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11 celebrities who own private islands: from Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s two secret getaways to Brad Pitt’s New York hideout and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Belizean paradise

Power couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z, and Brad Pitt, are among the celebrities with private islands at their disposal, but who owns the priciest? Photos: @beyonce/Instagram, Google Maps, AFP
There’s A-list famous, and then there is private island A-list famous. Not only do our favourite celebs live in spectacular mansions, some of they also own their own paradise island properties.

New research by spa booking experts Spaseekers has revealed the going rate of celebrity private islands, and it’s not cheap. Not only is Beyoncé officially the most decorated woman in Grammy history, but she’s also the owner of two of the world’s most expensive private islands.

Power couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z are the only celebrities with two islands on the list – showing the purchasing power of the music moguls. The A-list pair own islands in the Bahamas and Florida, keeping their exact whereabouts secret to keep their luxury escapes private.

Exclusive interview: Jay-Z is now worth US$1.4 billion

Take a look below and discover who comes out on top when comparing cost at purchase and current value, according to SpaSeekers.

David Copperfield

David Copperfield at the 2017 Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas. Photo: PictureGroup/Sipa USA/TNS

Musha Cay, Bahamas

Purchased: 2006 for US$50,000,000

Current value: US$65,395,876 (approx)

Musha Cay, Bahamas. Photo: Google maps

David Seth Kotkin, professionally known as David Copperfield, is an American magician who has been described as the most commercially successful magician in history.

David Copperfield’s private island of Musha Cay, Bahamas, seen from the air in February 2007. Copperfield, who bought a string of four islands in the Exumas islands, claims to have found Ponce de Leon’s lost fountain of youth on the island. Photo: Corbis

Copperfield bought four islands in all, their breathtaking natural beauty now even more magical thanks to David’s investment. Musha Cay itself boasts five guest houses decorated in British Colonial style with a tropical twist, designed to cater to every whim and fancy, while the islands nearby that make up Copperfield Bay are there to be explored.

The island can be yours for the night if your holiday allowance stretches to US$62,600.

Beyoncé & Jay-Z

Jay-Z and wife Beyoncé Knowles-Carter attend Sean Combs 50th birthday in December 2019. Photo: Getty Images

Unknown, Florida, US

Purchased: 2010 for US$20,000,000

Current value: US$23,838,794 (approx)

The exact location of Beyoncé & Jay-Z’s Florida island is not known. Photo: Google Maps
Celebrity royalty. The ultimate power couple. A world-famous singer and her equally famous rapper husband – Beyoncé and Jay-Z hardly need an introduction. The couple has been together for years and when your other half is also wealthy, successful and could buy whatever they want for themselves, it must be hard to decide what to get them for their Christmas or Valentine’s Day.

Jay-Z bought a private island in the Florida Keys for Beyonce’s 29th birthday in 2010. A private island which is, well, private, all we know about this lavish gift is that reportedly cost over US$18 million. But that’s not the only one private island they own ...

Unknown, North Abaco, Bahamas

Purchased: 2013 for US$3,000,000

Current value: US$3,363,202 (approx)

The exact location of Beyoncé & Jay-Z’s Bahamas island is also a secret. Photo: Google Maps
Three years after Jay-Z bought an island for Beyonce’s 29th birthday, the couple added to their collection with a US$2 million purchase. The pair invested in their own private island so that they can holiday with their daughter in peace (other years they simply rented a megayacht). The island is located somewhere in North Abaco in the Bahamas and spans 360 acres.

George Clooney

Amal and George Clooney arrive at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in May 2018. Photo: Reuters

Sonning Eye, southern Oxfordshire, UK

Purchased: 2014 for US$16,869,000

Current value: US$18,631,488 (approx)

Sonning Eye, Oxfordshire, UK. Photo: Google Maps

George Clooney is an American actor, film producer, director and activist known for his impeccable taste, which extends beyond the red carpet to exotic holiday destinations. In 2014, he and his wife Amal bought a four-acre island located on the River Thames, which features a 17th-century mansion that has since been remodelled to accommodate the Hollywood A-lister. This includes a home cinema, indoor pool and private boathouse.

Shakira/Roger Waters

Colombian singer Shakira during the closing ceremony of the 2014 Fifa World Cup 2014 final at the Estadio do Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July 2014. Photo: EPA

Bond’s Cay, Bahamas

Purchased: 2011 for US$15,000,000

Current value: US$17,615,613 (approx)

Bond’s Cay, Bahamas. Photo: Google Maps

The Hips Don’t Lie singer has duetted with a diverse range of artists over the years, but Shakira’s most unlikely pairing to date must be with Pink Floyd icon Roger Waters.

In 2011 the pair teamed up, not for a duet, but to co-invest in 700 acres of Caribbean paradise. Bond’s Cay is set to be transformed into a millionaire’s playground, which will include private holiday homes, hotels and art galleries.

