squarefoot 09/2012

special report 專題報告

Island Life 小島生活

Investing in private islands may seem like the ultimate Hollywood indulgence, but they can be more satisfying than just a second house

購買私人島嶼似是奢靡的行為，但所獲得的滿足感 和私人空間卻絕非置業所能媲美！ | Text : Elizabeth Kerr | Photo : Vladi Private Islands |

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ctor Marlon Brando set the bar for a lot of things during his career. He set the modern standard for naturalistic performance — often called mumbling — and was one of Hollywood’s earliest big-ticket salaries, earning millions for a few minutes’ screen time in Superman — as well as kicking off the points system for stars. And he bought an island in Tahiti in1966. People called him eccentric.

When someone says they own a private island now, the instinct is to drop the jaw.

Way down. But what sounds like the ultimate in decadence can often be had for the price of 1,000 luxury square feet in Mid-Levels, much less a detached house on the Peak. A quick scan of any reputable property agency that deals in islands will turn up property ranging from 24 acres (10 hectares) in Ireland for

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€400,000 (HK$4 million) all the way up to US$110 million for a self-sufficient 222 acres (90 hectares) in The Bahamas.

“Historically owning a private island enhanced one’s status, however in recent years private islands have become more popular as more people want complete privacy,” theorises George Damianos, president of Damianos Sotheby’s International Realty in Nassau, Bahamas, a prime location for private islands.

The Bahamas is popular with the glitterati, many of who indeed own islands there.

“Because we are an archipelago we have a number of private islands here. The most popular location is the Exuma Cays in the Central Bahamas. Because of the pressures of daily life people are wanting more privacy and more seclusion than ever, and private islands offer just that.”

當

人們說他擁有一個私人島嶼，很 多人的反應都會是目瞪口呆。但 事實上，私人島嶼的價格可能比半山千 尺豪宅還要便宜。數據顯示，愛爾蘭一 個佔地24畝（10公頃）的島嶼之成交價 低至40萬英鎊起（約為4百多萬港元） ，而巴哈馬一個佔地222畝(90公頃)的 島嶼售價則是110萬美元(約為860萬港 元)。位於拿索的Damianos Sotheby’s國 際房地產總栽George Damianos說︰「 一直以來，擁有私人島嶼便能彰顯或是 提升一個人的身份和地位，但近年購買 私人島嶼變得越來越流行，因為越來越 多的人希望得到完全的私隱。」巴哈馬 是投資私人島嶼的熱點，最優異的位置 是位於巴哈馬群島中央的埃克蘇馬珊瑚 礁。由於日常生活的壓力，人們希望能 得到更高的私隱度，而這也是私人島嶼 所能提供的元素。

巴哈馬群島由700個島嶼組成，當 中只有30個有人居住。地中海、中美 洲和南太平洋是時下比較流行的熱帶選 擇，但歐洲、北美、澳洲和新西蘭也有 島嶼正在放售。私人島嶼的需求量正在 不斷上升，而市場上也有不同類型的島 嶼可迎合客戶不同的口味。無論它在哪 裡，George指出，「要進入或接近一 個島嶼遠比私人住所困難，特別是如果 您不想居所附近出現狗仔隊，或您只想 跟家人及好友享受具質量的生活，以及 被晶瑩剔透的海灘和青蔥的大自然包圍 著。」身處德國的Vladi私人島嶼專家之 中國代表Manuel Brinkschulte回應道： 「島嶼能夠那麼受歡迎的原因很簡單， 因為島嶼是不能建立的。島嶼的數量是 很有限的，但能夠負擔買得起一個島的 人卻逐年增加。假如您在山頂購買了最 好且最昂貴的房屋，但沒有人可以保證 未來的五年內不會有更好更昂貴的項目 建在它旁邊。」 15

special report 專題報告

The Bahamas comprises around 700 islands and only 30 are inhabited. But the Caribbean country, and the Caribbean in general, isn’t alone as far as demand is concerned. The Mediterranean, Central America and the South Pacific are among the more popular tropical choices, but Europe, North America and Australia and New Zealand have islands for sale. Demand for private islands is on the rise and there’s an island for every taste. No matter where it is, “It’s more difficult to access an island than a private estate, for example, especially if you don’t want paparazzi around or you just want quality time away with your family and friends, uninterrupted and surrounded by crystal clear waters and natural beauty,” Damianos finishes.

