10 Best Resorts in the British Virgin Islands [2024 Guide]

The billionaire residents of the British Virgin Islands, from Sir Richard Branson to Google co-founder Larry Page, could afford to live absolutely anywhere on Earth and choose the British Virgin Islands. If that isn’t enough of a glowing recommendation for planning your own getaway to this blissfully beautiful spray of Caribbean islands, then I don’t know what is.

Yacht charters are one of the most popular ways to enjoy the islands, which are considered among the best sailing grounds in the world, but if you’re looking for some luxuries on dry land, British Virgin Islands resorts are beyond ready to impress. Read on for the best resorts in the British Virgin Islands, from tucked-away cliffside retreats to the private island paradise you’ve always been dreaming of.

Best Resorts in the British Virgin Islands

No oversized all-inclusives or cookie-cutter resort chains here! The British Virgin Islands are all about independently owned and carefully curated luxury spaces; many even sprawl across private islands. These are some of our top resort recommendations in the BVI:

• Best Resort in the British Virgin Islands for Luxury: Oil Nut Bay
• Best Resort in the British Virgin Islands for Families: Rosewood Little Dix Bay
• Best Resort in the British Virgin Islands for Boaters: Bitter End Yacht Club
• Best Private Island Resort in the British Virgin Islands (tie): The Aerial BVI and Peter Island Resort

Many visitors to the BVI skip the resorts and spend their entire stay aboard a yacht or catamaran, but in my opinion, this is a big mistake. The resorts that make the list of the best places to stay in the British Virgin Islands are truly among the most impressive resorts in the entire Caribbean, themselves well worth traveling for. Use them as a base for day trip sails across the territory—you’ll be glad you did.

1. Oil Nut Bay

Best Resort in the British Virgin Islands for Luxury

$$$$ | Virgin Gorda

Oil Nut Bay isn’t technically one of the numerous private island resorts in the British Virgin Islands, though it sure feels like it. Set a sprawling (stunning!) 400-acre property at the eastern tip of Virgin Gorda, Oil Nut Bay isn’t accessible by road, making boat or helicopter the only way to access what is considered one of the most exclusive – and luxurious – resort and residential communities in the Caribbean.

Oil Nut Bay has a laundry list of luxury resort amenities any visitor will love: a quiet, laidback beach club with an infinity pool, swim-up bar, and open-air dining, as well as a kids’ club, state-of-the-art gym, and marina. At the heart of the BVI’s most exclusive area, the North Sound, Oil Nut Bay boasts unbelievable vistas of every shade of Caribbean blues and a stunning, tranquil bay where white sands are fringed with palms. Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island is your nearest neighbor.

Accommodations at Oil Nut Bay are as incredible as you can imagine. They primarily consist of villas and estates rented out by homeowners traveling elsewhere. This makes for the ultimate home-away-from-home feel, a true barefoot luxury experience that makes it our top recommendation for places to stay in the British Virgin Islands.

Reviews and Bookings: Oil Nut Bay

2. Rosewood Little Dix Bay

Best Resort in the British Virgin Islands for Families

$$$$ | Virgin Gorda

When the ultra-luxury Rosewood group took over the storied property at Little Dix Bay in 1993, it found success in doing what few other resort groups have had success with in the BVI: mastering the delicate balance of ushering a beloved and historic property through numerous waves of change, keeping Rosewood Little Dix Bay at the cutting edge the whole way through.

Rosewood Little Dix Bay is a favorite British Virgin Islands resort for families because of its family-specific amenities, such as babysitting services, a kids’ club, a tranquil beachfront perfect for new swimmers, and a butler service standard with every room, which parents will enjoy.

However, Rosewood Little Dix Bay is not a family-focused resort per se; everyone from honeymooners to solo travelers will feel at home in nothing short of a Caribbean paradise. At this 80-key barefoot luxury destination, every detail is attended to in such a way that you feel like the center of the story, and for a brief moment in time, you are.

