Highbourne Cay

Highbourne Cay is a 500-plus-acre private island in the northern Exumas, roughly 35 miles southeast of Nassau and about 90 minutes by boat, long known to Bahamian boaters for its marina, hilltop restaurant and rental cottages. Co-owned by a group of families including investment management CEO Mark Holowesko, the island has quietly launched sales on a limited collection of 19 residences: nine fully furnished oceanfront villas starting at $18 million and 10 estate homesites starting at $12 million, each spanning at least 10 acres with a minimum of 430 feet of beachfront. The homes and lots are dispersed across the island rather than clustered, designed by Olson Kundig with interiors by Studio Valle de Valle and landscape architecture by Raymond Jungles so that the land, not the architecture, remains the dominant presence. "For us, value is scarcity versus density," Holowesko told Fortune, framing the offering as 19 chances for ownership on an island where the vast majority of the 500 acres will never be developed. The owners are also investing in a $20 million marina redevelopment with floating docks for larger vessels, alongside a new Beach Club with a pool bar, racquet courts and an indoor-outdoor fitness center, plus upgrades to the island's cottages, restaurant, general store and infrastructure. Completed villas and select estates are eligible for an on-island rental program. Conservationist Craig Sands leads ongoing work across the island's ecosystems, including coral reefs, seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, coastal scrubland and globally rare living stromatolites, alongside invasive species removal and native habitat protection.