What are the best private-island resorts?
By Aspen Travel Advisors · Last verified · Counts drawn live from the Virtuoso-sourced atlas
The best private-island resorts are the ones where the resort is the only thing on the island: The Brando on Tetiaroa, North Island in the Seychelles, Petit St Vincent in the Grenadines, Laucala in Fiji, Amanpulo in the Philippines and most Maldives resorts. Many others share their island with private homes or other hotels. That is pleasant, but it is a different kind of quiet.
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You'll hear back within 24 hours.Start by sorting the field into three groups, because the phrase covers all of them. The first is one island, one resort. Nothing else is there except staff housing and perhaps a research station. The Brando, North Island, Petit St Vincent, Laucala, Amanpulo and nearly every resort in the Maldives fit here. The second group is a resort that shares its island with privately owned homes, such as Jumby Bay off Antigua or Parrot Cay in Turks and Caicos. Residents use the same beaches and paths, so it is quiet, but the island is not the hotel's alone. The third group is the resort that calls itself private because it has a private beach or its own cay for day trips. It is often a fine hotel, but it is not a private island. A fourth kind, the island rented whole to a single party, is a different purchase and has its own row in the table below.
Exclusivity is mostly a matter of who else can arrive, and the answer depends on the transfer. Almost every true private island is reached by seaplane, helicopter, small aircraft or the resort's own boat. That keeps day-trippers out, and it adds cost, weight limits and weather risk to both ends of the trip. Our atlas tags 15 properties as private-island resorts, and 15 of them carry advisor benefits on file. The tag is the supplier's and is narrower than this page: North Island and The Brando carry it, while Amanpulo, Soneva Fushi and Cheval Blanc Randheli are in the atlas without it. The Maldives alone accounts for 23 properties in the atlas, most of them alone on their islands.
What 'private island' actually means
| Type | What it means | Examples | The trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| One island, one resort | The resort and its staff are the only people on the island | The Brando (Tetiaroa), North Island (Seychelles), Petit St Vincent, Laucala (Fiji), Amanpulo (Philippines), most Maldives resorts | The real thing. You are also limited to one kitchen, one spa and one set of activities for the whole stay |
| Resort plus private homes | One hotel shares the island with privately owned houses whose owners use the same beaches | Jumby Bay (Antigua), Parrot Cay (Turks and Caicos) | Very quiet, often better restaurants and more space, but you will meet residents and their guests |
| Exclusive-use island | The whole island is rented to one group at a time | Necker Island (British Virgin Islands), Musha Cay (Bahamas), Calivigny Island (Grenada) | Total privacy for families and celebrations. It only makes sense with a group large enough to fill it |
| Not actually private | A resort on an inhabited or multi-hotel island, marketed on a private beach or a day-trip cay | Resorts on islands with towns, airports or several hotels, such as Hamilton Island in Australia | Often good hotels with more to do, but the privacy ends at the property line |
The label is used loosely, so ask one question before booking: apart from the resort, who else sleeps on the island tonight? The answer puts each resort in one of the categories below.
Which one for which trip
| Resort | Island and country | How you arrive | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Brando | Tetiaroa atoll, French Polynesia | Short flight on Air Tetiaroa from Papeete | Couples who want birdlife, lagoon and a serious conservation story |
| North Island | North Island, Seychelles | Helicopter from Mahé | Honeymoons and anyone who wants a villa big enough to disappear into |
| Petit St Vincent | Petit St Vincent, St Vincent and the Grenadines | Connection to Union Island, then the resort's boat | An unplugged Caribbean week with no televisions and no fuss |
| Laucala Island | Laucala, Fiji | The resort's own aircraft from Nadi | Active travellers: golf, diving, riding and sailing on one island |
| Kokomo Private Island | Yaukuve Levu, Fiji | Seaplane or helicopter from Nadi | Families and divers, on the edge of the Great Astrolabe Reef |
| Amanpulo | Pamalican Island, Philippines | Aman's private flight from Manila | Aman loyalists and families who want a gentle, easy beach |
| Soneva Fushi | Kunfunadhoo, Baa Atoll, Maldives | Seaplane from Malé | Families and barefoot luxury on a large, jungly island |
| Cheval Blanc Randheli | Noonu Atoll, Maldives | Seaplane from Malé | Polished service and design for people who will rarely leave the villa |
These are the one-resort islands we would send people to first, matched to the trip they suit. None is right for everyone, and each depends on a transfer you should plan around.
