Harbour Island: the Caribbean retreat the A-list don’t want you to know about
Despite the baseball cap pulled down over her face, there’s something nigglingly familiar about the woman clambering off the water taxi in front of us. My wife and I exchange a brief ‘do we know her, hmm not sure’ look before our attention returns to the boat, now preparing to shuttle back to the mainland.
The waiting crowd shuffles forward, getting ready to board, when a Mid-Atlantic accent behind us triggers a jangle of recognition. "Hi," says the voice quietly, addressing one of the cab drivers also gathered on the jetty in the hope of a fare, "I’m Helena".
We both turn for a sneaky glance; and ping! The realisation dawns: those glassy blue eyes! Almost anywhere else on the planet, the real-world manifestation of an iconic 90’s supermodel would be greeted by some kind of murmured recognition, but nobody here has even batted an eyelid.
Welcome to Harbour Island, Helena Christensen. A quick Google reveals this is not your first visit – and after nearly a week on the cay, I can see why.
Sometimes called the Hamptons of the Caribbean, this three-mile-long, half-a-mile-wide stretch of palm-fringed beaches and Insta-fabulous, pastel-coloured clapboard houses is coveted by A-listers precisely because they know they can holiday on it in peace.
Unlike blingy Barbados or bouji St Barts – where half of appears to have spent the holidays this year – you won’t find paps waiting at every
