Gywneth Paltrow’s thinking about doing it,
World is Not Enough, the third Pierce Brosnan
water jetties, desalination units, electricity,
Nicholas Cage and Julia Roberts have done it,
James Bond movie to be shot in the Bahamas.
telecommunication systems and airstrips. For
so has the fourth Baron Rothschild and then
Brosnan and co-star Salma Hayek also spent
the island hunter willing to customize a utopia
there’s Johnny Depp; who acquired Little Hall’s
three months on location shooting the action
from scratch, an undeveloped island comes
Pond Cay, a 45-acre idyll complete with private
comedy, After the Sunset. Most recently, Disney
with a starting price of US$50,000 per acre.
beaches.
commandeered Grand Bahama Island and the Exumas for the filming of Disney’s second and
Island hideaways in the Bahamas have become
third movies in the Pirates of the Caribbean
a must-have for those determined to own
moguls, movie makers and Hollywood A-listers;
series: Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End.
a piece of paradise. Surrounded by warm,
for island hunters who seek style, seclusion and
And, in 2004, the country hosted the first
crystal-clear turquoise waters, with cuts of
exclusivity, there are 40 to 50 islands for sale at
Bahamas International Film Festival, now held
deserted white beaches, the islands epitomize
any one time in the beautiful Bahamas, ranging
annually in December, which has become a
the dream of Caribbean living. Among the 700
in size from two to 800 acres.
popular, star-studded event on the Hollywood
islands and 2,000 cays lying south of the capital
social calendar.
Nassau, there is a small chain of immaculate
But private island ownership isn’t limited to
The star factor of the Bahamas extends
gems known as the Exumas.
beyond its moniker of “playground of the rich
In the 1990s, as tourism steadily expanded in
and famous” and has long been a desirable
the Bahamas, a small number of ready-made
There’s no understanding the allure of the
location for Hollywood movie makers.
In
islands became available for sale, complete with
Bahamas or why it captivates with such
1999, film director Michael Apted released The
main luxury residence, staff properties, deep-
absoluteness. You can kick off your shoes
18