Men's Journal

To find true seclusion, rent your own isle, an option that’s easier than you might think.

by Kurt Bazilus

While a handful of ultra-exclusive, fully staffed private island properties run upward of six figures for a week’s stay, there are scores of islands that you can snap up for as little as a couple hundred bucks a day. “Renting an island with family or friends is often cheaper than what you’d spend on a normal holiday,” says broker Farhad Vladi, who pioneered the island brokerage business 35 years ago. His first listing was for Sir Richard Branson’s 74-acre British Virgin Islands paradise, Necker Island, which you can still rent for yourself and 27 friends for $350,000 a week. Growing demand for truly secluded holidays prompted Chris Krolow to found his own brokerage, Private Island, Inc., 10 years ago. A quick search of his listings proves island rentals are not just for the prim and pampered set; one of his clients, Brian Conte, recently channeled his inner Crusoe by camping out on a spartan 14-acre isle in the Marshall Islands for three weeks along with his 10-year-old son and 72-year-old father. The trio captured rainwater, gathered coconuts, and cooked wild breadfruit over a fire. “It was nice to see that we could have lived off the land if we needed to,” Conte says.

Four Islands to Try

Melody Key
This lush little spit belongs to 311 frontman Nick Hexum. Catering to the greener island-hopper, Melody is off the grid, with an inverted generator with solar backup and a water desalination system that power central air, a heated pool, Jacuzzi, satellite TV, and WiFi. The six-person bungalow boasts a crow’s nest overlooking the Lower Florida Keys. If grilling out and kayaking don’t provide enough action, the caretaker can be radioed for 24/7 transportation to Key West (from $6,800 per week; melody key.com).

Namenalala Island
With six timber-and-bamboo bures (Fijian for “cottages”) — each with king-size canopy beds and views of white-sand beaches — sleeping up to 12 guests total, this South Pacific island is a steal. Especially if you consider that owners Tom and Joan Moody prepare meals from the island’s waters and tropical garden. Forest hikes offer a distraction for the adventurer, as do diving and snorkeling expeditions amid the soft coral in the surrounding Namena Barrier Reef (vladi-private-islands.de; $1,850 per week per person).

Isla de sa Ferradura
Shaped like a horseshoe (hence the name), this rocky Mediterranean paradise served as a 17th-century hideout for pirates. With a fully loaded gym, golf carts and wave runners, a hydrotherapy cave, and a palatial six-suite hacienda, there’s really no reason to leave. If you do come down with island fever, neighboring Ibiza is just a short ride south in the complimentary 28-foot Sea Ray. Newly sold, the home is undergoing renovations and will reopen next summer (islaferradura.com; $212,000 per week).

Breakwater Island
If you prefer pine forests to tropical forests, look to this 74-acre dog-friendly island in British Columbia. Two lodges — Rock House and Log House — together accommodate up to 10 people. The latter was built from hand tools in 1933 and boasts walls of bark-covered logs. Included in the rental is a 16-foot Eagle outboard cruiser and kayaks, though sailing charters, diving expeditions, massages, and a personal chef can all be arranged if you want more service (privateislandsonline.com; from $3,200 per week).

This article originally appeared in the October 2008 issue of Men’s Journal.

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