Exploring Private Island Resorts in the BVI

Exploring Private Island Resort Villas in the BVI

Few things excite the seasoned traveler more than the words “private island” … one imagines pristine white sand beaches shaded by swaying palms with hardly a sole on them,  a thatch roof beach bar where your group are the only customers, turquoise waters teeming with colorful fish, private bungalows and villas fitted out with everything you need, and attentive staff inconspicuously attending to your every need. Peace and quiet, and yet when you want more, access to any activity or experience you can imagine. You can have all that in WIMCO’s portfolio of private island resort villas in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) in the Leeward Islands area of the Caribbean Sea.

British Virgin Islands – North Sound

The jumping off point for most vacations in the BVI is the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport in Tortola.  We stepped out of the airport, wheeled our luggage down a paved path to the shores of Trellis Bay, and enjoyed a cool beverage while waiting for the ferry to take us to our first private island resort  – Scrub Island. The resort’s shuttle only took 5-minutes, and upon landing at their impressive marina we were greeted by WIMCO’s local representative who gave us a quick tour around the island, via golf cart.

We stayed in villa Passage House on Scrub Island, a two-bedroom villa with two master suites. Each suite had a large spa like bathroom with a bathtub and a walk in rain shower. The villa had beautiful ocean views from the outside deck with its own plunge pool. We enjoyed some sunshine for the first time of the trip on the pool deck of Passage House. The suites are located on the Marina side of the island, which I found was the place to be. Guests that stay in the suites have direct access to the two restaurants on island and two large pools. Mariner House, a three bedroom villa, overlooks the marina and was my favorite out of the villas we visited.

The island is home to Dream Yacht charters who have a large fleet of catamarans and monohulls that can be chartered to explore the surrounding islands, beaches and cays. The island felt very lively with staff driving guests around on golf carts and work being done on some of the larger villas. Guests were partaking in the many water sports and activities provided at the marina.

Scrub Island also has an offshore sailing school where guests can part take in a range of sailing lessons and boating courses. The island has a full service dive shop with instructional diving courses and an advance diver program.

That evening we joined the manager of the resort at a pig roast on the resort’s private beach on the north side of the island. We had a nice dinner backlit by tiki torches and talked with guests staying on the island that week. The people we talked to enjoyed the fact that they could explore other islands and beaches close to Scrub with the ease of day trips on the islands boats. We felt very welcomed on scrub island and it was a great start to our BVI adventure. The staff on Scrub were all extremely friendly and helpful in answering any questions that we had.

Oil Nut Bay

We departed Scrub Island on the morning of the 9^th on a sleek ’37 long Axopar operated by Foxy’s Charter Service. Our destination was Oil Nut Bay resort, positioned at the Eastern tip of Virgin Gorda and only accessible by boat or helicopter. The boat ride from Scrub island to Oil Nut Bay only took 20 minutes and took us through the magnificent islands of the North Sound  There was a true feeling of privacy and exclusivity on Oil Nut Bay and the villas that are offered all have ocean views.

The resort has 13 private villas, and we visited three of them: The Cliff Pent House Suite, Poseidon’s Perch Villa and the Beach House Villa. Each house was very unique in the sense of design and style. They all had panoramic ocean views and felt very private.

The Cliff Pent House Suite is a one-bedroom villa with views of lower soldier bay. The villa features a large private pool deck with endless views of the Atlantic Ocean. The interior of the house is very modern and chic. This is a perfect house for a honeymoon or a couple looking for privacy as well as luxury. Each house is equipped with its own electric golf cart for guests to access the different parts of the island.

Poseidon’s Perch Villa enjoyed some of the best views on the island located on a ridge over looking Oil Nut Bay. Poseidon’s perch is a four-bedroom villa with a hot tub and infinity pool. We were able to see sea turtles swimming around the bay from the villas pool deck. This house had a Caribbean feel with custom wood carved doors and a tiki hut lounge area with a view. This is a perfect house for families because of its large terrace with outdoor dining and ample outside seating.

Beach House Villa is a six-bedroom oceanfront house just steps from the white sand beach of Oil Nut Bay. This house is the perfect place for a large family group or business event and has excellent space for entertaining. All of the six bedrooms are under one roof. The house is contemporary in design with floor to ceiling glass windows to enjoy the turquoise Caribbean waters.

The marina village at Oil Nut Bay is a perfect place to stop for a visit if you are island hopping around the BVI. The marina village has a brand new market place, coffee shop, boutique store, library, and restaurant called Nova. There is also a water taxi with service to Leverick Bay, Tortola that runs every hour. Guests from the island can enjoy the restaurants and shopping at Leverick Bay and outside guests can take the ferry to Oil Nut to enjoy their marina village.

We spent a couple of hours at the beach club and enjoyed a fantastic beach side lunch, went snorkeling in the bay and got to experience swimming with sea turtles. Something I have always wanted to do!

Guana Island

Located just off the coast of Tortola, Guana Island boasts 7 white sand beaches and 850 acres of Caribbean tropical forest. 90 percent of the island is undeveloped and it truly feels like an untouched piece of paradise. This is a great island for those who love outdoors with over 12 miles of hiking trails and lots of outdoor activities. The staff at Guana Island are very proud of their environmentally conscious outlook. They gather much of the produce used in the islands restaurant at their orchard, which has fresh fruits and vegetables as well as their own chickens! The island also has its own water filtration system and multiple green houses.

We stayed in the North Beach Cottage, a two-bedroom villa located on its own private beach. North Beach cottage has its own swimming pool and outside deck. The beach was a mix of sand, rock and coral. It was not a swimming beach with larger waves and sharp footing but the views were some of the best I saw in the Caribbean.

