I fell in love with this little island and will be returning ASAP. My wife and I have been fortunate to travel many places in the Caribbean and the world, and Guana Island is at the very top of the list.
As another one of the guests described the hotel, "Guana ruins the rest of the Caribbean. There is no need to go anywhere else. Jason Goldberg was phenomenal in accommodating us in every single way. From the second we stepped off the airplane on Beef Island to the moment we left, the Guana Island team provided an incredible vacation for us. If you have a request, they will make it happen!
This is a wonderful place to have a honeymoon. It is private, quiet, absolutely stunningly beautiful, and you can be as active or lazy as you want. A few highlights were sitting on the beach, hiking all over the island especially to Chicken Rock , snorkeling, the orchard tour, sailing the Hobie, and watching the sunsets on top of the hill during cocktail hour! The food is incredible and we loved dressing up for dinner and sharing our table with a few other guests some evenings.
The customer service sets Guana a part from other luxury hotels. Our bags were delayed due to a tight connection, and the Guana Island staff went out of their way to ensure we got our bags. Colin even went to the airport on his way home to check in.
Kathleen, Sylvia, Eddie, and Colin greeted us with a smile and a laugh every day and you could not ask for better customer service. These folks are your friends! It's difficult to fully describe Guana to someone who hasn't been, but its a luxury hotel without all the nickle-and-diming that hotel groups do, in the most incredible geographic setting, with incredible food and fabulous people.
Oh, but we could. When we rappelled down a rope to the sea, thighs searing, we texted du Plessis and asked him to pick us up by boat, please. He couldn't. The swells were too high. Also, we were not at Monkey Point, we were on Bigelow Beach. Over drinks, Laurac explained the island ritual of dropping a hyacinth into the waves as your boat sails away for the airport. Legend has it that, if it comes back to shore, you'll return. By then we'd given up on the reward of snorkeling, and didn't want to miss one of Chef Kael's soups sunchoke!
The iguanas rolled their eyes as we raced to dinner. We didn't actually have to get so physical, because there were so many other, less demanding things to do.
There was day drinking at White Bay Beach. There were the three books I'd optimistically packed. There was Chef Kael's orchard tour, where he served fresh papaya and coconut juice. There was outdoor movie night and massages in the cedar-roof spa. Once I got that second negative test result, I could technically explore all of the BVIs, including the famous bars and yachting marinas on Jost Van Dyke.
But why would I leave Guana? I escorted Camila to the dock for her boat ride back to Tortola en route home to New York, but I didn't go with her to check out the town. I had so much left to explore. And—for the first time in nearly a year—I could freely interact with strangers. Assistant manager Nicole Laurac engaged me in a deep conversation about spirituality and raising kids. The guest manager, Jo Warren-Smith, earnestly described what it's like living full-time on the island.
I made overtures to the couple I spied out of quarantine, and blessed be, they invited me to dinner! So I washed my hair, zipped into a dress, and pretended I was going to meet previous guests like Rachel Weisz and Senator Patrick Leahy, whom a Guanaphile had told me she encountered on one of her 17 visits. Dinner with this couple from the Poconos was filled with laughter and oversharing and Instagram-worthy food porn my favorite dish: papaya gazpacho served in the actual fruit.
We invited Laurac to join us, and after dinner took turns shaking martinis at the honor bar. After seven days, it was my time to try it. I closed my eyes and squeezed my flower and imagined a week with my kids and 30 other strangers, all family by day three, waking with the sun and sleeping to the sound of the waves.
I pictured playing Bananagrams in the wicker chairs at the Domenica Club, swimming to the dock as the giant tortoises bobbed in White Bay, discussing politics in hammocks with a U. I made a mental note to pack at least one headlamp next time, and a compass.
Then I tossed my ruby-red hyacinth into the water. As soon as I was back on dry land, I texted Laurac to make sure she retrieved it. Thomas in the U. Virgin Islands. It's then a minute puddle-jumper to Tortola, and then a five minute ferry ride to Guana.
For now, anyone arriving must show proof of a negative COVID PCR test, taken within 72 hours of departure; guests are tested again upon arrival and once more during their stay. View of White Sand Bay, with pink flowers in the foreground. For nearly a century, Guana Island has drawn jet-setters seeking sun and solitude. As the Caribbean slowly reopens, this singular tropical retreat might be the perfect place to dip a toe into travel. By Heidi Mitchell March 29, We also offer unique treatments featuring specialized ingredients form our organic Orchard, such as a body scrub using freshly picked passion fruit and lemon basil..
Sprinkled along a scenic ridge and cooled by gentle tradewinds, each of our 18 unique rooms and villas offers commanding views of the Caribbean and the Atlantic. Private Island Takeover For celebrations like weddings, family reunions or special birthdays — or just for fun — you and up to 42 of your luckiest friends or family can have the Island to yourselves. Best time to travel The British Virgin Islands are blessed with great weather throughout the year.
Please note: Guana Island is closed throughout the month of September. Getting there It's easy to get to the Island that's like no place on earth.
Thomas, or Antigua. Or fly privately or by charter. View Island Details. Please enter your e-mail address. Tell a friend print. More properties like this. Newsletter Newsletter Yes, I would like to receive the newsletter with information about the world of private islands. If you are no longer interested, you can unsubscribe by clicking on the link at the end of each newsletter.
0コメント