Necker+Island

Necker Island


 * Necker Island is a small 74-acre (300,000 m2) island in the British Virgin Islands, owned by Sir Richard Branson.
 * The entire island operates like a resort and can accommodate up to 28 guests
 * After making a lowball bid of £100,000 for the £5 million island, Branson was turned down and evicted from the island.
 * A while later, the owner, Lord Cobham, in need of short-term capital, eventually settled for £180,000 after Richard Branson had offered his final price of £175,000 three months before the actual sale took place.

Branson purchased the island at the age of 28, just six years after starting Virgin Group. It took 3 years and approximately US$10 million to turn it into a private island retreat. Using local stone, Brazilian hardwoods, antiques, art pieces and fabrics and bamboo furniture from Bali the architects and designers created a 10 bedroom Balinese-style villa crowning a hill above the beach. Each of the 10 bedrooms has open walls giving a 360-degree view and cooling winds from any direction in the house. The island has accommodation for 28 people and rents out at US$53,000 to $54,000 a day. All that includes two "private" beaches, private pools, tennis courts, breathtaking views, a personal chef, a team of about 60 staff and a wide array of water sports equipment.

In the early hours of Monday, August 22, 2011, The Great House, as it was called,burned down in a fire believed to be caused by lightning from Tropical Storm Irene. The house was occupied at the time by as many as 20 guests, with Branson himself staying in a residence nearby. All 20 of the guests escaped unhurt from the burning house, which was said to have been totally destroyed, according to Branson.Among the 20 occupantswere actress Kate Winslet, along with Sir Richard's 90-year-old motherEve and his 29-year-old daughter Holly, when the blaze broke out in the early hours of the morning. ([|wikipedia]).

__**Videos:-**__

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 * Kate Winslet speaks about rescuing Branson's mother from the Necker Island blaze on the Graham Norton Show**

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 * The Necker Island fire**

And taken from BBC Dimensions... (!)