We rank the best private-island resorts in the world, from full-island buyouts to small barefoot hideaways where the guest list is measured in villas, not rooms.

A private-island resort is a different kind of holiday from a good beachfront hotel. You are not booking a room with a sea view; you are booking a share of an entire island, its reef, its sand and its staff. At the far end of the category are the full-island buyouts, where the guest list is cleared and the whole place is yours. Closer in are the small resorts of a dozen or two villas that simply feel like your own.

This site ranks those islands. We look at how secluded each one really is, how well it is run once you are cut off from the mainland, the quality of the villas and the water, and the thing most lists ignore, how you actually get there. A private airstrip, a short boat hop, or a long floatplane leg all change the feel of a stay before it has even begun.

Each entry is written to tell you what an island is genuinely like and who it suits, from honeymooners who want to vanish to families taking over the whole place. Read from the top, and pick the island that matches the week you have been dreaming about.