Has anyone been to this place? What did you think? What is the weather like in December? <BR>Is it rocky in the water like many BVI locations?

Have only visited Peter Island by bareboat yacht, but I can assure you that the beach at Deadman's Bay is NOT rocky. It's absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, one of the loveliest strands in the Caribbean, with a sandy, gently sloping bottom and lots of palms for shade.

No, the smaller "outer" islands in the BVI have some wonderful beaches ... unlike Tortola where the beaches are not stunning! Deadman's and White Bay are both wonderful! And I absolutely loved PIR ... one of the best BVI vacations I have had! Check scubamom.com for her most recent reviews!!! The Virgin Islands are great in December - but depending on the time, you may get the Christmas Winds which make sailing exciting!!!

I wouldn't be so quick to downgrade the beaches in Tortola. Smugglers Cove, Cane Garden Bay, Long Bay are a few examples of stunning beaches on Tortola.

I am also considering going to Peter Island in December. While most of what I have read is very positive, I have also read that despite the fact that it is a small, somewhat secluded resort, it does get crowds from boats that come to visit and other day trippers. Is that true? Are the beaches uncrowded and for the resort's guests, or do you have to contend with non-guests on the beach?

All the beaches in the BVI are public up to the high waterline, so while the resort can restrict land access to the beaches, it can't stop people coming by boat. That being said, not many do. Deadman's Bay is notorious for poor holding, so there are never more than a dozen or so yachts calling there; Sprat Bay, the only really safe overnight anchorage, has only 6 moorings and a few slips available. And I don't believe that the cruise ships dump their hordes there either. So, even if "day-tripping" yachties visit Peter Island, there are only a handful, and they tend to stick to the east end of Deadman's Bay, away from resort amenities.

Maggie- I just returned from my honeymoon at Peter Island. My husband and I did months of research on places to go for our honeymoon- We wanted a beautiful place to stay that had accomodations with character, flare and space!(not standard/typical accomodations that you would find in a Holiday Inn) We wanted friendly service and excellent food. We wanted clear water with gorgeous, palm-fringed beaches. We wanted an assortment of activities offered to us. Peter Island went above and beyond meeting all these expectations! When we arrived from Tortola (a boat came and picked us up) we immediately went to the beach. The sand was so soft that it felt like flour. The water was clear and gorgeous and we were the only ones on the beach when the sun began setting-it was great! When we returned to our rooms we found a complimentary bottle of champagne- they really treated us like royalty the whole week. Whenever we wanted to go anywhere on the island, someone was there, ready to take us. Peter Island was gorgeous and very big but it was great b/c there was only the one resort there. One night we went to the tallest point on the island (called 'The loop') and took a bottle of wine with us and watched the sunset! The meals were amazing; the chef offered unique gourmet selections every night. The staff truly made it enjoyable - THey were so helpful and friendly and this made our honeymoon even better! It was wonderful and it was everything I'd always wanted for a honeymoon- I definantly recommend it! <BR>Thanks, Kendell Shows

Not denegrating the beaches on Tortola but they do pale in comparison to many of the ones on the other islands ... Smuggler's is lovely once you survive the awful kidney jarring ride to get there ... altho small with no facilities other than an "honor bar." Long Bay is wonderful to look at ... and the rough surf and rocky bottom perclude anyone getting into the water above the ankles ... (the only Caribb stay where I did not get into the water once in ten days where we were staying!) but some months you can boogie board there! Cane Garden ... well, not for me ... but there are several others that are pretty but require a ride and/or a trek to get there! Nothing wrong with that ... but for a real beach potato, they may be disappointed.

<BR> <BR>What would be the most desirable Beach Front Junior Suite at Peter Island? How is the weather around the month of september? Is there a phone in the room? What about a TV? Please describle the Beach front rooms? <BR> <BR>

The higher the number, the fewer footsteps into the water! Beachfront rooms are comfortable upstairs or downstairs units, 4 rooms in a building ... king bed, sitting area at the foot of the bed by the French doors, large bath area ... French doors to patio or balcony, hammock outside the room (downstairs). I would not choose the first building ... but they would have the best views down the beach without turning your head! All windows can be open to the fresh air ... upstairs might be better to cut down on noise of a/c compressor! No TV, but has phone, cd player, coffe pot. Think there is a pix on the web site! Walk to Tradewinds, pool bar (over the hill), walk down beach to Deadman's for lunch, workout room, tennis or call for ride anywhere, any time! Don't miss picnic lunch at White Bay. Hearing that they have mountain bikes now too! September is hurricane season (end of Sept/early Oct most active) but it is wonderful as long as the 'canes don't visit!!! Just get trip insurance in case!

Choosing a room category has a lot to do with personal preference. I was at Peter Island in May and prefered the Ocean View rooms over all others. They are the smallest of all rooms, but have better views than their larger counterpart, gardenview rooms. We spent one night in an ocean front room, but we had difficulty sleeping because of the ocean breaking on the beach. The oceanview and gardenviews are further away from the beach, but closer to the main dining room. I prefered to hike to the beach in my flip flops rather than hike to dinner in heels. Check out the peter island website ... www.peterisland.com and scubamom.com for great pics.