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Outside Magazine December 2004

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Destinations: Private Islands
360-Degree Beach Vu
Nine more dreamy private isles to call your own

By Meg Lukens Noonan


	Relaxation Redefined: Guana Island (courtesy, Guana Island)

1. ISLA ESPÍRITU SANTO » MEXICO
Twenty miles off Baja's La Paz, this arid, Manhattan-size island in the Sea of Cortez, with its towering cliffs and deeply carved inlets, is home to a third of the world's whale and dolphin species. Though kayakers flock to the island's electric-blue waters, you can always find an empty cove to call your own.
Hideaway: There are no accommodations, but camping is allowed on most beaches.
Exploring: Besides world-class kayaking, there's snorkeling, scuba diving, and fly-fishing for black skipjack and topsail pompano; you may find yourself in the water with sea lion pups or giant manta rays.
The Fine Print: Baja Outdoor Activities (011-52-612-125-5636, www.kayakinbaja.com), in La Paz, runs four- to seven-day guided trips starting at $370 per person.

2. SEABIRD KEY » FLORIDA
A five-minute boat ride from Marathon, in the central Florida Keys, this wooded ten-acre island has one old-Florida-style

Private Islands

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stilt house with lots of decks, a widow's walk, and an eco-conscious setup using solar power and a rainwater-collection system.
Hideaway: The house sleeps eight in two double bedrooms, with private baths on the main level, and four bunks in a sleeping loft. Cook the snapper you catch, or cruise over to Marathon for dinner out.
Exploring: The house comes with a 19-foot runabout, a canoe, kayaks, sailboards, and snorkeling and fishing gear.
The Fine Print: $4,695 per week for up to four people, $350 per additional person; 305-669-0044, www.seabirdkey.com

3. MUSHA CAY » BAHAMAS
Rent this entire 150-acre island, in the aqua shallows north of Great Exuma, for yourself and up to 23 of your closest—and luckiest—pals. You'll be doted on by a discreet, sworn-not-to-name-drop (OK, Oprah Winfrey and Tom Hanks have been here), live-in staff of 37.
Hideaway: Of the five guest dwellings, the most lavish is a 10,000-square-foot hilltop English colonial manor house with two bedrooms. The others are brightly painted two- to five-bedroom beachside villas and an ultraprivate thatch-roofed beach house for two. Enjoy multicourse feasts prepared by a world-class chef in the waterfront dining room, the beach bar, or your villa.
Exploring: Play tennis, snorkel, fish for blue marlin, take advantage of a flotilla of speedboats and sailboats, or hop over to Nassau on the resort's Twin Otter (unless, of course, you've brought your own plane).
The Fine Print: Except for two weeks each year when guests can rent an individual house, the island is reserved exclusively for one party at a time; the nightly rate is $24,750 for one to eight guests (all-inclusive), $43,150 for 24 guests; 877-889-1100, www.mushacay.com

4. GUANA ISLAND » BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
You'll share this mountainous 850-acre island wildlife preserve, just north of Tortola, with flamingos, screech owls, six-foot iguanas—and a maximum of 30 people.
Hideaway: Fifteen rooms in seven simple stone cottages, most with decks overlooking tranquil Muskmelon Bay, are strung along a ridge. West Indian–style cuisine is served on the terraces of the main house, built on the ruins of an 18th-century sugar plantation.
Exploring: Miles of hiking trails lead to lookouts and empty ivory beaches. You can circumnavigate the island by kayak, search for black-necked stilts, sail small boats, and snorkel the reefs off White Bay beach.
The Fine Print: Doubles, $895, including all meals; rent the island for $15,500 per night; 914-967-6050, www.guana.com

5. PETIT ST. VINCENT » GRENADINES
After the golf-cart ride from the dock to your cottage, you may not see another soul during your stay on this hilly 113-acre island, 40 miles south of St. Vincent—if that's how you want it. Need something? Hoist a yellow flag on your personal bamboo flagpole. If you want to be left alone, fly the red one.
Hideaway: Twenty-two airy stone cottages with terra-cotta floors and private sundecks are tucked in the palms along, and above, a sugary two-mile strand. Dishes like spicy tannia-root soup and grilled local snapper are served in the stone-and-timber dining pavilion, in your cottage, or in one of the many thatched palapa huts dotting the island.
Exploring: Help yourself to glass-bottom kayaks, sailboards, and catamarans. Hike through banyans and rubber trees to the top of 275-foot Marni Hill, where a lone hammock—and killer views—await. Larger yachts and sportfishing boats can be chartered for daylong fishing or scuba-diving trips.
The Fine Print: Doubles, $585–$910, including meals; for two weeks each year, rent the island for $12,870 per night; 800-654-9326, www.psvresort.com

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Meg Lukens Noonan is an occasional contributor to Outside.

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