22 May 2014
As the tabloids say: Stars adore the Caribbean and few places in the world are as fabulous for celeb-spotting! Many vacation; some shop for a home as the perfect holiday souvenir, while others buy their own private island.
Oprah Winfrey – Antigua
For rest and relaxation from her busy career, US media star Oprah enjoys downtime in her home on Antigua, an island she has long retreated to for peace and quiet in the luxurious villas dotted in the hills overlooking the coast. This is also a favourite vacation isle for Chris Martin to spend time with ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow and their children.
Sandra Bullock –Anguilla
This tiny island’s 33 white-sand beaches, impressive dining options, luxe resorts and villas, and posh-but-unpretentious vibe is a popular hang-out for A-listers such as Howard Stern and Liam Neeson. Sandra Bullock is rumoured to be house-hunting here…. Watch this space!
Shakira – Bonds Cay, The Bahamas
Shakira currently owns Bonds Cay, a small island north of the Bahamas, which she purchased to develop into an exclusive millionaire’s getaway with a small tea of celebrity business partners. Apparently, the island is now up for sale as the scheme failed to get off the ground – so if you have a few spare million dollars, why not make an offer?
John Travolta – Grand Bahama, The Bahamas
Which star doesn’t own a Bahamian island? There are more than 700 of them in the archipelago, so there’s no shortage of options for the sun-loving super-rich.“Grease” star Travolta fled to the Bahamas has had a holiday home here.
David Copperfield – Musha Cay, The Bahamas
Beautiful Musha Cay is a 700-acre, privately owned island in the Exuma Chain, in the southern Bahamas, just 85 miles southeast of Nassau that illusionist David Copperfield bought several years ago – a cluster of tiny surrounding islands maintain his privacy (you can rent it out for 24 guests…!)
Beyonce& Jay-Z - St Barth
Beyonce loves the French-Caribbean mix of this vacation isle for the rich and famous, particularly when the A-listers arrive with their mega-yachts. Has she splashed out on a St Barth mansion? So the locals say – apparently she loves the chic French-inspired villa designs here and the island’s fresh croissants.
Ralph Lauren –Jamaica
Musically this English-speaking island has long been a star magnet and continues that tradition today with recent holiday jaunts by Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani. Chris Blackwell, head of Island Records, owns a beach-front home here while Ralph Lauren owns a pair of villas at the chichi Round Hill resort, where he designed the hotel’s elegant décor
Johnny Depp - Little Hall’s Pond Cay, The Bahamas
There’s no one more fitting than the star of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise to own a whole Caribbean island - Johnny snapped up this 45 acre island 15 years ago and at a mile long and 1300 feet wide it has 6 pristine beaches, several of which he named after his ex-wife and children.
Mick Jagger – Mustique
Attracting aristocrats and royalty including the fun-loving late Princess Margaret, the tiny island of Mustique, in St Vincent and the Grenadines, is a magnet for the rich and famous. Rock god Mick Jagger heads to his home here after a gruelling tour schedule – it is the scene for many a wild party. If only walls had eyes and ears…!
Eddie Murphy – Rooster Cay, The Bahamas
Eddie Murphy loves the Caribbean and has owned two islands in the Caribbean – once called Pearl, which he sold to purchase his current paradise isle Rooster Cay in 2007. Few islands boast such a convenient location, just a 5-minute speedboat ride from Nassau.
Donna Karan - Turks and Caicos
The larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands are the third largest of the British overseas territories by population.Private-island resort Parrot Cay has hosted a constellation of stars, including Keith Richards, Ben Affleck and Lindsay Lohan. But it is fashion guru Donna Karan who took the plunge and owns a villas here.
Nicolas Cage – Leaf Island, The Bahamas
Real estate-savvy actor Nicolas Cage owns a private island in the Bahamas, in the beautiful Exuma archipelago. Leaf Island is wholly undeveloped so raw and untouched and rumoured to be up-for-sale with a $8-million price tag.