Reviews and Bookings: Rosewood Little Dix Bay

3. Bitter End Yacht Club

$$$ | Virgin Gorda

Best Resort in the British Virgin Islands for Boaters

After Hurricane Irma devastated the British Virgin Islands in 2017, the beloved institution known as the Bitter End Yacht Club was forced to shut its doors for nearly four years. Now it’s back and better than ever, welcoming boaters to the Quarterdeck Marina for bites and brews and inviting guests to stay a while at some of the coolest accommodations in the BVI.

One of the undeniable attractions of a stay at Bitter End is its location in the heart of the most vibrant area of the North Sound of Virgin Gorda. Catamarans and yachts fill the sound and dingy between Bitter End and Saba Rock Resort for dinner and drinks long into the evening, making this an infectiously friendly, laidback destination you won’t want to miss, even if you’re staying elsewhere.

Bitter End Yacht Club‘s Marina Lofts are themselves the talk of the British Virgin Islands, cantilevered out over the sea for a Maldives-like effect that brings the beauty of the islands right to you. They’re the only over-water bungalows in the BVI, boasting a barefoot luxury feel and unparalleled access to the sea that feel very aligned with the heart of what has, for decades, made Bitter End such a cherished destination.

Reviews and Bookings: Bitter End Yacht Club

4. The Aerial BVI

Best Private Island Resort in the British Virgin Islands

$$$$ | Buck Island – Private

While many of the other private island resorts in the BVI are endlessly storied (Peter Island Resort and Guana Island, to name a few), The Aerial BVI is brand new, having just opened its doors in 2021. What it lacks in history it makes up for in modern luxury – and purpose-driven experiences that will leave your soul smiling. 

Forty-three mostly untouched acres, crisscrossed with hiking trails and horse paths, hide dramatic shorelines and beautiful beaches. Just 34 guests call the island’s 17 rooms, divided between five main estates, home at any given time.

The Aerial BVI is perched on rocky Buck Island, just south of Tortola. Proximity to the main island of the BVI makes transportation a breeze, but most of the resort’s buildings gaze out upon the more distant Little Sister Islands. You’ll spend long hours watching yachts cruise by in the distance from the comfort of your infinity pool, rum punch in hand. 

Reviews and Bookings: The Aerial BVI

5. Peter Island Resort

$$$$ | Peter Island – Private

Best Private Island Resort in the British Virgin Islands

Stretching luxuriously across a 1,600-acre island south of Tortola among what is known as the Little Sister Islands, Peter Island Resort was for decades one of the most beloved resorts in the British Virgin Islands. After the resorts sustained significant damage during Hurricane Irma it was forced to shutter and begin a years-long rebuild to rise from the ashes.

While Peter Island Resort isn’t expected to reopen until the end of 2024, it already looks poised to be the talk of the British Virgin Islands. With the time and space to dream, management has reimagined every one of the island’s 52 rooms, suites, and villas, as well as adding new dining destinations, an all-new Peter Island Spa, and an impressive yacht club that will accommodate superyachts up to 200 feet.

Reviews and Bookings: Peter Island Resort

6. Saba Rock Resort

$$$ | Saba Rock – Private

From what is little more than a rocky outcropping in the center of Virgin Gorda’s North Sound, Saba Rock Resort has made a name for itself that stretches far beyond the British Virgin Islands. Tie up for a famous Painkiller Cocktail, line up to watch the tarpon feeding at 5 PM, and take in the sunset from the dock. Stick around in one of the resort’s nine nautical-inspired guestrooms to extend the magical feel of living out all the classic experiences of a visit to the BVI in one.

To be fair, Saba Rock Resort is very much first a restaurant and bar – easily the most popular in the British Virgin Islands – and then a resort. If you want to truly unplug and unwind, we recommend choosing nearby Oil Nut Bay or Rosewood Little Dix Bay. However, if you’re looking for a fun and festive spot to spend a day or two as you island hop, Saba Rock Resort will be unforgettable.

