Necker Island is one of the world’s most legendary and exclusive escapes. This secluded 74-acre isle in the British Virgin Islands is owned by Sir Richard Branson, who resides here himself. It’s essentially the fulfillment of your dream tropical island vision if said vision includes having your every want and need fully attended to.
Necker Island’s Balinese-inspired accommodations set a rare standard for tropical luxury. Its natural scenery ranges from vista-rich hilltops and bold headlands to the encircling necklace of coral reefs. And its amenities and activities check every box, from beachfront dining and watersports to spa bliss-outs and swim-up bars.
Let’s explore what the Necker Island resort has to offer, zeroing in from its big-picture appeal to the nitty-gritty details of getting there, accommodations, meals, activities, and WIMCO’s VIP services.
The Necker Island experience is among the truly unique and exclusive vacation getaways in all of the Caribbean. The fact that most visitors book the entire island when they stay there sets Necker apart from many other private island resorts in the tropics.
Being the chosen residence of one of the world’s most famous billionaires will also set a place apart, needless to say. The serenity and exclusivity of Necker Island is a far cry from some of the Caribbean’s more jam-packed and tourist-thronged islands.
Adding to the appeal: Necker is a stone’s throw from a more recent Branson purchase in the BVI, Moskito Island, whose accommodations can be combined with Necker for larger groups.
The Richard Branson island reopened in early 2021 after recovery from Hurricane Irma in 2017. That process also involved significant remodeling to the resort destination, including expanded accommodations and sustainability upgrades. (Necker Island is powered by 90% renewable energy, by the way.)
Sleeps up to 48 adults and 6 children
The entire island may be booked, or individual villas/rooms (during Celebration Weeks)
Accommodations include The Great House (11 guestrooms, one master suite, and the Bunkhouse sleeping up to six children); Leha Lo 1 guest room; Bali Hi 5 guest rooms, Bali Lo 3 guest rooms; and the Temple House 4 guest rooms
Dining is available at The Beach Pavilion, the Great House, Turtle Beach, and Necker's famous floating sushi bar in the beach pool
Bali Samudra House hosts the spa treatment rooms
A Watersports hut has gear for snorkeling, scuba diving, kiteboarding, and more
There are two floodlit tennis courts
Other activities include yoga, hiking, and wildlife-viewing
Necker Island is part of the North Sound region of the British Virgin Islands (BVI). The BVI lie to the east of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, in the Lesser Antilles islands.
Necker is among a number of isles located between Virgin Gorda and Tortola. It sits just offshore of the northern coast of Virgin Gorda and is only a half-hour’s boat ride away from Tortola.
A WIMCO-arranged getaway to Necker Island includes your luxury accommodation, all meals and drinks (including alcohol ) return boat transfer from Virgin Gorda or Beef Island airports, a dedicated team, a wide variety of watersports, party with a DJ on one night, an off-island excursion and Wi-Fi throughout the island.
You’ll also have free and unlimited access to all of the island’s amenities, including its tennis courts, swimming pools, hot tubs, and watersports equipment. You’ll have a dedicated support staff at your disposal, plus island-wide wireless Internet. There’s even a night of disco DJ entertainment included in your Necker Island experience.
Necker Island is wonderfully compact, yet it never feels cramped. From private, hidden-away seaside relaxation to high-adrenaline fun and sightseeing, it offers its guests a comprehensive, classic array of Caribbean joys.
On land, refine your serve-and-volley or baseline game on the two floodlit tennis courts taking advantage of Necker's resident tennis pro if desired. Avail yourself of personalized yoga instruction, or conduct your own self-guided session right on the beach.
The watersports available here cover all the bases, from kitesurfing, wakeboarding, and water-skiing to stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, and sailing. The coral reefs wrapping around Necker Island make for fabulous snorkeling, with masks, fins, and snorkels available at Main and Turtle beaches.
Scuba-diving opportunities are also rich, with a variety of reef and shipwreck dives available as well as nighttime diving. For an additional charge, you can even get PADI-certified via a qualified scuba instructor.
Enjoy primo Caribbean hiking on Necker Island, walking the three-mile perimeter along tranquil, away-from-it-all shores, or traversing the interior ridge. You can also work out with dreamlike sea views in the gym, and relish spa treatments featuring Necker-exclusive Aromatherapy Associates skincare products.
Necker Island’s astonishing wildlife sanctuary includes more than 60 lemurs—ring-tailed, brown, and ruffed among them—reflecting Sir Richard Branson’s passion for these Madagascar primates. It is also home to more than 200 flamingos, which create a gorgeous spectacle on the island’s beachfront salt pond. Scarlet and white ibises vie with flamingos for eye-catching beauty. A number of Aldabra giant tortoises lumber about, as do rock iguanas.
You can also use Necker Island as a springboard for half-day or full-day excursions—checking out The Baths on Virgin Gorda, for example, or simply doing a bit of good old-fashioned island bar-hopping.
Necker Island resort accommodations include a spectacular collection of rooms, suites, and villas. They’re offered in four major Balinese-style complexes: the Great House, two different clusters of Bali Houses, and the Temple House.
Many visitors to Necker Island opt to book the entire island, which, as we’ve mentioned, can sleep 48 adults and 6 children. To meet the needs of larger groups, it’s possible to arrange additional accommodations on nearby Moskito Island (with transportation between the two islands included).
If you have a smaller group, there are several designated windows throughout the year where you can rent a villa or collection of rooms and share the island with other parties. Ask about Necker Island's “Celebration Weeks” where solo travelers, couples, families, and other small groups can book individual rooms and suites for what’s usually a seven-night minimum.
