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Storm time

Thursday 19th November comments:
It’s the first time I’ve written the blog with a troubled mind. This time it’s not about the seabirds or the Seals, it’s about me and my team. This autumn I’ve been blasé about the weather, as we’ve had the occasional storm, but it’s blown through within a matter of days. But not this time, it's payback time.

Mother Nature has coming calling and don’t we know it. The team were last on the mainland on Wednesday – last Wednesday, now some eight days ago. I can handle the lack of fresh milk or bread and even forgive the team for eating all the biscuits, but things are looking bleak.

The radio crackled in the front room…

Forties, Cromarty, Forth, Tyne, Dogger: South or southwest 6 to gale 8, perhaps severe gale 9 later. Rough or very rough. Occasional rain. Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Friday 20th November comments:

Many of the islands of the Mediterranean and Greece in particular, are not only beautiful, but steeped in myth in and history.  This unique combination of characteristics makes a Mediterranean Island a highly coveted piece of property among both island lovers and the wealthy elite.

A new island on the market is Skyropoula Island in Greece, which is truly a rare offering. This island which is over 1000 acres in size is located in the heart of the Mediterranean. Ideally located one hour away from Athens, Greece, in the middle of the Aegean the island is surrounded by turquoise waters.

Skyropoula is one of the rare islands that has its title ownership in complete order and is irrevocably recognized by the Government of Greece and the EU. The island is currently on the market for 21,000,000 euros. For more information on this property visit Private Islands Online.

Richard Branson, founder of Virging Corp and owner of Necker Island recently sat down with The Age, and Australian news paper and talked about his travels and the private island he calls home. Necker noted that he spends about 6 months of the year ont he expansive and luxurious private island and spends the rest of the year traveling the world, fullfilling his obligations as CEO of the Virgin corporation. Here is what Branson had to say.

Tell us about the holiday destinations you own
I’m really fortunate to own a number of great places that I love visiting but all of the destinations we own work as a business, even Necker. It has a staff of 60 and has to work as a viable business.

In South Africa we’ve got the Ulusaba game reserve. We’ve also built a lovely place in the Moroccan mountains called the Kasbah where I try to spend a bit of time as it’s so peaceful and then there’s the a ski lodge in Verbier which is great fun.

Source: The Age

There is no shortage of affordable islands out there, you just have to know where to look. One place I always recommend to island shoppers on a budget is Nova Scotia. Friendly people combined with incredible scenery makes Nova Scotia and ideal place to own a private island.

At $165,000US Hog Island is currently one of the best deals on the market. This georgeous, undeveloped 20 acre island is located in the protected Barrington Bay and has incredible views out into the Atlantic. Enjoy an amazing variety of bird life, including two Ospreys nesting on the island.

An additional small second island is attached and included with this sale. Easy to get to from the mainland and a short drive from the Yarmouth Ferry. Build your dream getaway cottage. For more information on this property visit Private Islands Online.

The Banyan Tree is regarded the world over as one of the leading resort brands in the world, when they opened their resort in the Seychelles in 2002, they really raised the bar. Recently the Financial Mail explored decided to explore this remote oasis to discover what makes the Banyan Tree brand so appealing. Here is what the Financial Mail had to say.

So powerful is the brand that die-hard devotees are known to pick their holiday destinations on the strength of whether they can check into a Banyan Tree property or not.

Since then, top-end tourism in the Seychelles has grown exponentially and the choice of grown-up, sophisticated hotels offering First-World luxury in an unspoilt setting has never been more alluring, from spa resorts such as Maia and the Four Seasons on the same coastal stretch of Mahe as the Banyan Tree to private-island eco-retreats such as North Island and Fregate.

To read the full article visit the Financial Mail

Celebrity Getaways

If you are rich and famous you may require a lot of privacy, but fortunately you have the luxury of being able to afford to go wherever you want. This is why countless celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Tom Hanks and Mick Jagger all retreat to private islands and private island resorts on their vacations. MSNBC recently wrote an interesting article featuring some of the more exclusive island destinations that celebrities jet off to when needing a little R&R. Here is what they had to say.

Question: If you’re Jennifer Lopez (the ninth-richest woman in entertainment with a net worth of $110 million), you have a $350 million fragrance and fashion empire, and your husband just bought ownership in the Miami Dolphins, where do you spend your winter vacations?

Answer: Anywhere you damn well please, of course.

T0 read the full article visit msnbc.com

Although tropical islands are beautiful, if you are looking for space consider looking North. Canada, is home to some beautiful islands and their reasonable prices mean that potential island owners get a lot of bang for their buck. One of my favorite properties is Star Island, an 1,100 acre island in Ontario.

