Dorset island for sale for £2.5m

Green Island in Dorset is for sale for £2.5m. And it's not the only fantasy haven up for grabs. Ed Caesar looks at the world's most desirable off-shore properties

Green Island, Poole Harbour, Dorset

Green Island, Poole Harbour, Dorset

How much?

On the market for £2.5m, but it is expected to sell for £5m. The sale is being handled by Stephen Noble Estate Agents in Bournemouth.

What do you get for your money?

The only habitation on the 45-acre island is a wooden A-frame house, so it might not suit the flashier type of millionaire. The island was maintained by its outgoing owner as a wildlife sanctuary, and a retreat for disadvantaged children, so the property is refreshingly unspoilt. Roe deer and red squirrels run free, and there is also archaelogical interest in the Iron Age trading site.

How do you get there?

Moor your boat at the island's pontoon, or, if you want to travel in style, make use of the island's heliport.

Who would it suit?

While local estate agents imagine that Robbie Williams or Richard Branson would be interested in the property, Green Island seems better suited to the more sedate lifestyles of Alan Titchmarsh or Tony Robinson.

Anonyme Island, Seychelles

How much? €8.5m (£5.8m) from Vladi Private Islands ( www.vladi.de)

What do you get for your money? Anonyme is less a tropical getaway, and more a holiday resort. The "Presidential Villa" has a tropical garden, private beach and butler, and guests can be put up in the six luxury suites.

How do you get there? Anonyme is only 700m off east Mahe Island, so you can swim. Or fly by private plane to the larger island and sail a yacht to Anonyme's marina.

Who would it suit?

A private island in the Seychelles would suit anyone. But with its exquisite entertainment possibilities, a Hollywood big gun such as Harvey Weinstein would do well here. If he got bored with his guests, he could always retire to the Presidential Villa and chomp cigars.

Great St James Island, Caribbean

How much? $25m (£13m) from Vladi Private Islands.

What do you get for your money?

A mile long, and 157 acres in total area, Great St James gives the proprietor enough room to stretch his, or her, legs. The only incursions into the island's exotic plantlife are the rustic homestead, with stone fireplace, and the tennis courts. Lots of scope for that Robinson Crusoe feel.

How do you get there? Take a yacht from nearby St Thomas' or Jamaica. But watch out; surrounding the island are wrecks of previous, unsuccessful attempts.

Who would it suit?

Any prospective owner needs to be able to grapple with the post-colonial guilt of building his hideaway on the site of a 1777 cotton plantation. Agents might do well trying Rupert Murdoch.

Chantemesle, near Giverny, France

How much? €3.25m (£2.2m) from Vladi Private Islands.

What do you get for your money?

The ultimate artist's hideaway. The wooded, secluded Ile Chantemesle is on the Seine near Giverny, where Monet lived and painted Waterlilies. There is a beautifully restored, 400sq metre, Victorian-era four-bedroomed house, which has a park, orchard, greenhouse, tennis court, swimming pool, farmyard and two motorboats.

How do you get there?

Drive 45 minutes from Paris, then jump in a dinghy to get to the island. Alternatively, hijack a bateau mouche near Notre Dame and take the scenic route to your front door.

Who would it suit?

Jacques Chirac. He might need somewhere to hang his head when the EU referendum goes against him.

Columbia Island, Long Island Sound

How much? $1m (£550,000) from Vladi Private Islands.

What do you get for your money?

The only island available for private venture development for sale in the environs of New York City. The property is little more than a massive protecting sea wall and 700,000sq ft of nothing. But with a little taste and vision, it could be a most desirable home. The island's new owner could park the yacht in Manhattan, and stroll to work.

How do you get there?

Columbia Island is just off Westchester County, in the Long Island shipping lanes, so unless you turn up by yacht, you'll be a laughing stock.

Who would it suit?

Moneyed Manhattanite with an eye for a bargain. Get in there before Donald Trumps you.

Isla de sa Ferradura, Ibiza

How much? €33m (£22m) from

privateislandsonline.com

What do you get for your money?

Ferradura comes with golf buggies, speed and sailing boats, a hacienda, private cinema, and a beauty salon. There is a "laguna complex" with saltwater swimming pools and waterfalls, and a manmade "cave complex" including whirlpool, solarium and sauna. Or head for the "Arabian tent area", which has cushions and a large campfire. There's also a beach.

How do you get there?

This "island" is actually connected to Ibiza by a thin private road, so you can reach it by car. But why bother? The island has its own water taxi, as well as a helipad.

Who would it suit?

The perfect choice for the footballer's wife.

Frozen and Alder Cays, Berry Islands, Bahamas

How much? $8.5m (£4.49m) from Coldwell Banker.

What do you get for your money?

Complete tropical seclusion and a waterslide. The 83 acres of white sand beaches and lush woodland are all very nice, but where this island really comes into its own is in its accommodation. There is a six- bedroom main house; a manager's cottage; extra cottages for your ice waiter and sun-cream assistant; a fishing guide camp; heated pool (it can get chilly in the Bahamas); a marina and a waterslide.

How do you get there?

Fly to Nassau and then sail your yacht the remaining 35 miles.

Who would it suit?

Anyone who likes to be let alone to revel in their very own paradise, while occasionally taking time out to berate their staff. Perhaps Gordon Ramsay.

Isla de Puercos, Gulf of Panama

How much? $1.8m (£950,000) from

privateislandsonline.com

What do you get for your money?

The ultimate castaway experience. The 250 acres are untouched by human hand, but the estate agents are keen to flag up its "eco-tourism" potential. There are 12 beaches for you to lounge on while you build your nine-hole golf course and cinema multiplex.

How do you get there?

Your ship is attacked by pirates and you drift ashore on an emptied treasure chest. Or, you take a boat the three nautical miles from the popular tourist destination of Isla del Rey.

Who would it suit?

Anyone comfortable with ravaging the perfect and delicately poised eco-system. A senior McDonald's executive perhaps.

Hog Cay, Bahamas

How much? $19.3m (£10m) from

privateislandsonline.com.

What do you get for your money?

A 681-acre tropical paradise, with secluded bays and pure white beaches. There is, handily, a 2,500ft airstrip on which to land one's private jet. Civilisation comes in the form of a two-storey, six-bedroom house with an observation gazebo, swimming pool, games room, bar and swimming pool. Staff quarters are "a discreet distance" from the mansion.

How do you get there?

Fly, or take a short boat ride from the southern tip of Exuma.

Who would it suit?

Endearingly unspoilt, Hog Cay is the perfect mogul hideaway. Richard Branson might be the ideal proprietor if he didn't already have a Caribbean island of his own.

Bayers Islands Archipelago, Nova Scotia

How much? $450,000 (£238,000) from Robert Savage (private-island-for-sale.com).

What do you get for your money?

The Bayers Islands chain have an uncultivated, rugged feel to them. Bald eagles, seals, ospreys, and blue herons are the main inhabitants on this barren stretch of property, which is whipped in the winter by Atlantic winds and snow flurries. If you fancy going a bit Shipping News, this would seem to be the spot for you.

How do you get there?

You can fly first-class to Halifax from New York, Montreal or London, but then you have to hike to get to the islands themselves. No cars allowed on the beach.

Who would it suit? Celebrity eco- warrior; Chrissie Hynde and Charlie Dimmock leap to mind.