Pym Island isn’t cheap by any stretch of the imagination.
This private island, located off the coast of British Columbia, first hit the market last year with a listing price of $7 million.
It’s a surprisingly low number when you look at the surrounding area.
As of June 2024, the average price of a home in Vancouver was around is around $1.4 million. In nearby Victoria, home owners might pay around around $780,000 instead.
Though we’re talking millions right now, the jump from $1.4 million to $7 million isn’t that great—especially when you consider the incredibly luxurious amenities available at Pym Island.
In what world could someone from Vancouver or Victoria feasibly purchase their own fully private, 6.2-acre island only a short boat ride from the cities’ docks?
And the better question is, if the island has been on the market since April 2023, why hasn’t anyone bit yet?
Let’s take a closer look at Pym Island.
Conveniently hidden away
Pym Island offers a truly remote feel, even if it’s close to other small islands that border Vancouver Island.
The 6.2-acre spread is home to a stunning main house, along with five other cozier cabins. There’s also a small residence for the island’s caretaker, which makes sense.
Buyers will need one, let me tell you.
Not only are there 2,700 feet of coast to maintain, but the island’s top-tier amenities require regular upkeep and work.
The island is also home to an outdoor tennis court, a private dock, a boathouse, fire suppression stations, and an indoor pool. All the guest cabins have at least one bathroom; some have two.
No detail has been spared. To be frank, I’m almost more impressed with the sheer number of maintenance features. These include a backup water connection to Vancouver Island, a backup diesel generator in case the electricity cuts, and tanks designed to store extra fresh water.
It’s so remote I’m almost getting prepper vibes.
Beautiful on the inside, too
When I first read about Pym Island’s cottage, I prepared for a rustic site.
The island’s coastline is kept purposefully rugged, which means you can’t really see what’s hidden under its massive conifer trees. But my jaw dropped when I saw the interior of the main cottage.
Luxury isn’t a fitting word; it’s too easy to throw around. The atmosphere on the inside of the main house is better described as pure opulence—like a finely crafted Persian rug, like a marble relief created by a Greek master.
The main salon is covered in wood and brick accents, along with plenty of untreated stone. There’s a courtyard filled with bright red gardenias in one part of the home, along with an indoor pool surrounded by an arched colonnade in another.
Pym Island’s brush with stardom & crime
Luxury listings take longer to sell. The fact that Pym Island has been on the market for a year doesn’t hint at any major issues.
But given the sheer quality of the main house and the unbeatable privacy of this island, I wanted to dig deeper.
I didn’t find much—it seems like the agent representing Pym Island has kept the property away from larger publications in order to maintain the current owner’s desire for privacy. But there was a strange trail of crumbs that led back to a failed web series and a solved murder case.
Back in 2015, Gang Yuan a multi-millionaire from China and owner of Pym Island, was murdered in a disagreement with a family member. (Note: this crime did not take place on the island.)
Yuan’s murder made headlines, which shined a light on a web series that Yuan’s daughter had started with a group of friends, titled ‘Ultra Rich Asian Girls’. (Any guesses what the show was about?) In one episode, Yuan’s daughter took her friends to Pym Island to expound upon the virtues of a drama-free life.
Again, the crime didn’t involve Pym Island—but it’s not very often that I find multi-million-dollar private island listings with such a sordid and recent past. And it seems few people in the area have forgotten about the trial and aftermath.