John Donne was right to point out that “No man is an island”, but from time to time most of us want to get away to one.
Thanks to modern communications there is now scarcely a populated ocean outcrop in the world from which it isn’t possible to join a teleconference, but islands offer psychological as well as physical separation from the business and businesses with which we are normally engaged.
That is perhaps why we like them so much, and why so many successful businesspeople have chosen to acquire private ones. And also, rather inevitably, how these top-tier entrepreneurs have ultimately cashed in on their dream escapes.
Sir Richard Branson bought his own 74-hectare retreat, Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands of the Caribbean, in 1978. He calls it “my home and favourite hideaway” – but as a businessman he could not resist the temptation to also turn it into an earner. In 1984, Necker was opened to paying guests as a luxury resort.
Branson’s Great House, which went up in well publicised flames in 2011, has been rebuilt along its original lines, in a Balinese rather than Caribbean style, and Necker is once again open to visitors – although they do have to be very well heeled, and preferably famous.
Kate Winslett helped Sir Richard’s 90-year-old mother escape from the burning building, and other famous past guests range from the late Princess of Wales to Kate Moss and Nelson Mandela.
The new Great House commands some breathtaking ocean views – as do the six other Balinese houses that collectively comprise the resort’s accommodation.
Spectacular scenic coastal walks are among the main attractions, but lazier guests can zip around the island by golf cart. Other recreation focuses on tennis, water sports, massage treatments, champagne speedboat sunset cruises, beaches and swimming pools, flamingo watching, and gourmet dining from menus devised by personal chefs to the accompaniment of (mercifully optional) steel bands.
The island is accessible by boat or (naturally) helicopter. Some guests like to moor their own yachts there.
British-Indian hotelier and entrepreneur Sonu Shivdasani’s original motive for acquiring the island in the Maldives he called Soneva Fushi (his wife and business partner is named Eva and fushi is the Maldivian word for island) were similar to Branson’s, and he, too, chose to develop it as a resort – but he has a different idea of what constitutes luxury.
Shivdasani’s theory is that what wealthy leisure travellers want from islands today is a chance to reconnect with nature and forget the outside world. On Soneva Fushi, he instituted a “no shoes, no news” rule banning footwear and newspapers for guests and staff alike.
Some like this – others do not. I stayed on Soneva Fushi some years ago and emphatically didn’t, but the Soneva formula of upmarket barefoot eco-tourism appeals to many, and has been repeated at Soneva Kiri (kiri means mountain), an hour’s flight by private plane from Bangkok.
The jungle setting resort is on Thailand’s fourth-largest but least populated island, Koh Kood, and comprises 36 pool villas ranging in size from one to six bedrooms, all with tropical rainforest or ocean views. Both Soneva resorts place an emphasis on gourmet dining, and at Soneva Kiri you can enjoy your Thai haute cuisine and fine wine in a sort of gondola called a “Tree Pod”, hoisted up into the tree tops, with service from a “flying waiter” on a zip wire.
Various activities are geared towards educating guests about the jungle environment, and the terrain is suitable for mountain biking. Water sports options include catamaran sailing, sea kayaking, windsurfing, water-skiing, snorkelling and scuba diving.
There are also spa facilities and an observatory from which to study the stars – or you could just take in a classic movie in the open air auditorium called, inevitably, Cinema Paradiso.
In April this year, Soneva Fushi and Soneva Kiri jointly won the Environment category award in the annual World Travel & Tourism Council Tourism for Tomorrow Awards.
“At the heart of our company and brand is our ‘Intelligent Luxury’ ethos, creating unforgettable, enlightening experiences whilst treading lightly on the earth,”
says Shivdasani.
“By making small changes to our business model, we have been able to help initiate and nurture positive change in our industry, without any negative impact on either our profitability or on our guests’ perception of our products.”
Among his many island competitors in the Maldives is Czech financier Jiri Smejc’s Velaa Private Island, a 45-minute seaplane flight north of the Maldivian capital, Malé.
