The Private Islands You Can Actually Rent All To Yourself
From David Copperfield's Bahamian archipelago to Richard Branson's private place, these are the private islands you can actually reserve.
“Private island” has become one of the more liberally applied phrases in luxury travel. A resort may occupy its own island, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the island is yours — you may still be sharing the beach, the restaurant and that supposedly deserted stretch of sand with 100 other guests. The eighteen islands here are different. Each can be reserved in its entirety, whether that means taking over an established resort, inhabiting a single-key island designed for one party at a time or, in one particularly extravagant case, commandeering an entire private archipelago. The scale is extraordinary: two-bedroom islands made for four, 500-acre Fijian playgrounds for 28, and sprawling Caribbean estates capable of accommodating an entire celebration. So, how much island do you actually need?
Photo Credit: North Island
North Island, Seychelles
North Island helped establish the modern blueprint for ultra-luxury island escapism, and decades later, it remains one of its greatest expressions. The 11 enormous handcrafted villas are spread across a spectacular Seychelles landscape of granite peaks, tropical forest and white sand, with Villa North — the 750-square-meter showpiece — occupying an especially secluded position overlooking the ocean.
The ultimate North Island experience is to take all 11. The resort explicitly offers exclusive use of the entire island, transforming an already intimate retreat into something altogether more extraordinary. The appeal extends well beyond privacy, too: North Island has made conservation fundamental to its identity, restoring an ecosystem altered by former plantation use, so it feels like inhabiting a nature sanctuary rather than simply checking into a hotel. This is the private-island fantasy in its purest form — one of the world’s most beautiful islands, 11 villas and nobody there who wasn’t invited.
Musha Cay, The Bahamas
David Copperfield apparently wasn’t satisfied with owning a private island. He created an entire private world. Musha Cay and the Islands of Copperfield Bay comprise an extraordinary collection of islands in the Exumas, and unlike many resorts that occasionally permit buyouts, exclusivity is the premise here — individual villas aren’t rented at all. Only one group occupies Musha Cay at a time.
Rates currently start at $57,000 per night for up to 12 guests, with a five-night minimum, and the property can accommodate as many as 24. Meals, beverages, fine wines and Champagne are included, as is unlimited use of the island’s amenities. The result feels less like checking into a resort than being handed the keys to an elaborate private playground — and when the playground happens to sit in the Exumas, that’s a difficult proposition to improve upon.
Necker Island, British Virgin Islands
Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island remains perhaps the world’s most instantly recognizable private-island playground — and yes, you can have the whole thing. Exclusive hire means exactly that: no other guests and no shared spaces across its 30 acres. The current configuration offers up to 28 bedrooms spread among the Great House, Balinese-style houses, a beach villa and additional accommodations, with capacity for 56 adults plus children.
The experience is deliberately playful rather than precious: water sports, tennis and long lunches before turning into dinners and parties that continue for as long as anyone wants them to, with Necker’s famous flamingos and other exotic wildlife adding personality an already un-boring island wasn’t lacking. Plenty of private islands are luxurious. Few are this much fun.
Four Seasons Private Island Maldives at Voavah
There are plenty of Four Seasons resorts. There is only one Voavah. The five-acre retreat in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve was conceived as an exclusive-use island from the beginning: one island, one booking, with seven bedrooms and space for up to 21 guests. And because apparently having your own Maldivian island isn’t quite sufficient, it comes with a 62-foot private yacht, along with its own spa, dive center and Beach House.
There is no conventional resort itinerary because there is no conventional resort — diving, dining, spa treatments, celebrations and days aboard the yacht are all constructed around the people who have taken over the island. This may be the most compelling answer for anyone who wants the polish of one of the world’s great hotel brands without actually sharing a hotel with anyone else.
Photo Credit: Romeo Balancourt/The Brando
The Brando, French Polynesia
Marlon Brando first encountered Tetiaroa while filming Mutiny on the Bounty in French Polynesia in the 1960s. What ultimately emerged on the spectacular atoll bearing his legacy is one of the most famous eco-luxury retreats in the world. The Brando is extraordinary under ordinary circumstances; take it over, however, and Tetiaroa becomes the setting for an entirely private celebration, retreat or gathering, with the resort’s team tailoring experiences across the atoll around the group.
The juxtaposition is what makes it special: Polynesian history and culture, extraordinary natural beauty, serious sustainability credentials and the polished service of one of the world’s most exclusive resorts. Some private islands are about disappearing. The Brando makes disappearing feel cinematic.
