The Best Resorts in The British Virgin Islands
Image: The Branson Estate, Mosquito Island
After two months in the British Virgin Islands, we’ve emerged sunburned, salt-soaked, and running on a questionable mix of painkillers and ribs. After weeks in the BVI, one thing became obvious, few places in the Caribbean do stay this well.
The British Virgin Islands excel at the kind of luxury that isn’t just for show. Private islands, marina-side legends, and resorts built around the water rather than the scene. If you choose well, it’s hard to have a bad stay here.
This is our edited guide to the British Virgin Islands’ best luxury resorts. From private islands, to idyllic beachfront bungalows, these are the stays that define the region at its best.
The common thread? Access to water, space to breathe, and hotels that understand the assignment. Some are social, some are secluded, some are best enjoyed barefoot with a Painkiller in hand, but all of them earn their place.
So, grab a cocktail, and set sail with us to the corners of paradise that only the locals know, until now.
All listings featured in this story are independently selected by our editors. However, when you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. We appreciate your support.
The PWP Edit | The British Virgin Island’s Best Resorts
Images: Rosewood Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda
Rosewood Little Dix Bay
Location: Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda
Laurance Rockefeller had the right idea when he set up Rosewood Little Dix Bay in 1964 - 500 acres of untouched paradise, now polished to perfection. It’s classic Caribbean glamour, and it’s topping best-of lists for a reason.
Service here is dialed to ‘psychic’, butlers who anticipate your every whim, twice-daily housekeeping so fresh you’ll wonder if your room even gets used, and an atmosphere so relaxed you’ll forget what stress even feels like. And then there’s the Rum Room, an aesthetic fever dream perched above the bay. You say you’ll just stop by for a drink. You won’t leave.
The resort itself is woven into the landscape so nothing interrupts the bay. Accommodations range from beachfront rooms to hillside villas, all oriented toward the water and designed to stay out of the way of the view.
What sets Little Dix apart is how fully it connects you to Virgin Gorda. Snorkeling trips to The Baths depart straight from the resort dock, where you swim through volcanic grottoes and narrow channels carved by the sea. Hobie Cat sailing lessons happen right off the beach, often followed by informal family regattas. Complimentary beach drops take guests by boat to seven different secluded coves around the island, complete with umbrellas, towels, and optional picnic setups.
On land, the resort runs one of the strongest activity programs in the BVI. There are six tennis courts and two pickleball courts, a full calendar of clinics, guided farm tours through the on-site organic garden, and conservation experiences like turtle tagging with the Living Reefs Foundation.
The spa, Sense by Rosewood, draws from Caribbean herbal traditions, tamarind, lemongrass, coconut oil, offering treatments that feel rooted in the islands.
The resort’s Reef House restaurant serves up farm-to-table beachfront meals, the Pavilion delivers refined Caribbean cooking, Sugar Mill hosts barefoot beach barbecues, and the Rum Room, a longtime institution, serves classic cocktails and rare Caribbean rums exactly as they were poured decades ago.
Despite its scale and reputation, staying at Little Dix Bay still feels like you’ve stumbled across a secret treasure. It’s intimate, the staff are warm and welcoming, and it never feels overcrowded. Even if you’re staying elsewhere in the BVI, securing a dinner here, ideally at sunset, is non-negotiable.
Why We Love It
Because the food is genuinely excellent, and that’s rare in the BVI. Virgin Gorda is arid and unforgiving, yet Little Dix Bay has built a thriving on-site farm that supplies much of the resort’s kitchens. Add a disciplined roster of local fishermen, trusted regional suppliers, and chefs who know how to work with what the island gives them, and the result is dining that actually stands apart.
In a region where good produce is often the limiting factor, Little Dix has solved the problem properly, from the ground up, all while supporting the local community.
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Image: Necker Island
Necker Island
Location: North Sound, Virgin Gorda
Necker Island is Richard Branson’s original private island vision, and it still sets the tone for what barefoot, high-energy luxury in the BVI looks like. This isn’t hushed, retreat-style seclusion. It’s social, playful, and intentionally over the top.
Set in the North Sound just off Virgin Gorda, the island unfolds across white-sand beaches, reef-lined bays, and a collection of Balinese-inspired villas designed for gathering. Days blur between water sports, long lunches, and impromptu adventures, whether that’s sailing at sunset, kiteboarding in the Sound, or drifting between the island’s pools with a drink in hand.
Necker’s calendar is as important as its setting. Celebration Weeks open the island to individual bookings, drawing an eclectic, international crowd. Then there’s the Necker Cup, Branson’s annual charity tennis tournament and easily the most high-octane week in the BVI. Amateur players are paired with tennis legends and current pros for matches on Necker’s private courts, with play spilling across nearby Virgin Gorda resorts. Off-court, it’s classic Necker, sailing, beach parties, live performances, and serious fundraising for global causes.
