A piece of land surrounded by water is the best place to get away from the hustle and bustle. You can fry the freshest fish on the beach, sunbathe naked or order a pizza delivered by boat. These are the most interesting islands, which are or were owned by celebrities.
Marlon Brando: An Atoll in Tahiti
The legendary Brando was one of the first actors who bought his own island in Tahiti for $270 thousand. This happened in 1966. Today the island is valued at about $2.5 million.
It was a love story: Brando fell head over heels in love with Tarita Teriipia. Impressed by the beauty of the islands where the shooting took place, he bought the islands for himself and his beloved woman.
Brando Atoll comprises 13 small islands covered with coconut palms. On the largest island, the actor built 12 huts: everything in them was made of natural materials. And the sinks in the bathroom served as real sea shells. Houses stood far from the water, so as not to interfere with sea turtles. Moreover, he invited ecologists and zoologists to the island to study the fauna of the place.
In 2004, Brando died, and his heirs sold the atoll to pay off his father’s debts. The new owner Richard Bailey turned the huts into a luxury hotel.
Today it’s one of the best eco-resorts in the world, which is called The Brando. It’s rumored that this is where Barack Obama wrote his memoirs after presidency.
David Copperfield: Musha Key
These are 11 islands, Copperfield’s entire archipelago in the Bahamas, which he bought in 2006. He spent $50 million on this. It’s an enormous sum, which is impossible to get for those who have an ordinary job or even hit a jackpot while playing at tonybet.com/in, so that only people as gifted as David can afford such a purchase.
Unlike many of his colleagues who buy islands and leave them in pristine condition, the illusionist has built several villas on his islands. The family of the hypnotist and magician lives on one of the islands, and some villas are rented out.
Would you like to stay with him as a guest? The price is $37k per night if you have up to 12 guests, and $52k if you have up to 24 guests. Four-night minimum. You will get a whole island. Fitness and dancing, yoga and massage, movie theater, food, alcohol, windsurfing, and diving. And a team of specialists who are ready to adjust to the needs of any client.
Some islands have romantic-literary names, like their owner David Seth Kotkin (that’s the famous illusionist’s real name, and he chose his pseudonym in honor of a character in one of Dickens’ novels). For example, there is Forbidden Island, where there is an abandoned house of the former owner, Blockbuster CEO John Chalk, Enchanted Island, Secret Key and Imagination Island.
You’ll never guess why Copperfield bought Musha Cay. He was interested in places with magical powers. He was particularly fond of Easter Island, Stonehenge, the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan, Mexico, and the pyramids of Giza, Egypt. He drew a line connecting the first two and another connecting the last two places, and discovered that Musha Key lies at the intersection of these lines. This is how the illusionist realized: we must take it.
The resort contains five villas and a guest club with a restaurant. The dining room has a long communal table, a veranda for breakfast and a game room with a couple of slot machines. It’s decorated with vintage magic posters and a Harry Houdini pool table. The exhibits come from the Copperfield International Museum and the Witchcraft Library in Las Vegas.
Mel Gibson: Mago Island
The actor bought himself an island in Fiji in 2005: after all, what man doesn’t want that?
Mago is one of the largest private islands in the Southwest Pacific, with an area of 22 square kilometers.
Now the island is inhabited by several caretakers, but it used to be inhabited by locals. Old houses are still preserved: there was a village with ponds and a poultry farm.
There’s also a lagoon, the perfect place to relax and fish. But Gibson preserved it too, without building a house there.
Lenny Kravitz: Liberty Island
The singer of freedom bought himself an island in the archipelago of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. It’s small, but cozy. This isn’t a whim, but a tribute to his ancestors: his maternal grandfather was born on the island of Inagua in the Bahamas, and Kravitz has repeatedly talked about his desire to join its history and culture, including in his songs.
The name of the Eleuthera archipelago comes from the Greek word for “free.” Lenny Kravitz spent the entire pandemic on his island. And now he often escapes there to live away from the hustle and bustle – in such an environment new songs are written perfectly.
Celine Dion: An Island With an Estate
It’s a real family nest. It includes a huge estate with five houses, a huge water park for children (the star could not always take them to a regular water park because of the increased attention of others). And in the center of one of the pools, there is a place for rest — a round sofa with a huge fire in the center: you can roast marshmallows and enjoy the sunset against the background of the fire.
The walls in the main living room of the estate are retractable, forming a single space for receptions and parties, for example. There is also a games room with machines and video games, two kitchens, a guest suite, and a large family room that resembles a dining room.
And little things like an ice cream bar, a gazebo for poolside dining, a tennis pavilion with golf simulator and a massage parlor.
By the way, Celine Dion had another island in Canada, but the star sold this asset.
Ricky Martin: An Island Two Hours From Rio
The author of the immortal Livin’ la vida loca in 2008 bought an island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, in the area of Angra dos Reis. The famous party man didn’t change himself here: his island is surrounded by dozens of other private islands of Brazilian celebrities and big businessmen. It has an excellent climate, beautiful nature, and is close to the country’s most popular city among partygoers.
Martin takes care of privacy and doesn’t let the paparazzi in. But it’s known that on the island cannons and even watchtowers were installed for decorative purposes. And the house itself is decorated in the style of a Portuguese colonial villa.
Francis Ford Coppola: Coral Cay Off the Coast of Belize
The famous director has taken a liking to an island off the coast of Belize. The island belongs to a lawyer from California, Terry Tao, who bought it ten years ago.
The director has rented it for himself and his family for the past six years.
He has an interesting asset nearby, the Turtle Inn Resort.
In an interview, Sofia Coppola (the director’s daughter and the director herself) told me that the ancient Mayan pyramids are only a few hours away, and jaguars can be found in the jungle. According to her, life on the island seems to slow down and you feel at one with nature.
It’s a real eco-resort, and it’s completely self-sufficient: all the engineering is solar-powered, and the water supply is rain-fed.
Last fall, the New York Post reported that the island was for sale. Pay $2.2 million and a secluded island in a paradisiacal place can be yours.