What do you do if you’re more recognisable than most international heads of state … your Twitter following is double the size of Iceland’s total population and your personal fortune is comparable with that of a small African nation? Why, buy an island of course! Many know about Sir Richard Branson’s penchant for islands, but who else is in on the act? Here’s our run-down of some of the more eminent members of the ultra-exclusive, celebrity island-owners club.
Johnny Depp – Little Halls Ponds Cay, Bahamas
Depp fell in love with the Bahamas while filming Pirates of the Caribbean. So much so, in 2004 he bought a 35-acre island in an area designated protected because of its coral reef. His own private slice of paradise reportedly cost $3.6-million.
Leonardo DiCaprio – Blackadore Cay, Belize
DiCaprio is said to have bought this 104-acre slither of terra firma in partnership with a resort-owner for $1.75-million in 2004. Word is he’s teaming up with Four Seasons to turn it into a luxury eco resort.
Celine Dion – Laval-Ouest, Canada
There are two strong trends in celebrity-island ownership. Owners tend to be male, and islands tend to be tropical. French Canadian Diva Celine Dion bucks both with this river island in her native Quebec. Unless we’re mistaken the island and French Normand Chateau-style mansion is currently for sale for $30-million.
Nicholas Cage – Leaf City, Bahamas
Two years after his pal Johnny Depp nabbed himself an Exuma island, The Rock star secured an undeveloped strip of sandy beaches, tropical palms and a freshwater pond in the same chain. Mr. Cage famously wracked up a massive tax bill. Whether or not this had anything to do with his selling of Lead City we don’t know, but word is it no longer belongs to him. Now with 18 buildings and its own landing strip, the island’s current owners have it on the market for just under $18-million.
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…
