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by Madelyn Miller

Everyone has his or her own version of paradise. This is mine. If you think it looks like a movie set, Warner Brothers agrees. They selected the site for its South Seas ambiance when filming the movie PT109 based on President Kennedy's wartime experience.

This secluded, tropical Shangri-La is three miles offshore in the lower Florida Keys, was once a rustic fishing camp and lodge used as a retreat by former presidents, diplomats, and movie stars.

Now it is no longer rustic, rather a luxurious vacation spot that has retained the exclusivity, the privacy and the beauty that has always made it so attractive.

I think it is the ultimate hideaway, the perfect place for those who seek an escape from the pressure of fame and fortune. Mario Andretti, Charles Kuralt, Ivana Trump, Senators John Mitchell and John Glenn and Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper have enjoyed its unique offerings. But mere mortals like myself are equally pampered.

 Guests arrive on the island on little palm's launch or seaplane, or on their own seaplane, boat or yacht. Along the way, I saw porpoises swimming along side the boat and leaping out of the water. This secluded tropical island paradise is just a 15-minute launch ride away. But it seems like another world.

There are only 30 suites in enchanting villas scattered across the island's profusion of exotic foliage and fragrantly flowering tropical plants.

The villas, which are set on stilts and have unique, hand-woven bamboo and thatch roofs, have been designed for absolute privacy.

The casually elegant suites have ocean views, private wraparound sundecks, and enticing rope hammocks strung between majestic palms.

You'll find all the comforts and conveniences of a luxurious contemporary beach cottage...except there are no telephones. No televisions. No alarm clocks. Because those ever-present accouterments of civilization are banned on little palm, you have no choice but to forget about your cares and worries of the outside world.

Inside the suites there is a comfortable sitting room and an utterly romantic master bedroom with a soaring thatched cathedral ceiling. The king-sized bed is draped in swathes of gauzy mosquito netting (for effect only). This evokes all the glamour and romance of the south pacific...a feeling that is confirmed when you walk outside to the definitive symbol of the south pacific--a private outdoor, bamboo-fenced shower!

It's almost like Gilligan's island. But Gilligan didn't have a private Jacuzzi in his suite or a free-form swimming pool with a waterfall in his lagoon.

http://www.littlepalmisland.com

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