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From the second the resort’s chartered yacht glides into Deadman Bay’s close to pancake-flat waters, the transition from passenger to prized visitor is virtually instantaneous. The sounds of revving engines and splashing waves ease into the press paddles of vigorous pickleballers, the painterly swathes of inexperienced whipping by focus right into a ruggedly good-looking panorama, and any thirst or warmth introduced on by the tropical climate is soothed with a chilly towel and Peter Island’s signature welcome drink—a ginger lemonade brightened by maraschino cherries. In the best regard, Peter Island conceals its youth, working as if they have been round for 3 a long time moderately than a mere three months. The island turns up the amount on the wellness-minded, pastoral strains of Caribbean life, and very quickly, you would possibly simply end up buzzing alongside to the tune.
Set the scene
Peter Island is the most important personal island within the British Virgin Islands, but the resort has managed to seize and uphold an completely intimate vibe. Starting my day with breakfast on the property’s on-site steakhouse, The Drake, I dined amongst a mixture of honeymooners carrying breezy, floral-printed beachwear from Fair Harbor and Camilla and younger households already suited in matching rashguards with snorkeling gear on the able to spend a day on the seashores. The wilded five-mile loop is frequented by early risers seeking to catch the dawn on a leisurely hike or sustain their Strava streak. And in the course of the weekly Friday seashore barbecue, bigger events of 5 or extra fill the air with the everyday chatter of a giant group journey—catching each other up with the goings on of their lives, asking after the youngsters, joyously bursting into peals of laughter. But with simply 52 rooms and two villas on Peter Island, the corporate of fellow friends to the island strikes a stability that made me by no means really feel lonely nor suffocated as a solo traveler.
You’ll by no means need to battle for privateness and discretion, and I even cherished attending to tag alongside to actions with fellow friends. For occasion, on the Sunset Loop, I shared the expertise with a younger honeymooning couple who swapped notes with me over sips of Champagne and bites of well-paired cheese and fruit. I look again, grateful for the well-framed photographs I’ve to keep in mind that night that may’ve in any other case been selfies. While we witnessed the sluggish majesty of the solar setting over the horizon, our small group noticed an eagle I’d prefer to think about was having fun with the view with us because it coasted on an updraft.
And in direction of the entrance of the property, the place friends first arrive is the marina and yacht membership which is accessible not solely to friends but in addition to boaters crusing the BVI. Especially within the afternoons, the group right here units an lively scene that retains the pickleball courts, half basketball court docket, and membership pool booked and busy.
The backstory
Though they only reopened in December of 2024, Peter Island itself has a historical past that yawns previous centuries, beginning within the early seventeenth century throughout Dutch colonization of the Caribbean when Pieter Adriensen, the island’s namesake, grew to become patron to its predominant sister island Tortola. In the Seventies, Norwegian businessman Torolf Smedvig started the island’s enterprise into the personal resort area by putting 20 A-frame chalets onto Deadman Beach’s shores.
But the island’s most up-to-date defining occasion was the devastation wrought by 2017’s Hurricane Irma. The class 5 storm tragically destroyed homes and upended lives all through the Virgin Islands. In the seven years following the aftermath of Irma, the Van Andel household who owns the property determined to spend money on its reopening, with the clan having grown up visiting the island themselves because the 80s. Peter Island’s transformation is a mirrored image of the group’s intention to remain devoted to their unique reminiscences of the resort and to be not solely sort, but in addition imaginative stewards of the land it sits upon. While the resort is now radically self-sustaining by itself eco-conscious wind farming and desalinization operation, management can be adamant in not messing with the method of a superb factor, forgoing the experimental and state-of-the-art within the visitor expertise and as an alternative leaning right into a heat, laid-back approach of serving tableside and main excursions that feels such as you’re over at your favourite aunt and uncle’s place for the vacations.
The rooms
The 4 predominant kinds of lodging (beachfront room, beachfront junior suites, beachfront rooms with personal outside scorching tub, and two-bedroom villas with an out of doors scorching tub) on the island centrally body what we’re all right here for—on the water entry to the Caribbean. All rooms come geared up with necessities like air con and ceiling followers, plus smooth touches like a Lavazza espresso machine match with pods roasted to the seller’s liking and a complimentary mini fridge and snack bar the place commonplace choices like Coke cans and Evian bottles share the shelf with extra regional flavors just like the Jamaican grapefruit soda Ting and Brown Bag crisps (we’re within the British Virgin Islands, in any case).
I stayed in a beachfront room with a non-public outside scorching tub the place assured minimalist design skirts the everyday kitschy tropes of tropical resorts—no must worry attention-forcing florals right here. Walls are coated with a delightful martini olive inexperienced, and a lightweight grey birch makes up the ceiling vaulting and herringbone-laid flooring. The room felt as if it have been a lightbox receiving the serene stretch of Deadman’s Beach it lays on, with one entire window wall opening the area to the view of a jumbo-sized postcard. Lighting within the room was tastefully ambient, both coming from woven fixtures by the balcony or cove lights tucked into the higher molding. The bogs cohesively match white marble with glazed tile enjoying variants with the primary space’s olive inexperienced hue and grey stone. During the daytime, the area is lit by the pure gentle of a window with a cleverly positioned barred awning that lets within the daylight however no probably peeping eyes. I spent most of my time hanging with my doorways flung open on the balcony, attending to lounge within the cozy Papasan chairs within the refreshingly chill shade. And because the island cooled down for the night time, I nonetheless hit the balcony to unwind within the scorching tub.
