15 49.0138 8.38624 both 0 bullet 0 4000 1 0 horizontal https://www.messynessychic.com 300 4000
Tag / island

Hawaii’s Forbidden Island and the Real-Life Swiss Family Robinson who Controls it

Picture what Hawaii might have looked like before it was colonised; a paradise in the tropics, frozen in time and largely untouched by the trappings of the 21st Century. Welcome to controversial island of Ni‘ihau, also known as “The Forbidden Isle”, depending on who you speak to. Only, you’re not really welcome, unless you’re invited…

All Aboard the Ghost Ship Hotel of Koh Chang

While most sun-seekers are happy sipping cocktails on a beach while relaxing on holiday, you’re more likely find me trekking through the overgrowth in my flip flops looking for an abandoned site, courtesy of an internet tip-off, determination and a bit of explorer’s luck. Now, if I could just get myself a ticket to the island of Koh Chang in Thailand…

The Venetian Island of No Return

If you’ve ever been to Venice, you’ll remember that it’s a chock-a-block city. Not just with with tourists but with houses, shops, palazzos and basilicas that seem to pile on top of each other, squeezed into every nook and cranny. In Venice and most of it’s surrounding islands of the lagoon, there is no more…

The Hippie Caves of Matala that housed Joni Mitchell

In a sleepy fishing village on the island of Crete, where Joni Mitchell had found herself a nomadic home inside manmade Neolithic caves carved into the sandstone cliff, she sang her folk songs, “under a starry dome…beneath the Matala Moon.” It was the 1960s and a community of backpacking hippies had settled in Matala, a remote corner of…

The Fascinating Abandoned Island You’ve Never Heard of

On a recent trip to Nova Scotia, Canada to investigate the cemetery where many of the victims of the Titanic were buried, a chance conversation in a bar in Halifax, brought up a fascinating island lying abandoned just in the harbour, called McNabs Island. I was told that this island was home to the some of…
The Vault

The Abandoned Half of Ellis Island

Sailing to the Statue of Liberty and near-by Ellis Island is one of New York’s most popular attractions. And with good reason; the Statue of Liberty remains one of America’s most iconic landmarks– but it’s also estimated that a staggering 40% of all Americans can trace at least one ancestor who passed through the famous…

Pssst! You've stumbled across content that is exclusive to Nessy's Keyholders.

There’s a new way to access the really special stuff from Messy Nessy Chic …

Hidden beneath the surface layers of the internet, there’s a place where we keep our most secret addresses, untapped archives, creator’s inspiration,  collector’s guides, explorer’s manuals, obscure research and much more… And it’s made for our keyholders only!

Apply now to unlock the Vault
Keyholder Login
The Vault

Ruins of New York’s Great Lost Theme Park

There is a tiny island off the coast of New York home to a ruined castle. This mysterious ruin known as Starnburg Castle, almost looks as though it should be overlooking the Rive Rhine in Europe, rather than the city of New Rochelle. Whilst you might have discovered Bannerman’s Castle up the Hudson River, this smaller…

Pssst! You've stumbled across content that is exclusive to Nessy's Keyholders.

There’s a new way to access the really special stuff from Messy Nessy Chic …

Hidden beneath the surface layers of the internet, there’s a place where we keep our most secret addresses, untapped archives, creator’s inspiration,  collector’s guides, explorer’s manuals, obscure research and much more… And it’s made for our keyholders only!

Apply now to unlock the Vault
Keyholder Login

Robinson Crusoe’s Private Island is now Available on Airbnb

On the AirBnb listing, where the host is required to describe “the neighbourhood”, the owner simply writes: There are other nearby islands for exploring. And it just so happens that Bird Island is plonked right in one of the best snorkeling and fishing areas in Belize… Traditionally the concept of renting a private island usually requires being a…

Paradise Lost at the Moonhole Mansion: An Abandoned Crusoe Dream

At night, the rising moon peers through the natural volcanic arch, revealing the silhouettes of windows and doorways alluding to a crumbling fortress, guarding a paradise lost. It shares its walls with the rocks, built haphazardly into the Caribbean cliff on the western tail of the island of Bequia, but the rooms are empty, the whole structure eerily lifeless. Like the centrepiece of…

Island Hopping in Paris

Come summertime, Parisians attempt to make their escape to the countryside or to the beach as often as possible at weekends until they quit the city entirely for their god-given month-long holiday in August. Sparing a thought for anyone stuck in the city during an unexpected heatwave, I have a few ideas for faking a…
1 2 3 … 5
Visit Us!
Our Paris shop is open
Paris Restaurant Guide
Unlock the Vault
Weekend & City Guides
Unlock the Vault
ABOUT NESSY
Mum & Dad named me Vanessa, but you can call me Nessy.

INSTAGRAM