Planning a trip to a remote Private Island and concerned about access to potable drinking water. If so there are some great products out there to make islands even more habitable. One of the most interesting portable water filters is the Water Bobble.

Selling for just $9.95 US these BPA free portable water bottles are made from recycled plastic and include a carbon filter which can produce 150 litres of drinking water, which is the equivalent of 250 bottles of water. Replacement filters cost just $7.00.

To purchase your own Water Bobble visit your local backpacking or “green” store or visit the Water Bobble website.

It seems like every day there is a new article on island ownership somewhere in the world. Similarly there are often travel articles on unique island destinations. Rarely however is there an article written about renting your own Private Island. The Sydney Morning Herald recently published an article about the joys of renting your own island

The article notes that there are islands available all over the world from Canada to the Mediterranean to the South Pacific, and each island is unique, some are affordable, some are economical, some are environmentally friendly and some are truly unique (i.e. islands with castles, lighthouses and prisons). Here is what the author has to say.

Others are celebrity-friendly. At the Mayan-themed Nygard Cay in the Bahamas, famous guests have included Sean Connery, Robert De Niro and Oprah Winfrey and the nightly rate of $US42,000 ($46,000) includes Hummer or limo transfers from Nassau.

To read the full article and learn more about island rentals visit The Sydney Morning Herald.

Interested in island ownership, or starting a resort, but not interested in going it along? If so you may be interested in a joint venture opportunity in Tonga.

Nukanama is an incredible 22 acre island located in the Ha’apai Group of Islands, in the Kingdom of Tonga. The current owner is seeking a Joint Venture partner to develop a resort, or an investor to build & run their own resort. The owner is also selling 8 x ¼ beachfront lots with an initial quick-sale price of only $150,000 USD. Once the first 4 lots are sold or a JV partner is found the lot prices will rise.

According to the listing this is the most accessible island with beach front land for sale in the South Pacific. Guest fly into the international airport in Tongatapu, then catch a 30 minute flight to Ha’apai Airport, a 10 minute drive to the northern end of Foa island, where a 5 min speed boat ride will get you across to Nukunamo Island.

To learn more about this island and interesting ownership opportunities visit Private Islands Online.

The Jakarta Post is reporting that Indonesia’s central government is being encouraged to  provide tighter controls on islands exclusively owned by private companies for fear of having slowed down investment activity and misappropriating land use in Riau Islands province.

The article notes that the central government must take over the islands to restore public access, noting that having no public access would make islands vulnerable to crime and make it easy to change ownership. Apparently public access is the priamry concern of critics of island ownership.

Although I am huge proponent of public access to private islands, corporate ownership brings, development, tourism and jobs to an island region and should be considered when these often outrageous foreign ownship laws are passed. Indonesia already has some of the tightest island ownership regulations in the world and further restrictions would only stagnate Indonesia Tourism.

To read the full article visit the Jakarta Post

Chris Krolow, CEO of Private Islands Inc., was recently on the BNN - Canada’s Business News Network to discuss the Private Island Market. Krolow highlights some of the more desirable island properties around the world and addressed the controversial comments made by the German Government regarding the potential sale of Greek Islands. To view the video visit here: http://videos.apnicommunity.com/Video,Item,4123299185.html

Martin Scorsese is the latest director to take movie goer’s to a private island. And along for the ride is Leonardo DiCaprio who is not stranger to private islands, owning one in Belize himself.  Dicaprio plays US Marshal Teddy Daniels who visits a hospital for the criminally insane on remote Shutter Island to investigate a disappeared murderess.  It is a complex tale of who is insane and who can be trusted, with Leo riveting as a troubled cop.

The movie is playing in theatres around the world right now.

What if you could combine the exlusiveness of a Private Island with the manuverability of a luxury yacht. Well, if you are one of the wealthy elite you may no longer have to choose. Monaco’s Wally Yachts has teamed up with Hermes, the designer, to create the WHY 58X38. The WHY, which is 58 meters by 38 meters, with a total surface area of 3,400 square meters, is a design concept that was just released at the Abu Dhabi yacht show.