Mel Gibson

Actor and director Mel Gibson arriving at Sydney’s Fox Studios for a press conference in July 2015. Photo: AFP

Mago Island, Fiji

Purchased: 2005 for US$15,000,000

Current value: US$20,288,873 (approx)

Mago Island, Fiji. Photo: Google Maps

Not long after the huge global success of his controversial movie The Passion of the Christ, world-famous actor Mel Gibson acquired his own island in Fiji. Mago Island is volcanic and one of the largest private islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, spanning 5,400 acres. Covered in lush natural vegetation and sugar cane, while some celebrity-owned islands have had drastic makeovers, Mago remains largely undeveloped, with just a few caretakers currently living there.

Brad Pitt

US actor Brad Pitt attends a red carpet for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, in Mexico City in August 2019. Photo: AFP

Petre, Lake Mahopac, New York

Purchased: 2013 for US$12,000,000

Current value: US$13,452,808 (approx)

Petre, Lake Mahopac, in upstate New York. Photo: Google Maps
William Bradley Pitt, better known as Brad, is an American actor and film producer whose name is known across the globe and who was formerly married to Angelina Jolie, with whom he has six children. Part of Hollywood royalty and with an estimated net worth of US$300 million, it may come as no shock that Brad Pitt owns his own private island too. The island, named Petre, is nestled in Lake Mahopac some 80km (50 miles) north of New York.

 Eddie Murphy

US actor Eddie Murphy arrives for the 2007 Academy Awards in Hollywood, California. Photo: EPA

Rooster Cay, Bahamas

Purchased: 2007 for US$15,000,000

Current value: US$19,132,669 (approx)

Rooster Cay is in the area around Long Cay, Bahamas. Photo: Google Maps

Eddie Murphy may spend much of his time on-screen and in the public eye, but whenever the famous actor and funny man needs some downtime, he has the luxury of retreating to his own private island.

Murphy bought Rooster Cay back in 2007. Sitting pretty close to the Bahamian capital Nassau, in the Long Cay area, this slice of paradise is currently off-limits to the public, though there are rumours Murphy is turning it into a resort.

Ricky Martin

Ricky Martin performs during the World Music Awards 2014 at Sporting Monte-Carlo. Photo: Splash News/Corbis

Angra dos Reis, Brazil

Purchased: 2008 for US$8,000,000

Current value: US$9,803,965 (approx)

Angra dos Reis, Brazil. Photo: Google Maps

Puerto Rican singing sensation Ricky Martin is known for spending his time and money helping those in need but he knows how to reward himself and enjoy his lavish lifestyle too. Back in 2008, the Livin’ La Vida Loca singer bought an island in Angra dos Reis, near the coast of Rio de Janeiro. The star likes to keep the details of his private island, well, private, but it’s thought to be a holiday home as he spends most of his time in his decadent LA villa.

 

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio, a cast member in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, discusses the project onstage at CinemaCon 2018, in Las Vegas. Photo: Invision/AP

Blackadore Caye Island, Belize

Purchased: 2005 for US$1,750,000

Current value: US$2,367,035 (approx)

Blackadore Caye Island, Belize. Photo: Google Maps

Leonardo DiCaprio is an American actor and producer who has brought to life some of cinema’s most iconic fictional characters as well as wowing viewers in timeless biopics. The Great Gatsby actor is part Hollywood royalty, part eco-warrior, with plans to turn his private Blackadore Caye Island into the world’s most environmentally sound luxury resort. Situated in the crystal blue waters of Belize, more than half of the island will be used as a nature reserve and the other half will feature 70 resort bungalows and residences.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill

US singers Faith Hill and husband Tim McGraw pose with their awards backstage at the 28th Annual American Music Awards in January 2001. Photo: AFP

L’Île d’Anges/Goat Cay, Bahamas

Purchased: 2003 for US$1,200,000

Current value: US$1,706,260 (approx)

L’Île d’Anges/Goat Cay, Bahamas. Photo: Google Maps

Country singers Faith Hill and Tim McGraw are successful and award-winning artists who also own a 20-acre private island in the Bahamas named L’Île d’Anges – known in English as Goat Cay. According to a feature in Architectural Digest from 2017, the couple acquired the island in 2003, taking it from a modest collection of rustic pavilions to an estate worthy of Nashville royalty. It took the couple eight years to turn the estate into the idyllic retreat that it is today.

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This article originally appeared on SpaSeekers

 

 

  • While the Caribbean is a popular choice, George and Amal Clooney bought an island on the Thames in London, Ricky Martin in Brazil and Mel Gibson in Fiji
  • DiCaprio, the unlikely pair of Shakira and Roger Waters, and magician David Copperfield are all turning their islands into luxury holiday villas for the uber-rich