From a private island in Vanuatu to a celebrity hideaway in Montenegro — here are 6 luxury island resorts guaranteed to spoil you (but not your surroundings).
A trip to Ratua Private Island and you’ll understand why many consider Vanuatu to be the happiest place in the world. The resort’s 15 villas were brought to Ratua from nearby islands and fit the resort’s mission to preserve resources. The anonymous owner of this 146-acre island returns all profits back to the local community to build schools and hospitals. It’s no wonder the staff is so delightful and eager to please their guests.
ratua.com Jon Whittle
kauailakeside.com Lori Barbely
From the air, Medjumbe island, off the coast of Mozambique, looks more like a spit of sand. But this private island has 13 luxurious palm-thatched beach huts just steps from the Indian Ocean. Guests enjoy pristine beaches, open-air decks, an untouched coral reef system and pure, relaxed seclusion.
medjumberesort.com Jad Davenport
With a spa and four cottages that look through fruit trees down to the Caribbean sands, the Cotton Tree boasts a kind of privacy that was once the Cayman way, but today is hard to find.
caymancottontree.com Courtesy of Cotton Tree
If only these ancient walls could talk, the stories of celebrities they’d tell. Aman Sveti Stefan resort is perfectly perched along Montenegro’s Adriatic coastline and set near rugged mountains and lush valleys. Guests seeking even more privacy have the option to stay in one of eight castle suites inside Villa Milocer.
amanresorts.com Courtesy of Aman Sveti
pinksandsresort.com Ashley Fraxedas