You know you’ve cracked it when you own an island, but when you own more than one, hat’s off to you.
By now, chances are you’ve heard about Richard Branson’s Necker Island, which seems to get battered by hurricanes every so often.
I’m almost certain you haven’t heard of Makepeace Island, located on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, which tends to fly under the radar when it comes to Branson’s assets.
That’s all set to change in the wake of a multi-million-dollar renovation, overseen by the same designer behind Necker Island’s latest revamp.
Whilst the island has always been heart-shaped, as you can see up top, the facilities have been given a massive overhaul, which is why they can now charge a cool £10,000 (around R188 000) a night for private use.
The name comes from Hannah Makepeace, a housekeeper who inherited the island from its childless owners back in the 1930s. For more, let’s check out what the Telegraph has to say:
For more than half the year, Makepeace, I later learnt, is either hosting its owners or their (extremely fortunate) friends. In the gaps between it’s available for private hire, accommodating up to 22 guests across three large villas spaced far apart; four bedrooms in the central Island House, and the one-bedroom river-facing Boathouse.
Rates vary according to time of year and party size, but during peak season it’s just shy of £10,000 a night, for a minimum of seven nights; and in low season, £5,371 for a minimum of two. Which, as private islands go, isn’t too outrageous when divided between guests.
So what does it buy you? The infinity pool, which, at 500,000 litres, is one of the largest private pools in Australia and probably the island’s greatest draw. Glass-clear, it wraps around the front of the property and coils off at various points to form a vast network of deep and shallow passageways. At one end, there’s a small island stationed with two sun loungers to swim up to, and at the other, a 15-seater hot tub to drop into.
Straddling the pool is a bridge from which to dive and, sprouting from the bridge, a waterfall. Of all the shaded daybeds scattered across the island, the one suspended on chains over the pool is the one you’ll fight over.
Doesn’t look half bad to me. I’d probably choose Richard’s luxury lodge near Kruger over Makepeace Island, but nobody’s turning down a free stay.
Here’s one that will really get the Capetonians jealous – look at the bath:
Each villa, all three being identical, sits isolated at the end of its own long wooden walkway, behind two sets of elaborate double doors, with two bedrooms and a dressing room built around a gently bubbling indoor fish pond.
The four-poster master bed is gargantuan, as is the bathroom’s open-air tub, carved from volcanic boulder, dotted with candles and strewn with petals.
Sheesh, longing for a bath.
You guys aren’t bathing yet, are you? We’ve been over this.
If you want to read more about Makepeace Island, head over here.
[source:telegraph]
