Just returned from a week at Peter Island. Had beautiful weather and a wonderful time. Here are some of mine and my husband's impressions of the island, the resort and our vacation:

Island: Spectacularly gorgeous and one of the most incredible experiences. The photos on the website don't tell you the complete story or give you the complete picture. The views of neighboring islands, the coves, inlets, beaches, marina, sailboats, yachts and all of the surroundings, make this one of the most truly unique places you will ever visit. There may be islands and resorts with more spectacular beaches, or whiter, more powdery sand, or rooms that are over the top luxurious, but this was a small piece of Paradise in every single respect. And a lot of that has to do with the size of the island (not too big and not too small) and the fact the resort is the only property on the island. Moreover, it has to do with the rugged terrain of the island that has cactus growing from its slopes, yet beautiful inlets and coves dotting its shores and beautiful bougenvilla and other flowers lining its paths. The island is an enigma.

Beachfront Rooms: We had a unique opportunity to stay in both the beachfront and the oceanview. The beachfront rooms are wonderful in terms of amenities and location. We can't think of a single negative, they are simply perfect. We had an upper and liked that more than the lower. And with respect to that, some people do prefer a lower because there are hammocks right off their patio. But again, we preferred the upper which had the a loftier look from the higher ceiling. Great view too. The double shower and double tub with jacuzzi is just wonderful.

Oceanview Rooms. Charming structures, great location next to the marina and main restaurant and pool. Not that distant from the beach at all. We really did not mind the location. We did not, however, like the room all that much. The bathroom tub/shower is very provincial and not even up to the standards of far lesser hotels. And the air conditioning in these rooms is somewhat provincial as well. If you are charterning a boat and only staying for a few nights, it is fine. But otherwise, I would not recommend a week in these rooms. The lower rooms are more spacious with an extra "sun room". The upper rooms have a pitched roof and less space. Lower rooms have charming patios with a beautiful expanse of garden and lawn, the upper rooms have a view of water. Neither the patio or the balcony is all that private, however, due to way they have been partitioned from the neighboring rooms. We do not feel that these rooms offer good value at all considering the prices at the resort and we would not stay in them again. Another couple we met felt the same way and had opted for this, their second trip, to stay only at the beachfront rooms.

I have read from other posts that you need to stay in the beachfront for 7 nights, but I don't know that this is in fact the case. I think you can't be on a package with less than 7 nights in a beachfront room, but that does not mean you can't stay in a beachfront room for less than 7 nights. I would call the resort direct and ask about this.

Food and Restaurants: The quality of the food is outstanding and we concur with other posts on this subject. The breakfasts and lunches were really very good. The omelette station was outstanding, the buffet a very good one and some people thought the French Toast (ordered off the menu) was the best they had ever eaten. No matter what we ordered for lunch, sandwich, burger, grilled chicken, pizza, salad or just the selection at the salad bar, all very very good. Great chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies too! Dinners were fine, some dishes like beef or rack of lamb really outstanding. Others were just mediocre. No lobster any night on the menu. Desserts were very disappointing, and so were appetizers. But dinner salads were excellent. The Tradewinds Restaurant was really beautiful and nice to dine in. It was nice to change off between Tradewinds and the beach restaurant and We probably enjoyed dining at the beachfront restaurant at night more in terms of the atmosphere. We dressed about the same at both restaurants in the evening, resort casual.

We found the service to be incredibly uneven and we both have very mixed feelings on this rather delicate subject. You might end up waiting for your beverage for most of your meal, whether it be coffee in the morning, iced tea at lunch or dinner, or a cocktail or wine with dinner. Some went out of their way for us and others gave really poor and inferior service. My husband feels that the workers there know that the "summer crowd" is paying the lower summer rates (still among the highest in the Caribbean at this place!) and so they don't care about going out of their way for guests or providing them with prompt and reliable service. Others were genuinely interested in making your stay such a terrific one.

Beverages. Hope this answers all those nagging questions about what is and what isn't included once and for all. At breakfast and lunch, coffee, tea, iced tea, water all included. Same for dinner. Bottled water is extra and mixed drinks and wine are extra. Any drinks that are extra are also taxed at 17% for tax and service. I don't know what all the confusion is about with signing for meals or understanding the bill. If you order coffee or iced tea at a meal and no alcohol, your bill at the end of the meal will have $0.00 as the total since this place is basically all-inclusive in terms of 3 meals a day (American Plan). If you ordered 2 glasses of wine, the total bill will for that meal will just be the cost of the wine and nothing else. It's really simple.

