JUST A 30-MINUTE helicopter ride off the coast of Belize lies an island where you can snorkel straight into the world’s second-largest barrier reef, then indulge in an all-organic lunch or a protracted pedicure. The real appeal though? For a cool $5,000 a night, you’ll have it all to yourself. Even the chefs, masseurs and cleaners who work on the island of Gladden stay on a smaller isle, a short trip away. 

Private islands, once the domain of billionaires and billionaire Bond villains, have become less rare in recent years, especially since the pandemic upped the desire for minimal-contact holidays. Today you can rent hundreds of islands around the world, ranging from mini-kingdoms to the bare-bones stuff of Robinson Crusoe fantasies.