In 1965, the photographer Don McCullin and journalist Andrew Alexander spent 15 days on the island at the behest of The Daily Telegraph newspaper for which they worked.

[4] The magazine editor had hoped that they would survive their castaway adventure for at least three weeks, but as McCullin later recounted, "because of our gathering weakness ... out of temper, and out of water, we hoisted the red flag and were taken off in the early hours of the fifteenth day".

According to McCullin, there was nothing idyllic about the desert island: "The mosquitos and other insects were more venomous and persistent than any I had encountered in Vietnam or the Congo.

"[5] On 22 August 2011, The Great House burned down in a blaze believed to be caused by lightning from Tropical Storm Irene.

After making a lowball bid of $100,000 for the island (due to his relatively modest funds at that time in his career), he was turned down and escorted back to the mainland.

[11][12][a] However, the government imposed a restriction on alien landholders: that the new owner had to develop a resort within four years or the island would revert to the state.

Using local stone, Brazilian hardwoods, Asian antiques, Indian rugs, art pieces and fabrics and bamboo furniture from Bali, architects and designers created a ten-bedroom Balinese-style villa at the top of a hill above the beach.

[16] The cost of staying includes access to two beaches, private pools, tennis courts, scenic views, a personal chef, a team of about 100 staff and a wide array of water sports equipment.