Recreation and Activities. Absolutely wonderful. We tried hobie cats and kayaks. My husand went snorkeling and scuba diving and thought both were very good. Lying under a thatched hut pure bliss too! We had massages and had a chance to relax and unwind a bit. We spent part of a day at White Bay Beach and had a picnic lunch. From other guests we spoke to it seems that we chose the wrong day because each of the six private hatched huts was already occupied and there was some doubling up going on, but other guests have told us that when they went, it was much more private with fewer couples there. We also found the transport back very unreliable and running very late by more than 45 minutes. And this wasn't an isolated incident. There were at least 3 or 4 instances where we or other guests called for transport and none showed.

The resort is building a new spa and it will be fantastic once it is complete. We did very little hiking but many guests we met really enjoyed doing very long extended and strenuous hikes. We just did a couple of shorter less strenous ones. But we took a few tours of the island and it is well worth it in terms of viewing the spectacular beauty of the place from a variety of elevations and vantage points.

Families. August is a month when Europe and Britain is on holiday and many of the resort guests the week we were there were from the UK and brought their kids. This did not in any way detract from our vacation and it was refreshing to see teenagers and younger kids acting in such a quiet self-contained manner and acting like they had been raised properly. Our hats off to all the Brits that were there the week we were there -- and to the American families as well -- who brought such nice well-behaved children. Quite refeshing after seening so many poorly behaved children back at home. These teenagers and younger kids stayed with their parents and siblings and pretty much kept to themselves. If you have self-contained type kids who don't need a lot of supervision or activity, this resort is perfect for a family. If your kids enjoy the water and can keep themselves occupied, its a great place to come to. However, I think just one teenager without another friend or sibling might be bored.

Couples and Honeymooners. A perfect place to celebrate an anniversary or spend a honeymoon. The resort is sprawling and private if you want privacy. There is plenty of opportunity to mix and mingle or to just be by yourselves. We found the resort to be very social if you wanted it to be that way and we met many nice couples and honeymooners, as well as families while we were there. The class of people tends to successful professionals who are more interested in a resort without tons of nightime activities or gambling. Very unpretentious, not at all a "see and be seen" place, not at all "a scene" in the least. We asked many of the guests why they chose Peter Island and many asked us as well. Most, including us, repsonded that it was the uniqueness of the place and the island that drew them to Peter Island Resort.

Sailing. BVI is the sailing capital of the Caribbean and we can see why. The scenic coves and inlets and the beauty of the islands sprinkled in close proximity to one another cannot be underestimated. And the trade winds are spectacular. Although we personally did not sail, we met many people on our flights who did and we would wholeheartedly endorse this for a part of your trip with a stay at Peter Island. We also met many folks who had chartered boats and came ashore to visit Peter Island and eat at the restaurants and they loved the resort and declared that they wanted to stay for a few days or even a week on their next trip.

Detractions. No trip is perfect I suppose. Admittedly, neither of us has traveled to the Caribbean in at least 10 years so we have no basis for comparison. Nevertheless, we read a lot and did a great deal of research before choosing Peter Island Resort. Basically we are glad we did for all the reasons stated above. We probably won't return for a while because the resort is raising their rates by 25% beginning in late December. They are building a new spa and new villas and quite frankly, they can get whatever they charge I suppose, with so few rooms and suites. We would highly recommend the beachfront suites or the new villas that are being constructed if you can afford them. We do not recommend the oceanview rooms (not becuase of the location) unless they upgrade those rooms to the standards of the beachfront accomodations.

We were a bit disappointed that there was absolutely nothing to do at night including going back to your room to watch a movie. No TVs were a detraction to us. And while we concede that many other couples we spoke to did not miss TV or movies one bit, many agreed with us that the resort should provide some form of entertainment at night in the form of a jazz duet or trio, a piano player, dancing, something. Some nightly music was provided most evenings while we were dining, but nothing else.