Reviews and Bookings: Saba Rock Resort

7. Guana Island

$$$$ | Guana Island – Private

Hidden off the northern coast of Tortola, Guana Island is an 850-acre private island resort that takes seclusion seriously; a maximum of just 35 guests are tucked away in 18 luxuriously appointed rooms and villas across the property at any given time.

Luxury at Guana Island isn’t overdone, giving guests the feel of being invited to the private island home of some well-to-do college friend or distant relative. Luxury here is perfectly understated, revealing itself in all the hidden ways you’d want: stunning, lush natural scenery (the island is mostly undeveloped, after all!), spectacular dining from award-winning chefs, and gorgeous white-sand beaches – seven of them in total!

Reviews and Bookings: Guana Island

8. Long Bay Beach Resort

$$ – $$$ | Tortola

Many visitors headed to the British Virgin Islands touch down in Tortola only to immediately head elsewhere, whether in search of private island escapes or less “crowded” shores (though Tortola is anything but crowded, especially in comparison to nearby Caribbean heavyweights) or private island resorts. Here is one good reason to stick around: Long Bay Beach Resort, a boutique resort set against an entire mile of dazzling white sand.

Long Bay Beach Resort’s signature restaurant finds its home within a 1748 sugar mill, giving a taste of the island’s history to an otherwise modern property imbued with crisp and casual yet luxe quintessentially British Virgin Island style. Each of the property’s 36 oceanfront suites and villas features private outdoor space, though between the beach club, beach bar, and gorgeous waterfront dining space you might barely make use of it. Or, stay at the private beach house for even more seclusion.

Reviews and Bookings: Long Bay Beach Resort

9. Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina

$$$ | Scrub Island

Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina is a collection of 10 luxury villas and 26 suites, all with expansive views of the Caribbean Sea, somehow just a stone’s throw from Tortola with a world-away feel. Delicious dining, breathtaking snorkeling, and, of course, plenty of opportunities for sailing make it everything you’re looking for in a BVI break. The property’s Ixora Spa offers a surprisingly impressive menu of treatments (even ayurvedic wellness sessions!) and yoga from a spacious outdoor deck.

Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina is the only accommodation option on the island and leans into its private island resort branding. However, a 55-slip marina and a free ferry departing every 45 minutes from the Trellis Bay dock on Tortola means that day-trippers visit, mostly sticking to the island’s three beaches and dining destinations.

The resort broke its 13-year Marriott affiliation in 2023, so unfortunately, your hard-earned points will have to take you elsewhere.

Reviews and Bookings: Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina

10. Anegada Beach Club

$ – $$ | Anegada

The island of Anegada is the most removed and most unique of the British Virgin Islands, a low-lying white sand spot that feels worlds away from its craggy, volcanic-formed distant neighbors. While the island is the least visited of the four largest islands of the BVI, its distance and untouched, undeveloped shores make it a great spot for an unplugged escape, and Anegada Beach Club is hands down the best spot for your getaway.

Anegada Beach Club offers sixteen standard rooms near the pool and restaurant area, but its nine beachfront and ocean-view palapas are really where you want to stay when you visit. Large interior and exterior private spaces with hammocks and outdoor bathtubs make for a truly special, laidback, unfussy experience, just like the island itself.

Reviews and Bookings: Anegada Beach Club

BONUS: Necker Island

$$$$ | Necker Island – Private

In many ways, Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island popularized the concept of private island ownership in the public psyche, crystallized time and time again by stories of celebrity visits and political summits… and who can forget those pictures of former President Obama kitesurfing mere moments after leaving office?

Now, Necker Island is opening its doors to more than just its famous owner’s celebrity friends. If your pockets are deep enough, you, too, can book a stay at Necker Island. On select nights throughout the year, Necker Island allows individuals and groups to book rooms on the island for $5,650 per night. Even more dates are available for island-wide buy-outs to the tune of a cool $110,000 – again, per night.

Reviews and Bookings: Necker Island