Millionaires around the world cried out when Larry Ellison purchased the island of Lanai.
The Oracle co-founder, whose personal wealth totals $36 billion, spent an estimated $500 million on the Hawaiian island this week. 98 per cent of the “pineapple island”, which spans 141 square miles, now belongs to Ellison.
“The Nation’s Most Avid Trophy-Home Buyer” (the Wall Street Journal) officially owns 88,000 acres of land, two golf courses, several houses and commercial properties and 3,200 residents to go with his other million-dollar US estates, fighter jet and yacht racing team.
Lanai has belonged to fellow billionaire David Murdock since 1985, but after years of reportedly losing millions of dollars each year on the island, he put it up for sale this year, prompting a million-dollar dash from the world’s richest tycoons. The race ended on Wednesday, the island governor officially announced, when Larry Ellison beat Bill Gates to buy the place.
What can the Microsoft founder do now? TheMoveChannel.com sent its scouts across the globe to round up the best private islands on the market.
Here are 6 islands in search of a millionaire:
Young Island, St. Vincent
Cost: $10 million
“Johnny Depp retreated here while filming Pirates of the Caribbean,” claims Young Island’s listing. “Instead of renting a cottage on this private island, why not buy the entire island?” The 35-acre island’s 29 cottages, lush foliage (ranging from ginger to hibiscus) and copious mango trees are a short boat ride away from St. Vincent on the island’s 24-hour scenic ferry. Most importantly for ambitious investors, there are no restrictions regarding the future use of the island.
All that for $10,000,000? Bill Gates may be putting on his pirate costume this very minute.
James Island, Canada
Cost: $75 million
Photo credit Sotheby’s / SFGate.com
Craig McCaw is a wireless magnate from Seattle who distinguishes himself from his fellow residents in two ways: 1. He is ranked number 804 on Forbes Billionaire’s List. 2. He owns the second-largest privately-owned Gulf Island in British Colombia.
Located on the west coast of Canada, James Island has six cottages, a manager’s residence, an airstrip and an 18-hole golf course. But all that comes at a high price: 75 million dollars, to be exact. Not Canadian.
Celine Dion’s House, Canada
Cost: $29.3m
Photo credit: Sotheby’s Canada
A singer with her own private island home? Celine Dion’s 24,000 square feet property is one Titanic piece of real estate. Located 15 minutes from Montreal is styled after a French Normandy castle and can only be accessed by a gated bridge. If home is where the heart is, Celina’s heart will go on and on and on…
Isla de Coco, Pear Archipelago
Cost: $695k
One for the budget billionaires out there, Isla de Coco is one of the cheaper islands on the market at the moment. Located in the middle of the Pearl Archipelago, the 24.8 acre beauty is rumoured to contain the buried Treasure of Lima. Only 10 minutes from the Isla Del Rey airport with beaches, caves and tropical views, Isla de Coco offers wealthy buyers more than just a sweet name.
House Island, Portland
Cost: $4.85m
Photo credit: Steve Rubicam / PressHerald.com
House Island is perfectly named for a billionaire in search of a new private abode. The 24-acre island, which contains five beaches, two piers and three cottages has been owned by the Cushing family since 1954, reports the Portland Press Herald. Known as the “Ellis Island of the North” after its use as a quarantine station for immigrants in the early 1900s, House Island is a no-brainer for investors. On the down side, it costs $4.85 million. On the plus side, it has its own 19th century fort.
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