Service is full-island, full-throttle. Everything is included, everything is flexible, and the staff are geared toward keeping the energy moving rather than enforcing structure. You can book the entire 74-acre island for a fully private takeover, or slot into a Celebration Week and tap into the communal magic that’s made Necker famous.
Why We Love It
If Moskito Island is the controlled, design-forward counterpart, Necker is the original social playground, and it still does it better than anyone.
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Image: The Branson Estate, Mosquito Island
Branson Estate Mosquito Island
Location: North Sound, Virgin Gorda
The Branson Estate on Moskito Island is peak mogul hideaway. If you’re staying here, you either own a superyacht, or have the kind of connections that make one appear at short notice.
This is Richard Branson’s more restrained island vision, and the contrast with Necker is deliberate. Where Necker is social and high-energy, Moskito is inward-looking, and intensely private. You book the Branson estate in full. No rotating guest lists. Just you, your people, and an island that bends entirely to your schedule.
Beloved by A-listers and travel insiders, the service here borders on ridiculous, in the best way. A private chef team handles every meal, whether that’s a barefoot lunch by the pool or a multi-course tasting menu staged on a cliff at sunset. Requests aren’t filtered or negotiated, they’re met with a calm nod and a “consider it handled.”
The overall design has a timeless, balinese inspired look. Modern villas sit high above the North Sound, connected by open-air walkways and terraces that frame sweeping sea views. The wraparound clifftop pool sits at the center, where the view alone justifies the stay.
On property, guests move between multiple infinity pools, a private beach cove, tennis courts, a gym, walking trails, and relaxed communal spaces at Headland House and The Cove. In-villa spa treatments, beach barbecues, and private chef-led dinners are arranged as requested.
Water access is central to the stay. Paddleboards, kayaks, snorkelling gear, and Hobie Cats are included, making it easy to slip across the Sound for lunch at Saba Rock, a beach club afternoon at Oil Nut Bay, or sunset drinks at Bitter End. Longer excursions, deep-sea fishing, sailing, or island-hopping, are easily arranged, but often unnecessary given how much is within reach.
Why We Love It
Location does the heavy lifting here. Moskito lets you live privately while staying plugged into the North Sound. Few places in the Caribbean allow you to beach-club hop by sailboat, then retreat to a calm, design-forward estate by night. It’s the perfect level of seclusion while giving you easy access to the best of BVI.
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Images: Oil Nut Bay, British Virgin Islands
Oil Nut Bay
Location: North Sound, Virgin Gorda
Arrival to Oil Nut Bay is by boat or helicopter, and that bit of friction does exactly what it should, it filters the crowd. Set on the eastern edge of Virgin Gorda, Oil Nut Bay is technically a private residential community, but a limited number of villas and suites are available to book, giving guests access to one of the BVI’s most carefully planned resort environments.
Accommodation ranges from sleek cliffside suites to multi-bedroom villas designed for groups who travel together.
This is one of the most active resorts in the BVI. The marina accommodates serious yachts, while the watersports centre runs at full throttle, snorkelling, paddleboarding, sailing, e-foiling and easy access to North Sound. On land, there’s a wellness centre, tennis and pickleball courts, hiking trails, and equestrian facilities.
Families do particularly well here, not because it’s geared toward children, but because there’s space to spread out and enough to do without scheduling every hour.
The beach club is the social heart of the property, sushi lunches, build-your-own Bloody Marys over live music, come Sunday a mix of guests, villa owners, and locals in the know.
It’s also what connects Oil Nut Bay to its neighbours, Saba Rock, Bitter End Yacht Club, and the rest of North Sound, making it easy to move between properties by water.
Why We Love It
It’s an ultra-private hideaway that still knows how to have a little fun. With low-season rates hovering around $650, versus Eustatia’s $35,000 island buy out, Oil Nut Bay is pretty good value for groups and large families. Delivering some of the best beaches, and pools, North Sound access, and even a couple of cute rescue horses, without the hefty private-island price tag.
Best British Virgin Island resort for a big group vacation with friends and family
Images: The Aerial BVI, Buck Island
The Aerial BVI
Perched high on the cliffs of Buck Island, The Aerial is an adults-focused wellness retreat leans, but does it with intention, and some scenic theatre. From the terraces, you look out over 14 islands scattered across the Sir Francis Drake Channel, a view that immediately slows everything down.
Guests are assigned a personal concierge and wellness guide, who help tailor the experience around movement, recovery, and mental reset. Days might include ocean water therapy, guided journaling, breathwork, red light sessions, or cold plunges between swims. Food is health-forward but genuinely satisfying, designed to support the program rather than punish you for enjoying it.
