Luxury Islands Of The Super-Rich
Spending money is a challenging undertaking for a multibillionaire. Thus, there's no better way to blow off your wealth than with a gorgeous private island that's far from prying eyes and curious paparazzi. These immaculate private islands are where the super-rich spend their vacations, from Mark Zuckerberg's expansive Hawaiian retreat to Richard Branson's celebrity hotspot on Necker Island. Get your shades on, click or scroll through, and join us for a tour of the world's wealthiest people's ultimate getaways.
Musha Cay - David Copperfield
The resort features 40 private sugar sand beaches spread across 11 islands, 700 verdant acres, five magnificent plantation-style private residences, an outdoor theater, and its own private airfield. It makes sense that a number of A-list celebrities, such Oprah Winfrey and John Travolta, have visited and Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem chose to get married here in 2010.
Every master bedroom has a gorgeous four-poster bed and a wraparound mahogany porch with views of your very own private beach. For candlelit meals by the sea, supper is served in one of many locations, such as the Balinese dining pavilion The Dock. Aperitifs are served at the Sandbar, which is a seemingly limitless expanse of immaculate white sand that is visible for only a few hours each day. Happiness!
Laucala Island – Dietrich Mateschitz
Laucala was bought by Mateschitz in 2003 for $10 million (£7.8 million) from the wealthy Forbes family. Since then, he has turned the island into an opulent, all-inclusive eco-resort run by Como Hotels and Resorts. It has an 18-hole golf course, a wellness center, an airstrip, and five restaurants and bars that provide everything from fine dining to beachside cookouts.
Staying on Laucala is expensive in line with its ultra-exclusive atmosphere. Although the rates start at a hefty $6,500 (£5.1k) a night, visitors can enjoy endless vintage champagne, gourmet food, water sports, and more. In addition, there is the expense of your own charter. Mark Mateschitz, who inherited his father's multibillion-dollar fortune and is reportedly the richest millennial in Europe, doesn't seem to have a problem with money.
Lanai – Larry Ellison
The projected cost of Ellison's June 2012 acquisition of the Pacific islands was $300 million (£235 million). Lanai is a relatively pristine island with 90,000 acres of land, a town of 3,200 people, two Four Seasons resorts, and neither traffic lights nor commercial centers. The hotels on the island are luxurious five-star establishments, as one might anticipate. If you want to stay for a week, you'll need to have extremely deep pockets because a room at the opulent Four Seasons Resort Lanai on Manele Bay, as pictured above, starts at about $2,150 (£1.7k) each night.
Brecqhou – Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay
In 1993, the identical twin brothers, who had previously worked as decorators and painters before purchasing real estate, spent $4.5 million (£3.5 million) for the island. They undertook a massive landscape makeover on the island, slicing off cliff sides, creating lakes, and building pockets of protection from the salty Atlantic blasts that had prevented anything from growing, all in an attempt to create their earthly paradise, according to The Guardian.
On the island, the millionaires also ordered the construction of a faux-Gothic castle. The impressive Quinlan Terry-designed estate has two swimming pools, a helipad, three-foot-thick granite walls, and exquisite reception rooms in addition to stunning views of the English Channel. After a brief illness, Sir David suddenly passed away in January 2021 at the age of 86. It is said that he is buried on the island.
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Velaa – Jiri Smejc
Owners of Velaa, a 19.4-acre atoll in the Maldives, are Jiří Šmejc, a Czech millionaire, and his spouse Radka. As to Forbes, Šmejc amassed his wealth by selling the biggest TV channel in his nation to Ronald Lauder, the founder of Estée Lauder cosmetics, in 2004. In addition to being the creator of the investment organization EMMA, he is currently the chairman of Home Credit, a rapid loan provider that is entering China and Vietnam.
The island is a mix of elite vacation spot and secret hideout, with enough room to host up to 80 people, each of whom has a personal butler. PGA pros will provide one-on-one golf instruction during your stay, along with private meditation sessions in the high yoga pavilion and sunset boat outings to observe dolphins. It's not inexpensive, though; a Sunrise Water Pool Villa starts at about $2,400 (£1.9k) each night.
Skorpios – Ekaterina Rybolovleva
Madonna, Bill Gates, and Giorgio Armani are said to have attempted and failed to buy the Greek island in the 2000s and early 2010s; Rybolovlev ultimately purchased it for an estimated $150 million (£118 million). Onassis developed the homes on the island, a pet project of his, and brought in trees and sand to enjoy private holidays with his wife Jackie Onassis, the widow of President John F. Kennedy.