These 7 Hollywood celebrities have their own, private expensive islands
Top-notch performers, singers and actors in Hollywood earn in millions, and there are many who invest in a place, where they would not be hounded by paparazzi. This "place" is an island, yes an entire island, for which they don't mind spending their hard-earned dollars. So much for privacy! Let's find out which all celebrities own these expensive, lush-green pieces of land.
It's common knowledge that Leonardo DiCaprio owns an island in Belize, a Central American country. Probably Hollywood's sole fully-fledged environmentalist, Leo and his business partner had bought Blackadore Caye, the island, for $1.75mn way back in 2015, with the intention of building his very own eco-resort, which was said to be "ground-breaking in the environmental movement." The resort will most likely open next year.
In 2004, Johnny Depp shelled out a stunning $3.6mn to buy his little oasis in the Caribbean. The 45-acre island, Little Halls Pond Cay, has six white sand beaches, named after people special to him, like his ex-partner Vanessa Paradis, his children, and his late mentor, Marlon Brando. It also has a water body, Heath's Place, named after the late actor, Heath Ledger.
Hollywood's Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts is known to be extremely reticent about her personal life. So, it's not surprising that she has invested in an island somewhere in the Bahamas, where she can spend time with her husband, cameraman Daniel Moder, and their three children. No one knows its exact location, or its worth, although some media reports estimate it somewhere around $6.84mn.
Next in line is Roberts' Ocean's Eleven co-star George Clooney. He and his British wife Amal Alamuddin paid $12mn for a 5.5-acre private island estate at Sonning Eye in Oxfordshire, England in 2014, with River Thames running nearby. The couple has since renovated the 17th-century mansion to include a home cinema, indoor pool, glass house, private boathouse and a nursery for their twins.
When you're sitting atop a $1bn net worth, how do you celebrate your wife's birthday? By gifting her a private island worth $20mn. Rapper Jay-Z made it a point to make his wife, Baby Boy singer Beyonce's 29th birthday special in 2010, by gifting her a 12.5-acre island, 2.5 miles off the shore of Florida. They also own another island in North Abaco, Bahamas.
King of Latin Pop, Ricky Martin, bought his own 19.7-acre stretch of coastline, in 2008, by paying $8mn. This island, Ilha Do Maia, located near Angra dos Reis off the Brazilian coast, is two hours from Rio. The La Vida Loca crooner strictly uses it as a holiday location, where he spends time with his Swedish painter-artist husband, Jwan Yosef, and their three children.
With the intention to develop a resort for millionaires, sensational singer Shakira teamed up with Spanish popstar Alejandro Sanz and Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters to buy an island in the Bahamas. Located north of the Caribbean country, island of Bonds Cay, spanning 700-acre, it already has an 18-hole golf course, art galleries, and sprawling private beaches. It costed the trio a hefty $16mn.
