You can buy a gated estate, hire a 24-hour armed guard and install a state-of-the-art surveillance system. But if absolute privacy is what you are after, your best bet is a private island.
That's because expanses of water can guarantee what even the toughest barricade can't: that nosy neighbors, gawking passers-by and pesky photographers will be kept at bay.
Celebrities and industry leaders have long looked to islands for privacy. Both Mick Jagger and Britain's late Princess Margaret have kept estates on Mustique, Richard Branson owns Necker Island in the British West Indies, Mel Gibson has a retreat in Fiji and Marlon Brando famously sought refuge on the French Polynesia atoll of Tetiaroa.
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Though you can find a pocket-sized isle that costs less than a Manhattan studio apartment, private islands generally remain the domain of the rich precisely because there are so few of them. Many have been set aside as nature preserves, while others have been divided and sold or developed into resorts.
"There is nothing more exclusive or sought-after in the world that having your own private island," says Cheyenne Morrison, of Coldwell Banker Morrison's Private Islands. "It becomes, effectively, your own little kingdom."
One place to start: Fiji's Vatu Vara Island, which, at $75 million, is now the world's most expensive.
There are thousands of islands in the Fijian archipelago, but most are uninhabitable due to their small size, isolated location or lack of fresh water. Of those remaining, Vatu Vara is one of only six fully titled islands--most Fijian land is leased.
The isle, currently owned by an American artist, is often referred to as "Hat Island" because of its unusual shape and is surrounded by several beaches nestled in between limestone cliffs covered in dense tropical jungle. Two-mile wide Vatu Vara is cellphone-ready, and satellite systems can provide Internet and cable signals. Transportation can be had via any number of charter seaplanes and helicopter or, of course, your own private jet.
"This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and pristine islands in Fiji, if not the South Pacific," says Morrison of the island, which is adjacent to Mago Island, owned by Mel Gibson. "It is tailor-made for an ultra-private getaway."
Among the attractions are miles of white sand beaches, aquamarine lagoons home to hundred of species of fish, towering wooded cliffs and shady coconut palms.
Still, owning a private island may not be all it's cracked up to be. Unless the island is close enough to shopping, restaurants and sightseeing, sitting on a beach and staring at the sunset might get a little dull. What's more, island owners are responsible for not only the upkeep of the house and grounds (important during hurricane season), but also for making sure there are enough supplies, and sufficient electricity and water.
Indeed, in addition to being beautiful, Vatu Vara is extremely remote. It is about 12 miles south of Kaibu, where visitors will find snorkeling, fishing and water sports, and about 37 miles southwest of Vanua Balavu and the small town of Lomaloma. Keep in mind, though, that to enter the latter, you need permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Suva, Fiji's capital city on the island of Viti Levu, Fiji's cultural center--and that's about 150 miles away.
