13 Pictures Of Insane Celeb Private Islands

Ahh, the lifestyles of the rich and the famous! One commodity that a major star cannot do without is their own private island. When celebrities start earning the big bucks they go out and purchase their own private paradise for millions of dollars. Do they do it to show off how rich they are? Or do they do it to get the kind of privacy they can't get anywhere else in the world? Who knows?

Could you imagine owning your own luxury island in the Bahamas or an equally exotic destination? Quiet stretches of white sandy beaches, lapped by clear waters. It would be pure bliss and that's why we're so envious. It's something 99% of us could only ever dream of having. There's fancy cars, and fancy estates, but having your own private island is next-level.

We've gathered up all the juicy details on celebrity private islands. We know where they are, how much they cost and what's on the islands. They might be private, but you know celebrities can't help but dish on their luxurious lifestyles. So, check out these amazing havens that belong to the richest stars:

13 Nicholas Cage

Actor Nicholas Cage has his own little piece of paradise in the form of an island called Leaf Cay in the Bahamas. It's part of the Exuma archipelago which consists of 365 islands in the southern Bahamas. He purchased the 40-acre piece of land for $3 million back in 2006. Cage is into the Carribean country as he also has a luxury home on Paradise Island. Apparently, the star is a familiar face around the city of Nassau. His own private island boasts long sandy beaches, clear waters and palm trees, and isn't too far from the private island owned by fellow actor Johnny Depp. Cage reportedly didn't carry out any development on the island, even though it was possible to do so. He put the island back on the market for way more than he initially spent on it - in excess of $8 million. You can snap it up now if you want to.

12 Leonardo DiCaprio

Just over ten years ago movie star Leo DiCaprio purchased an island off the coast of Belize with a business partner. He's now planning to build a luxury resort on the 104-acre island that has a particular focus on being eco-friendly. He told the New York times he hopes the resort will “be groundbreaking in the environmental movement.” Who knew Leo was so green? The resort will open in 2018 and be called “Blackadore Caye, a Restorative Island”. This refers to the kinds of services visitors will be able to get at the resort and the fact that the island has previously suffered from over-fishing and deforestation. The resort sounds like it's going to be something dreams are made of with private beaches, infinity pools, villas built over the water and a even a manatee conservation area.

11 Shakira

Pop star Shakira bagged her own private island in the Bahamas back in 2011. She teamed up with a couple of fellow musicians to make the purchase. Together with Roger Waters, the frontman of Pink Floyd, and Alejandro Sanz, a Spanish pop star, she bought Bonds Cay for $16 million. The island stretches over 700 acres, so it's a biggie. And it is filled to the brim with luxury - it's home to an 18-hole golf course, art galleries, large private beaches, and luxury hotels and condos. The owners are reportedly interested in more development and hope to make the island something of an artist's retreat. They hope to house artists-in-residence and to show the work of up-and-comers in their galleries, and of course offer a place for artists to take a sabbatical. What an interesting concept!

10 Pamela Anderson

Back when Baywatch star Pam Anderson was with Motley Crue's Tommy Lee, the rocker did something super romantic for her. He bought her an island off the coast of Dubai. There's an artificial archipelago two and a half miles from the affluent country, and together the islands make up the shape of the world. Well, the island that Anderson got was the one that represents Greece. Tommy Lee made the purchase in order to spend time together as a family. Yet nothing has ever been done with the islands. They remained bare, aside from one model home. And rumor has it they were sinking back into the sea too. So it turns out the purchase wasn't so romantic after all. Back in the day, Anderson hoped to open an eco-friendly hotel there but it is thought that financial issues prevented her from doing so.

9 Johnny Depp

Of course the actor who plays Captain Jack Sparrow has his own private island in the Carribbean. After filming one of the Pirates of the Carribean films he reportedly fell in love with an island in Exumas. About the island he said, “I don't think I'd ever seen any place so pure and beautiful. You can feel your pulse rate drop about 20 beats. It's instant freedom.” The 45-acre spot is called Little Hall Pond and cost the actor $3.6 million. The island has six beaches which he named after important people in his life. One is called Brando after his mentor. There's also Paradis named after his former wife, and Lily Rose and Jack named after his children. Another beach, he called Gonzo, inspired by the journalistic movement created by Hunter S. Thompson - Depp played the lead in the film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas based on a book written by Thompson.

8 David Copperfield

Famous illusionist David Copperfield has the most tricked out private island of all. He spent a mahoosive $50 million on the island Musha Cay and the chain surrounding it in the Bahamas. Copperfield owns 11 islands altogether and this is the only island that serves as a private resort. It costs $37,000 per night with a minimum four night stay if you want to vacation there. Such an expensive price tag of course means that there has to be a lot on offer at the island. Musha Cay boasts a staff that's on call at all times, five villas and a movie theater. You can also order extras on the island such as a private firework show. He spent five years remodeling Musha Cay and calls it “the most magical vacation destination in the world.”

