Rampaging polar bears and kidnappers aside, some would say the castaways on ABC's Lost have got it made. No cellphones. Loads of free time. Some interesting — albeit unstable — companionship. And one heck of a stunning view. The runaway TV drama is set to kick off its second season on Wednesday, tracking the lives, losses and mind games of plane-crash survivors stranded on a Pacific island.
But you don't have to go through the trauma of a plane's stomach-clutching death spiral (or take an ill-fated three-hour tour, for that matter) to get that shipwrecked, I'm-all-alone-in-the-world feeling. Heck, who even needs an island? From isolated mountain lodges to lighthouses perched on the edge of the ocean, and from swank private Caribbean isles to remote fire-lookout cabins, here are some off-the-beaten-path accommodations and adventures to help you get away from it all, without stepping into harm's way.
Remember: With sweet solitude beckoning, radioing for help is so Survivor.
Really private islands
Who hasn't dreamed about vacationing on a lush private island where it's just you, your closest friends and a icy pitcher of Coco Loco? Or maybe your fantasies run more toward survivalist adventure, a holiday where you're dropped off on a deserted island with a wave and a promise to come back at the end of the week.
There are all kinds of private islands available for sale or rent around the world, from Canada's Great Lakes to the waters off Belize. And they're not only for the billionaire crowd, either.
For the most daring who want a shoestring vacation, Vladi Private Islands, with offices in Germany and Canada, offers a “Robinson Crusoe” adventure in which clients are dropped off on islands (one is the alleged original Crusoe island off the coast of Chile) with nothing more than a Swiss army knife and a hammock.
Or check out Bowe Cay, a tropical island in the Bahamas where travellers are set loose on 120 hectares — completely alone — for seven days of snorkelling, hiking and swimming. No swishy accommodations here. Visitors sleep in yurts.
If you'd like some permanent isolation, Farhad Vladi, owner of Vladi Private Islands, can help you. His company sells islands starting at $1,500 for 500 square metres in Lake Charlotte, N.S. The average price for an island is only about $356,000, according to the company literature.
Of course renting an island can be far cheaper, starting from a few hundred dollars a night and climbing to about $53,000 for a high-season night on Musha Cay in the Bahamas, one of the most luxurious resorts in the world.
“After staying in some of these places, I would never go back to a hotel,” says Nick Guezen, director of business development for Caribbean Way, a Montreal-based vacation broker that handles 12 private islands in the Caribbean, including Musha Cay and Sir Richard Branson's more famous Necker Island.
Nestled in the British Virgin Islands, the Necker property runs a cool $18,000 to $43,000 a night for its 13 bedrooms, two tennis courts, two swimming pools, water toys and staff that outnumber guests. Want lobster at 2 a.m.? You just have to ask. Feeling frisky? Climb a ladder into a tree to enjoy one of Branson's “love nests.”
The last time Guezen visited the island, the chef sent two sea kayaks filled with platters of sushi down to the lagoon pool where 20 peckish swimmers were frolicking.
“It was kind of surreal,” Guezen says. “But absolutely incredible.”
A lodge in the clouds
“We really are an island in the sky,” says Paul Leeson, owner of Purcell Mountain Lodge, a luxury mountaintop getaway built high in the Canadian Rockies near Golden, B.C. There are only two ways to approach the building: A long hike, or a helicopter ride.
The timber-frame lodge features 10 private rooms, a cedar sauna and stunning dining room where meals are presented family-style. To keep things running, lights and appliances operate off electricity generated from a mountain stream. But don't expect your cellphone or BlackBerry to pick up a signal.
“There's no connection at all,” Leeson says almost gleefully. “Some people are panicked by that, but we know we'll be getting hugs by the time they leave.”
Saying adieu to civilization is probably just what a doctor would prescribe for many of the urban execs who make up the majority of Purcell Lodge's clientele. Leeson says most arrive tightly wound, but after a few days of hiking, backcountry skiing, meadow walking or curling up with a book in front of the living room fireplace, they feel more stress-free than stranded.
The only requirement? “Just be back at 6:30 for dinner,” Leeson warns.
Like Swiss Family Robinson
Tree house vacations are gaining ground. Travellers — those who aren't afraid of heights, anyway — can rent a tree house in India, Tanzania, South Africa and Australia. Closer to home, the U.S. West Coast boasts a few tree-house resorts where visitors can live like the shipwrecked Swiss Family Robinson, if only for a night.
And don't expect barebones service. Cedar Mountain Treehouse, for example, is a privately owned mountain B & B about 20 kilometres from Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State. Relax 15 metres up a 200-year-old red cedar. Sleep in one of the two double beds in the lofts or climb the stairs to stare up at the sky from a glass-enclosed observation room. The experience costs about $300 a night for two people.
Or stay in a bamboo “hooch” tree house in the lush hills of Rincon, Puerto Rico, minutes away from the area's beaches. The Sunset Hooch, owned by American expat Jo Scheer, is a self-sufficient tree house a short walk away from the main house. Snuggle in the queen-sized bed, make a cup of coffee in the kitchenette or visit the “hoochette” for a flush toilet and sink. It costs about $120 a night for two people.
Leave the light on
Hundreds of lighthouses dot the coastlines of North America, but only a few offer guest accommodations and invite travellers to spend the night. The West Point Lighthouse on the southwestern tip of Prince Edward Island has nine cozy guest rooms, some with whirlpool baths. All have been furnished to recreate the era when light keepers lived and worked there to warn ships away from treacherous waters. But with a full-service restaurant downstairs and world-class views, being stranded on PEI might not be such a bad deal.
Unlike the more stereotypical octagonal or round lighthouses, West Point is a square tapered wooden tower, the first built by the federal government on PEI. Its total height is 20.6 metres from ground to vane.
The tower room, located on the second floor of the lighthouse across the hall from the recreated light keeper's quarters, is the only bedroom in the original 1875 structure and it is the most popular space. Rates range from $125 to $135 for one night.
Rent a fire lookout
While fire-lookout cabins are hardly used any more to spot forest fires in remote locations — technology, vehicle access, aerial observation and electronic fire detection have replaced the need for manned lookouts — they can be an exceptionally inexpensive way to get some privacy.
Hike a three-kilometre trail to reach Washington-based Evergreen Mountain Lookout with views of Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier and a 360-degree vista of the surrounding Cascades.
The lookout was built in 1935 and occupied each summer until the 1980s. It was also used as an aircraft-spotting station during the Second World War. In 1990, a local volunteer group adopted the lookout, perched at 1,700 metres above sea level, and renovated the small, rustic wooden structure. It is now available for rent Aug. 1 to Oct. 10.
For about $47 a night, don't expect more than one twin bed, three extra mattresses, a two-burner propane stove and propane lights. A short walk down the slope takes you to a pit toilet. You've got to pack in your own water.
But who cares?
“Saw a meteor that lasted longer than a Roman candle,” notes one entry into the cabin's visitor log.
With memories like that, roughing it in solitude sure beats anything a cruise director could cook up for 2,000 guests. Maybe feeling a little lost is a sure-fire way to be found.
Special to The Globe and Mail