Transfers, and when it is not worth it
The transfer is half the experience and most of the friction. In the Maldives, seaplanes fly only in daylight, so a late-evening international arrival usually means a night near Malé airport before you reach the resort. Small aircraft, helicopters and seaplanes all have baggage weight limits that are stricter than airline limits, and weather can delay them at either end. Build a buffer day into the return before any long-haul connection. This is where an advisor earns their keep: lining up flight times, transfer slots and the inevitable rebooking when a seaplane does not go.
A private island is not worth it for everyone. If you like to change restaurants every night, walk into a town, or spend long days on excursions, you will feel confined after three or four nights. Shared-island resorts or a hotel on a larger island will suit you better.
- Seven nights is the natural length for the Maldives and the Pacific islands. Four or five nights suits a Caribbean island combined with something else.
- Ask for the exact transfer weight limit and whether soft bags are required before you pack.
- Check whether the transfer is included in the rate or charged per person each way. On remote islands it can be a large line item.
- Ask what medical staff are on the island and buy travel insurance that covers evacuation.
- If you travel with children, confirm the kids' programme and the pool depth. Some one-resort islands are excellent with families, while others are built for couples.
The private-island resorts in the atlas, smallest first
Every property the supplier feed tags as a private-island resort, sorted by size. The tag follows supplier filings: it includes a few islands shared with private homes and leaves out several one-resort islands named above, so use the first table to tell which kind of private each one is. Each links to its own page, where the benefits currently on file for it are listed in full.
| Property | Where | Rooms | Benefits listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Islas Secas Private Island & Reserve | Fort San Lorenzo, Panama | 8 | 4 |
| Makepeace Island | Tewantin, Australia | 11 | 4 |
| North Island | North Island , Seychelles | 11 | 5 |
| The Branson Beach Estate on Moskito Island | Moskito Island, British Overseas Territory, British Virgin Islands | 11 | 4 |
| MIAVANA by TIME + TIDE | Nosy Anko, Madagascar | 13 | 10 |
| Guana Island | Tortola, British Virgin Islands | 18 | 4 |
| Necker Island | Necker Island, British Virgin Islands | 24 | 4 |
| Song Saa Private Island | Koh Rong Archipelago, Cambodia | 24 | 7 |
| Kokomo Private Island Fiji | Yaukuve Levu Island, Fiji | 26 | 6 |
| Ambergris Cay, Turks and Caicos | Ambergris Cay, Turks And Caicos Islands | 29 | 10 |
| Little Palm Island Resort & Spa | Little Torch Key, United States | 30 | 4 |
| Six Senses Zil Pasyon | Felicite Island, Seychelles | 33 | 4 |
| The Brando | Arue, French Polynesia | 36 | 5 |
| Vomo Island Resort, Fiji | Mamanuca Islands, Fiji | 41 | 5 |
| Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi | Malé, Maldives | 117 | 6 |
Frequently asked
Is every Maldives resort on its own private island?
Most are. The Maldives developed resorts on uninhabited islands, one resort per island, and that is still the norm. A small number of integrated developments group several hotels on linked islands, and some resorts sit close to inhabited local islands. Both are worth checking if privacy is the point.
Can you rent a whole island for a family or a celebration?
Yes. Exclusive-use islands such as Necker, Musha Cay and Calivigny Island are built for it. Several small one-resort islands will also quote a full buyout on request. The economics only work when the group is large enough to fill most of the rooms, so ask about minimum nights and peak-week rules early.
Are private-island resorts safe if someone gets ill?
They are as safe as their evacuation plan. Many have a nurse or doctor on site, but serious cases leave by boat, seaplane or helicopter, and seaplanes do not fly at night. Ask the resort what cover it has, and carry insurance that includes medical evacuation.