From one-resort islands in the Maldives to fully private islands in the Caribbean, the Seychelles and Fiji: what a buyout costs, how the logistics work and the islands worth knowing.
In short
- One-resort islands (Maldives, Seychelles, Fiji) give island privacy with hotel service. Full buyouts start around 20,000 dollars a night and rise past 100,000.
- Truly private islands (Necker, Musha Cay, North Island, Laucala, Velaa) are rented whole, with staff, boats and aircraft included.
- Logistics decide the trip: seaplane windows, weather seasons, and how far the nearest hospital is.
Two kinds of private island
The first is the one-island resort: the Maldives invented it, and the Seychelles, Fiji, the Philippines and Indonesia followed. You share the island with other guests, but the villa, the stretch of beach and the reef feel like yours. The second is the fully private island, rented as a whole with its staff: Necker Island in the BVI, Musha Cay in the Bahamas, North Island and Frégate in the Seychelles, Laucala in Fiji, Velaa and Cheval Blanc Randheli’s private-island villas in the Maldives, Cayo Espanto in Belize. Here the island is the hotel and you are the only guests.
What it costs
A top villa on a one-resort island: 2,000 to 8,000 dollars a night in season, more with a private pool and butler. A full buyout of a small resort island: from 20,000 a night for a handful of villas to 100,000 and beyond for the famous names. Necker Island, for up to 40 guests with staff, runs well above 100,000 a night. Add seaplane or helicopter transfers, which can be several thousand dollars per person on the Maldives' farther atolls.
The islands worth knowing
Maldives: Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani for barefoot luxury and the best restaurants in the archipelago; Cheval Blanc Randheli, Velaa and the Ritz-Carlton Fari Islands for polish; Joali for design. Seychelles: North Island for total privacy and conservation, Frégate for the same at a slightly different scale, Six Senses Zil Pasyon for a modern take. Fiji: Laucala for a private island with a golf course. Caribbean: Jumby Bay in Antigua, Petit St Vincent, and Necker for the whole-island experience. Indian Ocean and beyond: Thanda Island off Tanzania, Nukubati in Fiji, Amanpulo in the Philippines.
Logistics
Seaplanes in the Maldives fly only in daylight; a late international arrival means a night in Malé. The Caribbean has a hurricane season from June to November; the Maldives has a wet season from May to October, with the south-west monsoon bringing rain and, for surfers, waves. Ask about the nearest hospital and the evacuation plan; the best islands have a doctor on site or a helicopter on call. Ask what is included: on many private islands, everything is.
The experience
A private island is not about the room. It is about the reef at dawn, dinner on a sandbank, the fact that nobody is watching. Book it for the people you are with, not for the photographs.
Try it yourself
Destination MatcherMonth, mood and budget: the three countries or regions that fit, with the season and the hotels.Questions people ask
How much does it cost to rent a private island?
From about 20,000 dollars a night for a small resort island to well over 100,000 for the famous fully private islands, staff and transfers included.
Which is the best private island resort?
North Island in the Seychelles, Soneva Fushi and Velaa in the Maldives, Laucala in Fiji and Necker Island in the BVI are consistently named at the top.
When is the best time to visit the Maldives?
November to April for dry, calm weather. May to October is wetter, cheaper and better for surfing and manta rays.
Share
