As children trying to recapture the fantasy life of The Swiss Family Robinson, swinging by wild grapevines out over the beloved swimming hole, whooping and hollering with no one to hear us, we could never imagine the pressures that would override our lives today. Even 30 years ago it was easier. People would go home from their jobs at 5 p.m. after they turned off the typewriters and copiers and could start thinking freely about enjoying an evening with their family or what they would do on their date.
Today we work from home where the computers come on at 6 a.m. and go off around 11 p.m.; people who work in offices go home, but the computers are still whirring and night shifts are picking up where the others left off. Instead of thoughts turning to pleasures of the evening, the cell phone is going off to let you know a critical server went down and you find yourself on the phone with the provider half the night troubleshooting and dreading the morning apology calls to your clients for getting their work behind. 
So do you still fantasize about the simple life in Blue Lagoon, or the simple pleasures of survival in Castaways? You bet! More than ever before! It’s not just a fantasy anymore, though one that has grown up a bit. We have found islands for your great escape where you can actually live year round within electronic distance of your new, more sophisticated life requirements, but still on an island. 
The Swiss Family Robinson tree house has been brought to ground level, but your view across huge bodies of water is there bringing you back to your dreams of those days gone by. The stress falls off and you start to imagine again as you watch the Wenatchee trek past on her way to the San Juans from your terrace. For which island is she bound? And all of a sudden you find you’ve forgotten the trials of the day while the pleasure of island life floods your sensibilities.
Experience the wonderful island homes we’ve found from Puget Sound to Fisher Island, Florida to Cape Cod and many points in between. We’re sure you can find a decent grapevine here if you absolutely must!
Editors Note: We'd like to send out a special 'Thank You' to Realogics Sotheby's International Realty in Seattle, Washington for being an integral partner in creating this great list of Island Homes. In particular, Katharine Parsons and Dean Jones. Thanks from all of us at Top Ten.
Located on Bainbridge Island, rated the second best place to live in the United States by CNN/Money and Money Magazine (2005), and only a short 35-minute ferry ride from Pier 52 in downtown Seattle, this enchanting Beans Bight property is material for a whole new storybook. Consisting of a land ...
Gazing at the Golden Gate Bridge from the kitchen sink gives fresh meaning to the term chef’s kitchen! But then again, this spot on Belvedere Island gives a whole new perspective on life. Sited on possibly the best water-level parcel in Belvedere, this glamorous contemporary blends beauti...
By golf cart or by foot, your private island will never hear the blare of car horns or any motor bigger than a lawn mower. With only 23 unique residences, a botanical garden, tennis courts, private beaches and open only to foot traffic, Bay Island is a rare treasure. The house at 12 Bay Island is o...
Love at first sight! When you see this island the first time from the air, you’ll think you see your name written all over it! Oh so private and beckoning, you strain your eyes to see what’s inside that grove of trees. The grass marshes are punctuated by clear rivers of water, giving wa...
Welcome to an island in the sun on the Atlantic with oranges for the picking outside your doorstep. The glamorous Fisher Island off Miami is an island dream many may have but few attain. Exclusive and elite and accessible only by private island ferry, seaplane or helicopter, you will enjoy your civ...
Ah! Cape Cod! Just the name fills your summertime dreams of sand and sea . . and Jaws! Of historical interest and coveted by so many as the ultimate ocean retreat, this incredible home is well located in West Yarmouth where you can partake in all of the activities of Cape Cod including beaches, sho...
The Penobscot Indians called it Pitaubegwimenahanuk, meaning "the island that lies between two channels." Situated in upper Penobscot Bay, the narrow, 14-mile island is the marker between East and West Penobscot Bay and is accessible by ferry or by air-taxi service. First called Long Island Plantat...
With a total land mass of 5.6 square miles, the charming town of Sands Point is surrounded almost entirely by water. Originally owned by the Sands, Vanderbilts and Cornwells, the town was first incorporated in 1910 when Daniel Guggenheim bought his 216 acre estate, Castle Gould. In F. Scott Fitzge...
Vashon Island, or Vashon-Maury Island, as it is sometimes called, is the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. Though it once stood apart from Maury Island, it is now connected by an isthmus created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. With no bridges to connect it to a mainland, ...
This is the house of so many of our Victorian dreams; untouched from its birth in 1883 except for a new roof and exterior paint, even the porch rockers are 100 years old! Filled with original antiques, including the original wood cook stove, the rooms are huge, the ceilings high, and the porche...