Interiors are bohemian, heavy on texture, and mood-setting details that feel closer to a design retreat than a spa resort.
Why We Love It
We're here for the high-end bohemian interiors and a holistic glow-up. The Aerial BVI knows how to balance the woo-woo with the downright chic. Expect superfood cocktails, cooking classes with just-caught island fare, and interiors that look straight out of an aspirational Pinterest board. Oh, and did we mention you can feed the island’s rescue zebras?
Best British Virgin Island resort for a wellness retreat
Images: Bitter End Yach Club, Virgin Gorda
Bitter End Yacht Club
Location: North Sound, Virgin Gorda
Once a salty sailor’s best-kept secret, now an iconic escape, Bitter End Yacht Club is a boatie’s paradise. Perched on North Sound, this legendary maritime outpost is a must for anyone who feels more at home on the water than on land.
The accommodations are classic seafarer chic. Heavy on the polished teak, rope accents, and just the right amount of ‘70s sailing memorabilia. The vintage nautical design is a love letter to Bitter End’s sailing heritage with modern touches where they count.
Beachfront bungalows with alfresco showers and wraparound terraces, marina lofts with private docks, and a grand marina house perfect for groups who prefer their ocean views panoramic and their rum pours generous.
Why we love it
Because it’s got history, soul, and a serious love for the sea. This isn’t a place for velvet ropes and champagne fountains, it’s for sailors, explorers, and anyone who wants to swap resort wear for wind-tousled hair.
Spend your days windsurfing, diving, and beachcombing, then trade salty stories over a Painkiller at The clubhouse. And if you're feeling nostalgic, know that this place has been rebuilt with heart - after Hurricane Irma, the Bitter End crew came back stronger than ever, proving that no storm can sink a true legend.
Best Boutique British Virgin Island Resort
Images: Saba Rock Resort, North Sound
7. Saba Rock
Location: North Sound, Virgin Gorda
Tiny but mighty, Saba Rock is the kind of unique stay that turns your average trip into an experience. Located in the heart of Virgin Gorda’s North Sound, this boutique resort has re-emerged from the wreckage of Hurricane Irma with a new look, new energy, and the same laid-back atmosphere that made it a legend.
With just seven guest rooms and two suites, the vibe is intimate and totally unpretentious. Interiors channel contemporary nautical cool, bold blues, crisp whites, and just enough red to feel like a nod to the classic sailing aesthetic. And with its prime location on the Eustatia Reef, the views are outrageous.
Why We Love It
Because Saba Rock is a front-row seat to the North Sound, literally floating in the middle of it. It’s part resort, part legend, and all about the view. You’re surrounded by the sea but just minutes from the best kiteboarding, sailing, and beach club action in the BVI.
Rebuilt with heart after Hurricane Irma, it’s got history, soul, and a prime spot that feels like the center of everything while still giving you that castaway-on-a-private-island energy. Whether you’re sipping cocktails with a 360-degree ocean backdrop or spotting superyachts drifting in.
Best British Virgin Island resort for a unique stay
Images: Long Bay Beach Resort
Long Bay Beach Resort
Location: Long Bay Beach, Tortola
Long Bay Beach Resort, is one of the reasons travelers fall in love with Tortola. The vintage moke parked out front hints at the rustic Caribbean interiors that makes this hotel so aesthetic.
Long Bay Beach Resort has a real vibe, and it knows it. Boutique, cute, and confidently itself, this is the kind of hotel you’d pick over anywhere in the USVI without a second thought. It sits right on Long Bay, wide, swimmable, and genuinely beautiful, and fully leverages it’s the setting.
Preserved stonework frames the open-air restaurant, bougainvillea climbs where it pleases, and the grounds feel alive, giant caterpillars inch along paths, butterflies drift through the gardens, and everything has that slightly cinematic, sun-dazed quality that makes you feel like you’re inside an indie film.
The beachfront villas are the headline act. Swing chairs, proper loungers, oversized beachfront cabanas, and uninterrupted views of the bay make them dangerously easy to settle into. Days start slow and tend to stay that way. There’s a beach shack right on the sand with cornhole, giant Jenga, and cold drinks on demand, casual, social, and exactly what you want from a beach club in this region.
The recently rennovated pool area is the neighborhood’s best-kept secret, the loungers and umbrellas, classicly stylish. Opt for a healthy morning over pool bar cocktails and spend the day jumping between the pickleball court, infrared sauna, and fitness center.
Food can be hit or miss, but the setting does most of the heavy lifting. Long lunches turn into golden-hour drinks without much persuasion, and nobody seems bothered if dinner runs late.
Just over the hill, Apple Bay’s gentle surf waves offer the perfect morning start for budding surfers.
