Private islands and laid-back luxury
Ever felt the need to escape to your own private island in the sun? Chris Carter looks at five locations for your own personal paradise.
Castaway, Fiji
The island comprises rainforest "ringed by soft white sandy beaches" and "beautiful warm blue waters" with "rich coral" so you're guaranteed a peaceful view, no matter which way your bure faces. The resort features two freshwater pools and four restaurants and bars, serving a mix of Fijian, Indian and Chinese cuisine.
See CastawayFiji.com for details.
Mnemba Island, Zanzibar
The minimalist accommodation consists of ten elegant thatched-roof huts on the beach, "done up in shades of sand and beige", and leaving you with "plenty of room to practise the art of relaxation".
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From around £3,700 for two people for three nights (AndBeyond.com).
Ariara, Philippines
There's no shortage of activities on the Philippine island of Ariara to keep the adventurous busy, notes Cond Nast Traveller. Prise yourself away from the "curving palm-fringed beach", with its "pale turquoise waters", long enough to explore the "slightly mysterious jungly centre".
Or if you would rather get your feet wet, the diving sites host some of "the most colourful marine life on the planet", while a "beautifully equipped" three-cabin motor yacht and a "traditional 100ft wooden fishing boat with five air-conditioned cabins" are on offer for "real island-hopping". Back on Ariara, four beach cottages and two villas serve as ideal bases for dinner beneath the stars.
From £2,155 per head for seven nights, within a party of 18 (AriaraIsland.com).
Parrot Cay, Turks & Caicos
If you have ever dreamt of following in the sandy footsteps of the rich and famous, then Parrot Cay in the Turks and Caicos Islands is the ideal holiday destination, says the Daily Mail's Becky Pemberton.
"Party-loving model" Cara Delevingne recently revealed to Cond Nast Traveller that the Caribbean island is her getaway of choice. And she's not the only one.Celebrities have flocked to the ultra-exclusive resort's Balinese-inspired villas and yoga pavilion, where they can enjoy "crystal-clear waters, whitewashed villas and laid-back Caribbean atmosphere without having to worry about the paparazzi".
Villas from £1,755 per night (Comohotels.com/parrotcay).
North Island, Seychelles
The "preposterously pretty" North Island in the Seychelles is, says Charlotte Sinclair on The Telegraph Luxury site, one of the "dreamiest private island resorts in the world". It is "just the right side of wild" with "giant, century-old tortoises" and parrotfish "the size of terriers".
Meanwhile, "careful choreography of space and privacy" and its "mangrove and palm-fringed bays, driftwood beach bars and thickly canopied peaks" all add to its "jaw-dropping loveliness". And despite the exclusivity (the resort is expensive, to put it mildly), it exudes a relaxed "barefoot attitude" from the "dreadlocked barman" serving "wickedly strong rum cocktails" to the 11 thatched villas set in tropical gardens.
From around £3,900 per night (mahlatini.com).
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Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.
Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.
You can follow Chris on Instagram.
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