Amanpulo, PhilippinesImage: Aman 

Robinson Crusoe spend 27 years on his desert island. At this time of year, one week would do us. A little bit of luxury wouldn’t go amiss either. In fact, any one of these five private island resorts would do us just nicely.

Amanpulo, Philippines  

42 villas (which come with their own chef and butler) and traditional casitas make up this chic island retreat in the Cuyo Islands, northeast of Palawan Island. Access is by private plane and regulars are said to include Bill Gates, Tom Cruise and Beyoncé. From around £1,100 per night.Velaa Private Island, Maldives 

Velaa means ‘turtle island’ and is named for the generations of sea turtles that have nested and hatched here. With 47 private villas, houses and residences, the resort accommodates a maximum of just 142 guests at any one time, though it’s possible to rent the island in its entirety. It has a guest to staff ratio of 1:8 and is the only resort in the Maldives with a strict no drone rule. From around £1,500 per night.Hayman Island, AustraliaOne&Only Hayman Island

Hayman is the most northerly Whitsunday Island in the Great Barrier Reef. 180 rooms are housed in three separate wings and there are five restaurants and bars, but the Great Barrier Reef is the main attraction here, whether you’re in it, on it or gazing at it from the island’s glorious 2km crescent beach. From around £237 per night.Fregate Island, SeychellesFrégate Island Private

Brimming with wildlife and with seven pristine beaches to share between just 17 villas, Frégate is pretty close to having your own Crusoe island. There’s plenty to do in this ultra-luxurious resort, from sailing, surf boarding and kayaking to waterskiing, suba-diving and deep-sea fishing. Or you can do nothing at all: that beach looks pretty inviting. From around £2,800 per night.Peter Island, BVIPeter Island Resort & Spa, BVI

The resort was originally built in the Sixties and has grown into one of the most luxurious resorts in the Caribbean. It’s set on a fairly large, mostly undeveloped island and the resort itself feels more like a small Caribbean village than a luxury hotel plonked down on a sandy beach. One of the five beaches can be booked just for two, so you can be as sociable or as anti-social as you like. From around £369 per night.

BY MAGGIE O’SULLIVAN