“The answer is simple: Islands can’t be built,” responds Manuel Brinkschulte, China Representative for Germany-based island

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specialists Vladi Private Islands, when asked what makes islands so appealing. “While the number of islands is limited, the number of people who can afford an island is increasing every year. If, for example, you purchase the nicest and most expensive apartment on the Peak today, nobody can guarantee that there won’t be a nicer and more expensive building right next to it in five years time,” he theorises, quite correctly. When an island is described as singular, there’s no disputing that fact.

Private islands conjure images of swaying palms and long stretches of white sand beach — and no one else on them. But the first step in buying an island is choosing where. Property agencies like Sotheby’s, Knight Frank and Vladi can all guide a potential buyer through the process, which will vary — like any property purchase — from country to country. The first question potential

談到私人島嶼，腦海總是浮現出搖 曳的棕櫚樹和白色沙灘的景象。但要購 買島嶼，第一步便是要選擇地點。物 業代理如蘇富比拍賣行、萊坊及Vladi 都能為有潛力的買家提供整個過程的指 引，而當中會因應不同的地方而有所不 同。繼而便要清楚了解島嶼本身的缺點 所在，一般私人島嶼往往都是位處海洋 中央，並且只是一片未開發的土地；很 多島嶼只能依靠船隻作交通工具，而島 上也沒有已開闢的道路，基礎設施亦欠 奉，連管道和電力也沒有等等。如考慮 在島上施工改建，那便要預算一下工程 所須之時間及費用。 如 果 您 正 在 考 慮 要 購 買 島 嶼，George認為︰「具備越多的基礎設 施便會越好。此外，最理想便是它本身 已備泊地或錨地，並且有一定的水深。 素質好的群島要具備的要點是︰直升機 停機坪、跑道、碼頭、發電機以提供電 力、供水系統如雨水儲存庫或海水淡化 廠。與城市購物點或是人力資源點相近 也是一個額外的優點。」

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special report 專題報告

purchasers are faced with is “where,” but after that the concerns come fast and furious.

As wonderful as the level of privacy, lifestyle and status afforded by a private island is, they can have several drawbacks. Private islands are often just a piece of land in the middle of the ocean. Many are accessible only by boat, have no roads and a decided lack of infrastructure — like plumbing and electricity. Unless you’re into roughing it, a raw island needs a lot of (sometimes pricey) work. Renovating a village house on Lantau can be agony. An island would be the ultimate fixer-upper.

If you’re considering an island, “The more infrastructure already in place the better,” begins Damianos, adding good anchorage for boats and deep-water access are ideal.

“Islands with a good point of access, such as a helipad, runway or dock, are more favourable as well as islands with an electricity supply such as generators, and a water supply, such as rainwater storage tanks or desalination plants, are also more desirable.

Reasonably close proximity to supplies and a work force is a plus. Also decide on how ‘private’ you want to be.” In other words, do you really want to be that far away from your Facebook account?

dangerous animals?” begins Brinkschulte, adding to the laundry list of possible hurdles.

Obtainable construction permits and how far away the nearest international hospital is are two more. But, “From a legal point of view, there is no difference between owning a property on the mainland or owning an island.”

As Brinkschulte noted, more people can afford islands and demand is indeed rising and Asia is a burgeoning market. “Vladi Private Islands entered the Chinese market by opening a representative Office in Shanghai in 2011. The first island sold to … a businessman from Hangzhou was an island off the Canadian Atlantic coast.” So it’s not all tropical splendour. And it’s not even all movie stars.

Manuel補充，「購買小島前應要提 出數個問題，例如：島嶼是屬於一個政 治穩定的國家嗎？海外人士是否允許持 有永久業權？島上有沒有危險的動物居 住？施工許可證是否能夠獲批？最近的 國際醫院在那？從法律的角度來看，在 內地擁有物業跟擁有一個島嶼沒有什麼 分別。」如Manuel所說，島嶼的需求量 正在上升，而亞洲是一個新興的市場。 他說︰「Vladi私人島嶼於2011年在上 海開設了辦事處，藉此打入中國市場。 第一個成功售出的島嶼是位於加拿大大 西洋海岸，客戶是一名杭州商人。」由 此可見，購買小島並不再局限於熱帶地 區，更不須要是世界知名的電影明星 了。

“There are several questions that need to be asked before buying an island, for example: Does the island belong to a politically stable country? Are foreigners allowed to hold a freehold title? Is the island populated by

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