Exploring Peter Island, British Virgin Islands


Peter Island is a 1,779-acre private island in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). It is 5.2 miles southwest of Road Harbour (Road Town), Tortola.

The island was named after Pieter Adriensen (nicknamed “The Commander”). Along with Jost van Dyke, he built a fort and slave pens at Great Harbour on Peter Island. This was to facilitate privateering and the nascent trade of enslaved people from Angola.

In 1978, an avid sailor purchased the island after sailing past it several years before. There, he established the resort that exists today and lived on the island to maintain the resort.

Peter Island is the largest private island in the BVI. It’s also the fifth-largest of the 60 islands that comprise the British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. Amway Corporation was the first to own it in 1978. In 2001, full ownership was transferred to the Van Andel family, co-owners of Amway.

The island’s only accommodation is the Peter Island Resort Villa & Spa. The resort is accessible by boat or helicopter only. Conde Nast Traveler has twice named this resort hotel one of the “Best Places to Stay in the World.”

This world-class resort is complete with a seaside spa and restaurants. With regular ferry service from Tortola, one can enjoy the beautiful beach at Deadman’s Bay or dine al fresco by the sea. Dramatic wind-swept hills and beautifully grouped tropical plantings around the resort make a stroll through the grounds worthwhile. Just off to the east is “Deadman’s Chest,” another island bearing the mark of pirate lore.

Peter Island Activities

Although mostly undeveloped, the island has hiking and biking trails. There, one can discover the vibrant flora and fauna indigenous to the island.

Activities on Peter Island are an invigorating and diverse blend of extraordinary adventures and simple pleasures. On the resort’s private island, you can laze on six quiet beaches or play along the shore in 20 secluded coves. Pamper yourself with a spa treatment, swing in a hammock, or cool off in any number of pools. Choose a day of shopping with an excursion to St. Thomas.

The island is a tropical paradise you’ll never forget. On land or sea, it offers activities to suit every guest. You can snorkel or scuba or glide across the blue-green waters on a sailboat. You can also sport fish or hike the trails for the perfect sunset view.

WANT MORE? GO TO…TOP 7 THINGS TO DO ON PETER ISLAND

Peter Island Beaches

The island has six beaches, all facing the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Sir Francis Drake Channel. Two beaches (Honeymoon and White Bay) are for use by Peter Island Resort guests.

  • Deadman’s Beach

Deadman’s Beach is said to be named for pirates who were marooned on neighboring Dead Chest Island. They subsequently drowned while trying to swim to Peter Island, their bodies washing up on the shore. The largest on the island, the beach is a mile-long crescent of pure white sand. Towering palms dot the beach surrounded by turquoise blue waters.

This beach is perfect for snorkeling or sunbathing. If you happen to get hungry or thirsty during your visit, Deadman’s Beach Bar & Grill is just a coconut’s throw away.

  • Little Deadman’s Beach

Little Deadman’s Beach is at the end of Deadman’s Beach. It’s a perfect place to soak up some of the day’s last sunshine with a late afternoon of sunning. Admire stunning views of the bay and Sir Francis Drake Channel. When the sun begins to set, or your skin gets a little pink, the shade of Deadman’s Beach Bar & Grill is only a quick walk away.

  • White Bay Beach

White Bay Beach faces Norman Island opposite the resort. It’s rumored to inspire Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island.” It’s the beach you imagine when mulling a British Virgin Islands vacation. Reserve your tiki hut through the resort’s concierge and arrange for the delivery of the picnic.

You can plan a day of sunbathing, snorkeling the best reefs on the island, and watching sea turtles. This beach is exceptional; the memory stays with you long after the sand is gone from your cuffs. It’s romantic, inviting, and spectacular!

  • Honeymoon Beach

Imagine a beach made just for two. Honeymoon Beach is easily one of the most romantic settings anywhere in the entire world. At the end of Little Deadman’s Beach, the beach is an intimate and secluded destination for you and your beloved.

If you’re looking for a romantic escape or some time to listen to the waves lap on golden shores, you’ve come to the right place.

  • Big Reef Bay & Beach

Private. Powerful. Peaceful. Big Reef Bay & Beach is pure BVI beach perfection. It nestles next to the world-class Spa on the windward side of Peter Island.

Visitors out for an early-morning or mid-afternoon jog enjoy Big Reef Bay & Beach because of the trail that runs along its shores. Do you need a refreshing post-workout cooldown or a moment of clarity after a relaxing spa treatment? Perhaps you want some time to enjoy the sound of rolling surf. Big Reef Bay & Beach is that place.

Peter Island Dining

Exceptional cuisine, an elegant wine room, and open-air restaurants with inspired scenery await Peter Island guests. Peter Island Resort is known throughout the Caribbean for its cuisine that artfully combines international favorites with island flair. The resort’s Caribbean staff serves classic yet contemporary dishes fused with Asian and Italian culinary influences.

Resort menus showcase seasonal ingredients, prepared and beautifully presented. The cuisine adds signature dishes, including rum-basted tropical lamb satay with grilled pineapple and coconut-lime sauce. You can also order a seared tuna filet marinated in Japanese soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil.

For “Caribbean Tea” each afternoon, the resort follows English tradition with a tropical spin. It offers flavored iced tea with fresh-baked pastries and Caribbean bread. Typical fare includes passion fruit, mango, rum, lemongrass, and cinnamon tea with coconut drops. It also serves banana or carrot bread and pancake-sized chocolate chip cookies.

