An Idyllic Island Escape Outside London Is A Hidden Celebrity Hot Spot

London, a city everyone needs to see in their lifetime, could keep a traveler endlessly busy hunting down its many intriguing, hidden corners. But one of London's best-kept secrets isn't actually in London itself. Rather, it's a secretive celebrity retreat on a small, idyllic island less than two hours from the city, on the Blackwater Estuary in Essex. Osea Island, a 380-acre isle near Maldon, has a storied history as a Roman settlement, a rehab retreat, a top-secret naval base, a science research center, and a private island for nobility. Nowadays, Osea Island has a certain celebrity sparkle after several high-profile movies were made on the island, and several famous musicians (like Rihanna and Charli XCX) have reportedly produced albums in the island's exclusive recording studio. 

Although Osea does attract its fair share of celebrities, especially for its warehouse parties, it's still a wild island and billed more as a nature escape than a luxurious getaway. Still, the charming cottages, stately manor houses, the local pub, and a restaurant-bar-cinema hybrid provide more than their share of creature comforts. Osea is an island not just in the literal sense, but also as a forgotten yet well-tended corner of England.

This pristine island may be England's best-kept secret, especially considering that few have ever heard of Osea Island, and even fewer have visited it. In fact, it has over 5,000 years of history, with the remains of both Neolithic settlements and Viking burial grounds discovered on the island. The Romans built the Osea Causeway –– which is still the only road onto the island to this day –– and established both crops and structures on the island. When William the Conquerer triumphed in 1066, he gifted the island to his nephew. This started a centuries-long tradition of various members of the nobility gifting Osea, as they saw fit, to other members of the nobility (and sometimes crusaders).

In the early 1900s, Frederick Charrington purchased Osea Island and established a so-called "temperance retreat" designed for those battling alcoholism and other addictions. Osea Island's rehabilitation facility lasted for nearly 100 years, attracting celebrity clients like Amy Winehouse, with brief interruptions as a World War I naval base and a Cambridge University research center. Although the retreat was shut down in 2010, Osea Island still retains that peaceful, healing, escape-from-reality aura.

If you happen to be a celebrity (or have access to celebrity-level modes of transportation), you'll be happy to find out that Osea Island is only a 20-minute helicopter ride from the London/Battersea Helifield. For those with fewer resources, a helicopter is probably not the best way to get there. Luckily, there are other ways. The island is under two hours away from London by car and easily reached via the Osea Causeway — which has been the main way for visitors to get to the island for over 2,000 years. However, there's a catch: the causeway is only accessible at low tide. Osea Island lies between the River Blackwater and the Blackwater Estuary, meaning the river is connected to the ocean and changes with the tides. Trains and water taxis (and car parks) are also available from the mainland during high tide.

Rooms on Osea Island start at approximately $400 a night, although it's possible to rent the entire island if you wish. Keep in mind that accommodation prices can vary depending on when you decide to book as well. If that's a little out of your price range, Osea Island is an incredible London day trip to add to your bucket list. And maybe, if you play your cards right, you'll be there during a party and can catch a ride back to London on your new best friend's helicopter.