The best private islands available to buy now

Perfectly imperfect is how the Panama Tourist Board encapsulates this culturally rich nation, which is home to untamed rainforests, pristine beaches and vibrant wildlife. Panama may not be the first place that springs to mind for superyacht travel, but its luxury resorts, unblemished cruising spots and unbeatable dive sites beg to differ. So rather than wait for the mass market to catch wind of this burgeoning trend, why not put your own stamp on this 1,000-hectare self-sufficient island and create a lavish retreat on its Pacific coast?

Isla Porcada has its own farmhouse, caretaker’s house, four bungalows and a principal residence, so already has the bare bones of an island hideaway and the potential to become a resort. There are also plans in place to add an additional guest house on the island’s plateau. A freshwater spring, good phone coverage and a reliable electricity connection add to the island’s credentials. Its runway, albeit overgrown, could potentially be reactivated to see you jet back to Miami in three hours.

With a backdrop of Panama’s rainforest-draped peaks, the island isn’t entirely secluded. It lies in the heart of the Chiquirí Province, near the city of David and within striking distance of Islas Secas, a private island retreat with restaurants and spas. So while there is work to be done, Isla Porcada has all the ingredients for a luxurious bolt-hole.

Isla Porcada is available for sale with Vladi Private Islands for $10.8 million

Few places on earth could exemplify paradise better than Little Whale Cay, a 16-hectare private island sitting in the Bahamas’ Berry Island chain, just 130 nautical miles south-east of Fort Lauderdale. With immaculate palm-tree-lined white beaches, a paved 600-metre landing strip and even its own flamboyance of flamingos, Little Whale Cay is a turnkey island, which is close enough to Florida to fly in for lunch.

Developed in the art deco era of the 1930s by Bahamas pioneer Wallace Groves, Little Whale Cay has three secluded beachfront houses large enough to accommodate 12 guests. The main two-storey residence, Little Whale House, has two double bedrooms, a large living room, chef’s kitchen and external fireplace designed to catch the Bahamian sunset while the chef serves up the catch of the day from the barbecue. Additional facilities, which will keep even the keenest of fitness fanatics entertained, include an infinity pool, tennis court, yoga deck and gym.

Surrounded by coral reefs and turquoise lagoons teeming with green turtles and manatees, a deep-water marina makes the island an excellent prospect for a superyacht owner. The new proprietor will, however, have to share the island with the flamingos, Bahama woodstar hummingbirds and domestic peacocks (which can be traced back to Wallace Groves’ bird collection) that also call the island home.

Little Whale Cay is listed for sale with Vladi Private Islands, POA.

Spread across 12 hectares of verdant untouched paradise, Leaf Cay offers a unique opportunity for a yacht owner looking to put their stamp on a private retreat in the Exumas. The triangular-shaped island has three powder-white beaches with a slightly elevated interior covered in tropical vegetation. It contains two sizeable lakes, one of which would make an ideal setting for a small private marina. The island is also surrounded by deep aquamarine waters, which would offer multiple protected anchorages.

For those not wanting to arrive by boat, Leaf Cay sits just five nautical miles north of Great Exuma, which has a 2,000-metre runway. It is also just 1.8 nautical miles south of the famous Bock Cay, which is reportedly undergoing development of an 18-hole golf course.

Planning permission is already in place on Leaf Cay from the Ministry of Environment to build five cottages with support buildings, and for the creation of marina facilities. With the private island market booming as more people seek a private oasis following the pandemic, the island could also prove to be a sensible investment option.

Leaf Cay may feel like the epitome of Exuma privacy, but its proximity to Great Exuma and other private cays means that it is well connected – not so much an isolated land mass, but a link in one of the world’s most enviable island chains.

Leaf Cay is listed for sale with Savills for $7.5 million.

With a deep natural harbour, miles of white sandy beaches and more than 174 hectares covered in lush tropical foliage it’s no surprise that in the noughties Royal Island was earmarked to become one of the Bahamas’ leading resorts. In 2007 it was given approval for a large marina and an 18-hole golf course, but the financial crash meant they never came to fruition.

Some initial development did get underway, however, and the island is already equipped with five beachfront villas. The shoreside accommodation blends in with the vibrant foliage and each retreat has a wraparound balcony and direct access to one of the island’s untouched white-sand beaches. A Welcome Centre has also been completed, with spa rooms, a gym, and a restaurant. Adjacent to the community buildings there is also an oval pool, which overlooks a protected, curved bay.