We were disappointed at times with some of the service as we have already indicated in previous parts of this post. We found some of the resort employees to be fantastic. Kudos to Benji, Juliette, Arlette, Jean Kelly, Jenefer, Michael, Sarah, Debbie, Simmons, Merrick and Marissa -- I know I have spelled many of their names wrong and I apologize. Also special thanks to Jewel in reservations for taking care of so many details for us. You do not need a travel agent to book this resort, you will get great personalized service from the 800 number.

Will We Return? Yes, eventually. But first we want to try other spectactular places with first rate service in the Caribbean. On our return, we stayed at the Ritz Carlton overnight in San Juan. This was an unscheduled unplanned detour after having been stranded at Tortola airport all day on the day of our departure and eventually making it to San Juan at night. The Ritz Carlton was the perfect antitode to a horrible last day and we experienced first-hand how the Ritz Carlton has elevated the art of "sucking up" to new heights. We enjoyed every minute of it considering how tired and weary we were from our airline/airport debacle. It made us realize that next time, we will probably go to a Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons or equivalent in the Caribbean to receive that level of attention.

We are awaiting the opening of the new Four Seasons Exuma resort in the Bahamas. We hope it will be beautiful, but in our hearts, we know that it is doubtfult that anything will come close to the rugged and enigmatic beauty of Peter Island.

Please feel free to ask any questions at any time you are considering a trip to Peter Island. We will be happy to respond.

interesting post.

I have not been to Peter Island...but for what they charge and with the 17% service charge - it should be incredible and have impeccable service.

We have traveled throughout the Caribbean and there are a number of places that are MUCH cheaper than Peter Island...and I would be very surprised if Peter Island is a better experience or has better service. It seems that a few places in the Caribbean have a romantic allure and Peter Island is one of them....all are able to charge extraordinary prices because of this allure.

John PH -- My husband and I would be most interested in hearing your recommendations. Before booking this trip, I had run a post on this site titled "Expensive Tastes a la Cap Juluca, Jumby Bay,etc." Basically, I indicated that we were looking at the high end resorts like the 2 I just mentioned as well as Four Seasons Nevis and Peter Island. And I was asking for recommendations for resorts that were as good as these but offered better value. I received very few recommendations and virtually all of the posters touted the resorts I was already asking about. So I would love to hear your recommendations. I might also add that we were so disgusted with our return home -- the airline's fault, not the resort's -- that we are actually considering looking only into those islands we can fly to with one flight such as the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico and even the Dominican Republic. Being stranded in Tortola's airport all day was a most unpleasant experience and a real downer from a pleasant trip.

Excellent review.

Couple comments -

While there is nothing in your review that I don't agree with, I'd like to emphasize that the sum of the parts is greater than the whole at PI. By that I meant that the imperfections that are most definitely present are vastly overshadowed by the overall good feeling about the place. I think you would agree me with me based on your opening comments, but I wanted to emphasize that.

Also, for John, let me say that whether or not a luxury resort is worth it is such an individual perspective. For many folks, the price of Peter Island would never be worth it, no matter how good the place is, but for others, it would be worth it without question. PI is somewhat different from other places we've stayed in that it is small and intimate and yet offers so many options for all types of people. Also, it is very unusual in being able to easily mix families and honeymooners very well. Many other places I've stayed at don't do that well for reasons that are very hard to explain.

Breakfast - I'm really surprised that you didn't talk about the granola! My kids dream about PI granola. It is our favorite food there. That statement is likely to make no sense to anybody who hasn't been there.

Service - yes, it is a bit uneven, but it is overall pretty good, taking Caribbean time into consideration. We were there at Xmas/New Years and I doubt it was any different. BTW, New Years at PI is really cool. The party allows you to hobnob with actual royalty. One guy had a bit too much to drink and when his wife took the kids back to their room, he started making a play for this Princess or something who came off this huge yacht (there were at least 4 yachts over 150 feet long there that night).

Harbor rooms - I agree that they aren't all that special and are due for an update (and I believe that's planned. They are, however, cheaper than Beach rooms and they are spacious. I can't disagree with what you said, but I didn't feel bad staying in them nonetheless.

TV's - if they had them, I personally would not ever have gone there. Perhaps that is a difference between summer and winter. We had entertainment (very good entertainment) every night.

Price - it was nearly too expensive when we were there last about 2 years ago. Rising prices have influenced us to try other places, although we still loved it there. It is one of, but not our only, favorite place to go in the Caribbean. Petit St. Vincent is great as is Cap Juluca and Biras Creek. They are all different. We're trying St. Barth this winter.

Excellent report! I have been eyeying Peter Island ever since we spent a week island hopping in Sept 2001 and saw how beautiful it is, and I appreciate an honest report. Although with the 25% increase it is definitely out of our range!

I spent my wedding night at the Ritz Carlton San Juan and the service was impeccable down to every small detail (for example, they surprised us with complimentary champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries).

Peter Island is an exellent resort and the trip report is pretty accurate.What I dont understand is the complaining about the place being too queit and too expensive.What makes the place what it is the high price tag and not being easy to get to ,or any coupon clipping asshole with skymiles would go there and ruin it.

Mr. Plum: Thanks so much for the off-handed compliment over the trip report being accurate. Since my husband and I are not coupon-clipping assholes who try to find the cheapest most convenient places to travel to, I take offense to what you wrote here. In fact, because we live in a warm climate year round, the Caribbean is not even a destination we generally consider. Our previous trips have all been to Europe. Peter Island is special and unique because of its distinct topography and unique location. The resort and the people and the service for the most part are wonderful. The crowd it attracts was pretty much on a par with who we socialize with. We do not gamble and we were not looking for over the top nightlife every night. However, for the rates Peter Island charges, there should be something, anything, to do in the evening, other than go back to your room and read a book or screw. Although my husband and I truly enjoy both, we also go away to interact with others, not isolate or shelter ourselves from any human contact or form of sophisticated entertainment. Shame on you Mr. Plum for admonishing those of us who enjoy social interaction with other people.

Mariarosa: The Ritz Carlton is indeed lovely, albeit entirely different than Peter Island Resort. Although I haven't been to Puerto Rico in years, until this past trip, I must admit that the Dorado Beach Resort, an hour from San Juan, is still my personal favorite. You can literally step out your beachfront room and touch sand in seconds and the half moon crescent beach is just heavenly. Dorado Beach was a former Rockresort and has been a Hyatt for several years now. It was an absolutely gorgeous sprawling property with terrific golf courses. I don't know the current condition of the resort, but it was a wonderful place to go year after year when I was younger. I am seriously thinking of returning there and showing it to my husband on a future Caribbean trip and maybe splitting it with a few days at the Ritz Carlton. And despite Mr. Plum's snide comments, traveling with some degree of ease and not being stranded in airports all day is particularly appealing in these stressful terrorist ridden times we live in. And for many of us, getting to San Juan is just one flight, not two.

SteveL: Thanks for your post. I agree with all you wrote but I must disagree about the granola! It sounds like New Year's would be a blast, but the price tag is too high for this New Year's, maybe 2005. . . .

As one who used AmEx points to subsidize a stay at PI back in the old days when points were more valuable and frequently uses the miles to get there, one might take exception to the crude comment! The beachfront is definately worth the upgrade, if it meets your budget but, imo, putting PSV in the exceptional experiences as Biras, PIR, Cap Juluca was not my experience. Thought that they should take a lesson from all of the above! But then, I might have again been the exception to the rule and not a good judge since my PSV experience was sandwiched between visits to Cap! Could hardly wait to get back to Barbados for a decent dinner and one of the few places we actually discussed leaving early! Maybe PIR is just getting to popular since the picnic lunch and privacy at White Bay was definitely a highlight! Less time should be spent hyping all the wonderful "secret" spots because it does change them! Not so mnay "secrets" anymore. Guess it's good for business tho and someone has to pay for the demand for the "spa" invasions. Great report and PIR is indeed a very "special" spot!

Oh my! I hope the granola hasn't dropped in quality!

The rest of the food was also very good. Whereas, it was not better than food we've had at other excellent resorts, it certainly was just as good.

Perhaps Mr. Plum was one of those boaters that tended to slightly lower the Peter Island experience. He sure talks like one!

Yes, the price at Xmas is now beyond what I would consider reasonable. That said, I suppose the market will determine if others think it's worth it.