Named after the sea turtles that hatch on its beaches, the resort offers all villa accommodation – each with its own swimming pool and butler – fine dining restaurants with a wine cellar featuring some sensational rare vintages, and a My Blend by Clarins spa.
Smejc’s idea of luxury is not the same as Shivdasani’s, and includes a Short Game Golf Academy designed by US Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal with 170 sqm of greens and pitching zones, and a “swing studio”. All the usual water sports are also available.
The atolls of the Maldives of course are not the only island getaway paradises of the Indian Ocean. There are some spectacular refuges from the road in The Seychelles, among them Fregate Island Private, a resort which doubles as a wildlife sanctuary for about 2,200 giant tortoises and more than 100 species of birds, several of them endangered.
Much of the gourmet food offered is organically grown on the island or sustainably fished around it. Striking a fine balance between hedonism and environmentalism, guests are encouraged to eat whatever they like wherever they wish to go. Should you decide to dine on one of the seven beautiful beaches, for example, a chef will be sent out to prepare food there for you.
Attractions of the island include mountain biking and nature walks with the opportunity to interact with the wildlife – including the tortoises. Fregate is particularly well situated for scuba diving, and has a nearby deep sea fishing reserve.
Sixteen residences each have their own private pools, and the hilltop villas come with a butler, chef and maid. As on Necker, for those who can afford it there is an option to book the whole island for a party’s exclusive use.
Heading south, should you happen to have a private jet, Fiji’s Laucala Island has facilities for you to park it, and although the daily rate may seem steep it does include all the rides you wish in a Deepflight Super Falcon personal submarine.
Laucala also has its own award winning championship 18-hole golf course – a rarity on any private resort island and one of its major attractions for many visitors. Each of the 25 villas has its own swimming pool and tropical garden.
Australia’s Whitsunday Islands, off the coast of Queensland in the Great Barrier Reef zone, are favourite destinations for yachtsmen, but you can also arrive on the most northerly of them, Hayman Island, by ferry, helicopter or seaplane.
Visitors to Hayman have the opportunity to appreciate the Whitsundays and the reef from the air, or from above or below the water, and a wide variety of excursion options are offered.
One of Australia’s first luxury island resorts, Hayman has a history going back to the 1950s, when Reginald Ansett – founder of the now defunct airline – established it as a “flying boat” destination.
It had grown a little tired by the end of the 20th century, and had strong competition from another Whitsunday island, Hamilton.
However since reopening for business in 2011 under the management of One & Only Resorts, Hayman has re-emerged as a desirable and affordable island getaway destination, particularly for fishing, diving and snorkelling enthusiasts. For those who prefer dry land, bush walks, golf or tennis lessons are among the options.
Accommodation is in villas, suites or penthouses, and leisure facilities include a spa and a wide choice of bars and restaurants.
Exactly how far away from business you want to get when you go to an island, of course, is up to you.
All of these have wifi – even Shivdasani’s “no news” policy stops short of depriving you of that – and Hayman is a popular venue for business conferences, although they don’t impinge on leisure guests.
Really though, that’s the kind of thing you want to forget about. You are there to unwind, and islands have their own leisurely pace to which to adjust and attune.
John Donne was also right to point out that “Every man is a piece of the continent”, but after a few days at a good island retreat you will be much better equipped to rejoin it, and to get back down to the business of business.
The price of paradise
Necker Island
To book the whole place for up to 30 people, rates start at US$65,000 per night, and Virgin Limited Edition tries to sell it that way, but depending on available dates it is possible to book individual rooms starting at US$28,805 for two people for a seven-night stay.
virginlimitededition.com
Soneva Kiri
Rates vary according to season and length of stay.
soneva.com
Veela Private Island
Rates start at US$1,500 for two people per night.
velaaprivateisland.com
Fregate Island Private
Villa rates start at US$4,900 per night.
fregate.com
Laucala Island
Rates start at US$4,600 for a one-bedroom villa for two people per night. You can also book the whole island for rates starting at a modest US$150,000 per night.
laucala.com
Hayman Island
Rates start at US$680 for a Hayman Lagoon Room for two people per night.
hayman.oneandonlyresorts.com
Sir Richard Branson bought his own 74-hectare retreat, Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands of the Caribbean, in 1978. He calls it “my home and favourite hideaway” – but as a businessman he could not resist the temptation to also turn it into an earner. In 1984, Necker was opened to paying guests as a luxury resort.