Thanda Island, Tanzania
Thanda is the antidote to anyone suffering from Maldives fatigue. Set within Tanzania’s protected Shungimbili Island Marine Reserve, the five-hectare island is offered solely on an exclusive-use basis. At its heart sits a five-suite beachfront villa, complemented by two traditional Tanzanian bandas, while the surrounding marine reserve effectively becomes part of your playground. Current rates start at $40,750 per night, with a five-night minimum.
The location changes the experience completely — days might involve diving coral reefs, deep-sea fishing or, seasonally, encountering whale sharks before returning for dinner beneath an East African sky. And unlike most islands on this list, Thanda can form one half of an extraordinary African itinerary: pair it with safari and beach-and-bush takes on an entirely different meaning.
Calivigny Island, Grenada
Calivigny isn’t an intimate little island retreat. It’s an 80-acre private Caribbean estate created for people who intend to bring an entourage. The island sits just off Grenada and is available exclusively to one group at a time, with the keys effectively handed over to its temporary residents. Behind the scenes is a dedicated hospitality team capable of orchestrating everything from wellness programs and private dining to weddings and elaborate celebrations.
That scale makes Calivigny particularly compelling for milestone birthdays, destination weddings and multigenerational trips where booking a few villas at a hotel simply isn’t going to cut it. You’re not occupying part of somebody else’s resort. For the duration of the stay, Calivigny is your address.
Nukutepipi, French Polynesia
If The Brando represents the storied side of French Polynesian private-island travel, Nukutepipi represents something considerably more fantastical. The private atoll in the Tuamotus is offered as a fully exclusive island experience, with accommodations lining its lagoon and capacity for celebrations of up to 50 guests, reserved for everything from family gatherings to business summits and spectacular private events.
It is remote even by French Polynesian standards, which is precisely the point. Nukutepipi isn’t somewhere you casually add to an itinerary. It’s the itinerary.
Petit St. Vincent, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Petit St. Vincent makes its intentions wonderfully clear: rent the entire island. A full buyout puts 115 acres, 22 ocean-view villas, seven beaches, two restaurants and bars, a hillside spa and a team of approximately 130 staff at the disposal of up to 56 guests. Better still, unlike some private-island buyouts restricted to specific periods, PSV says the option is available year-round.
The island has always embodied the sort of barefoot Caribbean luxury that doesn’t need to shout. Taken privately, that relaxed sensibility becomes even more appealing — no need to reserve the best table, find the quietest beach or wonder who’s booked the villa next door. They’re all yours.
Jumby Bay Island, Antigua
Jumby Bay has long been one of the Caribbean’s grand dames: a 300-acre private island just off Antigua, known for polished service, pristine beaches and an impressive collection of accommodations. But for groups requiring considerably more privacy, the island offers a whole-island buyout option, bringing accommodations, dining and activities together for an exclusive gathering.
That’s a dramatically different proposition from renting one of Jumby Bay’s spectacular private homes. This is resort-scale hospitality without the conventional resort crowd — particularly compelling for a major celebration or corporate retreat where a villa, however fabulous, simply isn’t enough.
Kudadoo Maldives Private Island
Kudadoo takes the private-island concept and makes it architecturally spectacular. The tiny Maldivian island contains just 15 overwater residences — 13 one-bedroom and two two-bedroom — each with its own infinity pool and private butler. For groups who want to remove even those few neighbors from the equation, all 15 residences and the island’s facilities can be reserved in their entirety.
Its size is part of its charm: Kudadoo feels less like commandeering a large resort and more like creating a very glamorous floating house party in the Indian Ocean. For anyone assembling a group of couples who all want their own overwater villa — but don’t particularly want to encounter anyone they don’t know — this is a very persuasive answer.
Ithaafushi – The Private Island, Maldives
Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi already occupies rarefied territory. Its private island takes things several steps further. Ithaafushi – The Private Island is reserved in its entirety for one group and accommodates up to 18 guests across three expansive residences.
That distinction matters. This isn’t simply the largest villa at the Waldorf Astoria with a more secluded pool — it’s a separate private-island experience combining the space and privacy of a standalone estate with access to the service and resources of one of the Maldives’ major luxury resorts. For families or groups who want total seclusion but aren’t interested in sacrificing serious five-star infrastructure, it strikes an unusually attractive balance.
Ambergris Cay, Turks and Caicos
At approximately 1,100 acres, Ambergris Cay takes “private island” to an entirely different scale. The Turks and Caicos retreat offers everything from beachfront bungalows to substantial private villas and estates, but groups can go much further: full-island buyouts are available for private celebrations, weddings and corporate retreats.
