பில்லியனர்களுக்கு சொந்தமான உலகின் 8 தீவுகள்
ஒரு தீவை சொந்தமாக வைத்திருப்பது என்பது பெரும்பாலனோரின் கனவுகளில் ஒன்று, அனால் அந்த கனவை நனவாக்க ஒரு சிலரால் மட்டுமே முடியும். சில அதிஉச்ச செல்வந்தர்கள் தீவை சொந்தமாக வைத்திருப்பது மாத்திரமின்றி அதனூடாக ஹோட்டல்கள் சுற்றுலாத்தலங்கள் அமைத்து உச்ச லாபகரமான தொழில்களையும் நடத்துகின்றனர்
கீழே தனியாருக்கு சொந்தமான (உலக கோடீஸ்வரர்களுக்கு) 8 தீவுகளை வகைப்படுத்தி உள்ளோம்
1.Lanai, Hawaii
Owner: Larry Ellison
Purchase price: $500 million to $600 millionIn June, Oracle (ORCL) co-founder Ellison purchased Hawaii's sixth-largest island in what is considered to be one of the most expensive real estate deals in history.
Ellison acquired 98% of Lanai from David Murdock, the billionaire behind Dole Foods. The 141-square-mile island, known for its pineapple fields, is home to 3,000 people.
Tourists flock to Lanai for its two Four Seasons resorts, golf courses and luxury housing.
Ellison -- the world's sixth-wealthiest person and the third-richest American, according to Forbes -- owns the luxury resorts. The 2% of Lanai he doesn't control is owned by residents and the local government.
Murdock retains the right to develop a 200-megawatt wind-power project on northwestern Lanai. Those plans have faced stiff resistance from locals concerned that the operation will disturb archaeological sites and displace native birds.
Residents have been vocal in demanding that Ellison respect the island's history and artifacts as his own development plans unfold.
2.Necker Island, British Virgin Islands
Owner: Richard Branson
Estimated value: $100 millionIn 1978, Virgin Group's Branson bought Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands for about 180,000 pounds (about $290,000 at today's conversion rate); the island is now worth an estimated $100 million.
The flamboyant British billionaire turned the 74-acre island into a luxury retreat in 1984, with Balinese-style houses maintained by a staff of 60. The resort can provide accommodations for up to 28 people, and individual rooms for a weeklong gateway can cost up to $35,000. Renting the entire island reportedly costs more than $50,000 a night.
The island also boasts more than 200 flamingos. And for a daily fee of $2,500, guests can go underwater on a three-person submarine called the Necker Nymph.
Branson and his wife, Joan, tied the knot on the exclusive island, as did Google (GOOG) co-founder Larry Page, who married Lucy Southworth there in 2007.
Necker Island made headlines last year when British actress Kate Winslet and members of Branson's family escaped injury in a major house fire caused by a lightning strike during a tropical storm.
3.St. Phillips Island, S.C.
Owner: Ted Turner
Purchase price: $2 millionMedia mogul Turner, one of the largest private landholders in the United States, bought St. Phillips Island off the South Carolina coast in 1979, a year before he launched CNN.
The 5,512-acre island of marshes and woodlands was a perfect fit for Turner, who is known for buying land and restoring its natural habitat.
The purchase included a 298-acre landing area on neighboring St. Helena Island, which is inhabited by a group of Gullah descendants. The area was a communal refuge for this culturally distinct group of African-Americans -- who have maintained vestiges of African speech and customs -- and afforded them opportunities to hunt, fish and gather without restrictions. After a period of legal wrangling, Turner donated 68 acres of the formerly disputed property to the group in 2002.
St. Phillips Island remains private and under the watch of a caretaker.
4.Brecqhou, U.K.
Owners: David and Frederick Barclay
Purchase price: $4.3 millionThe billionaire Barclay twins bought the property in the English Channel Islands in 1993. The British brothers' empire includes The Daily Telegraph newspaper and the Ritz hotel.
