HOW TO BE A FANTASY ISLAND CASTAWAY... FOR JUST £23 A DAY!
Thought holidaying on your own private island was just for millionaires? In fact, in the modern age of Airbnb, ANYONE can rent one
OVER THE SEA TO SANDA Sanda Island, Argyll
GETTING THERE: Met by staff in either Glasgow or Edinburgh, and choose a helicopter or 40-minute boat ride for the last leg of the journey to the West Coast. The rental is £14,000 a week and the island sleeps eight.
WHAT YOU’LL FIND: Sanda, 1.5 miles south of the Kintyre peninsula, has about 400 acres. There are cliffs, stunning sea views and seals. All meals and drinks are covered, as are field trips, wildlife observation, trout fishing in the natural lake, guided whale-watching tours, whisky tasting and boat trips to Northern Ireland. Four tastefullydecorated cottages have underfloor heating and cosy fireplaces.
STAR SELLING POINT: On arrival, all guests are treated to a traditional welcome from a piper.
LOOK OUT FOR DOLPHINS Round Island, Dorset
GETTING THERE: The journey to Poole in Dorset will probably involve a drive, although there is an airport in Bournemouth. The island’s caretakers, a couple and their children, collect guests on their boat at Poole Marina for the 15-minute trip to Round Island. Those with their own boats can moor them nearby. Rental starts at £4,060 and can sleep up to 25, which works out at £23.20 per person per day.
WHAT YOU’LL FIND: A mix of paddocks and woodland, the 15-acre island also has a sandy beach. There are four cottages with fully equipped kitchens. The island has its own water supply, boathouse and slipway. Visitors report seeing dolphins.
STAR SELLING POINT: Round Island is said to have inspired Sir Thomas Beecham to write his biography of the composer Delius.
BOOK NOW BEFORE RONALDO DOES Tagomago Island, Spain
GETTING THERE: The flight to Ibiza is £350 and a helicopter ride to the island, off the east coast, is part of the package. Renting the 148-acre island, which sleeps ten, costs £70,000 a week — so £1,000 per person per day.
WHAT YOU’LL FIND: A plush modern villa with five double ensuite bedrooms and eight staff, including a boat captain. There are superb ocean views from the terraces, a swimming pool, outdoor whirlpool and sauna.
All food and drink is included and two chefs and a butler provide a 24-hour service. The island has a beach and bar, and guests have use of a small yacht, two boats and two jetskis.
STAR SELLING POINT: The island is a favourite haunt of Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood and Real Madrid football star Cristiano Ronaldo.
LATIN AMERICAN LOVERS’ RETREAT Gladden, Belize
GETTING THERE: This trip involves a 20-hour flight (approx £687) from the UK, then a helicopter transfer (included). Gladden is in the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, on the Caribbean coast of northern Central America. It costs £15,645 for two for a week. WHAT YOU’LL FIND: An exquisite private sanctuary, perfect for loved-up couples, though there is a second master suite if you want to bring friends along. There is a roof terrace and floor-to-ceiling windows, and the tiny island has palm trees and golden sand. STAR SELLING POINT: Staff reside on a smaller island nearby, unobtrusive but ready to respond to requests in a trice. A ‘privacy meter’ lets rich and famous guests know when a worker visits the island. But beware: Belize was blacklisted by Barack Obama as a major transit route for drugs, so don’t agree to carry anyone else’s bag through Customs.
WHEN ONLY THE BEST IN THE WORLD WILL DO Thanda Island, Tanzania
GETTING THERE: Take a 13-hour flight (£540) to Dar es Salaam, then a 50-minute jet ride (£212) to the island, off Tanzania. It sleeps 14 adults and up to four children, and is £53,000 a week. WHAT YOU’LL FIND: A luxury villa with five air-conditioned bedroom suites that open onto the white sandy beach. There are also two super-deluxe versions of traditional huts. Voted the world’s leading private island in last year’s World Travel Awards, 20-acre Thanda has an outdoor bath overlooking the ocean, tennis courts, a large gym with aircon, a dedicated boatman and exclusive access to a marine reserve where you can swim with whale sharks. STAR SELLING POINT: There’s a helicopter pad, too.
FANCY A WHIRLPOOL BATH ON THE ROCKS? Korkyra Lighthouse, Croatia
GETTING THERE: A four-hour connecting flight to Split (£250), then it’s a short coach ride to the pier where a boat (transfers included) ferries you to the small island of Vela Sestrica, next to the busier island of Korcula. Rental is from £5,000 a week and it sleeps eight.
WHAT YOU’LL FIND: This former lighthouse, built in 1871, has been renovated to create four lovely modern bedrooms, all with sea views, and two bathrooms. There is an outdoor pool overlooking the ocean.
The summer months are warm, with temperatures of between 22c and 30c (72-86f); July and August are the driest months. The 24-acre island comes with a butler. Shops, bars and restaurants can be found in Orebic and Korcula.
STAR SELLING POINT: Who needs a Jacuzzi when you have use of a natural whirlpool in the rock?
HIGHLY AFFJORDABLE Batholmen, Norway
GETTING THERE: Flights from UK airports to Oslo are about £150. From there an express bus (£25) takes you to a stop in Hvaler 500 yards from the jetty, where the island’s owners collect guests and ferry them to the island, which sleeps four. The rental is £1,204 a week.
WHAT YOU’LL FIND: A no-frills, two-bedroom, brightly coloured wooden chalet.
The 2.5-acre island (you can walk across it in five minutes) has no internet access or mobile phone signal. Instead, you can fish, cook your best catches and swim in the fjord.
While beautiful in winter, when temperatures plummet to minus 2c (28.4f), the area has Norway’s highest number of sunny days each year. In July and August the temperature rarely reaches much more than 16c (61f).
STAR SELLING POINT: The chalet, the number one let on Airbnb in Norway, comes with a private motorboat so you can whizz around the shoreline visiting nearby islands and islets.