The island features hills and valleys, dramatic cliffs with spectacular overlooks, many exposed rock outcroppings and an untouched forest of old growth timber. Black Spruce, White Spruce, Cedar, Poplar and Birch are the predominant tree species on the island. In the center of the island is a small lake hidden away and stocked with Brook Trout.

The island has been improved with 10 kilometers of marked hiking trails. The island is home to healthy populations of moose, black bear, lynx, foxes, wolves, ruffed grouse, eagles, hawks and many other forms of wildlife. The waters surrounding Star Island are well known for great Northern Pike and Pickerel fishing. Totally unspoiled and natural; owning Star Island is like owning your own National Park.

The island is available for just #1.5M. For more information visit Private Islands Online.

Recently a reported with the National Post, one of Canada’s leading newspapers ventured to St Vincent’s and the Grenadines to explore this popular Caribbean tourist destination. During her week long stay she was able to explore seven of the island chains 32 islands, including the ultra exclusive Mustique. Here is what she had to say.

Mustique Tommy Hilfiger, Mick Jagger and Bryan Adams are just some of the stars who have purchased a spot on this private island. The Firefly bar is the place to visit; they have both a Champagne and a Martini Club wherein members get recognized with a T-shirt once they’ve consumed every version of champagne or martini cocktail on offer. Guests have been known to earn their T-shirts after an extended 14-martini lunch. (Pierce Brosnan, I hear, wanted to earn a T-shirt, but unlike 007, he doesn’t drink martinis. He left the task to his son

Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/arts/story.html?id=2304049#ixzz0Z2Ln54Q1

Although Private Islands are the ideal for most islomaniacs, many members of the “general” population are content with a more traditional  island vacation on one the larger islands of the Caribbean or the Mediterranean. For these travellers Sandals Resorts is currently offering some excellent deals.

With 13 resorts scattered among the islands of Jamaica, St. Lucia, Antigua and the Bahamas, Sandals resorts are regarded as the pioneers of the luxury holiday. Their resorts are regarded as vibrantly unique hotels that are the known for their beachfront locations, exemplary standards of service, exceptional cuisine s and world class accommodations that is truly world class with a choice of suites that culminate in private plunge pools and Butler Service.

Sandals Resorts is currently offering a 35% discount at their new Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas, which includes a Greg Norman designed golf course with challenging  fairways set right on the waters edge, and the first ever Marina by Sandals with 133 slips for avid sailors.
To read more about this deal visit: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1220332/You-save-35-plus-free-nights.html#ixzz0Vi7i0cNW

Island ownership isn’t for everyone, many people choose to travel to a new private island or private island resort every year rather than own their own island. For those people interested in island rental their is no shortage of possibilities. From the Maldives to Maine their are literally hundreds of private islands and private island resorts around the world available for rent.

One of my favorite islands for rent is Isla Kiniw in Curacao. A small, idyllic three acre island located in the Spanish Water bay in Curaçao, the island has just one villa. The only way to get there is by boat, so ultimate privacy for you and your guests is assured.

Isla Kiniw is an excellent spot for all kinds of water sports and is well known for it’s big game fishing (Blue Marlin, White Marlin, Sailfish, etc). The picturesque town of Willemstad is only a 15 minute drive away on the mainland.  The town, which is a Unesco world Heritage site offers a wide variety of restaurants and shops for your enjoyment.

The villa consists of three coupled buildings, one containing the main living area with kitchen, one containing guest- and bathrooms, and the last one with storage, washer, dryer, and a separate caretaker’s apartment.

The island rents for $4950/week. For more information, or to inquire about renting this island visit Private Islands Online.

Very few islands ever come on the market in Mexico and when they do they are often leasehold properties (as opposed to freehold). However, one island that recently came on the market and that is sure to catch the attention of the world is San Jose Island. The island is rumored to be about 2 million acres in size and is on the market for $150M.  Private Islands Online the agency that is advertising the island has an extensive description about the island that you can read here. From the description it appears that the present plan is to develop the island as an ecopark.

During my recent trip to French Polynesia I met French blogger Laurent Pichot who also happened to be staying at Moorea Camping. Pichot is currently on leave from his job as an account manager with Google France in Paris and traveling around the world.

V Australia, a member of the Virgin Blue Airlines group owned by British businessman Sir Richard Branson, will begin flying from Sydney to Nadi in December, 2009. The V Australia flights will replace some of the current services to Fiji provided by Pacific Blue, another arm of Branson’s empire.