7 Mel Gibson

Back in 2005, Mel Gibson bought a private getaway in Fiji by the name of Mago Island for $15 million. The island is 5,400 acres, which is huge, being around the size of a small country, and definitely makes it one of the biggest islands in the South Pacific. Compared to the size of other celebrity islands on this list Mel Gibson certainly comes out on top. When he purchased the island environmentalists were concerned that Gibson would turn it into a luxury resort. Gibson isn't known to be a guy that does the right thing, but he did in this case. He said he would just build a vacation home and leave the rest of the island as it was. So he didn't want to pull a David Copperfield and turn the previously untouched paradise into some luxury resort with all the bells and whistles.

6 Ricky Martin

Pop star Ricky Martin reportedly looked to the Carribbean and Latin America to find his private island in 2008. He settled on an island in the region of Angra dos Reis off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, which he bought for $8 million. He seems to have chosen well as this region is popular with the elite of South America, it's where they buy their multi-million dollar vacation homes and Angra dos Reis has some of the most stunning tropical islands in the world. We don't know the name of the island, so he has kept his private island private. We can only speculate… Maybe it's called "La Vida Loca Island", you never know. You have to imagine it would be a pretty fun island being so close to one of the most vibrant countries, Brazil, anyway.

5 Faith Hill & Tim McGraw

Country music couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw are among the list of celebrities who have private islands in the Bahamas. They opted for the Exumas which has many luxury resorts. They bought their 17-acre island in 2006 and began building on it a couple of years later. Their plantation-style house on the island has four bedrooms and occupies 15,000 square feet. They also constructed smaller cottages for staff or their guests when they come visit, as well as a lookout tower. Maybe they use the tower to spy on their neighbors' islands, Johnny Depp's for example. The island is fully developed and has beautiful beaches along with trails for hiking and horseback riding. So the pair are able to escape their ranch in Nashville when they please and head over to the exotic location.

4 Eddie Murphy

Being one of the top comedic actors in Hollywood for decades, of course Eddie Murphy can afford his own private island. Murphy bought Rooster Cay in the Bahamas for $15 million in 2007. The island is 15 acres and situated just five minutes from the mainland town of Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. We like that - you've got your privacy but you're also close to where things are going on, so it's a prime location. Because of the location, it has been reported that the island would be perfect for developing a resort. One of its neighboring islands is Paradise which is a well-known vacation spot. However, Murphy has kept it as a private retreat instead. Maybe he wasn't interested in a business venture, just a private location for him and his family to enjoy.

3 Tyler Perry

Actor Tyler Perry is yet another celeb who has a private island in the Bahamas. His is called White Bay Cay and he's even gone and got himself a pilot's license so he can fly his friends there! After vacationing in the Bahamas, he loved it so much he decided to buy himself an island for his 40th birthday. What a great gift to yourself that is! Of the Bahamas he said, “I'm a loner by nature, so when I'm out there on these islands, I just feel like the only person in the world.” On the island, he's commissioned a 14,000 square foot home for himself as well as five or six guest bungalows. So he won't be a loner all of the time. The island will also have a tennis court, spa and marina.

2 Steven Spielberg

As the most famous movie director in the world, it's no surprise that Steven Spielberg owns a private island. As you've already seen, most celebrities opt for an island located in the Bahamas, but Spielberg decided not to go with that trend. Instead Spielberg bought an island in the Madeira Archipelago in Portugal. So, he clearly wanted a private island that was further away from the US. According to reports, the undisclosed location of Spielberg's private getaway consists of two islands joined together and neither of those islands are inhabited. He's said to spend time with his family there. Spielberg does like a holiday! He owns an 86-meter luxury yacht which he took on a 30,000 mile round-the-world trip in 2013. Don't you wish you were part of Spielberg's family now? A luxury yacht which you can use to travel the world over is living the dream.

1 Sir Richard Branson

Obviously Richard Branson is mega rich (he's worth over $5 billion). Unlike the celebrities that bought their private islands more recently, Branson was smart enough to bag his way back in the late seventies and it only cost $180,000 which is a bargain for a private island. The island is called Necker Island and is 74 acres, and located in the British Virgin Islands. It's quite famous as it has hosted many A-list celebs over the years and even royalty. You might remember that the island's Great House was damaged in a fire in 2011. But since then it has been restructured extensively and can be hired for $57,000 per night. As a whole, the island can be hired exclusively for up to 30 people. Some of us don't even spend $57 a night on vacation accommodation, never mind 1,000 times that! Just wow!