It isn’t just Richard Branson who can score solitude on his own private island in the Caribbean. You too can rent a little VIP R&R on a private paradise — whether that’s glorious isolation with no one but your loved one to keep you company, or a gatekept slice of good-lifing where only true jet-setters are allowed on-island.
Below, we’ve collected the best from across the region, calling out their key luxe touches and recommending the right guest. And forget five stars: In a nod to “Wilson” in Tom Hank’s “Cast Away,” we’ve ranked the isolation factor with one to five volleyballs.
Castaway rating: 🏐🏐🏐🏐🏐 It’s so isolated even the staff live off-island.
Best for: Honeymooning couples, dive diehards.
The basics: HGTV’s “Island Hunters” host Chris Krolow is behind this two-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot villa, which occupies its own island 20 miles off the coast of Placencia in southern Belize. Nestled near superb dive spots on the fringing reef, it’s technically two islands in one cluster — one is dedicated to guests, while the staff lives out of sight on the other (don’t worry, there are warning lights in the hotel that flash red when staff are on island, so there’s no risk of risqué mishaps.)
Luxe touches: This is truly an all-inclusive with even massages offered gratis, as often as guests wish. Book a week-long stay, and you’ll receive free helicopter transfers to and from the nation’s dangerous and utterly skippable former capital, Belize City.
Winter rates: From $4,250 per night for two lovebirds.
Castaway rating: 🏐🏐 This is barefoot luxe with the world’s 1%.
Best for: See-and-be-seen solace-seekers.
The basics: Ground zero for glamour, this self-contained five-star resort is a seven-minute private ferry ride off the main island. The 300-acre site, now run by luxe hotelier Oetker Collection, has its own waterfowl sanctuary, a spectacular kids’ club and a sailing academy. For accommodations, take your pick between 40 suites, 14 villas serviced by butlers or one of the 20 residences, which are sometimes offered into the rental pool by their elite owners. Past guests include Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey and Lionel Messi, who honeymooned here, and OG jet-set chronicler, the late Robin Leach, once also owned a property.
Luxe touches: Plan to spend the day on the even smaller, more exclusive island next door, Little Jumby, where the Hut beach club and restaurant opens this month for the first time.
Winter rates: From $2,950 per couple per night, all inclusive.
The Aerial, British Virgin Islands
Castaway rating: 🏐🏐🏐 You can hop off the island easily to check out the local scene.
Best for: Woo-woo wanderers with a yen for inner peace.
The basics: Thirtysomething Tennessee-born entrepreneur Britnie Turner snapped up this 43-acre island southeast of Tortola keen to ape the success of her idol, Richard Branson, who operates Necker nearby. She rechristened it the Aerial after her development company, and established what she hopes will be a wellness hideaway, with guests coming to reboot via yoga, trauma-healing sessions and a teepee that doubles as both a mindfulness spa and a bonus room if needed. The three-year old operation accommodates up to 32 adults.
Luxe touches: Rooms that are named rather than numbered — you’ll squabble over who scores Dream, with its circular bed, 360-degree balcony and private stargazing deck, or Presence, with its roomy outdoor shower.
Winter rates: From $25,000 per night.
Castaway rating: 🏐🏐🏐🏐 Your own island within sight of the Keys.
Best for: Expired passport holders and convenience seekers.
The basics: The Monroe County island, barely larger than an acre, is your own private slice of the Florida Keys, with room for up to 12 guests in the prime fishing waters off the coast of Marathon. It has 800 feet of waterfront, including a jetty, as well as a helipad right next to the pool so you can commute easily to Miami and beyond. There’s a 2,300-square-foot main house plus a detached guest cottage, all designed with a breezy open plan to maximize the views from the floor-to-ceiling French doors around the houses.
Luxe touches: This is an entirely off-grid experience, with solar- and wind-powered electricity and rainwater tanks. Don’t worry, though, there’s blazing fast Starlink Wi-Fi, too.
Winter rates: $13,500 per week, with a seven-night minimum.
Castaway rating: 🏐🏐🏐 You’re on your own, but the world’s just over there.
Best for: Larger groups or destination weddings.
The basics: The Exumas cluster in the Bahamas are renowned for spectacular sapphire-blue waters — and the swimming pigs on Big Major Cay. Next door to that delightful attraction is Fowl Cay, a 50-acre private island with room for up to 26 guests in its six stand-alone villas in a buyout. Boat over to see those porky water babies or to Thunderball Grotto, an underwater cave system with spectacular snorkeling that featured in two Connery Bond flicks, the namesake and his comeback, “Never Say Never Again.”
Luxe touches: Ask the staff to set up a picnic on a sandy island that’s only visible at low tides, and the chef can prep any fresh-caught fish you snare on a boating excursion to the surrounding waters; each villa comes with its own motorboat.
Winter rates: $229,656 per week, with a seven-night min.
Castaway rating: 🏐 Come here to get away from the hoi polloi, but meet fellow jet-setters.
Best for: 1 percent networkers.
The basics: This is more like a private country than your typical island — at 850 acres, it’s around the same size as Central Park. Still, there’s only 18 rooms here, which keeps the crowds at a minimum and it’s operated by a wealthy family who understand what 1 percenter isolation-seekers really need. The Jareckis — one of which, second-generation Andrew, co-founded Moviefone before becoming a producer himself — come here to idle in true wilderness, with no cars and seven untouched beaches, before ducking back for cocktails at the Club’s Honor Bar and a four-course dinner that’s more like a party than a restaurant.
Luxe touches: Guana has its own, 4-acre orchard, three greenhouses and 100 or so egg-laying chickens, so much of the food you eat has been grown on the island (or caught in the waters nearby).
Winter rates: All-inclusive from $1,995 a night.
Castaway rating: 🏐🏐🏐🏐🏐 You’re entirely, completely Crusoe-ing it solo.
Best for: Bargain-driven solitude-seekers.
The basics: The 1.5-acre island is a bargain self-catering option six miles off the southern coast of Belize. It consists of four two-bedroom cottages, including an over-the-water cabana Plunge, which you can do into the shallow waters around it and you’ll find water teeming with fish, or just idle in the shade of the gazebo to gaze out at the confetti-like shoals; grab one of the kayaks to explore the mangrove-fringed coast. The island’s rented on a self-catering basis, but you can arrange for chef service if you’re feeling lazy.
Luxe touches: Owner Fred Arbona first launched it a decade ago, but has upped its facilities for this season, adding a new fireplace, a barbecue area and lush landscaping.
Winter rates: From $895 per night.