We were very lucky to arrive on Guana Island on the night of a special tasting menu dinner that all of the guests attended. The dinner took place at “The Club”, a historic stone building dating to the 18th century which serves as a gathering place for meals and the nightly cocktail hour. The mission of the dinner, as the head chef explained it, was to bring out the flavors of the island in creative and new ways in a farm to table presentation. We enjoyed fresh local flavors such as papaya gazpacho and my favorite dish “The egg in the garden” which included a poached egg and fresh vegetables from the islands orchard.

There are only 4 private villas on Guana island as well as 18 Sea View rooms located in the main lodge, so the island never feels crowded and guests can always find their own private locations to relax. Each Sea View room has its own private deck and is attached to the Club House. The nicest beach on the island is White Bay beach, which gets its name from its stunningly white sand. This beach is completely private and has a beach side bar as well as cabanas for guest use.

The villas on the island all had expansive views. The picture to the left is from Villa Jost House a 3 bedroom villa with a large pool deck overlooking the bay. The island can be fully rented out to accommodate up to 42 guests.

Necker Island

Our next stop was idyllic Necker island, located among the archipelago of small tropical islands which make up the North Sound of the British Virgin Islands. Necker Island was the most lively and upbeat of the private islands that we visited. The island can be rented exclusively for groups of up to 34 people, or if you’re not looking to rent it exclusively you can still enjoy the Necker experience by taking a room as a couple, individual or family for a 7-night stay during selected weeks throughout the year.

The island felt like an adult playground with different activities being offered around every turn. Top of the line water sports included wind surfing, kite surfing, paddle boarding and more. The island has great watersport coaches that were giving a kite surfing lesson to a guest when Ben and I arrived. The island has two floodlit tennis courts with lessons offered daily. Other activities that can be enjoyed include yoga, scuba diving, kayaking, waterskiing and more.

The Great House on Necker includes nine bedrooms and the communal dining area. All rooms feature an en-suite bathroom with a shower and wooden screens which can be opened for views through the bedroom. The great house has 360-degree views of the Caribbean waters surrounding the island. We were able to visit two bedrooms in the great house. A new beachfront villa was being finished up while we were there – offering an attractive more private option for guests.

Turtle beach was my favorite place on Necker island with great swimming and snorkeling, a white sand with a beach bar featuring a brick pizza oven! We were told that Turtle beach had played host to wedding just a week before our visit – it must have been spectacular.

At Necker Island a vacation is entirely personalized and all inclusive. Whatever vacation experience you have in mind, the team on Necker will make it happen.

Moskito Island

Moskito island is located just a 5 minute boat ride from Necker and the two islands are often booked by the same party. The island can accommodate up to 22 guests. The island is comprised of three villas, the Headland House, the Beach Villa and the Mangrove Villa, that offer a combined total of 11 bedrooms. Each villa has their own style and feel as well as an infinity pool, fully equipped kitchen and access to the island’s recreation area. Headland House villa is a three bedroom house located at the tip of the island, this was the only villa that was not part of the Branson estate.

The island features several shared resources including a large swimming pool and pool bar, two tennis courts and water sports facility. For guests who want to go shopping or have a night out, Moskito Island is just a short 5 minute boat ride from Leverick Bay on Virgin Gorda, where one can find a marina, shops, two restaurants and two bars.

Eustatia Island

Eustatia is a 35-acre island in the North Sound area of the BVI with beautiful white sand beaches, unique and inviting villas and a focus on self-sustainability.  Guests can access it via a private boat charter from Trellis Bay on Tortola or Leverick Bay on Virgin Gorda.

Our local representative met us at the dock and described how the island had a mission of being 100% self-sustaining while giving us a tour of the island. Eustatia runs a reverse-osmosis desalination fresh water maker, which can generate 10,000 gallons of fresh, clean water per day and is powered by the solar energy generated on island.

There are four private villas on the island of Eustatia with a total of seven bedrooms. Each villa had its own personality and had it own kitchen and outdoor lounge area. The island is rented out to one party at a time, so guests wanting to experience the island can do so with their friends and family, with total privacy, and attentive service.

The Bat Cave villa was my favorite house on Eustatia, a one-bedroom villa with amazing views and a room with two bunks below the master bedroom. It is a perfect house for a small family to stay in. The villa had unique wood flooring and got its name from the bathroom that is built into a rocky cave on the cliff side.

There are two “Beach House” villas located in the coconut palm grove right on the beach. Each is a two bedroom villa with king beds and a full kitchen. Both houses enjoy ocean breezes and are a very short walk to the large tent that houses the community area on island.

Eustatia is a great example of how a private islands resort should function…creatively seeking ways to reduce waste and utilize resources that are readily available to keep the islands looking pristine. The staff at Eustatia was very dedicated to this mission and their knowledge and excitement about the island was contagious.

The six islands we visited in the BVI are among the finest in WIMCO’s Private island resort collection. By booking a vacation on these islands through WIMCO, guests can not only secure the best terms and amenities, but also can have our concierge travel team arrange all flights and transfers. Figuring out how to get to one of these private island resorts can be tricky, but WIMCO’s concierge travel team can organize everything, and the price of the “last mile” connection via ferry or private charter is often included in the price of the villa you rent.  Just ask our villas specialists for details.

To insure about vacationing on a private island resort, call WIMCO at +1 401 849 8012 or email at info@wimco.com . To browse the entire portfolio, go to WIMCO’s Private Island Villa Resort page.

 

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