Unparalleled privacy, bespoke experiences and champagne shores: a private island escape spells the pinnacle of luxury. Whether you’re seeking romance, adventure or pure relaxation, leave the ordinary behind and live your modern-day Robinson Crusoe fantasy. From all-inclusive Maldives hideaways to celebrity-owned South Pacific retreats, discover our pick of the world’s best private island resorts.
Song Saa Private Island, Cambodia
Across Koh Bong and Koh Ouen, Song Saa’s two “Sweetheart Islands” sit within a 100-hectare marine reserve. Follow clues through the rainforest on the nature treasure hunt, or join a traditional blessing led by local Buddhist monks. After dark, ask about a guided swim to see bioluminescence in the water around the islands.
Insider tip: Ask whether the bioluminescence trip is running during your stay, as sightings depend on conditions.
The Brando, French Polynesia
Tetiaroa’s 12 coral islets circle a lagoon, and The Brando sits on one of them, Onetahi. Its 35 villas each have a pool and private beach area.
Join a Tetiaroa Society guide on the water, then try palm weaving or pareu making. At dinner, Les Mutinés takes its inspiration from Mutiny on the Bounty, the film that brought Marlon Brando to the atoll.
Insider tip: Humpback whales visit from July to October. Ask about a whale-watching trip, and whether conditions allow you to swim nearby.
North Island, Seychelles
Between the forest and East Beach, North Island’s 11 villas each have a private garden, plunge pool and path to the sand. There’s room to make the island your own: walk to the granite peaks with an environmental ranger, kayak to Honeymoon Beach for a picnic, or join the “Noah’s Ark” project by planting a tree or helping release a young tortoise.
Travelling with your favourite people? Book all 11 villas and the island is yours to share.
Insider tip: Ask the team to arrange a private picnic on Honeymoon Beach, a secluded cove reached by kayak or trail.
Amanpulo, Philippines
Touch down on Pamalican Island and you’re already at Amanpulo, its only resort. Choose a casita tucked among the trees or by the beach, then let the day take shape around you. Snorkel the reef just offshore, head out by boat to explore further, or linger over Japanese dishes at the seasonal Lagoon Club.
From June to October, green and hawksbill turtles come ashore to nest. With white sand circling the island and seven kilometres of reef around it, there’s plenty to explore or simply enjoy at your own pace.
Insider tip: If you want the sea right outside, request a beachfront casita. Others are tucked into the forest canopy or set on the hillside.
Six Senses Zil Pasyon, Seychelles
A striking fusion of coral-fringed beaches and dramatic granite cliffs, Six Senses Zil Pasyon is a secluded eco-luxury retreat on Félicité Island. Dine on Creole cuisine inspired by the Seychelles spice route and witness the enchanting, seasonal spectacle of turtle hatchlings making their way to the ocean. Thanks to the resort’s rewilding efforts, birdwatchers can spot rare species like the Seychelles magpie robin and Seychelles paradise flycatcher in their natural habitat.
Insider tip: Keep a lookout for coco de mer trees, renowned for producing the world’s heaviest seeds.
Cempedak Private Island, Indonesia
Twenty bamboo villas curve around Cempedak’s shore, each with a plunge pool and either a path to the beach or a view across the sea. Getting there takes a ferry to Bintan, a drive across the island and a final speedboat ride.
Guests aged 15 and over can kayak around the island in about 30 minutes, with a possible drink stop at the self-service bar on Deadman’s Beach, or snorkel the coral reef around the shore. Above the mangroves, the Rock Spa offers massages with a view. Dinner changes daily with what’s fresh at local markets.
Insider tip: If the sky is clear, ask to look at the moon through the island’s Celestron telescope
Kokomo Private Island, Fiji
Just offshore from Yaukuve Levu, more than 30 dive and snorkel sites spread across the Great Astrolabe and Solo reefs. Back on land, 21 beachfront villas each have an infinity pool while five hilltop residences give families room to spread out, with a butler, nanny and buggy on hand. After a day in the water, regroup at Walker d’Plank for Asian-style street food and the day’s catch.
Insider tip: For the best chance of seeing manta rays, visit between April and October.
Thanda Island, Tanzania
Just one group at a time stays on this five-hectare island, sharing a five-suite villa and two traditional Tanzanian bandas beside the beach.
The surrounding Shungimbili Island Marine Reserve makes it easy to spend the day snorkelling the reef with a guide or heading out by boat to look for whale sharks, which feed south of the island from October to March.
Insider tip: Bring an underwater camera. Thanda invites guests to share whale shark photos so researchers can use the markings to identify individual sharks.
Soneva Fushi, Maldives
Learn to blow glass at So Glassycle, the Maldives’ first hot glass studio. You can also take an astronomical dinner cruise aboard Soneva in Aqua, with an astronomer, or zipline through the treetops to Flying Sauces, a dining platform above the forest.
The ice cream room is open around the clock, with handmade flavours that change regularly.
Insider tip: Discover secret surf breaks around Baa Atoll.
Yasawa Island Resort and Spa, Fiji
Yasawa Island Resort & Spa has 18 beachfront bures and access to 11 private beaches. It’s adults-only for most of the year, with selected family weeks. Join a kava ceremony or watch a meke dance, then take a boat to the Blue Lagoon Caves to swim through their hidden chambers and passages.
Insider tip: Visit the Blue Lagoon Caves, made famous by the Brooke Shields film ‘The Blue Lagoon’ and hidden beneath a volcanic peak.
Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, United States
America’s only private island resort, Little Palm Island Resort & Spa offers an adults-only paradise situated off the Florida Keys that’s inspired by the British West Indies. Sports-fishing enthusiasts can head to the backcountry flats, looking for the elusive big three – tarpon, permit and bonefish. For the perfect adrenaline rush, skydive over the Atlantic coastline and the Florida reefs.
Insider tip: Explore Looe Key Reef, part of the world’s third-largest barrier reef, on a snorkelling or diving adventure.
Featured image: Soneva Fushi, Maldives
