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Peter Island is currently closed due to damage incurred during the hurricanes. Once it’s reopened, we will have an updated review here.
At a Glance
Located on an 1,800-acre private isle in the British Virgin Islands, Peter Island plays to castaway fantasies, but minus the usual bohemian accouterments.
Indagare Loves
- Falcon’s Nest, a six-bedroom “party villa” with views across the BVIs
- Sunset champagne served nightly on a hilltop
- The massive spa with Ayurveda treatments and skilled therapists
Review
Although there are 52 rooms, Peter Island can often appear empty; guests tend to disappear into the island’s 1,800 acres. The original hotel, built in the 1960s, is divided into two parts. There are oceanfront rooms in A-frame buildings by the lobby and marina, and larger beachfront junior suites, a short walk from the main pool and restaurant, which should be booked as a first choice for the additional space and privacy they offer. Indagare tip: Request a room on the second floor for high ceilings and a sunny exposure.
For those who are traveling with children, the three villas are the ones to get. My personal favorite was Falcon’s Nest, offering six bedrooms and almost 22,000 square feet of unabashed luxury. Amenities include a full staff, infinity pool, media room, gym, nanny’s quarters and a van and driver for when guests want to descend from their hillside perch.
With five beaches at hand, most activities are water-focused, but there’s plenty more to do than dozing on the sand. Travelers can arrange a picnic lunch on the pristine and private White Bay Beach, paddle a sea kayak around Dead Man’s Bay, and work up a sweat at the resort’s gym and lighted tennis courts. Each night, a few guests are taken to watch the sunset from a remote hilltop with views of St. John and Norman’s Island. They are encouraged to settle into a colorful Adirondack chair with a bottle of Champagne before dinner.
Spa aficionados adore Peter Island’s sprawling facility for treatments. It features spacious rooms with private terraces overlooking the water, a serene pool, and a secluded hot tub nestled into the rocks near the spa’s own beautiful and windswept (but not swimmable) beach. Offerings range from classic massages and facials to Ayurvedic therapies designed to detoxify both mind and body. That the spa caters not only to resort guests, but also to the yachters who come onshore to experience its pampering, explains its 10,000-square-foot footprint.
As a private island getaway, it’s easy to lump Peter Island along with other castaway locales such as Tulum or Kamalame Cay. But with its prosaic design (dark wood, conservative prints, lots of stone) and rather formal main restaurant, Tradewinds, the property steers clear of any barefoot-hippie associations. Even the most relaxing of activities have a framework to them; for instance, guests can reserve Honeymoon Beach (maximum occupancy: 2 people) all to themselves ahead of time, but won’t stumble upon it by happy chance. While some may deem this lack of spontaneity restrictive, others will find it wonderfully liberating to hand over the reins and have someone else do the planning.
Who Should Stay
Families or friends in search of a flashy villa, or couples seeking a castaway beach retreat without the typical hippie-chic trappings.
Author
- Indagare
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