Fodor's Expert Review Port Ferdinand

This ultra-luxurious "lifestyle" resort on the northwest tip of the island surrounds an impressive, manmade waterway and marina. Residents dock their yachts at the back door—the berths accommodate yachts from 50 to 90 feet in length. Only some of the 46 units are part of the rental pool available to short-stay visitors.

You may not have a mega-yacht, but be prepared to spend mega-bucks!

Photo: Port Ferdinand Room / Port Ferdinand

room

The one-, two-, and three-bedroom units are breathtaking and huge, ranging from 2,000 to nearly 4,200 square feet in size. Each unit has designer furnishings, wall-to-wall windows to take in the view, open-plan kitchens, laundry areas, en-suite bathrooms, and lots of space for relaxing and entertaining. Each unit also has a designated berth and storage area at the dock.

Parents need to be mindful of their kids, given the high-end furnishings in the units and easy dock access. Kids can work off excess energy at The Buccaneer Hideout, an outdoor playground, and The Pirates Den, an indoor play center.

Photo: Port Ferdinand Room / Port Ferdinand

bathroom

Like the rest of the rooms in each unit, the en-suite bathrooms are stunning and enormous, with free-standing soaking tubs, granite-top vanities with dual sinks, glass-walled rain showers, lots of storage and closet space, and charming French doors that open to a balcony with a view.

lobby

The lobby looks and feels like entering the lobby of an upscale, high-rise apartment building, which is what the building really is. There’s elevator access from the lobby to upper floors and the dock level, below.

Photo: Port Ferdinand Pool / Port Ferdinand

pool

A swimming pool, Quarterdeck Bar & Pizzeria, and the water taxi dock are all at Pool Island in the center of the marina. Guests may take the water taxi to St. Peter’s Bay and swim in the sister property’s lagoon pool.

Photo: Port Ferdinand Pool / Port Ferdinand

spa

The Sandbox Tree Spa offers a selection of massages, facials, and special treatments for the body, hands, and feet. Beachfront spa services can be arranged, as well.

For added relaxation, an adult recreation lounge has darts, board games, a pool table, cards, and dominoes—and a beverage center and ice machine.

gym

The 24-hour fitness center has state-of-the-art cardio and circuit training equipment, strength and core exercise machines, free weights, and high-tech training aids. Some machines have personal flat-screen TVs. Individual yoga, Pilates, and zumba sessions can be arranged in a private training room, poolside, on the beach at St. Peter’s Bay, or in your own unit.

Golfers will get a kick out of the golf simulator, where you can pick a course and try your best. And kids age 6 and up will enjoy “Fitness Fun,” a virtual training program specifically designed to build strength and cardio capacity—and have fun doing it.

dining

The casual Quarterdeck Bar & Pizzeria, at the marina, serves late breakfast and lunch by the pool and light meals at dinner on Monday evenings; 13°/59°, the fine-dining restaurant named for the resort’s latitude/longitude, serves Caribbean-French fusion cuisine at dinner and Sunday brunch. The units, of course, have full kitchens and dining areas; pre-arrival grocery stocking can be arranged.

YOU SHOULD KNOW 13°/59° is closed Mondays.

drinking

The poolside Quarterdeck Bar is open every day from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.; happy hour is from 5 to 6 p.m.

beach

Guests who want to go to the beach take the complimentary water taxi to St. Peter's Bay. There’s no beach at Port Ferdinand, but there’s plenty of water—and water sports. Paddleboards, kayaks, and snorkeling are complimentary. Waterskiing, wakeboarding, wave runners, reef fishing, and sailing are available for a fee. Scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, and surfing can be arranged, as well.

Turtle tours, where you swim and snorkel with sea turtles, can be arranged with the concierge.