Located 65 kilometres northeast of Nassau, it is just a 15-minute boat ride from North Eleuthera, which has its own small airport. With so much untapped potential here, it might be tough for a new owner to decide whether to keep Royal Island as a private kingdom or create a tourist empire.

Royal Island is listed for sale with Christie's International Real Estate Private Islands for $45 million.

Less than eight nautical miles from the town of Yeppoon on the Queensland coast, Pumpkin Island is a private retreat with a colourful history. The six-hectare island was a working oyster farm until the 1960s when a couple fell in love with its natural beauty and challenged the owner to a game of poker. They won the game, which gave them the opportunity to purchase the island for £60 and open a hostel. The couple welcomed their first guests in 1964.

The current owners bought the island via slightly more traditional methods in 2003 and set about transforming it into Australia’s first carbon positive island resort. Now on the market for only for the second time, it’s home to just seven cottages, which are powered by wind and solar energy (the island offsets 150 per cent of its annual carbon emissions). Up to 34 guests can enjoy its boho-chic accommodation, with large private decks offering front row seats to the magnificent sunsets and passing whale and dolphin pods. Its shallow shores provide incredible off-the-beach snorkelling opportunities, and keen divers can explore the surrounding dive sites of the Keppels. The new owner will also have the opportunity to purchase an oyster lease, allowing guests to shuck their own oysters off the rocks.

In keeping with its eco credentials, infrastructure on the island has been kept to a minimum but there are staff quarters, a manager’s office and a machinery building to help keep things running smoothly. Two registered moorings mean that you can keep your own yacht shoreside and the island has its own 36-passenger ferry, the Pumpkin Xpress. There is also a helipad for even quicker access from the mainland.

Eagle-eyed readers, or those who are fans of a tipple, might recognise the island from its starring role in commercials for Castlemaine XXXX. The Queensland brewery leased the island between 2012 and 2015, renamed it XXXX, and used to offer all-expenses paid trips for customers that found “the lucky gold can”. Pumpkin Island certainly seems to be the golden ticket for a green-minded hotelier seeking their next adventure.

Pumpkin Island is listed for sale with Sotheby’s International Realty , POA.

The very last island left to develop on Curaçao has now come to the market – and it’s up to you to decide whether to turn it into your own private getaway or maybe an exclusive resort. In Southern Curaçao – away from the hurricane belt – Spanish Water Private Island is an untouched 2.9-hectare plot located within Spanish Water Bay, with its several residential communities and marinas. Largely undisturbed by humans since pre-Columbian times, it is home to flora found nowhere else except Curaçao’s Christoffel National Park.

Previously classified as a conservation habitat, it is now a Restricted Development Area, with requirements including a permanent green zone between existing development lots and the unobstruction of natural channels to ensure rainwater reaches the mangroves. For now, the island is only accessible by boat, but in their development project the current owners have included plans for a birdwatching tower which would double as a helipad – and the 16-kilometre trip from the airport would require just five minutes of flight time. “The current development plan would convert the green island into a residential community consisting of 10 luxury villas and one or two marinas, complete with a lighthouse,” says Ray Seijs of Sotheby’s International Realty. “All the research made by the different island institutions, and by the owner group itself, for the island infrastructure and residences, is available to the buyer,” he adds. “These extend to sun and wind measurements, utility costs per villa, construction time frames and methods including megayacht marina installation options.” Included with the island is a 482-square-metre landing situated within the gated community of Jan Sofat nearby, which can be used to facilitate transportation, with permits to build a jetty and car park.

For mooring, the buyer will be spoilt for choice. To the east of Spanish Water Private Island lies Santa Barbara Plantation, a gated community with an 18-hole Old Quarry Golf Course, a Peter Burwash tennis complex and the soon-to-be 1,200-hectare Sandals Resort and its two marinas. And directly opposite is Seru Boca Marina, with 135 slips for 30-metre yachts, and the Barbara Beach Marina, with 12 slips accommodating boats up to 68 metres, which has already been visited by 69-metre Spectre, 45-metre Blue Ice and 66-metre Hampshire.

Spanish Water Private Island is listed for sale with Sotheby’s International Realty for $8.8 million.

