$13,300 per night high season
Valued at $24 million, the sprawling Spanish Colonial style home of Villazzo founder Christian Jagodzinski in Miami, Palm Island is part of his Villazzo collection and will set you back a cool $13,300 per night, peak season. Its 11,000-square-foot interior has a lounge with a grand piano, a home theater, a full-size billiard room, a state-of-the-art gym, and four bedrooms, while the vast palm-tree lined grounds feature a two-bedroom guesthouse, a 130-foot-long heated walk-in pool with its own waterfall and Jacuzzi, and of course a private stretch of waterfront to moor your yacht or speed boat. South Beach is only five minutes drive away.
For more information: Casa Contenta
$37,500 per day for 12 or fewer persons
Magician David Copperfield bought this exotic 150-acre island in the Exumas in 2006, and at this price you might think your eyes are playing tricks on you. The exclusive-hire resort accommodates 24 people in 12 state-of-the-art beach houses done in bright tropical tones and all hooked up with iPods. All food, alcohol and boat trips on the private fleet of yachts, catamarans and jet skis that service Musha and its adjacent ribbon of islands (also owned by Copperfield) are included in the price. Highlights include open-air movies on the beach.
$26,700 per day, peak rate
This sprawling contemporary six-room villa with a vast terrace and garden swimming pool overlooking the famous beaches of Pampelonne and Cap Camarat is one of the most prized properties in Europe. But it’s the pampered service provided by Villazzo staff that makes your $26,700 a day (peak rate) worth it. Avoid traffic by exploring the Cote d’Azur in the villa’s private helicopter before returning for an in-room massage from a Villazzo beautician, a candle-lit dinner in the grounds prepared by your resident gourmet chef, and exclusive entrance to St. Trop’s famous Club 55 night spot which is just across the road.
For more information: VillaHotel Katarina
$13,000-$15,000 per day for two people
The Maldives is everyone’s idea of an island fantasy, and this private-use resort lives up to expectations. A maximum of 12 guests in six beach cottages are flown in by a sea plane which lands in front of a seven-acre island ringed by ivory white beaches and dotted with lush palms. The island is small enough to swim around, although guests have up to three hours per day free use of Rania’s 86-foot state-of-the-art yacht. With a two-to-one staff-to-guest ratio you won’t lack for pampering, and all meals, drink, spa treatments and water sports included.
For more information: The Rania Experience
$80,000-$90,000 per week high season
This state-of-the-art three-villa resort accommodating a maximum 40 guests is famous for its privacy and hence beloved of celebrities. The villas—Russian Amethyst, Brazilian Emerald and African Sapphire—each have their own pool, hot tub, fitness center, home theater, elevator, personal butler and eight-member private staff. The eight-bedroom African Sapphire is the priciest at $90,000 per week high season ($12,857 per night) plus 20 percent tax and service. But what’s a little extra when your ocean-view villa comes with a private snorkeling pond and architectural waterfall, and floating hot tub off the second floor? The five-bedroom Russian Amethyst with roof top terrace is a relative bargain at $80,000 per week.
$25,000 per night high season
Sandy Lane is the only recognized hotel on our list. The luxe property, a 1960s-built resort that's very pink, features standard and penthouse suites that range from $1,000 to $10,000 per night depending on season—but add an extra zero and then some if you want the six-room Villa at Sandy Lane. Next to the main hotel, it’s a marble-floored mini palace with five en suite rooms, a Romanesque private pool and Jacuzzi, and a private staff of butler, housekeeper and chef.
For more information: The Villa at Sandy Lane
$51,000 per night for up to 28 guests
Virgin boss Richard Branson bought this 74-acre tropical paradise in 1982 as his own exclusive hideaway before opening it up as a private-hire resort. Its 14 rooms accommodate 28 guests in either waterfront Bali Houses or the main hill-top Great House with its sublime views of turquoise ocean. Everything from scuba diving to champagne is included in the price. While it’s known as an exclusive-hire resort, for two “Celebration Weeks” a year—September 26 and October 2 in 2009—individual couples can get a room for $25,400 for the week.
For more information: Necker Island
$42,000 per day
This bizarre 10-bedroom resort on a six-acre cay in the Bahamas is done on an ancient Mayan theme, with ornately carved pillars and giant wood sculptures overlooking the various swimming pools, Jacuzzis, beaches and pillowed sun beds that are dotted across the grounds. Owned by Canadian fashion tycoon Peter Nygard, sports lovers will be drawn to its tennis court, basketball court, volleyball courts and all manner of watersports, while the 82-foot resident yacht and the 24-seat on-site movie theater will suit those seeking more leisurely pursuits.
For more information: Nygard Cay
$20,000 per day for six or fewer (plus tax)
This 5,000-acre pine-covered private island a 25-minute helicopter ride from Auckland is not so much exotic tropical paradise as exclusive, secluded, bucolic retreat. Only available for private hire, it accommodates a maximum 16 people in two villas—one the three-bedroom Up House on a hill overlooking the ocean; the other the five-bedroom Down House overlooking a bay. The surrounding waters are a fisherman’s paradise, and guests can either dine on the beach, in a state-of-the-art Boat House kitchen, or in the dining room of the main house—on the very fish they caught immaculately prepared by some of the finest chefs in New Zealand.
For more information: Great Mercury Island
$202,800 per week (minimum stay) for up to 14 guests
This glittering, horseshoe-shaped Mediterranean island just off the rocky cliffs of Ibiza hosts a maximum 14 people for minimum one-week stays that average $28,000 a day. Tended by a team of staff that includes professional French chefs, the main seven-room hacienda has its own dance floor, theater, cinema and aquarium, and there’s a lagoon-shaped swimming pool on the west of the island if you don’t fancy a dip in the ocean. A “cave spa” has a sauna, whirlpool and massage facilities. Much like a hotel resort, staff are on hand to serve drinks and meals virtually anywhere on the island, and will even book flamenco dancers and cabaret acts for evening floor-shows on request. Everything except specialty wine and food (such as caviar) is included.
For more information: Isla de sa Ferradura