Fine dining reaches beyond the resort’s restaurants and lounges. Expanded room service, poolside luncheons, and Peter Island’s famous White Bay Picnic Lunch provide new and exceptional approaches.

The picnic is a gourmet lunch delivered to guests at a specified time by a staff member. It includes natural linens, plates, silverware, and cold drinks. When summoned, resort staff promptly removes the basket after lunch to ensure a private beach experience.

  • Tradewinds Restaurant

Tradewinds is the resort’s main restaurant. Named for the warm breezes in the area, Tradewinds boasts intimacy. It has large dramatic windows and gorgeous views of Sir Francis Drake Channel and Tortola. Table dressings display German china, French silverware, and Italian crystal.

  • Wine Room

Peter Island Resort has added a wine room to Tradewinds to complement its exceptional food. The room features a mahogany banquet table, floor-to-ceiling wine cases, and precise climate control. The resort has broadened the depth, variety, and quality of wines available. It offers an exclusive collection of champagne, wine, cognac, Armagnac, grappa, and eau de vie up to $450 per bottle.

Every Thursday, Peter Island Resort welcomes 12 guests to the vintner’s wine-pairing dinner in the private wine room.

  •  Drake’s Channel Lounge

Before or after dining, Drake’s Channel Lounge serves cocktails and drinks amid cushioned chaises and brisk Caribbean breezes. Resort favorites include “The Landscape Cocktail,” a tri-colored concoction of Midori, mango, and raspberry. It also serves the “Mango Smoothie” blended with ice cream, rum, and coconut cream.

  • Deadman’s Beach Bar & Grill

Deadman’s Beach Bar & Grill, camouflaged by sea grape trees and towering palms, offers lighter fare for lunch and dinner. The restaurant features a wood-fired pizza oven and expansive salad bar buffet. It serves hot entrees, sandwiches, and Peter Island’s special ribs.

Evening at Deadman’s brings a delicious blend of Caribbean and Continental flavors in a seaside casual setting. A live steel drum band accompanies lunch each Sunday, just steps from the beach under the shade of a cedar shake roof.

Monday night features a special West Indian buffet. The steel drum band returns to provide entertainment for dining and dancing under the stars. Jumby Stilt-walkers often come to add more fun.

Peter Island Getting Around

Peter Island Resort offers complimentary shuttle service to the Spa and beaches. Bicycles are also available for guests to use.

CONTACT US for more Information about Peter Island British Virgin Islands at 321-777-1707

Peter Island Getting There

The British Virgin Islands are approximately 1,200 miles southeast of Miami and 70 miles east of Puerto Rico. Ferry, helicopter, and private yacht serve Peter Island, which is just five miles south of Tortola.

  • Arriving Through St Thomas, USVI

Are you traveling to Peter Island through St. Thomas’ Cyril King International Airport? Be sure to arrive before 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Before claiming your baggage, check in with the Tropic Tours desk, our airport representative.

They will direct you to a waiting taxi for a 15-minute ride to the Peter Island Ferry. There, you can wait in air-conditioned comfort, or, if there’s time, shop in Charlotte Amalie.

The ferry departs St. Thomas at 3:30 p.m. for a gorgeous 90-minute trip (brief customs stop) to Peter Island. Returns to St. Thomas depart at 8:30 a.m. from Peter Island (Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays only). So, schedule your departures for the afternoon. Round-trip fare, including Tropic Tours taxi, is $199 per person.

  • Arriving Through Tortola, BVI

Another popular way to reach Peter Island is through Tortola’s Beef Island Airport (EIS). If you connect through San Juan, Puerto Rico, the resort will send a ferry any day or time to pick you up.

Once you arrive at Beef Island Airport from San Juan, you must clear customs and immigration to retrieve your luggage. A Peter Island Resort Representative will be there to greet you afterward. The greeter will escort you to a taxi that will take you to the Peter Island Ferry Dock.

The ferry ride into Peter Island is approximately 30 minutes. This transfer costs $60 per person round-trip ($35 per person one way), including the taxi and ferry.

  • Other Ways to Reach Peter Island
    • Public Ferry

    A public ferry is available for transport from Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, to Road Town, Tortola. The public ferry will drop off in Road Town, Tortola, where you will take a taxi to the Peter Island dock. The fare for a round-trip transfer from Tortola is $60 per person.

    • Water Taxi’s

    You can charter a private water taxi through Dohm’s Water Taxi in St. Thomas. Starting at $600 one way from St. Thomas to Peter Island, the trip takes approximately 90 minutes.

    • Commercial Flights

    Commercial flights are also available through Air Sunshine from St. Thomas to Tortola (Beef Island Airport, EIS). Arrange the Peter Island Ferry pickup service upon arrival. Available on demand, the flight takes approximately 15 minutes and starts at $125 per person one way.

    • Charter Flights

    Guests may also charter a flight through Universal Jet Charter from St. Thomas to Tortola. Grand Caravan (9-passenger Turbo Prop) rates begin at $3,300. CJ2 (6-passenger Light Jet) rates begin at $6,100.

    • Helicopter Transfer

    You can arrange a helicopter transfer from St. Thomas to Peter Island via Caribbean Buzz Helicopters. One-way trips start at $960 for two guests plus luggage. Travel time is approximately 30 minutes.

 CONTACT US for more Information about Peter Island British Virgin Islands at 321-777-1707

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