, one doesn't have to own an island to take advantage of its privacy, because many of them are for rent. In fact, Vladi says its essential for individuals to rent a few islands in diverse locales before deciding to buy in order to "strip away false illusions about islands.”
Those who crave the advantages without the hassles of upkeep can rent a “full-service island." One of the most luxurious of these is Musha Cay in the Bahamas.Owned by the magician David Copperfield, it comprises a group of 11 private islands covering 700 acres with 40 "sugar sand" beaches and five secluded beachfront villas that offer the utmost in island luxury to as many as 24 of the renter's nearest and dearest friends and relatives. Depending on the season when one chooses to rent, Musha Cay rates range from $24,750 to $44,500 per night, all inclusive. An ecofriendly alternative is Turtle Island in Fiji, which offers 500 acres that can accommodate 28 guests for around $275,000 a week.
At the other end of the spectrum — for those who really want to get a way from it all four people can opt to stay in a lighthouse keeper’s home on a private islet in
Myken Fyr, north of the Arctic Circle, off the coast of Norway, for ¤2,500 ($3,560) per
week. The lighthouse is not in a tower, but on the roof of the keeper’s wooden home, high above the shoreline, with stunning ocean and mountain views. The house has recently been refurbished with four twin-bedded rooms, sitting room,
kitchen and bathroom. Myken Fyr is available self-catered or fully serviced.
Caption:
Forsythe Island in Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand (above and lodge, inset) is available for rent. Its peaks, oceanfront and views are obvious assets.
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