Located in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state, Isla Maná is surrounded by the emerald waters that give the Costa Verde coast its name. Only three kilometres from the port of Bracuí, and a three-hour drive or 20-minute helicopter ride west from the city of Rio itself, Maná is part of an archipelago of 365 islands in the fashionable bay of Angra dos Reis, known for its white beaches and amazing diving.

Hidden within the tropical greenery covering its 6.2 hectares is a series of properties: a 120-square-metre main house, four bungalows, a caretaker’s house and a boathouse, all offering scope for development, either into a grand private residence or a boutique tourism venture. The main house comprises a living room, two bedrooms, a dining room, an impressive kitchen and a dramatic wooden decking area for al fresco dining. The four bungalows each serve as a private suite with a bedroom, bathroom and breathtaking ocean views. The bungalows share an additional decking zone, with covered dining area, leading on to a bar at one end and the glittering waters of the Atlantic at the other. Pathways connect the main house to this area, snaking through lush flora and linking the island’s buildings to a helipad and dock. Maná also has its own solar-powered electricity network, stone-carved freshwater pool and palm-fringed landscaped lawn for sunbathing or enjoying a barbecue while sipping a caipirinha.

Isla Maná is listed for sale with Vladi Private Islands for $3.5 million.

Sitting 300 metres from the shoreline, Isola delle Femmine is just a quick tender (or an ambitious swim) from the toe of Italy – but it feels like it belongs to another time and place. The 15-hectare island, which is being sold by one of Italy’s aristocratic families, boasts a landscape covered in mandrake, mallow and erba stella, and dominated by an old watchtower.There are many rumours as to how the oval- shaped islet got its name. The most popular tale is that 13 Turkish maidens were banished by their families for misdemeanours and ended up shipwrecked there for seven years. Although there is little evidence for this, there are plenty of relics from the island’s genuine history, including Ancient Greek and Roman stone basins and a well that dates back to the Middle Ages.

The old watchtower was damaged during the Allied landing in Sicily in the Second World War but could be used as the starting point for a new development. The island’s shores are predominantly white pebble but there is also a sandy beach in a cove, which provides the best landing spot for small boats. Depending on the plans, it might be possible for the new owner to apply for tax incentives and funding to help secure the future of Isola delle Femmine.

Isola delle Femmine is listed with Christie’s International Real Estate for €1.6 million.

Just off Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu, Nananu-i-Cake offers nearly 243 hectares of tropical privacy, five soft sand beaches and its own private islet, called Bua. The island has plenty of development potential, but is already perfectly set up as a private getaway.

Sitting at the top of the island to make the most of the 360-degree views over neighbouring Nananu-i-Ra and Viti Levu is a four-bedroom residence. Designed by New Zealand architect Murray Cockburn, it has stone walls, dark wood shutters and a large open-plan living space. Further accommodation is found through a covered walkway in two Fijian guest “bure” bedroom suites. A pool is located outside within mature gardens, and is complemented by an outdoor dining and barbecue area to make the most of the tropical climate. A string of mangrove-lined tracks criss-cross the island to give access to its beaches and new 110-metre jetty. All of the island’s boats and all-terrain vehicles are included in the sale.

A helipad near the main house means the island can be accessed by chopper from Nadi International Airport in just 35 minutes. Those arriving by boat can make use of the sheltered jetty, which can house vessels with a draught of up to five metres at low tide. With all the benefits of owning your own island, coupled with easy access and a ready-made home, the new owner of this particular isle can have their Cake and eat it.

Nananu-i-Cake is listed for sale with Knight Frank for $12 million.

Few private islands offer quite so much scope for combining the privacy of an island retreat with the luxury of having your superyacht nearby quite like Little Pipe Cay. This jewel of the Exumas island chain in the Bahamas spans 38 acres and offers access to no fewer than four pristine beaches surrounded by the crystal clear waters for which the Bahamas is known. Shallow draft superyachts can moor at the island's many private docks but, with five houses and cottages on the island offering nine bedrooms, the new owner should never be short of space for guests.

Carefully designed by its current owners, who bought the island over 15 years ago, key features at Little Pipe Cay's numerous homes include large terraces overlooking the ocean, a variety of hosting and entertaining areas, opulently decorated living spaces including formal dining rooms and bars, a spa, chapel and a staff village. A sea barn also offers plentiful storage for smaller boats, Jet Skis and other water toys while a large infinity pool offers an alternative sunbathing spot.

Little Pipe Cay is listed for sale with Knight Frank for $100 million.