Ever since the pandemic began, property agents have reported unprecedented demand for properties which offer self-sufficiency, and this doesn't mean roughing it with the barest of necessities. From coastal idyll to rocky mountain high, never has off-grid living in self-contained hideaways in places like Hawaii, islands off Australia and similarly secluded spots, seemed so appealing. Take the sumptuous Hawaiian estate at 4275 Hana Highway, Maui. Set on 15.8 tropical hectares (39 acres), and completed in 2015, the five-bedroom, six-bathroom, centrally air-conditioned home with pool was built as a completely off-grid holiday home for a retired executive couple. Kanye to Bill Gates: how the American West became a Billionaire Wilderness Power is generated by 96 photovoltaic panels on the barn roof, and rain water (filtered for consumption) is captured in two 30,000-gallon storage tanks. Property agent Mino McLean, of Island Sotheby's International Realty, agrees that “it's hard to imagine living in a home like this and not paying a water or electric bill”. For a property of this scale it was “a bit of a challenge to go off-grid, but now the self-sustainability is a huge selling point and source of pride for the owners,” McLean said. “Maui continues to have very low Covid-19 numbers, which is creating more demand for our limited inventory,” she said. “With many people now working from home, Maui is proving even more desirable. The luxury nature of this home and its self-sustainability make it desirable for eco-conscious executives who can work from anywhere.” It's on the market for US$6.95m. View this post on Instagram Winter Wonder. Explore the #southerngreatbarrierreef and @visitcapricorn during the winter months and be treated to regular sightings of whales (we hear their songs whilst snorkelling), dolphins playing on the reefs around the islands and incredible water clarity. The sea around the Keppel islands become like an aquarium with nudibranchs, turtles and reef fish. With so many ways to explore this region, there is almost never a better time to visit... A post shared by Pumpkin Island (@pumpkinisland) on Jun 19, 2017 at 5:45pm PDT Or there is a beautiful Pumpkin Island, a six-hectare bolt-hole off the Capricorn Coast in Central Queensland, Australia . The owners can share this off-grid haven with friends or paying guests: the property includes five self-contained cottages and two oceanfront bungalows accommodating up to 34 people, plus staff and managers' quarters. The sale, offered on a lease current until 2046 and then a rolling lease, includes a helicopter pad, a 36-passenger catamaran and even an oyster lease, allowing the owners and their guests to shuck oysters fresh off the rocks. The island is powered by solar and wind-generated energy, and has rainwater tanks, as well as fruit trees, and vegetable and herb gardens. Named as Australasia's most sustainable hotel in the 2018 World Boutique Hotel Awards, Pumpkin Island was the first beyond carbon-neutral island in Australia, offsetting 150 per cent of its greenhouse gas emissions. Cambodian property is booming despite Covid-19 – should you invest, quick? Pat O'Driscoll, Knight Frank partner and head of Rockhampton and region, says the recently announced sale of the island (asking price A$25 million, or US$18.1 million), within a short helicopter flight of Rockhampton's international airport, is eliciting one of the strongest responses he's experienced over decades in real estate. The diversified inquiries include “those who, because of Covid-19 want to have their own getaway sanctuary”, to eco-tourism operators and corporate interests. For those desiring a bolt-hole, current co-owner Laureth Craggs agrees that Pumpkin Island “offers such amazing privacy and seclusion, it's definitely somewhere families can escape to and won't be bothered”. John Christie, president and managing broker at Christie's International Real Estate in the Bahamas, finds more people are looking for a safe haven after pandemics and other events such as 9/11, and the current coronavirus is no exception. Right now, he can offer Devil's Point, an “off-the grid showpiece retreat” on Cat Island, Bahamas (US$3.2 million). “This custom-designed four-bedroom, three-bathroom home, with hi-tech equipment plus air-conditioning systems and state-of-the-art kitchen, is fully powered by solar all year round,” Christie said. Why investors are still piling into Singapore’s real estate market “Satellite internet access is available to keep you connected to the world while you enjoy the tranquillity and serenity of hilltop/beachfront living on one of the most beautiful islands in the Bahamas.” In the Nax community of Valais, Switzerland, the Le Balcon du Ciel project consists of two autonomous, ecological four-bedroom chalets. With a goal to produce twice as much energy as each house consumes, these chalets feature an “active” facade of wood and glass. As explained by Alex Koch de Gooreynd, a partner at Knight Frank, the glass transforms light into heat, which is absorbed by the grooved wooden slats. The facade, which requires no maintenance, becomes a gigantic radiator ensuring the chalet stays at 15-25 degrees Celsius (59-77 degrees Fahrenheit) year-round. In case this is not enough, the developers have installed a geothermal pump which can use the earth's core heat to power extra warming in the summer or cooling during the summer. Rooftop solar panels produce twice the power needed, with the surplus allowing the charging of an electric car. Two chalets are already built and sold on the project, with two to-build chalets for sale in the price range of 1.29 million Swiss francs (US$1.45 million). How many homes do Kanye West and Kim Kardashian own, and worth how much? Yet the desire to be self-sustaining is not purely the domain of the ultra-rich. Such has been the extent of demand this year from people seeking “elbow room” that Colorado, US property agent Robert Gash has only one off-grid listing left. Surrounded on three sides by the Gunnison National Forest, the Saguache Elk Hunting Lodge offers two log cabins on a private 16.2-hectare holding. Each cabin consists of a living/dining area, full kitchen, one bedroom, and a bathroom with washer and dryer. They share a recreation area with a pool table and even a hot tub. “Electricity is supplied by solar panels and storage batteries with a backup propane-fuelled generator,” Gash said. Water is collected from a rainwater and snow-melt roof collection system and stored in underground cisterns. The hot tub is heated by a wood-burning stove. Complete with horse barn, this property costs US$649,000. For those who are truly determined to live entirely off the land, Donnie McClellan, a property agent in Iowa, US, has a hunting farm spread over 29 hectares in Decatur County, Iowa. “The owner has spent hours creating a great, all-round wildlife and outdoor recreational property that offers a little bit of everything,” he says. While living in their secluded, solar-powered cabin, they can fish, hunt and grow produce in the greenhouse and raised garden beds. “If you are a trophy whitetail (deer) hunter, nature love or an off-grid lifestyle person, this farm is one you must see,” says McClellan. The asking price is US$840,000. Why Vietnam is Asia’s next hotspot for property investors Buying guide What you can have for free: A taste of rustic, off-grid living and all it entails. A couple in Andalusia, Spain, who live in a sustainable cave house, are looking for volunteer home/dog sitters while they're away in September-October, and are offering to “teach you all you need to know” about this “completely off-grid, remote and lonely but comfy place”. Jobs to be done include jackhammering rocks, making a greenhouse, road repairs and waste water management. Details at Workaway . What you can buy for US$6.995 million: A self-sustaining 15.8-hectare luxury estate in Maui, Hawaii. The home features a Japanese-inspired cedar shake roof, hickory woodwork in the kitchen, and outdoor showers accompanying four of the bedrooms. Watch humpback whales from your table before a dip in the saltwater pool. The property includes a garage, movement studio, gym and a two-bedroom guest apartment. Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .