Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The resort contains 32 rooms facing Sprat Bay and Sir Francis Drake Channel, and
20 larger rooms on Deadman's Bay Beach. There are also several (less desirable)
garden-view rooms. Designed with a casual elegance, all the rooms have a balcony or
terrace. The least desirable rooms are the smallest, housed in two-story, A-frame
structures next to the harbor. Bathrooms range from standard motel-unit types to
spectacularly luxurious offerings, depending on your room assignment. The Crow's
Nest, a luxurious four-bedroom villa, overlooks the harbor and Deadman's Bay, and
features a private swimming pool. The Hawk's Nest villas are three-bedroom villas
situated on a tropical hillside.
The resort has two restaurants. For the day-tripper, the
Deadman's Beach Bar
and Grill
is the more casual of the two, although reservations are recommended. Set
right on the beach, it enjoys a secluded setting in the midst of sea-grape trees and
towering palms. The restaurant has a wood-fired pizza oven and an expansive salad
bar buffet, which also includes freshly made desserts. At lunch, expect an array of
sandwiches, even one made from a big portobello mushroom. Other selections
include Jamaican jerk chicken, tuna tartare, and roti. Dinner includes the fresh catch
of the day, succulent lamb kabobs, and other enticing dishes. On Sunday afternoons,
a live steel-drum band plays; on Monday nights, there's a West Indian buffet.
Peter Island (P.O. Box 211), Road Town, Tortola, B.V.I. www.peterisland.com.
&
800/346-4451
in the U.S.,
or 284/495-2000. Fax 284/495-2500. 52 units. Winter $680-$1,595 double, $3,100-$5,900 3-bedroom
villa, $11,000 4-bedroom villa; off season $360-$1,280 double, $3,100 3-bedroom villa, $6,200 4-bedroom
villa. Rates include all meals. AE, MC, V.
Amenities:
2 restaurants; 2 bars; babysitting; health club and spa;
pool (outdoor); 4 tennis courts (lit); watersports equipment/rentals; Wi-Fi (free in lobby and clubhouse).
In room:
A/C, hair dryer, minibar.
6
GUANA ISLAND
This 340-hectare (840-acre) island, a nature preserve and wildlife sanctuary, is one of
the most private hideaways in the Caribbean. Don't come here looking for action;
rather, consider vacationing here if you want to retreat from the world. This small
island, right off the coast of Tortola, offers seven virgin beaches, plus nature trails
ideal for hiking. Unusual species of plant and animal life abound, including iguana,
red-legged tortoise, the Caribbean roseate flamingo, and rare species of orchids.
Arawak relics have also been discovered here. You can climb 242m (794-ft.) Sugarloaf
Mountain for a panoramic view. It's said that the name of the island comes from a
jutting rock that resembles the head of an iguana.
The Guana Island Club will send a boat to meet arriving guests at the Beef Island
airport (trip time is 10 min.).
Where to Stay & Eat
Guana Island Club
Guana Island was bought in 1974 by Henry and Gloria
Jarecki, dedicated conservationists who run the resort as a nature preserve and wild-
life sanctuary. Upon your arrival, a Land Rover will meet you and transport you up
one of the most scenic hills in the region, in the northeast of Guana.
The cluster of white cottages was built as a private club in the 1930s, on the foun-
dations of a Quaker homestead. The stone cottages never hold more than 30 guests
(and have only two phones), and because the dwellings are staggered along a flower-
dotted ridge overlooking the Caribbean and the Atlantic, the sense of privacy is
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