Wednesday, 13 January 2021
Hawaii
PRISTINE PRIVATE ISLAND HIDEAWAYS OWNED BY BILLIONAIRES
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Private property: the luxury islands of the super-rich
Well away from prying eyes and nosy paparazzi, these billionaire private islands are where the mega-rich spend their holidays. From Richard Branson's celebrity haunt on Necker Island to Larry Ellison's Hawaiian hideaway, click or scroll through to tour the ultimate retreats of the world's wealthiest people.
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Laucala Island – Dietrich Mateschitz
This spectacular paradise island in Fiji is owned by Red Bull co-founder, Dietrich Mateschitz. The Austrian businessman is reported to be the 57th wealthiest person in the world, according to Forbes, worth a cool $27.6 billion (£21bn),
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Laucala Island – Dietrich Mateschitz
Spread over 3,500 acres of land, the pristine Laucala boasts a virtually untouched tropical rainforest interior and exquisite sugar-white sand beaches, fringed by coconut palms. With a wealth of natural resources, it would be the perfect prepper property for surviving the end of the world in style.
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Laucala Island – Dietrich Mateschitz
Mateschitz purchased Laucala in 2003 for $10 million (£7.5m) from the moneyed Forbes family. He has since transformed the island into a super-luxurious, all-inclusive eco-resort that's now home to an 18-hole golf course, a wellness centre, its own airstrip and a collection of five restaurants and bars, offering everything from beachside barbeques to fine dining experiences.
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Laucala Island – Dietrich Mateschitz
In keeping with its ultra-exclusive ambience, staying on Laucala doesn't come cheap. While guests enjoy unlimited vintage champagne, gourmet delicacies, watersports and so on, rates begin at a hefty $4,800 (£3.6k) a night, with an additional $14,000 (£10.6k) charged as a landing fee for using the island's private airstrip.
Lanai – Larry Ellison
The biggest island in our round-up, Lanai (aka Pineapple Island) is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian islands. Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison owns a whopping 98% of the land on Lanai.
Lanai – Larry Ellison
Ellison spent a reported $300 million (£226m) on his Pacific island purchase in June 2012. Relatively unspoiled, Lanai has no traffic lights or shopping malls and features 90,000 acres of land, two Four Seasons resorts and an estimated population of around 3,000 people.
Lanai – Larry Ellison
As you'd expect, the island's hotels are of the five-star luxury variety. A room at the swanky Four Seasons Resort Lanai in Manele Bay starts at around $1,180 (£887) a night in low season – so you'll need very deep pockets if you want to stay for a week.
Lanai – Larry Ellison
The north side of the island comes with stunning beaches and rugged nature, which offers the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure. But Ellison has plans to develop the urban footprint of the island and has submitted a 30-year proposal costing $340 million to the State Land Use Commission. This would potentially see 200 acres turned into an industrial park, extra housing built to bring the population up to 6,000 people and new amenities developed such as a university, film studios and a tennis academy.
Brecqhou – Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay
Named on The Sunday Times Rich List as having a fortune of $9.3 billion (£7bn), Britain's billionaire Barclay brothers have owned the Channel Island of Brecqhou since 1993. The 74-acre island is located off the coast of Sark in the Channel Islands and has its own village, chapel and pub, as well as vineyards and orchards.
Brecqhou – Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay
The identical twin brothers conducted a huge landscape makeover on the island, shaving off cliff edges and creating lakes so that the profile was transformed.
Brecqhou – Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay
The billionaires also commissioned a mock-Gothic castle to be built on the island. Designed by Quinlan Terry, the imposing property commands great views of the English Channel and features three-foot-thick granite walls, luxury reception rooms, two swimming pools and a helipad.
Brecqhou – Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay
While it's impossible to stay overnight on Brecqhou, guests booking through any of the four luxury hotels in the Sark Island Hotels group can take advantage of a complimentary tour of the charming little island.
Calivigny – Georges Cohen
Another blissful tropical bolthole, French entrepreneur Georges Cohen bagged the Caribbean island of Calivigny back in 2000. Situated off the coast of Grenada, the island caught the eye of his wife, Martine Cohen, who happened to swim ashore while moored nearby on their yacht. According to Yachts International, Martine persuaded her husband to get on the next plane when she discovered that it was for sale and the couple decided to buy it on the spot.
Calivigny – Georges Cohen
Over the decades, George, Martine and their family have invested heavily in developing the island to the highest specifications, bringing in thousands of plants, trees and bespoke luxury accommodation. Their hard work has paid off and this private paradise has attracted the likes of the Kardashians and Justin Bieber, who celebrated his 21st birthday there.
Calivigny – Georges Cohen
Encompassing a landmass of more than 80 acres, the island is dotted with palm trees and lush tropical vegetation. It also boasts a total of six dreamy white sand beaches that are guaranteed to be crowd-free all year round.
Calivigny – Georges Cohen
There are three suitably grand residences on the island and a huge pool. Guests are waited on hand and foot by an army of staff and no request is too much to ask. You'll have to dig deep though if you're interested in staying on Calivigny – exclusive island charters for up to 40 guests cost in excess of $132,000 (£99k) per night.
Sampson Cay – John Malone
This heart-stoppingly beautiful Bahamian cay is the property of Liberty Media's John Malone. As the single-largest landowner in the United States, Malone is worth a reported $7 billion (£5.2bn).
Sampson Cay – John Malone
Malone isn't the only prominent billionaire to own an island in the Bahamas, though. LVMH Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault, who has a reported fortune of $141 billion (£105bn), holds the deeds to nearby Indigo Island. In April 2018, he became the richest person in fashion, topping Zara's Amancio Ortega for pole position.
