[imagesource: Financial Times]

Sir Richard Branson’s Caribbean jewel, Necker Island (above), is one of the more well-known billionaire-owned islands.

Maybe because every A-lister and their friend has vacayed there, from Barack Obama to Google billionaire Larry Page and even royal guests including the late Princess of Wales, Prince Harry, and the Duchess of Cambridge.

The 72-year-old billionaire also owns another tropical paradise, Moskito Island.

He might be a multi-island owner, but he is certainly not the only billionaire who has access to heaven on Earth.

Love Property has been drooling over the private retreats of the world’s wealthiest people, including Branson’s getaways.

Otherwise, the publication also touched on Mark Zuckerberg‘s Hawaiian hideaway:

Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have invested plenty of their pennies in eye-watering real estate, including a large part of the Hawaiian island of Kauai:

Zuckerberg has been buying up land on Kauai for years and currently owns three separate estates. In 2014, the American media magnate acquired about 700 acres of land on Kauai for more than $100 million (£72m) and in March 2021 he expanded his estate to include another 600-acre parcel.

This time, Zuckerberg paid a reported $53 million (£38m) and the spread can be found on the remote waterfront of Larsen’s Beach.

But the Kauai community aren’t too happy with Zuckerberg’s presence:

In 2015 he was accused of attempting to force residents to sell the neighbouring land to him, while other Hawaiians are said to have inherited the land without a formal deed, putting ownership rights into question.

Zuckerberg is even thought to have filed several lawsuits against Kauaians during the land battle, causing plenty of anger and controversy.

The suits have since been dropped but the image of Zuckerberg being a neo-coloniser lives on. At least in my mind.

Moving on to another part of paradise owned by Red Bull co-founder, Dietrich Mateschitz:

Listed as the 54th wealthiest person in the world, according to Forbes real-time billionaire tracker, the Austrian businessman worth a cool $24,8 billion is the proud owner of Laucala Island in Fiji:

Mateschitz purchased Laucala in 2003 for $10 million (£7.2m) from the moneyed Forbes family. He has since transformed the island into a super-luxurious, all-inclusive eco-resort that’s now home to an 18-hole golf course, a wellness centre, its own airstrip and a collection of five restaurants and bars, offering everything from beachside barbeques to fine dining experiences.

Staying rates begin at a hefty $5 600 a night, with an additional $14 000 due as a landing fee for using the island’s private airstrip.

Then we have Lanai (AKA Pineapple Island), the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian islands, owned by Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison:

Okay, he only owns 98% of the land on Lanai. Not that he’s losing out on much with 2% less:

Ellison spent an estimated $300 million (£216m) on his Pacific island purchase in June 2012. Relatively unspoiled, Lanai has no traffic lights or shopping malls, and features 90,000 acres of land, a 3,200 person town and two Four Seasons resorts.

As you’d expect, the island’s hotels are of the five-star luxury variety. A room at the swanky Four Seasons Resort Lanai in Manele Bay starts at around $1,818 (£1,310) – so you’ll need very deep pockets if you want to stay for a week.

Then, Britain’s billionaire Barclay brothers own the Channel Island of Brecqhou:

The 74-acre island is located off the coast of Sark in the Channel Islands and has its own village, chapel and pub, as well as vineyards and orchards:

The identical twin brothers conducted a huge landscape makeover on the island, shaving off cliff edges and creating lakes so that the profile was transformed.

You may recall the recent news delving into how Frederick Barclay is refusing to pay out his ex-wife’s divorce settlement, with money and family secrets coming out during the court proceedings.

Last but not least, check out the Caribbean island of Calivigny owned by French entrepreneur Georges Cohen:

Georges’ wife Martine Cohen was yachting and swimming around the island off the coast of Grenada, found out it was for sale after being enthralled by the paradise, and convinced her husband to buy it on the spot:

Over the decades, George, Martine and their family have invested heavily in developing the island to the highest specifications, bringing in thousands of plants, trees and bespoke luxury accommodation.

Their hard work has paid off and this private paradise has attracted the likes of the Kardashians and Justin Bieber, who celebrated his 21st birthday there.

Those celebs might have paid something like $132 000 per night for the exclusive island charters for up to 40 guests.

Otherwise, you can peruse the Bahamas’ Sampson Cay bagged by John Malone, the Maldives’ Velaa owned by Czech billionaire Jiří Šmejc, and the Skorpios Island in Greece snapped up by Ekaterina Rybolovleva, the daughter of Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev.

[source:loveproperty]