Wednesday, June 8, 2005

 

Your own piece of paradise

If you want privacy, try your own island

By MONROE ROARK
mroark@TheCitizenNews.com

Tired of traffic? Looking for something a bit more secluded and off the beaten track?

You don’t have to worry about other people’s automobiles if you live on your very own island. While that might sound like something that’s only possible in a movie, you’d be surprised at how much of this specialized real estate is available, if you can afford it and you know where to look.

A Google search of “islands for sale” brings up a long list of sites, with the first one being www.privateislandsonline.com. Billed as “the Internet’s largest directory of private islands for sale or rent,” it lists properties in every corner of the world, from the Caribbean to the South Pacific. There are also plenty of sites in the United States, in such diverse places as Alaska, Maine and Michigan.

A recent trip to this site unveiled several intriguing listings, like Blue Lagoon Island in Fiji, 230 acres for $25 million. Or the 14-acre Isla de sa Ferradura in Spain for nearly 33 million euros (about $40 million). A little closer to home, $450,000 will get you a 35-acre barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico, just south of the Suwannee River in Florida.

Another site, www.tropical-islands.com, specializes in Caribbean properties. Most of what is advertised on the home page is in Nicaragua, which is being touted by many investors as the heir apparent to Costa Rica as the newest hot destination for oceanfront property at low prices.

One listing is for a five-acre island with a two-bedroom guest house and other amenities for only $240,000. Beachfront lots in Nicaragua can be had for around $70,000. In one location, a total of 75 acres can be bought for $220,000.

Vladi Private Islands, at www.vladi.de, has exotic properties all over the world, from Nova Scotia in Canada to the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. Most of these are priced in the millions, and come with varying amenities. This company had 120 islands in 28 countries available for purchase as of March 2005, according to an article in the Financial Times.

There are other Web sites out there, with listings posted by real estate professionals as well as individual owners. At www.halfmoonisland.com, you can check out Half Moon Cay, a nine-acre island off the Caribbean coast of Honduras. It has three houses and dozens of other special features, and it can all be yours for $5.6 million.

For more information on these and other listings, just Google “islands for sale” and see what pops up. If you can’t afford any of the properties mentioned here, it’s still fun to check out the photos on the Web and daydream a little bit, isn’t it?