Sampson Cay – John Malone
Once home to a small resort and marina, which was a popular destination for affluent yacht owners, Malone closed the island to the public in 2013 and has converted Sampson Cay into a private retreat for his family.
Sampson Cay – John Malone
The island covers a total of 31 acres and seriously wows with some of the most stunning beaches in the Bahamas. If you've fallen in love and fancy buying yourself a slice of paradise, then 21 acres of land at Sampson Cay are now for sale with Private Islands Online – but you'll need a hefty $14.5 million (£10.8m) in the bank in order to snap them up!
Velaa – Jiří Šmejc
Velaa, a 19.4-acre atoll in the Maldives, is owned by Czech billionaire Jiří Šmejc, and his wife Radka. According to Forbes, Šmejc made his fortune through his involvement in selling Russia's largest TV channel to the cosmetics mogul, Ronald Lauder (of Estée Lauder) now jointly owns the company Home Credit, a quick loans offering that is expanding into China and Vietnam.
Velaa – Jiří Šmejc
Built at a cost $200 million (£151m) in 2014, the resort consists of 42 palatial thatched villas and benefits from a wide array of facilities, including a restaurant headed by a Michelin-starred chef, a golf course, the newest hi-tech water sport toys, shaded tennis courts and a Clarins spa.
Velaa – Jiří Šmejc
A 'beyond luxury' exclusive boutique hideaway, Velaa island has been voted one of the world's top high-end resorts – and it isn't difficult to see why! The architect Petr Kolár designed the island to meet the billionaire's exacting standards, filling a niche for total private getaways that allow freedom and entertainment in equal measure.
Velaa – Jiří Šmejc
Part private bolthole and part exclusive holiday destination, the island can comfortably accommodate up to 80 guests who are each assigned a personal butler. During your stay, you can enjoy sunset boat trips to go dolphin watching, private meditation sessions in the elevated yoga pavilion, and one-on-one golf tuition from PGA professionals. You'll have to pay through the nose, however – prices begin from around $2,900 (£2.2k) per night.
Skorpios – Ekaterina Rybolovleva
The legendary 74-acre Skorpios Island in Greece, which once belonged to the late shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, was snapped up in 2013 by Ekaterina Rybolovleva, the daughter of Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev, who has a reported net worth of $6.6 billion ($4.9bn).
Skorpios – Ekaterina Rybolovleva
During the 2000s and early 2010s, Madonna, Bill Gates and Giorgio Armani reportedly tried and failed to purchase the Greek island, which was bought by Rybolovleva for an estimated $150 million (£114m). The island was the pet project of Onassis, who imported trees, sand and built the residences for him and his wife Jackie Onassis – widow of President John F. Kennedy – to enjoy vacations in total privacy.
Skorpios – Ekaterina Rybolovleva
The private island is set just off the western coast of Greece and has a population of only five people, according to a 2011 census. It features three rustic-style villas, a requisite billionaire helipad and a quay for those all-important yachts – not to mention plenty of wooded parklands and a bijou sandy beach. Heiress Rybolovleva married Juan Sartori on Skorpios in 2015; 47 years after the former first lady chose it as the site for her own wedding.
Skorpios – Ekaterina Rybolovleva
Rybolovleva has spoken about her passion for the island, calling it her "personal refuge" in an exclusive interview with the Greek newspaper To Vima. "It is my second home, the ideal destination for my holidays. It is the place where I can relax and feel totally free. It is also sacred, full of history, tradition and respect. All this is due to the legacy that Aristotle Onassis has left behind," she said.
Necker Island – Sir Richard Branson
Sir Richard Branson's Caribbean jewel, Necker Island, is heaven on earth. A vacay magnet for billionaires, royalty and A-list celebrities, everyone from Barack Obama to Google billionaire Larry Page has stayed on the island. Kate Moss held her 40th birthday bash on Necker and the island has hosted royal guests including the late Princess of Wales, Prince Harry and the Duchess of Cambridge.
Necker Island – Sir Richard Branson
Richard Branson bought Necker Island in 1979, for an almost depressingly low price of $120,000 (£90.9k). He soon made the island his permanent residence and set about constructing an 11-bedroom Balinese-style home, which he called the Great House.
Necker Island – Sir Richard Branson
Yet Branson lost his dream home twice. The property was gutted in 2011 by a fire sparked by Storm Irene, before being flattened by Hurricane Irma in September 2017. Following both disasters, the property was rebuilt at great cost.
Necker Island – Sir Richard Branson
Necker, which also rocks an uber-exclusive private resort with a luxe yet relaxed vibe, features six Balinese-inspired cottages, numerous pools, hot tubs and tennis courts. The entire island costs around $82,000 (£61.2k) per night for up to 34 guests.
Moskito Island – Sir Richard Branson
Not just satisfied with one private island, the 70-year-old billionaire acquired the neighbouring island of Moskito in 2007 for $12.6 million (£9.5m) and has spent a fortune turning the gorgeous 125-acre Caribbean idyll into an upscale eco-resort.
Moskito Island – Sir Richard Branson
The island features a number of well-appointed villas that make up Branson's private family estate, plus a huge pool, several nature trails, an organic garden and a sustainable recreation area.
Moskito Island – Sir Richard Branson
A haven for well-heeled hippies, Moskito is all about sustainability – as much as 80% of the island's energy supply comes from renewable sources, and Moskito is home to a sanctuary for endangered ring-tailed lemurs.
Moskito Island – Sir Richard Branson
When the Branson family aren't staying here, the Caribbean island is available for hire. The Branson Estate, suitable for 22 guests, costs a whopping $33,000 (£24.9k) a night. With white sands, turquoise seas and all the luxuries you can imagine, this ultra-exclusive destination is like stepping into a dream.
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