Crowning the island on its highest knob, The Great House is also the pinnacle of its accommodations. This Balinese-design building stuns its guests with panoramic ocean views, with sightlines over both the Caribbean and the Atlantic. The upper wraparound deck and the Crow's Nest above with its hot tub and sunbeds are sublime sunset vantages.
The Great House encompasses a magnificent Master Suite on the top floor, plus numerous bedrooms with king-size beds. Some of these rooms can be interconnected for family stays. Then there’s the Bunkroom, which sleeps six children and comes stocked with kid-friendly amenities.
Below the Great House and enjoying a similarly swoony view, the standalone Leha Lo room delights with its wraparound terrace and outdoor shower.
Included within the Bali Lo Complex is Bali Lo proper, a two-level house of Balinese style with stunning ocean views. Then there’s the adjacent Bali Buah with its lovely balcony (complete with hammock) and Bali Kukila with its fit-for-royalty bedroom and private terrace.
The three-tiered Bali Hi house anchors the Bali Hi Complex. At Bali Hi it’s hard to leave the king-size bed, given its heavenly ocean views, but you’ll be rewarded for doing so thanks to the plunge pool, terrace, and other private delights.
The complex also includes Bali Cliff, set in ravishing style right on the island margin, and Bali Beach with its unbeatable flamingo views. Both Bali Cliff and Bali Beach also include their own plunge pools.
Temple House beckons guests to the interior of Necker Island. This exquisite complex includes the Temple Master Suite with its wraparound terrace and freestanding marble bathtub. There are also four bedrooms, among them the aptly named Temple Sunrise delivering world-class daybreak vistas.
Fine food is the highlight of any guest’s stay and rates are fully inclusive of all food and all drinks, including champagne.
Dining can be formal or informal, inside or out, themed or traditional or a mixture of everything – think relaxed lunches on Turtle Beach to romantic dinners on the Great House roof terrace.
Make sure you don’t miss out on Necker’s famous floating sushi bar in the beach pool!
Necker Island serves as an excellent destination for family getaways. After all, Sir Richard Branson designed Necker Island to be his family’s home, so it’s no surprise that the island is child-friendly.
On Necker there are plenty of things for children to do, most of which will keep them active all day long! From trasure hunts to feeding the lemurs, splashing around with inflatables before enjoying a pirate party on the sand.
The Bunkhouse in the Great Room delivers delightful children’s accommodations, sleeping six between three bunk beds. It includes a console for TV and video games, plus a slew of toys and board games to keep the pint-sized crew happily occupied.
Weddings & Celebrations
It is hard to think of a better place to get married, or celebrate a special occasion. The island can host groups of up to 200 people. It’s also an ideal spot for a romantic honeymoon.
Practically anything can be arranged to help mark a special occasion - fireworks, fabulous floral arrangements, a nonstop feast, just name it!
Deliciously removed from the hustle and bustle of the world, Necker Island is nonetheless wonderfully easy to get to. Indeed, you’ve got all sorts of options—and WIMCO can take care of all the details, too.
By plane: The nearest international airport to Necker Island is Beef Island (EIS) on the island of Tortola, BVI. A 35-minute flight from San Juan in Puerto Rico or an hour-and-20-minute flight from Antigua will get you to Beef Island. Your Necker Island room rate includes boat transfers to and from Beef Island (about a half-hour trip by launch).
By private boat transfer Necker Island is 30 minutes from Tortola.
By helicopter: Caribbean Buzz helicopter service operates between the BVI, USVI and San Juan during daylight hours only. If Necker is booking this on your behalf there is a 10% add’l administration fee.
No matter how you arrive, you’ll have the option to enjoy a welcome glass of champagne or fruit drink upon setting foot on fabled Necker Island.
While there’s no shortage of sandy shoreline rimming Necker Island, two primary beaches serve as the major surfside hangouts. Both Main Beach and Turtle Beach are great for snorkeling, with snorkel gear available at each.
Main Beach is the more developed of the two, sitting alongside the Beach Pavilion and the tennis courts. Here’s where you’ll find Necker Island’s most stunning pool and extensive watersports action.
You can also take advantage of qualified instructors at Main Beach who can show you the ropes when it comes to kitesurfing, water-skiing, and other nearshore fun.
The more tranquil Turtle Beach has Caribbean seaside bliss written all over it. The hammocks here are mighty hard to resist...
Richard Branson first laid eyes on Necker in 1978, when he came to the British Virgin Islands intrigued by the idea of purchasing an island within an archipelago sharing his company’s name (Branson owns The Virgin Group). The notion also had something to do with impressing a lady he was courting.
This was in the early days of the Virgin Group, though, and he didn’t exactly have the capital he now can claim as one of the world’s richest individuals. His initial offer for Necker Island was deemed laughably low, but by the next year, he managed to secure its “title” for a mere $180,000. The deal was contingent on his building a resort on the island within four years. (And the lady? Well, Branson ended up marrying her 11 years later right on Necker.)
Before it became Richard Branson’s island and an exclusive luxury retreat, Necker was uninhabited. This rolling, cactus-dotted isle bears the name of a 17th-century Dutchman, Jonathan de Neckere.
Do you have questions or want to discuss reservation options and availability? Be it the entire island, or individual villas/rooms. Get in touch with one of our friendly vacation planning specialists.
Necker lies just to the north of Virgin Gorda, with Prickly Pear and Eustatia islands on the other side. Moskito Island, which Sir Richard Branson acquired in 2007, lies to the southwest of Necker Island closer to Virgin Gorda’s coastline. To the north of Necker Island lies the long sand bar called Anegada, the second-largest but least populated of the main BVI islands. Anegada is a popular day-tripping destination from Necker, known for its miles-long white sand beaches and an extensive barrier reef.
Necker Island does not have an airport. The closest airports lie on Tortola and Virgin Gorda. Direct access to the island is by boat or by helicopter.
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