private islands

Luxist Giveaway: Atlas of Remote Islands Book

Filed under: Books

Many of the books that are offered to Luxist for giveaway are big lavish coffee table books with rich photography. We love those but there's also a lot to love about today's more modest tome too. Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky (Penguin Books) is magic in its own way, a fascinating compendium of 50 remote islands far from the mainland, from people, from airports and from the public eye. Schalansky gives each of these little treasures individual attention on a single page with an accompanying map. The result is a cross between a history lesson and a short story, full of spare poetry and fascinating historical details.

Some of the islands from Pitcairn Island (the place the Mutiny on the Bounty settlers chose to inhabit) to Easter Island are familiar, others, like Russia's Lonely Island or Mexico's Socorro Island are less known but no less worthy of exploration.

Schalansky's opening chapter is titled "Paradise Is An Island, So Is Hell" and the islands that the book covers range from tropical atolls to frozen, rocky spits of land. The author is a writer and designer who lives in Berlin and lectures on the fundamentals of typography. She not only wrote the text but designed and typeset the book, an act perhaps as solitary as a life lived on a remote island.

We are giving away one copy of this book. The book sells for $28 and we are giving away one copy to a reader chosen at random.

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before January 18, 2011 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winner will receive a copy of Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky, which has a retail price of $28.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

See complete giveaway rules here.

This contest is now closed. Thank you for your participation.

Tags: atlas of remote islands, islands, luxist giveaway, private islands, travel, travel books

Rent Eustatia Island

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

If colder weather already has you dreaming about a warm-weather island vacation you might want to know about a 26-acre private estate on Eustatia Island in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). This amazing remote low-impact, island property is situated near the North Sound of Virgin Gorda and one of only a few private island properties available for rent in the Caribbean.

The reef-enclosed 30-acre island includes three soft white sand beaches and Eustatia has one of the largest coconut palm plantations in the BVI. The volcanic island can be explored along the hiking trails and the shores are also home to rays, starfish, sea turtles, and a variety of reef fish.

The rental provides exclusive use of the entire estate which encompasses all but four leased acres on the western tip of the island and is inclusive of gourmet meals and watersports equipment. The estate accommodates up to ten guests; six in the hilltop three-bedroom Villa Far Niente with pool and hot tub, and four in the two-bedroom beachfront Casa de Playa. Villa Far Niente offers beautiful views over the water while Casa de Playa is located a few feet away from the shoreline. A third beach cottage can be rented for an additional fee, adding room for another six guests. The rentals come with a hospitality staff including a personal chef to address any guest needs. The island also has its own private fleet of luxury yachts and boats available for charter.

The island is powered by solar energy and the water supply is collected rain water which has been filtered and purified. Water from sinks and showers is recycled to irrigate the tropical gardens and dual water flush toilets help reduce consumption. An organic, on-site sewage treatment process helps further recycle water into the landscaping.

If only one villa is rented, the common area of the other villa is available for guest use and the entire estate is exclusively at the guests' disposal. All villas are comparably equipped and come with fully stocked kitchens and bars. Both villas are rented in seven-day chunks from $52,000 to $87,360 depending on the season.

Gallery: Eustatia Island

Tags: british virgin islands, eustatia island, private island, private island for rent, private islands

Vendovi Island Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

A beautiful island off the coast of Washington state goes up for auction later this month. Vendovi Island is a a 216-acre island in the San Juan Archipelago that will be sold through J. P. King Auction Company on September 30. The island has 13,000 feet of shoreline and six beaches. It has been owned as a family retreat since 1966 and has a four-bedroom home. The island has self-contained utilities: a well, a water tower and tank, four generators, a septic tank, fuel trailer tank, two fuel storage tanks and two propane tanks. It can be accessed by boat or floatplane and has a protected harbor with a rock breakwater, 52-foot pier, a metal ramp and a floating dock. A video tour is after the jump.

"My family has always been into big projects, and when we ran across Vendovi Island, we knew what our next project was," said David Fluke, the island's owner. "It has kept us very close as a family, and it's been a great place for us to escape for the past 43 years."

Tags: jp king, private island, private island for sale, private islands, Private islands for sale, san juan archipelago, vendovi island, washington real estate

Continue reading “Vendovi Island Up For Auction”

South Carolina Islands For Sale Face Deep Price Cuts

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

These days even private islands are facing price cuts. South Carolina's Beaufort County is home to an estimated 1,300 islands including Savage Island which was listed at $15 million when we looked at it as an estate of the day in 2007. The State reports that its list price has since fallen to less than $7 million. Live Oak Island, a 12-acre property in northern Beaufort County was once listed at $10 million but is now for sale for $4.5 million. This island is reachable by yacht from St. Helena Sound or by its causeway from Fripp Point Road. It is owned in part by a member of the Close family, a Fort Mill-based textile clan that sometimes allows Boy Scouts and schoolchildren to explore it. There are eight waterfront lots with utilities in place but no buildings on the property. It does offer a saltwater pond and a private beach separated from the sound by an aqueduct and a dock with six boat slips and two boat lifts.

Tags: beaufort, live oak island, private island, private islands, south carolina real estate

Island Owner Plans Second Private Resort

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The string of islands in the Bahamas lend themselves to all sorts of luxury resorts. John Melk, who owns the private island Musha Cay Resort, has just announces his plans for a second, nearby island in the Bahamas. The 20-acre Lansing Cay, which is located directly across from Musha Cay’s west side is being envisioned as a “mini-Musha Cay.” The smaller island will have a six-bedroom home that can be rented out. Musha Cay, by comparison, holds 24 guests (double occupancy) and rents for $24,570 per day. The new resort is expected to be completed in 2007. The two islands are a three minute boat ride apart so the two islands could be rented together.

Tags: bahamas, islands for rent, private islands, resorts