Inside Ivanka Trump's off-grid island: President's daughter discovered it 'while swimming'... yet locals tell a far uglier story of unspoiled paradise

By BEN ASHFORD, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 23:04, 3 June 2026 | Updated: 23:09, 3 June 2026 Ivanka Trump faces a growing backlash over plans to transform a deserted Mediterranean paradise into a lavish billion-dollar resort. The First Daughter, 44, and her husband Jared Kushner, 45, want to build luxurious eco-homes and hotels on the remote Sazan Island just off Albania's picturesque Adriatic coast. President Donald Trump's daughter and son-in-law believe rich tourists will flock to the communist-era outcrop, which was previously a secretive Soviet military base riddled with thousands of buried bunkers and underground tunnels, to enjoy its pristine beaches and abundant wildlife. But critics are furious with the Albanian government for letting the powerful Americans turn the unspoiled setting in the Adriatic – an arm of the Mediterranean Sea – into a secluded playground for the super wealthy. 'It's also a matter of national pride. It's the only island we have. The authorities are just giving it away to the highest bidder,' leading Albanian ecologist Joni Vorpsi told the Daily Mail. Kushner's Affinity Partners investment firm has been given the green light to develop resorts on Sazan Island and the nearby Zvernec Peninsula, an untouched coastal wetland that's home to flamingos, seals and nesting sea turtles. Ivanka hailed the project as 'incredible' and 'massive in scale' in an interview with podcaster David Senra published Sunday.  'It's an unbelievable, beautiful, 1,400-hectare (3,500 acre) private island in the middle of the Mediterranean,' she said.  Ivanka Trump wants to build luxurious eco-homes and hotels on the remote Sazan Island off Albania's picturesque Adriatic coast President Donald Trump's daughter and son-in-law believe rich tourists will flock to the Communist-era outcrop (pictured in an artist rendering) to enjoy its pristine beaches and abundant wildlife Albanian ecologist Joni Vorpsi is furious over Jared and Ivanka's plans for Sazan  'We were on a friend's boat and we stopped for a swim. Effectively, that's how we found it. 'We swam to the island, we went on a hike, barefoot all the way up to the top, and we were just captivated, and it stayed with us ever since. 'Over the course of many years, we developed the opportunity to help realize its potential and transform it, but with a lot of restraint and care because the land is so beautiful.' Still, there was less enthusiasm in Albania's capital, Tirana, where thousands took to the streets chanting 'Albania belongs to Albania' over the weekend.  Similar protests sprang up in Zvernec, where bulldozers began to clear pine forest and dunes in late April to make way for a reported 10,000 hotel rooms or villas. Footage circulated on social media of one demonstrator being punched and dragged along the beach by security guards. Early renderings for the Sazan Island project from 2024 unveiled dinky subterranean dwellings carved into the pristine Mediterranean coastline  Kushner's Affinity Partners investment firm has been given the green light to develop resorts on Sazan Island Albania's autocratic Prime Minister Edi Rama has denied suggestions that the Trump-backed project will spoil one of the most important coastal habitats in the Adriatic. But Politico reported on Monday that SPAK, Albania's special anti-corruption prosecution office, was looking into a series of changes to the area's protected status in 2024 that opened the door for unprecedented tourism development. 'It's a magical place. Like something from a fairy tale,' said Vorpsi, policy manager at the non-profit Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania. 'They want to pave over the wildlife and replace the forest with buildings up to eight floors high. There's been mention of a marina and golf courses. 'It's not actually about Trump or Kushner, the people are angry because they will lose their natural heritage. We are talking here about wiping out nature.' Environmentalist group EuroNatur has warned that Ivanka's project could even wreck the tiny Balkan nation's dream of joining the European Union. 'The ongoing construction work in an existing nature reserve not only endangers unique natural heritage but also undermines Albania's credibility in the EU enlargement process,' Gabriel Schwaderer, the non-profit's executive director, said. 'Agreements made with the EU are being trampled underfoot by the Albanian government.' The rugged beauty of Sazan could be ruined by the plans to  build luxurious eco-homes and hotels on the Albaian Adriatic island The luxurious eco-homes and hotels will be built on the remote Sazan Island off Albania's picturesque Adriatic coast  President Trump's daughter recently hailed the ambitious project as 'incredible' and 'massive in scale' Early renderings for the Sazan Island project from 2024 revealed dinky subterranean dwellings carved into the coastline – dubbed 'Hobbit houses' by Ivanka's critics. The rugged idyll was once considered a naval stronghold by former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, who reflected during a 1959 visit: 'From here I could control the Mediterranean as far as Gibraltar.' Since the fall of communism, it has remained a designated military exclusion zone but was finally opened to the public in 2015. It now forms the outer perimeter of the Karaburun-Sazan Marine Park, a specially protected area for birds and wildlife. Jared and Ivanka have paid several visits to Albania, which has shaken off its Soviet-era moniker – The North Korea of Europe – to become one of the continent's emerging tourist hotspots. The pair were photographed with the country's leader back in 2023 when local outlets said they visited the House of Leaves, a former spy facility that's now a museum dedicated to the victims of communism. Kushner, who serves as Trump's special envoy for peace and is a pivotal figure in his diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, founded his private equity firm in 2021 with backing from Middle East sovereign wealth funds, amassing assets worth a reported $6.2 billion.  The Daily Mail has contacted Affinity Partners for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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