Purchase price: $160 million.

For that, you get three levels and 2,400 tons of floating fun. The first level would house living spaces, a “beach,” spa, dining room, music room and cinema. The second level would house suites, a lounge and library while the third would be “owners space.” It also has a huge pool.

The WHY has a top speed of 14 knots and a capacity for 12 guests and a crew of 20.

The designers at Wally and Hermes (hence the “W” and “H” for WHY), insist the yacht will be entirely ecofriendly, with sustainable technologies like recycling thermal energy and waste.

“There are no excesses, nothing is superfluous, the impact on the sea is minimum,” said Luca Bassani Antivari, Wally’s president.

Source: The Wall Street Journal.

With  temperatures warming in the Northern Hemisphere, people are beginning to think about the balmy days of summer which in reality aren’t that far away. If you are looking for a unique summer getaway and thinking visiting a private or private island resort, now is the time to start looking, especially considering that private island rentals in high demand areas book quickly.

To make it easier Private Islands Online has a dedicated rental website that allows you to not only search by price, but by geographical region. Making finding the ideal private island escape a piece of cake. Rentals start as low as less than $300 a week for the Isle of Scalpay in the UK all the way up to Musha Cay which rents for $325,000/wk.

To rent your own private island or visit a unique private island visit Private Islands for Rent.  

Island lovers know that islands are a hot commodity and a valuable resource. In the case of Greece however, they may also be a way out of debt.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently recommended that Greece should sell of some of its state assets, including some of it’s private islands. According to reports, Josef Schlarmann, a senior member of Merkel’s Christian Democrats, and Frank Schaeffler, an MP for the Free Democrats - the junior partner in the centre-right coalition  - apparently told Germany’s Bild daily that the Greek government should consider selling stakes in all its assets to raise more cash.

The BBC says that “dotted in the blue waters of the Aegean are some of the country’s most valuable assets - about 6000 islands, of which only 227 are inhabited”. Some sources say that your own private island could cost as little as 1.5 million euro.

Chris Krolow of Private Islands Online, in a statement did note that more Greek Islands will be coming on the market over the next few months, but would not confirm whether or not these properties would be listed by the Greek Government.

If the economic crisis continues in Greece this could present a rare opportunity to purchase a prstine Greek Island, something that rarely comes on the market.

Source: BBC

Islands and private islands are continually a part of publications around the world, mainly because they remind readers of the exotic world we live in, and they provide a break from the more dramatic and depressing news that so often fills newspapers.

Today online recently took readers to the Maldives a chain of 26 coral islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The island chain is a must see destination for millions of people every year and the dream of millions more. The article on Today online focuses on the Maldives largest industry, commercial fishing which next to tourism is the biggest contributor to the economy of the Maldives.  Here is what the author has to say.

The fishing only stops when you want to rest or have a meal. For those who love to eat fish, you can’t get fresher seafood than these.

At night, sipping a beer under a blanket of stars, with the boat anchored on a shallow hinterland reef, gently rocking in the breeze, it’s easy to believe that life is indeed beautiful.

To read the full article visit Today Online.

The Boston Globe just did an excellent article on the pristine islands of the coast of Georgia. The article notes that the coast of Georgia is one of America’s best kept secrets where a string of islands, some as big as bermuda are a remarkable destination for everyone from adventurers to anglers.  Here is a segment of the article.

Around and between the islands, a mighty 8-foot tide flushes 378,000 acres of salt marsh with brackish, food-rich water: the chemistry of a great fishery. In May schools of 60 to 100 redfish start cruising the mud banks. In June, tarpon over 100 pounds roll a boat-length away. Tripletail, a fine fighting and dinner table fish, lie inches below the surface, and a kingdom of critters, from snowy egrets to wild boar, join in the feed. “It’s the last East Coast outback,’’ says Steve Holley, a tournament sportsman who manages a fishing camp here.

To read the full article visit the Boston Globe.

The fast ferry King Tamatoa will go into service between Tahiti and Bora Bora on Friday, March 5, 2010. Operated by the shipping company Raromatai Ferry, this vessel will run twice a week.

One of the best parts of owning an island is the ability to put one’s unique stamp on it. And there is no better way to do this than through it’s name. Island names inspire curiosity, wonder and mystery. Fairy Island in Wisconsin inspires all these. 

Fairy Island is a Wisconsin Private 1-acre wooded island located on a 120-acre spring-fed lake in the Kettle Moraine Valley region of southern Wisconsin. Enjoy swimming, fishing, boating and relaxing on your own private island only 90 miles northwest of Chicago. 

 Access the island using your new pontoon boat (or choose a new ski boat) that is seasonally docked on your own 40 feet long pier. After a short 5 minute boat ride (or 20 minute swim), enjoy cool island breezes while watching the sunset from your 40 feet long island pier that includes an expanded patio area.

This unique 1-acre island on Booth Lake in East Troy, Wisconsin provides a wonderful retreat from every day life with an emphasis on relaxation and fun. The island is currently listed at just $500,000 and can be found on Private Islands Online. Are there real farries on the Island? I guess you will have to purchase the island to find out!

Signaling deeping troubles in Dubai, Select Group, the developer of the France and Spain islands on The World, has recently confirmed that it is amending the design of its project and that the number of residential units is likely to be reduced by around 40 percent.

“We are in the middle of changing the design to suit the market conditions,” Rahail Aslan, CEO of Select Group, told Arabian Business. “We have reduced the density and made it more attractive ” he added. The France and Spain islands were launched by Select Group in 2008 and are collectively known as Acquitainia. At the time, the private island development was valued at AED5.5bn ($1.49bn) and was said to comprise 816 residential properties and a 75-room boutique hotel.

The World is an archipelago of 300 manmade islands located 4km off the Dubai coastline and designed in the shape of the world map. Launched in May 2003, there are 17 major projects worth more than $30bn currently under development.

Source: Arabian Business.com

Honduras is one of the hottest regions on the island market, particularly among those who want a Caribbean island, without paying Caribbean prices on of the most interesting development in Honduras right now is Lime Cay.

The current offer includes both an impressive sea side estate and a private island. The estate known as Villa Royale, is a unique, sprawling property, offering the perfect vacation rental for family gatherings, corporate retreats, weddings, and diving/exploration groups. Truly amazing, the 12,000 square foot villa contains seven acres of lush tropical gardens, charming courtyards, breathtaking vistas of the Caribbean, beautiful beaches, and a private island. This luxurious villa can comfortably host 14 people.

 The estate’s private island, Lime Cay, is only a short boat ride away. The cay has two quaint beach cottages and is an amazing place for secluded sunbathing, an afternoon picnic, or exploration.

For more information on this unique property visit Private Islands Online.

I remember when a simple floating building was the avant guard of design. Now engineers are pushing the limits with even more outrageous designs. Can you imagine living in a high-rise apartment building where the 360 degree views are of fish and saltwater?

Although still just a concept, this upside-down, underwater eco-skyscraper (say that five times fast!) could be the future of building, especially if sea levels rise and we are forced to spend our lives living on floating islands. Designed by Victoria BC-based firm Zigaloo the Gyre is a floating eco development meant to be both a research station as well as an off shore resort complete with shops, restaurants, gardens and recreation.

Powered completely by the sun, wind and ocean, the Gyre would offer a zero emissions stay for both tourists and researchers hoping to gain a better understanding of the ocean’s ecosystem.

Source: Inhabitat

Patterson Brothers Shipping is one of the oldest transportation companies in Fiji, founded by Levuka planter Reg Patterson and his brother just after World War I. Since 2007 Patterson Brothers has been using the 385-passenger car ferry Spirit of Harmony on its routes.