Jeffrey Epstein spent an hour a day watching naked teens in Girls Gone Wild films ‘for inspiration’ on his paedo island

The insider also told how the paradise island seemed like a "dream come true" as Epstein surrounded himself with a bevy of young women.

Guests were housed in luxury bungalows like five-star hotels and treated to meals prepared by Epstein's private chef.

And an army of full-time staff catered to his VIP guests' every whim as they relaxed by swimming, hiking, snorkelling and jet skiiing.

The source said: "On one side of the spectrum it was paradise and idyllic.

"But then on the opposite spectrum the dark side was just as extreme."

'JEKYLL AND HYDE'

The insider also recalled of Epstein: "I have never met such a self-assured confident person in my life and it was rightfully so because he was so powerful and he knew it.

"He was on top of the world. He exuded a level of confidence and security in himself. It was a little bit intimidating.

"He didn't feel the need to prove himself to anybody.

"He was very pensive, quiet, almost playful like a child. Seeing him liaising with his guests it was hard to believe he was this Jekyll and Hyde character."

Girls as young as 12 suffered horrific abuse after being trafficked to Epstein's private retreat - dubbed "paedophile island" and "orgy island" by horrified locals.

One victim has told how she was raped up to three times a day for five months and was so desperate to escape she tried to swim across shark-infested waters.

Sarah Ransome, from South Africa, said: "A shark would have been my best friend at that point. I didn't even think about it - it was just, get me away."

Some of Epstein's female companions have been accused of participating in his sex trafficking ring. 

At his side when he stayed on the island was his personal assistant Sarah Kellen - dubbed Ghislaine Maxwell's "lieutenant".

The insider told DailyMail.com: "Jeffrey was always up before everyone else, drinking coffee.

"He would be taking notes, in his robe every morning, writing down ideas, making phone calls, calling the office.

"Most of the daily life was spontaneous but Sarah was always by his side. She was his shadow.

"Anything that he remembered throughout the day, she took notes and managed his life."

Kellen, now 41, worked for Epstein for ten years but denies she helped procure victims.

Her parents have told of their fears she will be the next person arrested by FBI agents after Maxwell was taken into custody.

Another fixture on the island for a while was model Nadia Marcinkova.

The insider said: "Nadia and Jeffrey seemed to really love each other. It was as if they had a romantic relationship.

"They were affectionate to each other, often holding hands."

Nadia, 34, now an airline pilot, is being investigated for her alleged role in the trafficking ring, according to reports.

She has said she was a victim of Epstein herself after arriving in the US from Slovakia aged 15.

Epstein, 66, hanged himself in jail while awaiting trial in New York last year.