The Ultimate Retreat – Vacationing on a Private Island
Private Islands
Picture a Robinson Crusoe-like setting, a swatch of pristine beach, swaying coconut trees, a gentle surf lapping the shore, hardly a soul in sight, and not a hotel tower or cruise ship in sight…then you turn away from that mesmerizing view as your butler asks if you’d like another drink.
Today’s private island resorts offer a level of privacy and service that’s hard to match. You can expect VIP transfer to the private island. Your private boat charter will take you away to the island. Once on the island, you will finally get to experience intimate contemporary private villas. You can choose to enjoy your private swimming pools and staffing that is always available while being nearly invisible.
Welcome to the private island resort experience, a bucket list vacation. Here are some of our favorites in the Caribbean:
Perhaps you saw the videos posted on Facebook and CNN in 2016 of former president Barak Obama cavorting in the waves with Sir Richard Branson in tow. The private island vacation experience at Necker Island is like no other in terms of the services and amenities guests can enjoy. The resort sits on an idyllic island that make up the North Sound area of the British Virgin Islands. By day you can relax on the beach, snorkel on the coral reefs, or play a game of tennis. Most of the year the private island resort is only available to rent in its entirety. During the aptly named “Celebration Weeks” guests can rent individual villas on Necker Island. Check with one of our villa specialists for availability.
Some highlights – Villa Bali Lo is a three-tiered Balinese house in the middle of Necker island with a ground floor lounge, a bedroom located on the middle level and a cushioned relaxation area on the top floor. Villas Bali Lo, Bali Buah and Bali Kukila all share a swimming pool.
Rooms in the Necker Island Great House all boast spectacular sea views with private balconies. Each bedroom in the Great House comes with a large balcony with views out to sea or across Necker Island. All rooms feature an en-suite bathroom with a shower and wooden screens that open for interrupted views through the bedroom. All rooms have a King-size bed and most can be twinned on request. Interconnecting rooms are available for families traveling together.
Oil Nut Bay is in the North Sound area of the British Virgin Islands and features a dozen private villas overlooking a quiet cove protected by a coral reef. A central dining room and pool club sits right on the beach, and is the center of daily activity. Guests scoot around the island in electric golf carts and enjoy a world class spa, tennis, boat charters to nearby snorkeling hot spots. Oil Nut Bay private island resort is accessible by private boat from Virgin Gorda or Tortola.
Guana Island is an 850-acre nature preserve where meandering stone paths bordered with fragrant jasmine and frangipani trees. These path lead to detached cottages and private villas perched on a ridge. Each cottage and villa crisp with whitewashed walls and floors and private terraces. One of the most popular gathering places for meal and nightly cocktail hours is the “club”. The “clubt” is a historic stone building dating to the 18th century.
Eustatia Island
Eustatia Island 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 beaches via a private boat charter from Trellis Bay on Tortola or Leverick Bay on Virgin Gorda. There are four private villas on the island of Eustatia with a total of seven bedrooms. Each villa has its own personality and has it own kitchen and outdoor lounge area.
This 3 mile long private island resort is one of the most secluded and exclusive resort islands in the Caribbean. Just 35 minutes by boat from Providenciales, Parrot Cay beckons with over 1,000 acres of pristine white-sand beaches and lush tropical landscapes. Parrot Cay is a mystical place to renew your spirit and discover your bliss. For guests seeking the ultimate escape with luxury and service, six private beachfront villas offer inspiring ocean views, spectacular sunsets, private butler service and amenities designed to meet every need for an island getaway like none other. Parrot Cay’s Shambhala Spa offers Asian Inspired holistic therapies. Rates villas on this private island start at $1,900 per night in peak season.
Set on a 300-acre private island just off the coast of Antigua, Jumby Bay is a naturalist’s haven. You will be encompassed with its lush tropical landscape, palm tree lined paths and private white sand beaches. With no cars on the island, guests travel from villa to beach to activities on bicycles and golf carts. While you are on the island, you don’t have to worry about carrying cash or credit cards with you during the day. The price you pay for your villa includes food, beverages and all activities. Guests vacationing at Jumby Bafor villas on this private island at $1,150 per night in peak season.
Peter Island was uninhabited until the 1960’s when Norway’s Torlof Smedvig began constructing. Smedvig and his family built 20 A-frame villas, a small marina, a clubhouse, a pool, a lobby bar and a dining room. Peter Island Resort & Spa has always been a family affair, in 1978 this avid sailor purchased the private island and lovingly upgraded all of the villas and buildings. To this day, his children still preserve both their father’s legacy and the resort’s most important amenity: the pristine natural beauty of the island itself. Guests vacationing at Peter Island resort have several dining options. Another perk of staying at the resort is n the 10,000-square-foot Spa. It includes 10 indoor treatment rooms, two outdoor bohios and couple’s suites. Rates for the villas on this private island start at $900 a night in peak season. (Currently Closed for renovations)
If you are looking to reserve getaway weekends or week-long vacations at other resorts, WIMCO offers plenty of recommendations:
– Musha Cay at Copperfield Bay in the Exuma Chain in the southern Bahamas. This exclusive private-island resort in the Bahamas has luxurious villas that can accommodate up to 24 guests. It is owned by illusionist David Copperfield, and is located 85 miles southeast of Nassau.
– Calivigny Island is a private island resort not far from Grenada. This 80 acre island has a Great House and several private villas that together can accommodate up to 50 guests. You will also have complimentary access to fleet of boats, private chefs, guided snorkle/scuba trips and more.
– Scrub Island in the British Virgin Islands, features a marina, two restaurants, a dozen private villas, and an idyllic quarter mile long private beach with a beach bar and pool that will make it awfully hard to leave. This private island is just a 10 minute ferry ride from Tortola.
– Pine Cay is an 800-acre private island resort that features the 13 bedroom Meridian Club and a dozen private villas for rent by the week. The main beach on the island is over 2 miles long, and you often have it all to yourself. Guests on the island scoop about on electric golf carts and bicycles. Pine Cay island is in the Turks & Caicos islands and is accessed by private boat charter from a doc in the Leeward area of Providenciales.
Mustique …ultimate private island resort with 80 private villas to rent by the week, one hotel (The Cotton House), and the celebrated watering hole Basils Bar. Guests here enjoy full staffed villas, private chefs who can cater a lunch on the beach, a celebrated spa, and a tennis center with world class pros.
…and that’s not all! When you ask one of out Villa Specialists to arrange your private island resort vacation, they will also set-up your international and local flights, private boat charter and VIP welcome service.