Branson’s Great House, which went up in well publicised flames in 2011, has been rebuilt along its original lines, in a Balinese rather than Caribbean style, and Necker is once again open to visitors – although they do have to be very well heeled, and preferably famous.
Kate Winslett helped Sir Richard’s 90-year-old mother escape from the burning building, and other famous past guests range from the late Princess of Wales to Kate Moss and Nelson Mandela.
The new Great House commands some breathtaking ocean views – as do the six other Balinese houses that collectively comprise the resort’s accommodation.
Spectacular scenic coastal walks are among the main attractions, but lazier guests can zip around the island by golf cart. Other recreation focuses on tennis, water sports, massage treatments, champagne speedboat sunset cruises, beaches and swimming pools, flamingo watching, and gourmet dining from menus devised by personal chefs to the accompaniment of (mercifully optional) steel bands.
The island is accessible by boat or (naturally) helicopter. Some guests like to moor their own yachts there.
British-Indian hotelier and entrepreneur Sonu Shivdasani’s original motive for acquiring the island in the Maldives he called Soneva Fushi (his wife and business partner is named Eva and fushi is the Maldivian word for island) were similar to Branson’s, and he, too, chose to develop it as a resort – but he has a different idea of what constitutes luxury.
Shivdasani’s theory is that what wealthy leisure travellers want from islands today is a chance to reconnect with nature and forget the outside world. On Soneva Fushi, he instituted a “no shoes, no news” rule banning footwear and newspapers for guests and staff alike.
Some like this – others do not. I stayed on Soneva Fushi some years ago and emphatically didn’t, but the Soneva formula of upmarket barefoot eco-tourism appeals to many, and has been repeated at Soneva Kiri (kiri means mountain), an hour’s flight by private plane from Bangkok.
The jungle setting resort is on Thailand’s fourth-largest but least populated island, Koh Kood, and comprises 36 pool villas ranging in size from one to six bedrooms, all with tropical rainforest or ocean views. Both Soneva resorts place an emphasis on gourmet dining, and at Soneva Kiri you can enjoy your Thai haute cuisine and fine wine in a sort of gondola called a “Tree Pod”, hoisted up into the tree tops, with service from a “flying waiter” on a zip wire.
Various activities are geared towards educating guests about the jungle environment, and the terrain is suitable for mountain biking. Water sports options include catamaran sailing, sea kayaking, windsurfing, water-skiing, snorkelling and scuba diving.
There are also spa facilities and an observatory from which to study the stars – or you could just take in a classic movie in the open air auditorium called, inevitably, Cinema Paradiso.
In April this year, Soneva Fushi and Soneva Kiri jointly won the Environment category award in the annual World Travel & Tourism Council Tourism for Tomorrow Awards.
“At the heart of our company and brand is our ‘Intelligent Luxury’ ethos, creating unforgettable, enlightening experiences whilst treading lightly on the earth,”
says Shivdasani.
“By making small changes to our business model, we have been able to help initiate and nurture positive change in our industry, without any negative impact on either our profitability or on our guests’ perception of our products.”
Among his many island competitors in the Maldives is Czech financier Jiri Smejc’s Velaa Private Island, a 45-minute seaplane flight north of the Maldivian capital, Malé.
Named after the sea turtles that hatch on its beaches, the resort offers all villa accommodation – each with its own swimming pool and butler – fine dining restaurants with a wine cellar featuring some sensational rare vintages, and a My Blend by Clarins spa.