After buying Brecqhou, they transformed the 200-acre island by planting gardens and vineyards. It also features a village with a pub and chapel. About 190,000 trees, shrubs and flowers have been planted on the island, which is home to 2,000 animal species. The brothers also built a castle-like stone mansion with a helipad.
Brecqhou, 80 miles south of England, is the perfect getaway for the 77-year-old Barclay twins, who guard their privacy. The most recent photograph of the billionaire pair in circulation is from 2000, when they were knighted for their charitable work.
Starting this year, guests staying at one of the brothers' luxury hotels on neighboring Sark Island have been allowed to make day trips to Brecqhou's gardens. The twins have recently made headlines over legal disputes with the Sark government. They own several businesses on the neighboring island, including hotels and a construction company.
5.Allan Island, Wash.
Owner: Paul Allen
Estimated value: $13.5 millionThe Microsoft (MSFT) co-founder and billionaire investor put Allan Island, which he bought in 1992, up for sale in August 2011 with an asking price of $13.5 million. The 292-acre island has been on and off the market since 2005, when the initial price was $25 million. To date, Allen hasn't found a buyer for the property. (Microsoft publishes MSN Money.)
The island, named for a Navy hero, is among the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound, off the coast of Washington state.
Allen reportedly bought the island initially to build a vacation getaway, but instead purchased land on nearby Lopez Island in 1996 to build the home. Allan Island remains mostly undeveloped, with just a caretaker's log cabin, a dock and an airstrip. The island has no electricity.
6. Robins Island, N.Y.
Owner: Louis Moore Bacon
Purchase price: $11 millionWall Street financier Bacon bought the Long Island Sound property in a bankruptcy court auction in 1993.
Bacon has reportedly invested millions in restoring the nearly 450-acre island, including importing oak trees to preserve its natural habitat. When the hedge fund manager bought the island, he also gave $1.1 million to the Nature Conservancy to monitor Robins Island's rare and endangered species, which include Eastern mud turtles.
The island includes vacation homes for Bacon's family, as well as a helipad.
Bacon has stepped in to help preserve other undeveloped properties in New York, North Carolina and the Bahamas. He is slated in January to receive the National Audubon Society's Audubon Medal, an honor that previously has gone to Walt Disney and President Jimmy Carter, among others.
7. James Island, British Columbia
Owner: Craig McCaw
Estimated value: $75.1 millionFormer telecom entrepreneur McCaw is looking to sell the island in the Haro Strait off the east coast of Vancouver Island. He bought the property 18 years ago and has since transformed it from a former explosives-plant site into an exclusive retreat.
McCaw is asking $75 million for the 780-acre island. He paid $19 million to acquire it a short time after he and his brothers sold McCaw Cellular Communications to AT&T (T) for $12.6 billion.
McCaw built a 5,000-square-foot main house on the island, as well as six guest cottages, a pool, yacht moorage, an airstrip and an 18-hole golf course designed by golf legend Jack Nicklaus. The grounds also house a library, gym and general store. Power lines are buried underground throughout the island, electric vehicles are used and smoking is banned.
The bursting of the dot-com bubble took a toll on McCaw's finances; his net worth fell to $2.7 billion from $7.7 billion, prompting him to first try to sell the island in 2001.
8.Sampson Cay, the Bahamas
Owner: John Malone
Estimated value: N/ALiberty Media (LINTA) Chairman Malone overtook Ted Turner as the biggest private property owner in the United States last year when he acquired an additional 2.2 million acres of land.
He also owns Sampson Cay, in the Exuma chain of islands in the Bahamas. The 31-acre island is home to a marina and resort; a stay there can cost as much as $8,000 a week.
The media tycoon is one of several famous individuals to buy islands in the Exuma Cays, a 365-island archipelago. Other notable island owners include LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LMVUY) head Bernard Arnault, magician David Copperfield and actor Johnny Depp.
