Four of the best private island retreats
Get away from the crowds by hiring your own idyllic private island retreat
Velaa Private Island: submarine comes as standard
Velaa Private Island is “a resort for billionaires, by billionaires”, says Adam Hay-Nicholls in City AM. Where else does the hotel provide a personal submarine? The aquatic garage also includes a traditional Maldivian wooden bahtheli boat, a flybridge motor yacht and a luxurious dive boat. It boasts powerful jet skis and, “with my butler dispatched with a Chablis and sashimi-filled hamper, I’m pointed in the direction of ‘Picnic Island’; a 45-minute ride away, most of which I spend a couple of feet in the air”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Afterwards, you may wish to relax at “the out-of-this-world spa”, with private suites that hover above the lagoon. Should you require absolute privacy, the whole island can be hired by one guest.
Villas start from $1,815 per night; VelaaPrivateIsland.com
Pangkor Laut: postcard-worthy white sandy beaches
At a ramshackle fish farm floating off the coast of Pangkor Island, west Malaysia, I was attempting to catch my dinner,” recalls Hannah Britt in the Daily Express. On a field-to-table food excursion, the plan was to cook up whatever we found. Pangkor Laut – a four-hour transfer from Kuala Lumpur – “provides everything you would expect from a private island: peace in spades, exceptional service... and palm-lined white sandy beaches worthy of a postcard”.
Each villa at the Pangkor Laut Resort is equipped with a sunken bath and “a sleek wooden terrace with views out over the water”. The resort also promises to turn “even the most dreadful of cooks” into the next Raymond Blanc. So after the excursion, it’s time to cook. Britt’s feast, served on a smoked banana leaf, was Malaysian spiced red snapper and sticky white rice. “It’s not every day you get to cook on your own private island.”
Villas start from £302 per night; PangkorLautResort.com
Alphonse Island: a snorkeller’s dream
Alphonse in the Seychelles has long been famed among fishermen for its marine life and salt-water fly fishing, says Teresa Levonian Cole in Spear’s. In 2016, the only hotel on Alphonse reopened, revamped to cater for leisure guests as well as the fishing fraternity. Here blue is the operative word. The clear waters range from deep cobalt, through brilliant turquoise, to pale jade. Snorkellers will experience “a silent world of balletic fish painted in the garish primary colours and bold prints of Fauvism”, while scuba diving is “like swimming in an aquarium”. But you hardly need to leave the shore. Some 80,000 bonefish live on the shallow flats, and paddling in a glass canoe reveals turtles, barracuda, peppered rays and lemon shark.
Bungalows start from $6,000 per person for seven nights; Alphonse-Island.com/en
Mayo Landing: a private island closer to home
Burst through the doors of the Mayo Landing cabin in the Cotswolds, take in the nature reserve, private beach and lake encircling you, and you’ll feel the only thing missing is a herd of giraffes, says Becky Lucas in GQ magazine. Part of the charm is not only the fact that it’s a private island, but also that it feels like you’ve just hopped into a car and shortly found yourself in what seems to be either a Tanzanian range, a corner of Newfoundland, or maybe Finland – “but certainly not somewhere near Cirencester in Gloucestershire”.
The cabin itself has all “the markings of a five-star Scandi ski chalet”. An eco-friendly heating system uses heat from the lake to warm the interior. Outside, a wooden veranda wraps the building, full-stopped by a heated swimming pool, where all furniture is positioned to gaze across the lake or towards the sauna and hot tub. It’s popular, too; the island is booked up almost a year in advance.
Mayo Landing costs £1,155 for 11 people and seven nights; LoghouseHolidays.co.uk
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 17, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - political anxiety, jury sorting hat, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Arid Gulf states hit with year's worth of rain
Speed Read The historic flooding in Dubai is tied to climate change
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Westbury Hotel review: stunning suites in charming Dublin
The Week Recommends This hotel is the perfect spot to while away a weekend in Ireland's capital
By Kaye O'Doherty Published
-
Drama movies 2024: new films out this year
In Depth Latest reviews include The Boys in the Boat, One Life and Tchaikovsky's Wife
By The Week UK Last updated
-
Best new hotels and places to stay in 2024
The Week Recommends Featuring stylish island resorts, historical properties and wilderness retreats
By The Week UK Last updated
-
Albums of the year: best music of 2023
The Week Recommends A look back at the best pop, rap, jazz, dance, classical and rock releases
By The Week UK Published
-
Savoy Grill by Gordon Ramsay review: an institution reinvented
The Week Recommends Traditions are maintained and the tweaks are clever and modern
By Neil Davey Published
-
Tulum: a Mexican beach town of 'two halves'
The Week Recommends With the 'pueblo' and 'Zona Hotelera', Tulum is home to great hotels, restaurants and beach clubs
By William Leigh Published
-
La Zebra review: beach chic, perfect tacos and secret cenotes
The Week Recommends Enjoy a stylish stay in Mexico at this family-friendly beach hotel and restaurant
By William Leigh Published
-
Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas review: a mythical beachside resort
The Week Recommends Combine the classically simple pleasures of sun, sea and sand with upmarket fun and food
By Adrienne Wyper Published