That sheer acreage changes the experience. This isn’t a tiny cay where everyone inevitably ends up at the same beach bar — there’s room to disappear, properly, while retaining the amenities and service of a sophisticated resort. If the goal is to invite a crowd while still giving everyone space, Ambergris Cay makes an unusually convincing case.
Turtle Island, Fiji
Turtle Island has been doing private-island escapism since long before it became an Instagram fantasy. The 500-acre island in Fiji’s Yasawas accommodates just 28 guests in 14 bures and has 12 private beaches. A full buyout turns all of it into one group’s personal South Pacific playground; current private-island buyouts start at approximately $29,120 per night, with a five-night minimum, including accommodations, meals, beverages and dining experiences.
There’s something refreshingly old-school about Turtle Island’s appeal. It isn’t trying to be a gleaming futuristic resort transplanted into Fiji. The emphasis remains on the island itself, its beaches and famously warm Fijian hospitality. Sometimes 500 acres and 12 beaches are enough.
Photo Credit: Song Saa
Song Saa Private Island, Cambodia
Song Saa gives this list something it badly needs: Southeast Asia. Set within Cambodia’s Koh Rong Archipelago, the pioneering luxury retreat can be taken over in its entirety, with the resort explicitly offering full-resort exclusive buyouts for private gatherings, celebrations and retreats.
The setting is a major part of the appeal — jungle, ocean and overwater architecture replace the familiar polished perfection of the Maldives, while the resort’s long-standing emphasis on conservation gives the experience a sense of place that goes beyond beautiful villas. For travelers who have already done the Caribbean, Fiji and Maldives, Song Saa offers a compelling reason to look somewhere else entirely.
Cayo Espanto, Belize
Cayo Espanto proves you don’t need 500 acres to pull off the fantasy. Just off Belize’s Ambergris Caye, the island accommodates a maximum of 18 guests across six villas and an overwater bungalow. Rent the whole thing and the island becomes your private Caribbean compound.
Even more surprising is the price relative to some of the properties on this list: current full-island rates start at $18,995 per night in summer and fall, rising to $19,995 in winter and spring and $25,995 over the holiday period, with meals and drinks (excluding wine and Champagne) included. Private pools, tailored menus and dinners served wherever you happen to feel like eating complete the picture. For a group of 18, the economics start looking remarkably reasonable — at least by private-island standards.
Little Palm Island, Florida Keys
One of the most exotic-feeling private-island experiences on this list doesn’t require leaving the United States. Little Palm Island, reached by boat in the Florida Keys, offers a complete buyout of its 30 oceanfront bungalows for up to 60 guests, turning the famously romantic resort into a private tropical enclave.
The appeal is partly logistical — there’s no trans-Pacific journey or remote-island airstrip to navigate — yet once guests arrive, the thatched roofs, palms and water surrounding the island make mainland Florida feel considerably farther away than it actually is. For an American destination wedding or milestone celebration where getting 50-plus people to the South Pacific seems slightly ambitious, Little Palm is an exceptionally elegant solution.
Gladden Private Island, Belize
And then there’s Gladden, which takes privacy almost comically seriously. The Belizean retreat hosts one group at a time, with accommodations for just two to four guests. Staff and infrastructure are discreetly stationed on a neighboring island, leaving guests effectively alone on their own patch of the Caribbean.
It is also the great pricing surprise of this list: current rates are $4,250 per night for two guests and $5,250 for four, including taxes and fees, with a four-night minimum, and stays of seven nights or longer include helicopter transfer. Meals, drinks, a private boat with captain, massages and water sports are among the inclusions. In a world where a hotel suite can easily cost more, the ability to say, quite truthfully, “we rented an island,” suddenly seems almost rational.
For more on the properties actually worth booking, browse Haute Living‘s running guide to the best luxury hotels in the cities we cover.
through Haute Black.
Haute Living access. Two decades inside the world’s best hotels.
Virtuoso partner. Upgrades & VIP arrival at 1,200+ properties.
One advisor. Who knows you by name.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which private island has the largest capacity?
Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands, which can hold up to 56 adults plus children across 28 bedrooms.
Is there a private island option in the United States?
Yes — Little Palm Island in the Florida Keys, 30 bungalows, up to 60 guests, reachable by boat.
Why isn't Laucala Island on this list?
Laucala, in Fiji, closed in January 2026 for an extensive transformation after its management agreement with COMO ended. It's expected to reopen in 2027.
Latest from Haute Living
Wu-Tang Clan’s G-STAR Collection Debuted in Atlanta. RZA Wore It In.
Cafe Charmant Debuts in the West Village With French Riviera Inspired Dining
Beefbar New York Brings Monte Carlo Steakhouse Energy to Tribeca
