Author: Aoife Moriarty
How about your own private island – complete with magnificent scenery and minus the stresses and strains of modern life?
The idea of owning your own tranquil slice of paradise is not a new one; indeed the likes of Hollywood icon Marlon Brando and Greek shipping billionaire Aristotle Onassis were flaunting the concept to the masses more than half a century ago.
But advances in technology and infrastructure have allowed the private island business to flourish and experience unprecedented traffic in subsequent decades. Once the exclusive mainstay of billionaires, millionaires all over the globe are now purchasing modestly proportioned islands in Scandinavia, Canada and Central America, as well as the Mediterranean and Caribbean.
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As Farhad Vladi, President of Vladi Private Islands, puts it: “Technology is so advanced. Today you have solar energy, wind generation, septic tanks and small formats for sewage. You have cellular phones so you don’t always need a cable.
“You can buy prefab homes that come on a palette and that can be transported by helicopter to the island. So things can be done much faster than before and that is a big help in the island industry.”
A private island broker for over forty years, Vladi knows his industry inside out. On his company’s website and others such as Private Islands Online, prospective owners can browse through hundreds of exclusive island getaways available for sale or rent.
Once you’re serious about purchasing, you are then guided through a tangled web of permits and approvals that separates you from your tropical island dream by Vladi or one of his contemporaries. In Greece, for example, you need an impressive 32 in total, while the UK by comparison, is “the easiest place in the world to buy an island,” according to Vladi.
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But what is it that makes HNWs and UHNWs create their very own Robinson Crusoe-style retreat, far removed from civilisation? Admittedly, it’s a slightly rhetorical question. “You have the feeling that you control what you see,” says Vladi.
“You don’t have neighbours you dislike, you don’t have traffic and smog; I think that is what people have in mind.”
“Also, you feel that you will be much closer with your family; people don’t walk with iPods on the island, they try to go out and discover and talk so people are much closer,” he explains. “Because the nature animates and I think that’s very important.”
UK born Christopher Boswell, a Dubai-based real estate broker and CEO of the Vincitore Group, also has a number of private islands on his group’s portfolio. These include a 3.9 acre private island in the Caribbean as well as a private island In Venice, worth an estimated 29.5 million, with the majority of his clients interested in these freeholds as a business proposition rather than personal use.
“It’s an opportunity for individuals,” Boswell explains. “If something comes up that hasn’t been for sale for a lengthy period of time and you can now own it and you’ve got that kind of liquidity, then it’s a good investment.”
With European economies struggling, previously inaccessible assets are now being sold off to the highest bidder in hard hit countries like Italy and Greece, a fact that Boswell has used to his advantage.
So how do you choose your ideal island hideaway? “First of all I ask people, ‘What is your budget, when do you have holidays and what are your geographical preferences?'” says industry veteran Vladi. “So then I get the first feeling about which direction I should send him in.”
Whether you prefer palm trees or spruce trees, Vladi, Boswell and their cohorts will help you find the right location. Only in the age of the internet, could window shopping for islands become a reality, with websites that offer detailed information on hundreds of freehold properties across the globe.
Of course in the case of celebrities, many prefer to rent a chosen island paradise owing to security and privacy issues. Vladi tells me a story about a ‘lawyer’ who inquired about renting Fregate Island in the Seychelles. When, as standard practice, Vladi called up to check how the visit was going he was told by the island manager that everything was perfectly happy, but there was a slight misunderstanding. That lawyer? A Mr Bill Gates.
Read on to discover some of the most impressive private islands currently on the market…
Buck Island – British Virgin Islands, Caribbean
Images courtesy of www.vladi-private-islands.de
Part of the British Virgin Islands, nestled to the east of Tortola, Buck Island is comprised of 43 acres of lush, tropical paradise.
Amble along the white sands of their own private beach and enjoy stunning panoramic views from the island’s three hilltops, with level house sites.
This island is also perfect for sailing and boating enthusiasts, with extensive docking and marine facilities and the deep-sea fishing grounds of the Sir Francis Drake Channel close at hand.
Stora Rullingen – Sweden, Scandinavia
Images courtesy of www.vladi-private-islands.de
If you prefer a more temperate climate, then Stora Rullingen – an hour’s boat or car from Stockholm – could be the perfect island getaway for you.
A modern hunter gatherer’s dream, fans of hunting, fishing and flying will be right at home on the island, with a tastefully designed timber mini mansion, a massive lawn for riding or golf and space to land your own private ‘copter.
Set against a spectacular forest backdrop, other features of this idyllic 81.5 acre getaway include a historical Viking fort and a hunting lodge with private wine cellar.
Portofino Caye – Belize, Central America
Images courtesy of Private Islands Online
When you think of the ‘perfect’ tropical island, you are most likely thinking of the palm fronds and white sands of the likes of Portofino Caye.
Nine miles off the coast of central Belize, this 7.5 acre Caribbean conquest features three villas, independent staff quarters, a secluded plunge pool and the longest private pier in Belize among its wealth of perks.
Located within a world heritage site and four miles inside the Belize Barrier Reef – the second largest in the world – Portofino Caye is also aptly located for diving, snorkelling and any other water-related activities one might associate with a personal paradise.
Île Gagnon – Montreal, Canada
Images courtesy of www.vladi-private-islands.de
If castles are more your thing, look no further than Quebec’s Île Gagnon; a vast stone mansion built on its own private island.
Formerly owned by Canadian songstress Celine Dion, then French Normandy-style building is reached by a private gated bridge and features opulent classical interiors befitting of true royalty.
The 24,000 square feet residence includes a customised elevator, an impressive panelled library, sun rooms and a stone-vaulted wine cellar with integrated tasting room. Not too shabby then.
