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There’s a private island up for sale off the coast of Nova Scotia, and it comes complete with everything required to escape civilization.
“Anyone looking for beautiful seclusion can isolate for over a year without leaving the island!” says a listing for The Lodge at Strum Island.
The 10-acre private island is nestled in the heart of Mahone Bay, which is about an hour’s drive from Halifax International Airport, along Nova Scotia’s South Shore. The island, which is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, can only be reached by boat or helicopter.
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The island is on the market for $13.1 million or US$9.5 million.
According to the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury website, which is listing the property, the island includes a three-storey main lodge with “meticulously hand-crafted details, uncompromising privacy, and spectacular views.”
The island is owned by Strum Island Holdings, a corporation registered in Canada with three American co-owners.
“My partner is the one who primarily developed and built it. He’s lived there for at least six months each year for the past 13 years,” said Richard Goldenberg, one of the owners who, like his partners, typically vacations on the island during the summer. “I live in Florida, so I would visit the island periodically, year-round, for vacations.”
The partners decided to sell because they are currently developing a five-star hotel in California, which requires their full-time presence for at least the next three years, Goldenberg said.
The 9,500-square-foot home offers six bedrooms, each with its own ensuite bathroom. The lodge features a rustic hand-carved bar, a signature fireplace, and a massive gourmet kitchen equipped with dual Lacanche gas ranges and a large dining area with a butler’s pantry.
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The home spans two floors of living space, with a media room, exercise room, spa, and an expansive third-floor primary suite that includes an executive lounge. There is also an observation tower with a stunning 360-degree view of the Atlantic Ocean.
In addition to the main lodge, the island features a two-storey guesthouse, complete with its own kitchen and coffee bar, dining room and lounging area.
There is also an outdoor “Lobster Temple,” with a wood-burning fireplace and lobster pot arm and two other small buildings, the “Rose Hut” and “Beach Hut,” for taking in ocean views away from the main house.
“Relax with a glass of wine in the rose hut while soaking in the hot tub, or feast with friends in your very own lobster temple! Whatever escape you are looking for, you will find it on Strum Island,” reads the listing.
There are separate staff quarters on the island, which are currently being used as a licensed micro-cannabis processing facility, but the new owners can convert the property back to bedrooms, the listing says.
The online brochure says that the island comes with two boats, is equipped with a helicopter landing pad, and is powered by a large undersea cable connected to the main power grid, with propane generators as a backup. There is also a sea wall protecting the island.
Strum Island is lush with vegetation, including some 50,000 plants, and features a self-sustainable vegetable garden that includes strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, grapes, peas, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, mint plants, and other herbs and spices. A video for the property says it’s also possible to fish and hunt for food on the island.
It is “designed with security, seclusion, and self-sustainability in mind,” the listing says.
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