Why We Love It
With live entertainment on Fridays, the resort comes alive with soulful melodies and the clinking of beachside cocktails, setting the stage for a weekend of relaxation and fun. It nails the boutique hotel sweet spot. Great beach, beautiful villas, a social little beach shack, and a setting that feels postcard worthy.
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Image: Eustatia Island
Eustatia Island
Location: North Sound, British Virgin Islands
Eustatia Island privately owned and lightly developed, the island sits between Virgin Gorda and Necker, surrounded by clear water, coral reefs, and long stretches of untouched shoreline. This is not a resort with multiple room categories and programming, it’s a single guest villa on a privately run island, offered to one group at a time.
Accommodation is limited to a multi-bedroom villa positioned above the water, with wide terraces, open-plan living, and uninterrupted views across the Sir Francis Drake Channel. There’s no scene, no signage, no sense of being “on display.” Just pure privacy.
The snorkelling straight off the shoreline is exceptional, with healthy reefs and visibility that rivals anywhere in the BVI. Kayaks, paddleboards, and boats are on hand for exploring nearby coves and beaches, or for hopping over to Virgin Gorda if needed. Dining is private and flexible, shaped around the group's preferences, fresh seafood, seasonal produce, served wherever feels right that day.
Staff handle logistics from meals to boats, without imposing structure. There’s no spa menu or activity schedule, but massages, yoga, and fitness sessions can be arranged on request.
Why We Love It
Because true private-island stays in the BVI are rare, only a few can be booked out completely and Eustatia keeps the focus exactly where it should be, water clarity, privacy, and the luxury of nothing competing for your attention.
Best Private Island Resort in British Virgin Islands
Images: Peter Island Resort
Peter Island Resort
Location: Peter Island, British Virgin Islands
After seven years offline following Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Peter Island Resort reopened in late 2024, and it’s one of the most meaningful returns in the Caribbean. Spread across its own 1,800-acre private island, Peter Island was always a BVI classic. The rebuild didn’t add rooms, but it did raise the standard across the board. The biggest upgrade is the oceanfront spa, set directly above Big Reef Bay. Open-air treatment rooms overlook the water, with a new yoga deck, meditation garden, seaside jacuzzi, and seven treatment rooms offering Caribbean-rooted therapies using salt stones, aloe, and lemongrass. It’s now one of the strongest spa settings in the BVI.
Peter Island has also not forgotten about its sailing roots. A new Yacht Club and Marina are a big draw card for BVI regulars with provisioning services, a captain’s lounge, and the Drunken Pelican, a relaxed waterfront bar already pulling in boat traffic for conch fritters and sunset drinks. Pickleball and bocce courts sit nearby, turning the marina into a natural gathering point by late afternoon.
The Drake Steakhouse handles special occasions well. A quick boat ride takes you to Deadman’s Beach Bar & Grill, famous for fresh seafood and ocean views. You’re also a short hop from The Willy T, a floating bar known for its lively (and occasionally rowdy) scene.
Why we love it
Because it balances energy and escape better than almost anywhere in the BVI. You can spend the morning sailing or on the courts, then end the day with a barefoot dinner on the sand. The marina brings life, the beaches bring space, and the comeback story gives Peter Island a soul that newer resorts can’t fake.
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Image: Scrub Island Resort, Spa, and Marina
Scrub Island Resort
Location: Scrub Island, British Virgin Islands
Scrub Island sits just offshore from Tortola, close enough to feel connected, far enough to feel like a proper escape. Long tied to stories of pirates, sailors, and sea routes through the Sir Francis Drake Channel, the island has been part of BVI lore since Columbus passed through these waters. Today, it’s one of the territory’s most established resort-marina hybrids, and one of the easiest ways to ease into island life.
The resort is built around a full-service marina, which gives Scrub Island a steady stream of visitors. Boats come and go, sunsets happen from the deck at Sunset Point, and there’s a pace that works equally well for families and longer stays. Accommodations range from hotel-style rooms to multi-bedroom villas, many with wide terraces and water views that make staying put feel like the right decision.
Guests can spend beach time on small white-sand coves, long pool sessions, spa visits for Ayurvedic-inspired treatments, and evenings watching the sky change color over the channel. For guests who want to explore, Scrub’s location makes it an easy launch point for island hopping, sailing days, or a quick hop back to Tortola.
Scrub Island doesn’t try to compete with the ultra-exclusive end of the BVI spectrum, and that’s exactly its strength. It’s relaxed, functional, and genuinely livable, the kind of place where short stays turn into repeat visits, and repeat visits turn into real estate enquiries.
Why We Love It
Because it works for real travel. Easy access, a strong marina, family-friendly villas, and enough island character to make staying longer feel inevitable.
Best British Virgin Island resort for a family vacation
All listings featured in this story are independently selected by our editors. However, when you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. We appreciate your support.
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