The idea of owning your own island is probably a remote fantasy these days, especially after three years of economic carnage to your bank account, savings, and retirement portfolio. But who hasn’t gazed out at an island from the shore, and wondered what it would be like to own your own kingdom, tethered to civilization only by water or air? Think Robinson Crusoe. Sir Richard Branson, Johnny Depp, and Celine Dion all own their own islands.
Here are 12 islands for sale, ranging in price from just $595,000 to $3.5 million. So what would it be like?
Ram Island
Place: Machias Bay, Maine, 50 miles east of Bar Harbor
Asking Price: $595,000
Acreage: 16
Undeveloped
One tree, a few sheep, a 20 by 20 foot platform for pitching a tent, and a mooring in the cove. The rest is grass, rocks, and 360-degree views of the ocean and bay.
Treasure Island
Where: Lake Manitou in Northern Indiana
Asking Price: $775,000
Acreage: 1.25
Developed
Located halfway between Notre Dame and Purdue universities, this island on a 775-acre natural lake is a state-protected wetland. It features a one-bedroom, two-bath cottage built around 1900, but fully renovated in 1985. There’s electricity and running water, and three sides are all in windows. The property also includes a private pier area on the mainland for getting from the car to the boat.
Charlie’s Island
Where: Near Marathon, in the Florida Keys
Asking Price: $995,000
Acreage: 0.32
Undeveloped
The turquoise-colored roofs you see in the picture are open-air sitting areas with decks, chairs, and a campfire cooking area. But the island also comes with a 38-foot houseboat, not pictured here, that sleeps 4-5 people. Great reefs nearby for snorkeling. All the seafood you can eat.
Snug Harbour Island
Where: On Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada
Asking Price: $1,057,000
Acreage: 3
Developed
A two-hour drive from Toronto, this island features a two-bedroom, two-bath cottage with a glassed-in porch overlooking the water, a separate guest cabin with bathroom, hot tub built into the rock outcropping, and a boathouse with deep water mooring. Running water, electric, a septic field. And it has wireless Internet access. So you could get away from it all, but still check your e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter accounts.
Krokholmen Island
Where: North Atlantic, near Bodø, Norway
Asking Price: $1,292,000 (1 million euros)
Acreage: 74 acres
Developed
Offshore retreat? Heck, this is an offshore town. The property features nine buildings including a restaurant, pub, conference center, marina, boathouses, and a hot tub. Price also includes several boats, an all-terrain vehicle for getting around the island, fishing and hunting gear, and a clay-pigeon set-up for shooting. The Gulf Stream keeps the climate here mild, despite its location in northern Norway.
Watch Island
Place: St. Lawrence Seaway, near Clayton, NY
Asking Price: $1,950,000
Acreage: 1.3
Developed
There are more than 1,400 islands in the Thousand Island region of upstate New York. But few of them come with a 6,500-square-foot mansion — ten bedrooms, four bathrooms, plus a boat house and dock. About an hour-and-a-half drive from either Syracuse or Montreal.
Little Hog Cay
Place: Near Abacos, Northern Bahamas
Asking Price: $1,950,000
Acreage: 25
Partially developed
Notice the lagoon that separates the west side of the island from the east. On the west side sits a studio home and a guest cabana with an electric generator. The east side is undeveloped. Marina and airstrip are a 15-minute boat ride away, on the main island of Abacos.
Horse Island
Place: Long Island Sound, in Guilford, Conn.
Asking Price: $2,500,000
Acreage: 0.75
Developed
Less than 2.5 hours from Manhattan, and at low tide, a short walk to the shore. The cottage has electric, city water, a septic field, and four bedrooms. The property also comes with two Boston Whalers, a Sunfish, a windsurfing vessel, and a kayak.
5 Cove Island
Place: Howe Sound, British Columbia, between Whistler and Vancouver
Asking Price: $2,950,000
Acreage: 5
Developed
A 30-minute boat ride from the city of Vancouver, this island is up for sale to developers, with an approved subdvision plan.
Summer Hill Island
Place: Lake Glenville, western North Carolina
Asking Price: $3,450,000
Acreage: 4.6
Developed
Located on a 1,500-acre lake in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains, this island has a four-bedroom, four-bathroom house hidden by the forest canopy. It features a gourmet kitchen, antique pine floors, and covered decks that lead to a private dock. Asheville is an hour away. Atlanta is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive away.