Smejc’s idea of luxury is not the same as Shivdasani’s, and includes a Short Game Golf Academy designed by US Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal with 170 sqm of greens and pitching zones, and a “swing studio”. All the usual water sports are also available.
The atolls of the Maldives of course are not the only island getaway paradises of the Indian Ocean. There are some spectacular refuges from the road in The Seychelles, among them Fregate Island Private, a resort which doubles as a wildlife sanctuary for about 2,200 giant tortoises and more than 100 species of birds, several of them endangered.
Much of the gourmet food offered is organically grown on the island or sustainably fished around it. Striking a fine balance between hedonism and environmentalism, guests are encouraged to eat whatever they like wherever they wish to go. Should you decide to dine on one of the seven beautiful beaches, for example, a chef will be sent out to prepare food there for you.
Attractions of the island include mountain biking and nature walks with the opportunity to interact with the wildlife – including the tortoises. Fregate is particularly well situated for scuba diving, and has a nearby deep sea fishing reserve.
Sixteen residences each have their own private pools, and the hilltop villas come with a butler, chef and maid. As on Necker, for those who can afford it there is an option to book the whole island for a party’s exclusive use.
Heading south, should you happen to have a private jet, Fiji’s Laucala Island has facilities for you to park it, and although the daily rate may seem steep it does include all the rides you wish in a Deepflight Super Falcon personal submarine.
Laucala also has its own award winning championship 18-hole golf course – a rarity on any private resort island and one of its major attractions for many visitors. Each of the 25 villas has its own swimming pool and tropical garden.
Australia’s Whitsunday Islands, off the coast of Queensland in the Great Barrier Reef zone, are favourite destinations for yachtsmen, but you can also arrive on the most northerly of them, Hayman Island, by ferry, helicopter or seaplane.
Visitors to Hayman have the opportunity to appreciate the Whitsundays and the reef from the air, or from above or below the water, and a wide variety of excursion options are offered.
One of Australia’s first luxury island resorts, Hayman has a history going back to the 1950s, when Reginald Ansett – founder of the now defunct airline – established it as a “flying boat” destination.
It had grown a little tired by the end of the 20th century, and had strong competition from another Whitsunday island, Hamilton.
However since reopening for business in 2011 under the management of One & Only Resorts, Hayman has re-emerged as a desirable and affordable island getaway destination, particularly for fishing, diving and snorkelling enthusiasts. For those who prefer dry land, bush walks, golf or tennis lessons are among the options.
Accommodation is in villas, suites or penthouses, and leisure facilities include a spa and a wide choice of bars and restaurants.
Exactly how far away from business you want to get when you go to an island, of course, is up to you.
All of these have wifi – even Shivdasani’s “no news” policy stops short of depriving you of that – and Hayman is a popular venue for business conferences, although they don’t impinge on leisure guests.
Really though, that’s the kind of thing you want to forget about. You are there to unwind, and islands have their own leisurely pace to which to adjust and attune.
John Donne was also right to point out that “Every man is a piece of the continent”, but after a few days at a good island retreat you will be much better equipped to rejoin it, and to get back down to the business of business.
The price of paradise
Necker Island
To book the whole place for up to 30 people, rates start at US$65,000 per night, and Virgin Limited Edition tries to sell it that way, but depending on available dates it is possible to book individual rooms starting at US$28,805 for two people for a seven-night stay.
virginlimitededition.com
Soneva Kiri
Rates vary according to season and length of stay.
soneva.com
Veela Private Island
Rates start at US$1,500 for two people per night.
velaaprivateisland.com
Fregate Island Private
Villa rates start at US$4,900 per night.
fregate.com
Laucala Island
Rates start at US$4,600 for a one-bedroom villa for two people per night. You can also book the whole island for rates starting at a modest US$150,000 per night.
laucala.com
Hayman Island
Rates start at US$680 for a Hayman Lagoon Room for two people per night.
hayman.oneandonlyresorts.com 
