Fake islands created by man don’t have to look or feel artificial; in fact, there are dozens of beautiful paradises around the world that offer nothing but highly habitable land masses.
Most offer communities where luxe living is the norm and several are focused on environmental sustainability. A few islands offer every amenity one could need for living, so much so, they could be considered small countries.
We’ve seen a few such islands featured on Trend Hunter before, many of which stem from Dubai, such as The Palm and The World. To supplement what we’ve already posted, International Listings recently featured an article on the Top 10 Man-Made Island Paradises, proving heaven can be found anywhere on Earth.
The following is a list of beautiful man-made islands that include communities from North America and Spain to the Middle East and Japan.
Middle East
Dubai’s uber luxurious man made island, the Palm Jumeirah, is nearing completion. The island will be an offshore city with space for 60,000 residents and 32 hotels. The project cost $14 billion, and is part of Dubai’s quest to surpass Las Vegas as the world’s leisure hub, and Hong Kong / Singapore… [More]
Dubai Infinity Holdings is doing it again. They have announced a mixed use development to establish Dubai as a global “fashion hub.” Isla Moda will combine super style and ultra luxury to attract only the top designers from around the world to mingle with the fashion elite. It will be designed to … [More]
Seeming trying to prove that too much is not nearly enough the Dubai developer of “The World” has just announced plans to build the “The Universe” which they will squeeze in between “The World” and Dudai’s increasingly crowded coast. “The Universe” will occupy 3,000 hectares of l… [More]
The Pearl-Qatar is a man-made island under construction off the coast of Doha, Qatar. It is about 985 acres, and fronted by 12 miles of beaches. The island is supposed to become an exclusive home for 40,000 lucky international residents as well as a holiday destination for 800 guests. But residences… [More]
The Reef Island is a man-made paradise in Bahrain which will include more than 1,300 luxury homes. The 6.23 million square foot (579 thousand square meters) island, which is currently being built, is estimated to cost US$1.2 billion. The first phase is expected to be complete by 2009, the second b… [More]
Russia
At 1500ft (450m) high, the Crystal Island project won’t be the tallest piece of architecture on the planet, but covering 27 million sq ft (2.5 million sq. m) of floor space, it will be gimungeous. Basically, the structure in Moscow will be a city within a building and will have its own weather s… [More]
Russian developers have unveiled plans for a 350-hectare artificial island in the shape of Russia to be built off the Black Sea coast near the future Olympic venue Sochi. Property prices in Sochi have already risen by up to 40 percent since the city won the right earlier this year to host the Winter… [More]
Spain
Dubai doesn’t have the lock on famous housing developments. An artificial island near Valencia Spain, near the Malvarrosa Beach, is meeting the next big location to fill the demand for water front properties. Spain’s coastline is heavily built up, and developer Redis 6 is behind this new activity. [More]
Asia
Live long enough and even Disney gives you a discount. Geezers are used to a dime off their cup of coffee at Mickey D’s, but the Mickey Mouse honchos in Japan decided they needed to do more to attract more seniors. At Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea they are beginning to offer a 22% discount to tho… [More]
Seychelles
The modern world offers a stunning array of man-made islands, but although most of the focus has been on Dubai, Spain, Tokyo and Russia, another gorgeous paradise named Eden Island resides in the Seychelles archipelago region in the Indian Ocean. While the man-made islands most people think of are… [More]
US
“The Venetian Islands neighborhood includes Di Lido, Rivo Alto, and San Marino Islands,” the site describes. “The Venetian Island Homeowners Association is a formal group made up of homeowners living on the Venetian Islands in Miami Beach, Florida. This website is for homeowners and local officials only.”