A remote, unknown island in a swampy landscape off the coast of Essex will give Ibiza a run for its money this fall with the start of a new lifestyle festival.
For such a tiny place, Osea Island caused a sensation.
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Osea Island will give Ibiza a run for its money this fall with the start of a new lifestyle festival
Owned by record producer Nigel Frieda, the old 400 acre point on the Blackwater River was home to a Victorian alcoholic society, a rehab clinic (in this newer incarnation the late Amy Winehouse was checked in), and a top-secret naval base.
When Frieda bought it for £ 6 million 21 years ago, his family, friends and artists brought a new coolness to the then little-known, unkempt island that was reached via a pothole coastal road.
A few years ago the press described Osea as “Essex’s Necker Island”, alluding to Sir Richard Branson’s Caribbean paradise.
This was after a wild weekend attended by model Poppy Delevingne and actress Jaime Winstone, among others.
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For such a tiny place, Osea Island caused a sensation
International A-listers like Rihanna have also tucked their well-groomed feet into rubber boots to hang out here.
These celebrity jet set guests often arrive by helicopter from London.
Osea starred alongside Naomie Harris and Jude Law in the latest HBO thriller The Third Day.
Its acres of untamed grassland rich in game and its otherworldly quality made it perfect for the eerie drama.
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The island has acres of untamed grassland rich in game and an otherworldly quality
The One Island Festival, which Osea takes over for a weekend in September, has been described as “a fascinating island vacation”.
The laid-back location is perfect, a place where festival goers can lounge or frolic in hammocks at sunset, to the disco, house, hip-hop, and R&B beats of local talent, as well as British DJs who usually play glamorous hotspots like Dubai, Marbella and Ibiza.
Given the high ticket price of over £ 500, there will be strong VIP contingents breathing the salty air as they sunbathe on the beaches around the island.
Bird watching is also back in trend. Maybe they pack a pair of Swarovski binoculars.
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The Captain’s House is a New England style beach house with nine bedrooms
I am happy to have been there a couple of times. The first was a wet weekend in October a few years ago.
Although we had moved to Essex, neither our family nor anyone we knew had heard of Osea.
Armed with a special access code that kept the place a secret, we stumbled upon the Roman dam, which was only accessible twice a day at low tide, without really knowing what to expect.
And that’s part of the Osea experience.
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The beach house has inhabited tan leather couches and large sky views through oversized windows
However, once it is an unexpected joy.
We found a village cluster of cottages and apartments with weather boards – the Captain’s House a little further away.
This nine-bedroom New England-style beach house has Instagram-worthy interiors, including a library with vaulted green ceilings, inhabited tan leather couches, and large sky views through oversized windows.
Continue along the edge of the island and guests at the turreted Edwardian Manor House can relax in Adirondack chairs overlooking the beach that look out over the estuary to Maldon and the hazy village of Steeple.
Also located here is a state-of-the-art SSL recording and mixing studio that Jessie J and Tinie Tempah visited.
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Enjoy a leisurely night outdoors by huddling around the fire pit
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The beach house has an Instagram-worthy interior
In between these larger houses, two detached one-story weatherboard buildings called Manor Beach Cottages were our cozy alternative that was better suited for our small family and still slept seven people.
Rustic-chic interiors mean a wood-burning stove, coconut mats, Victorian-style freestanding bathrooms, and tall semi-test beds.
We made ourselves comfortable against the cold as dusk gave way to a dark, clear sky devoid of city lights, and we enjoyed the strange feeling of being just 45 minutes from home and yet a world away.
My second visit was in the summer.
The wild surroundings enchanted us again, but bathed even more in the sun than my daughter and her friend could splash in the seasonally heated pool (there are now two).
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We rode the provided bicycles around the hedge-lined alleys and paddled in the water (this is where the resemblance to Necker Island ends, as the estuary freezes at every season).
I can’t pay the A-Lister ticket price but hope to return for a third visit – maybe after the festival in winter.
Osea truly is an island for all seasons, whether you are a celebrity or just a fan like me.
Go: Osea Island
COVID: Travel is currently not permitted, self-sufficiency for individual households is possible from April 12th.
STAY THERE: Osea Island offers a range of cottages and apartments with prices starting at £ 250 per room per night for two people. See osea-island.co.uk
FESTIVAL INFO: Tickets for One Island from September 3rd to 5th, 2021 can be booked now. Prices range from £ 500 to £ 800 including accommodation, from yurts to cottages and access to all festival events. See signup.oneislandfest.com
A tour of the remote Scottish island that could be yours for as little as £ 80,000
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