Villa Esmeralda

Villa Esmeralda occupies its own two-acre island at the western tip of the Turks and Caicos, set among the protected waters of Chalk Sound and the Frenchman's Creek nature reserve. Arrival is part of the theatre: a remote-controlled swing bridge and a marble drive carry you across the turquoise shallows to the front door.

The interiors take a distinctly European line, with vaulted ceilings, hand-painted frescoes and tall columns throughout. A three-storey mahogany-panelled library climbs a helical hardwood staircase to a writing room at the top; elsewhere there is a ten-seat cinema, an elevated cocktail lounge and a wine cellar holding six thousand bottles, with the entire island run from a single automation system.

Eight bedrooms sleep sixteen, and the water is never more than a few steps away — kayaks, paddle boards and hidden beaches sit directly off the property, with a tennis court, fire pit and generous terraces on the island itself.

Private island · 6,000-bottle wine cellar · Ten-seat cinema · Three-storey library · Tennis court · Full home automation