When global icons like Tom Cruise, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, or Brigitte Bardot wanted to drop off the map for a bit, they headed to the same unlikely refuge: a secluded private island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro owned by the late plastic surgeon Dr. Ivo Pitanguy.

Set amid the brilliant blue waters of the Atlantic, the 75-acre Pitanguy Island served for decades as the legendary doctor’s intensely private sanctuary, welcoming an A-list roster of guests while remaining almost entirely out of the public eye. Dubbed the “Michelangelo of the scalpel,” Pitanguy is famous for pioneering the so-called Brazilian butt lift in the 1960s. He is equally remembered for his humanitarian work, providing free reconstructive surgeries to impoverished burn victims.

When he purchased the undeveloped island in 1973, it was known as Ilha dos Porcos Grande (Big Pig’s Island) because of its boar-like silhouette. Working alongside architect Paulo Coelho, Pitanguy spent decades reshaping the terrain into gently rolling hills and building six futuristic bungalows whose sweeping curves were purposefully designed to echo the contours of the human body.

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The island’s aesthetic was also inspired in part by the glass-walled lair of the villain Scaramanga in the 1974 James Bond flick The Man with the Golden Gun. In a fitting twist, Roger Moore, one of the seven actors who have portrayed 007, later visited the island, as did Michael Caine, one of the film’s co-stars.

Pitanguy passed away in 2016 at age 93, just one day after carrying the Olympic torch ahead of the Rio Summer Games. His family has maintained the secluded oasis ever since. Acknowledging the considerable cost of maintaining a playground of this scale, they have now decided to put the island on the market for a record-breaking 76 million pounds (or $100 million) through Beauchamp Estates.

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The property serves up roughly 15,000 square feet of living space across nine suites, along with a communal pavilion featuring a fireside lounge, a private cinema, a game room, a pool, and a beachfront kitchen. Elsewhere on the island are three white-sand beaches, forest trails, a tennis court, a natural aquarium, and five freshwater springs. Despite its seclusion, the island is remarkably accessible. A deep-water pier can accommodate a 50-meter superyacht, while a helipad and a 400-meter airstrip put it about a 40-minute flight from Rio by private aircraft.

Current zoning permits the existing buildings to be vertically expanded into two-story villas, potentially doubling the living space to about 30,000 square feet. However, because Brazil‘s private islands fall under federal maritime jurisdiction, any significant new construction—including the possibility of a brand-new mansion on the island’s eastern end—would require approval from the Brazilian Navy.

Whether it continues as an extraordinarily private family retreat or is transformed into a Necker Island-style luxury escape, Pitanguy Island is unlikely to lose the mystique that has made it an under-the-radar hideaway for international luminaries for more than four decades.

Click here to see more photos of Brazilian retreat.

Authors

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  Abby Montanez

  Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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