The room was palatial for one, however in case you is likely to be in quest of an precise palace to host your crew, contemplate the property’s two hallmark villas, Falcon’s Nest and Hawk’s Nest. Falcon’s is a resplendent six-bedroom villa geared up with nanny’s quarters, its personal waterfall and infinity pool, and a terrace giant sufficient to host a banquet. Hawk’s Nest lays declare to 4 bedrooms, sauna-like bogs with wood flooring, and prime entry to the yacht membership. Rates begin at $1,000 per night time, plus service charges and taxes.
Food and drink
While Drunken Pelican gives yacht membership members and for-the-day dockers enjoyable, crowd-pleasing bites just like the steak teriyaki sandwich or corn and conch fritters, friends of Peter Island normally land on the Drake Steakhouse, the property’s predominant watering gap serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The first American-style steakhouse of its sort within the BVI, the kitchen on the Drake is aware of how you can put together a medium uncommon wagyu strip that may impress even probably the most discerning New York palates and how you can carry a two-hour-long tableside bone-in ribeye service that may woo royalty. But don’t be mistaken—they’re no one-meat pony. During my beachside picnic at White Bay, one of many extra secluded seashores on the island recognized for snorkeling, I loved a lemony salad that didn’t skimp on offering al dente ribbons of conch and a crispy hen sandwich with thick toasted buns lightened by crunchy bites of coleslaw. A dish that almost introduced tears to my eyes and positively is inducing some drool on the reminiscence of the meal was their buttery salt-baked branzino. The acid of the baked-into lemon slices coupled with salty, flaky fish hit each excessive notice of high quality eating seafood.
The guiding hand behind the classics-forward menu is chef Frank Sham, whose expertise ranges from the Marco Polo Shenzhen Hotel in China to Relais & Chateaux’s Wedgewood Hotel Vancouver. By likelihood, I had run into chef Frank on a hike across the five-mile loop, and two days later, he specifically made congee with all the normal Hong Kongnese fixings—scallions, tender braised hen, soy sauce—plus a pleasantly shocking kick of West Indian scorching sauce for my closing breakfast on the island after I had off-handedly talked about the staple throughout our run-in.
The spa
The spa marks one of many smartest design decisions on an already smartly-designed island. Perched over Big Reef Bay, the rougher, Atlantic sibling to Peter Island’s 4 different seashores, the spa takes full benefit of the view whereas maintaining friends within the temper to soften away their worries. I had each knot labored out within the Signature Massage, a therapy that makes use of lava shells and scorching stones to work in minerals, useless sea salt, algae, dried sea kelp, and important oils into high-strung elements of the physique. The diamond elevate facial incorporates some strikes from the signature therapeutic massage to the neck, higher again, and limbs as merchandise from 111SKIN, a skincare line based by movie star plastic surgeon Yannis Alexandrides, sink in rejuvenating retinols, vitamin C, and exfoliating high quality diamond particles into the pores and skin. Once I hopped off the desk, I discovered that the nice vibes simply preserve going whether or not it’s on the on-site steam room, hillside scorching tub, or flowing spa gardens that weave round two small health bungalows.
The neighborhood/space
As its personal personal island, each element is tailor-made to experiencing the a lot of the pure wildlife, waters, and resort amenities. For a peaceful spot to kick your toes up in a hammock and get misplaced in a superb learn, there’s quiet Little Deadman’s seashore. Alternatively, its greater brother Deadman’s is advantageously positioned close to the primary lodge and water sports activities pavilion for the best seashore day ever. White Bay and Honeymoon Beach set a extra intimate tone, the place it appears that evidently the one firm round are the curious manta rays, sea turtles, and darting colleges of fish.
The service
The service at Peter Island is infectiously familial, with an easy synergy owing to a number of of the workers returning to the island after Irma. The group is headed by avuncular and affable common supervisor Ed, who whereas right down to Earth, has honed his hospitality chops at white-glove establishments just like the Four Seasons and Rosewood. Additionally, visitor expertise supervisor Glenmore, and workers all through the Drake and resort like Marsha, Rock, and Ramoes can’t assist however present their pleasure for the reopened island, spreading smiles and heat irrespective of the place I ventured.
For households
For friends of all ages, Peter Island is simply pure and easy enjoyable. The water sports activities pavilion has all of the gear to reap the benefits of the embarrassment of journey the Caribbean has to supply, from e-foiling boards to swim flippers to canoes. Additionally, all rooms will be adjusted to be child-friendly—together with the Falcon’s Nest which had simply been babyproofed for a big household renting out the villa the weekend previous to my go to.
Eco effort
Sustainability is embraced on the island in each the small- and large-scale. All of the water used within the resort is processed immediately from the ocean on their on-site desalinization facility, and power is farmed by two windmills catching the island’s common air currents. Within the rooms, the eco-friendly efforts proceed—my rest room was linked to a Geberit water system which managed the circulation of water used with every flush. Even the seafood choices on the Drake are dictated by the contemporary catches of every day. Additionally, the sprawling tropical flora all through the island doubles as lush backdrop and hurricane safety that shields and roots the island towards excessive climate situations.
Accessibility
While ADA-standards don’t apply within the British Virgin Islands, the property is wheelchair-friendly with two of the beachfront junior suites designed with lodging on the entrance, within the rest room, and all through the structure for friends with mobility points.