Beachplum - I admit that PSV is different from PI, Biras, and Cap, but since we loved it as much, it goes in the same category for me. PSV is not for everybody, admittedly. It is more rustic than the others and yet the food is as good and the romance is unparalleled. We did PI with our children (they were teenagers and older) and it was perfect for us as a family. PSV would have been terrible for that combination and yet, for romance at such a busy time as Xmas/New Years, PI is not nearly as romantic as PSV.

All in all, I've been very happy at all these places; I guess that's what counts.

Mr. Plum -- Your vulgarity and your rush to fling insults at others only confirms what I initially suspected, i.e., that you are an insufferable immature sot with no class. You do not belong at a resort like Peter Island and fortunately, while my husband and I were there, we met no one like you.

I suspect, Mr. Plum, that you have been nowhere, and only spend your days reading these posts and serving as an armchair critic.

It is really pathetic when so-called adults find it necessary to resort to name calling and the use of obscenities in order to make their point. MrPlum is clearly a disturbed lonely person looking for attention. I hope the editors remove his posts from this otherwise informative thread.

To the original poster - thanks for the wonderful, comprehensive report on your stay at PI. Glad you enjoyed.

Secondly, who can take anyone serious named after a game piece? Truely pathetic! And yes the PI review was really informative.

We are considering PI for our wedding/honeymoon this winter.Thanks for such an informative post.We are also considering Nevis Four Seasons and Barbados Sandy Lane.For those of you with insights on these places..how do they compare??We want a great destination and I think the sail/water/scenery factor of the BVI'S puts PI ahead of the others.I also want luxurious accomadations as well...Any input would be most helpful!!

Blair 9535: I hope my trip report will get you closer to making a decision. I would strongly suggest posting your question as a new post with the name of those 3 resorts in the subject line. I think your question is a great one and I would love to hear the answer myself. Peter Island is more often compared to Caneel Bay, Little Dix Bay and Biras Creek in these posts, so it would be great if there is someone out there who can compare the experience at Peter Island to Four Seasons or to Sandy Lane. My only input is to take any information about children being there or not being there with a grain of salt, because Peter Island does get kids and it genuinely did not detract in any way from our trip. More has to do with the clientele and the time of year. Best of luck to you and congrats on your upcoming marriage.

As usual, redwolf is right. PI is very unusual in how well it blends children with others. I think it relates to how spread out everybody is there.

I haven't been to either Four Seasons - Nevis or Sandy Lane, so feel free to ignore this opinion based on reading alone. Four Seasons seems like it can't be as inimate as PI; it has 4 or 5 times the number of rooms, I believe. I also am pretty sure that families are especially prevalent there. That may not be important though. I do know that there are very few families at PI during non-holiday, non-summer times.

As for Sandy Lane, it seems to me that an island with a population of well over a quarter million has to be very, very different from a place like PI.

You may want to seriously consider Cap Juluca as well. Very friendly island, super luxurious, and extremely romantic.

SteveL: I am curious as to how you compare Cap Juluca to Cuisinart and to Malliouhana in terms of the properties. I had the impression that aside from the length of the beach itself, Cap Juluca is not very large and I was concerned my husband and I would be bored. It seemed like Cuisinart is more spread out with more going on and that Malliouhana has more of a resort feel to it. Lastly, what is it that makes some so fond of Cap Juluca and others who have stayed at either Cuisinart or Malliouhana feel like they know better than the Cap folks do as to which is the better place to stay?-!!! P.S., Steve - I want YOUR opinion since we seem to be in such agreement over PI (other than over the breakfast granola there!). Thanks!

Thanks to both of you for your speedy responses...Could either of you elaborate on the room quality(i.e. linens,decor,etc.)of PI? I think this may be my main concern about the place..everything else looks wonderful.Having been to several islands in the Caribbean ,and enjoying the breathtaking scenery surrounding the U.S. Virgins,I am feeling the scenery will be similar on PI.This would be a big plus ..but then again so would the fabled white-wash of Cap.Perhaps I am thinking too hard about all of this.....

redwolf:

I've not been to either Cuisinart or Malliouhana, although I've seen the latter from the beach. Both Mead's Bay (Malliouhana) and Maundy's Bay (Cap Juluca) are indescribably perfect stretches of sand of a mile or so in length. Malliouhana shares Mead's with two, maybe three other resorts and Cap Juluca has Maundy's to itself. Both beaches are MUCH longer and wider than Deadman's or White Bay on PI and have finer, whiter sand. At Cap, during high season, there is quite a bit more distance between beachgoers than at Deadman's. But, at Cap, there is only shade from umbrellas, i.e., none of those beautiful palms along the beach that gives Deadman's its beauty. Also, the snorkeling at Deadman's is better than at Maundy's. Cuisinart is, I believe, on Rendezvous Beach, also a very nice beach. There are almost twice as many rooms at Cap than at PI and the water sports at the resort are as good as at PI. They also offer a goodly number of very nice excursions which I recommend. Cap is the biggest Caribbean resort I've been to and, although there's plenty of privacy, it definitely doesn't feel small, especially compared to PI. I've spoken to people who have been to all three and nobody felt that Cap was small or limiting in activity at all. They have a really excellent tennis facility as well. Malliouhana is not at all more a resort than Cap. A couple people I spoke to liked Cuisinart a little better than Cap; it seemed that they liked the service a little better, but nobody I've spoken to preferred one physical plant over the other. Cap is very sybaritic in feel; not sure that Malliouhana or Cuisinart are as much so. I hope that helps. Feel free to ask more.

Blair935:

The harbor rooms at PI have nice, but not spectacular decor; the beach rooms are definitely much nicer in that regard. Neither seems as plush to me as Cap, however. People say that Anguilla is an ugly island save the spectacular beaches, but honestly, it didn't hit me that way. It is not lush nor topographically impressive, but it is a pleasant island to drive from restaurant to restaurant (the restaurants are exceptional). There are viewpoints in places as well that provide very nice Caribbean and Atlantic views.

I do prefer Cap to CuisinArt as I found that the louvers that open the wall facing the water can be left open and the screens allow the breeze and fresh air in. Didn't find CuisinArt nearly as comfortable as Cap nor as PIR but I haven't returned to PIR since the redo in the beachfront rooms. There I also thought that the rooms could be opened to the air with screening was wonderful. Beachfront PIR you walk from most first floor units directly onto the beach but the first building there you cross a bit of grass to get to the beach as it is tucked into the bluff. I would opt for the higher numbered rooms. I also found the waterside/beachside dining at Cap much preferable to that at CuisinArt where it is tucked into the interior of ther resort due to the sometimes windy conditions on the beach at Rendevous which can also make the water a bit choppy there. Malli's accomodations are wonderful but most are on a bluff and not beachside so that might be a consideration. I found that CuisinArt lacked some of the finishing touches and was less comfortable although I understand they've gotten rid of the lumpy futons which were the settees in the junior suties. It was also more cold and strark and more "hotel" feeling. My understanding is that they are going to do an updo and rid the place of the ugly art and the blue and yellow theme or at least tone it down some. At CuisinArt the standard rooms are in a larger building, as opposed to the villas which house the jr suites, etc. on the beachfront set back behind the pool and the property itself seems more condensenced but it is a magnificant grounds. I know others prefer CuisinArt (and the rates are certainly more reasonable) but there was just a special feel to Cap that is captured by an atmosphere that is hard to match by anyone! Have only visited Four Seasons and Sandy Lane and it would be hard to compare the beaches with Anguilla's or the BVI's. Four Seasons has the added attraction for the golfers and it is a spectacular site! Anguilla certainly has a plethora of good dining if that is on your wish list as does Barbados. Peter Island and Cap are leap years ahead of CuisinArt, Caneel, the new family-friendly feel at Little Dix with the kids club and villas and Biras where the accomodations are not on the swimming beach if that is important to you.

beachplum make s agood point about Malli vs. Cap with regard to beach vs. cliff. Malli looks out to the beach and Caps buildings are strung along a mile of beach. To compare to Deadman's, imagine about 6-8 buildings strung along the main part of the beach with 6 units in a building (3 up and 4 down). That would be about the density of Cap. Then stretch that out for about double-to-triple the length and that's sort of the actual size of Cap and Maundy's Bay. Also, the pool/beach restaurant at Cap is really excellent. It is perfect for lunch when coming off the beach.