Posted: Aug 7, 2015
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
Cast away your cares on an island idyll. A pick of the best islands on the market from Italy to Ireland and Spain to Scotland.
We all dream of getting away from it all to our own private kingdom. It’s a dream that can come true. Here are 20 truly tempting hideaways that can be yours – and yours alone from under £300,000 to £12m.
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
1. Isola di Mal di Ventre, Italy £1.04m (€1.5m)
Just off Sardinia, this tiny diamond of rock, scrub and splendid isolation has sandy shores and sheep that graze on the fragrant wild herbs. A former shepherd’s hut would make a fine beach house.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/island+buy+isola-di-mal-di-ventre+italy+europe-mediterranean-sea/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
2. Gravel Island, Canada £292,000 (Can$590,000)
A rustic log cabin basks in the sunset on this hilly island. It’s a perfect place for a nightcap after an active day swimming in the lake, foraging in the forest, and fishing. There’s a motor boat included in the sale.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/island+buy+gravel-island+nova-scotia+canada-east-central/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
3. Spectacle Island, Canada £483,000 (Can$975,000)
This tiny island has a cluster of traditional huts at its centre, with forest fringes to each side and pebbly beaches back and front. An ideal getaway just minutes by boat from the mainland.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/island+buy+spectacle-island+nova-scotia+canada-east-central/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
4. Gigalum Island, Scotland Offers over £450,000
A mere spit in the ocean, this 19-acre isle boasts an unusual, spaceship-shaped house. Take yourself off to this microcosm and delight in your own space. Neighbouring Gigha is a community-run island with a ferry service to the mainland.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/island+buy+gigalum-island+scotland+europa+atlantik/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
5. West Skeam Island, Ireland £1.04m (€1.5m)
Sitting like an aircraft carrier off the Irish coast, this sea-locked estate is the ultimate party pad. There are three stone cottages set around a courtyard, all with high-speed broadband. For a slower pace of life, wander the shore for a glimpse of Fastnet Lighthouse.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/island+buy+west-skeam-island+ireland+europe-atlantic-ocean/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
6. St Athanasios Island, Greece £1.1m (€1.6m)
Escape to your own Greek idyll on this tiny blob of land in the Bay of Corinth. A round, low dome of rock with a sandy beach, there is an opportunity to build a villa. Or just camp among the olive groves and dangle your toes in the crystal clear waters.
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
7. Isla Centinela, Spain £2.79m (€4m)
What could be more romantic than a castle by a lake? How about a castle in a lake? This 1920s mansion is an hour from Madrid and sits on a two-acre rock that is an island for six months of the year.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/buy+isla-centinela+spain+europe-mediterranean-sea/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
8. Potato Island, Connecticut, USA £4.7m ($7.35m)
Less than two hours from Manhattan, this New England mansion would suit a city slicker. Manicured lawns run down to the water’s edge and if Long Island Sound looks a bit chilly, there’s a heated pool here.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/island+buy+potato-island+connecticut+usa/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
9. Tavern Island, Connecticut, USA £6.9m ($10.9m)
Even closer to New York, this carefully landscaped island has a Tudor-style mansion where Lillian Hellman wrote The Little Foxes in 1938. Secluded, but not isolated, these inhabited islands even have a municipal rubbish collection by boat!
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/Insel+kaufen+tavern-island+connecticut+usa/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
10. Ballast Key, Florida, USA £10m ($15.8m)
James Bond might have been a fictional visitor, but this island, the southernmost point of the United States, has played host to Tennessee Williams, the Bee Gees and Gloria Estefan. Lush tropical vegetation surrounds the main house and guest accommodation, and there’s even an inviting lagoon to take a dip in.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/objects/usa/florida/buy/ballast-key/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
11. Ina Island, St Lawrence River, New York State, USA £770,000 ($1.2m)
This is one of the Thousand Islands that give their name to the popular seafood dressing. A horseshoe of land with an extravagant 18-bedroom mansion, Ina Island’s magnificent trees turn the view red and gold in autumn.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/island+buy+ina-island+new-york-state+usa/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
12. Ram Island, Washington State, USA £2.2m ($3.5m)
This rocky, forested isle is just in the United States by virtue of the fact that the Canadian border passes along the other side of the San Juan Islands. A single family residence with outbuildings would be allowed here, although permits are needed.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/island+buy+ram-island+washington+usa/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
13. Kaulbach Island, Canada £3.4m (Can$6.95m)
Forty years ago, Kaulbach Island had its own stamps. Now you can put your stamp on it. The main house is a gracious, New England-style mansion with turrets and views to die for. A motor boat and a yacht are included.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/objects/canada-east-central/nova-scotia/buy/kaulbach-island/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
14. Mouton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada £1.3m (Can$2.7m)
This is the largest private island on the east coast of the American continent. The white sandy beaches look Caribbean and the shores are warmed by the Gulf Stream. Heavily wooded, the island also has two freshwater lakes.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/island+buy+mouton-island+nova-scotia+canada-east-central/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
15. Round Island, Michigan, USA £1.28m ($1.995m)
St Mary’s River, which flows from Lake Superior to Lake Huron, is a twisty, deep channel that was dangerous to boats. A lighthouse was built on Round Island in 1892. Renovated to a high standard, the building is now a charming home set in impeccable gardens.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/island+buy+round-island-lighthouse+michigan+usa/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
16. Picnic Island, Tasmania Price on application
Picnic with penguins and watch their evening promenade, when the adults return to their burrows to feed the chicks. There is permission in place for a 10-person lodge to accommodate paying guests. The boat landing is already constructed.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/buy+picnic-island+australia+australia-new-zealand/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
17. Pakatoa Island, New Zealand £12.5m (NZ$30m)
This 60-acre island was developed as a resort in the 1950s, so it has bars, a restaurant, kitchen facilities and recreational amenities. There are 24 beachside cabins and 38 larger units on the hillside.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/island+buy+pakatoa-island+new-zealand+australia-new-zealand/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
18. Venetian Island Fort, Venice Price on application
This Napoleonic fort has been completely rebuilt as an attractive residence in a wonderful garden in the middle of the Venetian lagoon. Just 20 minutes to the city centre and 25 to the airport, this is as convenient and yet as remote as you could wish for.
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
19. Sandstone Island, Victoria, Australia Price on application
In a superb position close to Melbourne, this 55-acre island has a double storey home dating from the 1850s. One inhabitant in the early 1900s apparently sometimes walked to school on the mainland with basket lids tied to his feet to stop him sinking into the mud. Access is safer by private boat or helicopter.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/buy+sandstone-island+australia+australia-new-zealand/
Picture credit: Vladi Private Islands
20. Trinity Island, Ireland From €800 (£559) for a long weekend
Try before you buy! You can hire this island, with its three-bedroom lodge house. Lough Oughter in County Cavan is the best example of a flooded drumlin landscape, full of rare wetland plants and birds. The setting is magical, the silence complete, apart from the sounds of nature at its finest.
http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/island+rent+trinity-island+ireland+europe-atlantic-ocean/
