Perfect 10 private island resorts

Little Palm Island
Florida Keys, U.S.A.

9 a.m.
From the restaurant’s weather-worn terrace I gaze at the placid waters that surround Little Palm Island. Although only 15 minutes by launch from Little Torch Key in the Florida Keys, I feel as if I’ve awakened in a faraway place. The waitress delivers a plate of French toast, and the sweet smell snaps me to reality. I spread creamy almond mascarpone and a dab of guava jelly on a piece. The flavors unfold on my tongue as I spot one of the tiny – maybe two feet tall – Key deer munching on sea-grape leaves. Now I understand why all the lower branches on the island’s trees are bare.

10 a.m.
I paddle my kayak to an uninhabited neighboring island, navigate the red mangroves around its outer edges and find myself lost in a maze of the trees’ tall, arching prop roots. Rather than struggle, I stop and enjoy the silence. Then I hear the call of a heron and see the bird’s elegant shape emerge from the camouflage of its wetland habitat.

Noon
The tide is out, and Rolando, the beach attendant, insists on carrying a table out to the sandbar for me, 50 feet from shore. Eating lunch in what seems like the middle of the Atlantic – an expansive blue sky, warm sunshine and a soothing breeze – is over the top.

8 p.m.
The vibrating sound of a gong signals sunset. I rush to the beach to join the small group of guests and, with a rum runner in hand, watch the flaming ball descend. Dinner is served alfresco on the water’s edge, and I delve into crab-stuffed Florida lobster with tomato salsa, Key-lime beurre blanc and chipotle pepper aioli.

10 p.m.
A delicious mango fragrance permeates my bungalow. The staff has lit aromatic candles, turned down the bed and laid out chocolate truffles. Before turning in, I soak in the swirling waters of a barrel hot tub on the veranda and consider booking a snorkeling trip to nearby Bahia Honda State Park tomorrow. Maybe I’ll get lucky and see an endangered hawksbill sea turtle. – Patricia Letakis

Wilson Island
Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Sunrise
I have been awoken by the stirring of the day. Seabirds call out in the lightening darkness. The morning breeze rustles my luxetent guest room, one of six on this natural, coral-cay Eden. Small waves roll up onto the beach a few feet from my pillow. I rise and walk along the shore to the nature-carved Flintstone Chairs, the best spot to see the sun rise over the 1,200-mile-long Great Barrier Reef.

10 a.m.
I hover, snorkeling over one of the most pristine reefs I’ve ever seen, punctuated by purple, yellow and red corals. The reef ripples with the movements of legions of iridescent fish, shy crabs and wildly colored sea slugs, and then I get lucky – a manta ray passes, looking like an animated flying carpet. Its grace reveals my own awkwardness in the water. But I don’t care. I’m in awe, and the water feels like cook silk caressing my body.

5 p.m.
I wander to the beach where all 12 of Wilson Island’s guests have gathered to watch the sunset. I sip Tanqueray and tonic, nibbling on canapés as the sun tumbles over the edge of the earth, accompanied by the cries of hundreds of wedge-tailed shearwaters. It’s equal parts clamor and serenity, and – despite the thread count of my sheets, the hot showers and the king-size bed – even a bit island-primal. Our group makes its way to The Longhouse for a candlelit, three-course meal paired with several bottles of shiraz, all in the embrace of this natural world.

11 p.m.
I have just watched a 400-pound green sea turtle heave herself up the beach. Getting up the beach past the high-water mark takes considerable effort. Sand flies as she digs a hole to lay her eggs and then covers them nimbly. I wish I could return in April to see the hundreds of hatchlings sprinting to the sea to start their lives of mystery. I walk back to my tented lodgings, let the million sounds of nature wrap around me like a sheet and race off to sleep in anticipation of another day on this, the loveliest island campground on the globe. – Ty Sawyer

Peter Island
British Virgin Islands

9 a.m.
I wake up and decide to climb part of the steep five-mile trail through the scrubby green hills of Peter Island. I am utterly alone, and the 1,800-acre island – save a small portion occupied by the rest – seems to be all mine. Thirsty, I stop at Sunset Overlook, where a thermos of ice water awaits, placed there just for me. I pause to take in the view: a smattering of lush islands separated only by impossible blue. I spot Norman Island, said to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.

1 p.m.
I take the resort’s shuttle to White Bay Beach – one of five secluded Caribbean beaches exclusively used by resort guests and about half a mile from my suite – where I dip into the peacock-blue water. Beneath me slithers a spotted eel, and I watch a rainbow-colored parrotfish peck at the seafloor. This may be snorkel-bliss, but one day I’ll go deeper, diving the nearby wreck of the HMS Rhone a la Jacqueline Bisset in The Deep. I emerge to find a staff member delivering my idea of the perfect picnic: brie, fruit and chocolate-chip cookies, served on a silver platter.

5 p.m.
Undone by a frangipani-and-coconut moisturizing treatment at the resort’s new seaside spa, I indulge in a bubble bath in my hot tub. Steam rising around me, I look out the picture window to a slice of sea. In the distance is Dead Chest Island, where Blackbeard marooned 15 mutinous men, leaving them with just a cask of rum; hence the pirate ditty “Fifteen men on the Dead Men’s Chest, yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum.” Perhaps it’s time for a Painkiller, the fruit-juice-and-rum-filled drink of the BVIs topped with freshly grated nutmeg.

6 p.m.
I watch dusk unfold from the beach outside my suite and see mega-yachts cross the horizon. In the harbor is the Silmaril, the resort’s own yacht. She’s at my disposal, and tomorrow the crew will sail me wherever I wish – perhaps Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas for some shopping, or maybe we’ll anchor in a lovely bay where I can picnic in the salt breeze and dive into the sea. – Jennica Peterson

Related Links from ISLANDS Magazine:

Tahiti

Antigua

Venice

Seychelles

Belize

Lanai, Hawaii

Florida Keys

British Virgin Islands

Each issue of ISLANDS Magazine explores the most beautiful island destinations in the world, from tropical island outposts to the sophisticated gems of the Mediterranean. Our top-rate photographers and writers discover the quiet beaches, boutique hotels, and unique cultural experiences that make island travel unique.

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