An Exclusive Getaway On Necker Island
Located just North of Virgin Gorda. Necker Island is seventy-four acres of tropical splendor and even though it is barely a dot on the map, it features one of the most exclusive Caribbean retreats. Necker Island is owned by Virgin Records and Virgin Atlantic Airlines’ Sir Richard Branson. Construction of this exclusive getaway began in 1982, after the billionaire entrepreneur purchased the island for about $300,000. The resort is Balinese-styled and took over three years to build. There are no exact figures as to the final cost for completion, but it is speculated that the figure is somewhere in the ten-million dollar range.
This luxurious resort consists of a main villa and three smaller separate cottages. Portions of the island were blasted away during construction in order to make the roof of the main building appear to be an extension of the island. Sections of the main villa were partially constructed in Bali and flown into Necker Island for final assembly. Open sided rooms allow for spectacular views of stunning sunsets that fill the sky and reflective ocean with bright and beautiful color. There are ten bedrooms and ten bathrooms in the main cottage.
This resort can accommodate up to twenty-five and comes with a price tag of $31,000 per day. The guest list at Necker Island includes some of the richest celebrities, bluebloods, and royals known throughout the world such as Princess Diana, Steven Speilberg, Oprah Winfrey, Peter Gabriel, Bill Gates, Hugh Grant, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis and Robert de Nerio. This playground of elites is staffed with about 20 employees who are happy to make any wish possible. There’s practically nothing that can’t be arranged for guests of Necker Island.
Fine dining features the culinary creations of Steven Hitchings whose special signature dish is a baked fillet of miso-soaked Chilean seabass, baby bok choy, and Asian vegetables with saffron beurre blanc. Guests dine formally on a twenty-four-foot long table, and are pampered poolside at the free-form spa and pool and located on a rocky escarpment that overlooks the azure of the Caribbean ocean.
Activities on the island include hiking, tennis, sailing, snorkeling, water skiing, swimming, windsurfing, and scuba diving. There is also a full collection of videos, board games, and the island boasts ownership of the only snooker table in the British Virgin Islands. There is even a floating trampoline. Sir Branson, the retreat’s owner, spends a considerable amount of time on the island throughout the year. There is an expansive master bedroom in the main villa strictly for the Branson family who reportedly enjoy traditional English dishes prepared by the resort’s chef, Steven Hitchings. Necker Island is surrounded by pristine white sugar sand beaches, cliffs that lookout into the depths of the stunning Caribbean, lush flora and fauna, manicured gardens, and reefs that contain a multitude of exotic native animals. By boat, Necker Island is about fifteen minutes away from Virgin Gorda and about thirty minutes from Beef or Tortola Island. Guests can also arrive via helicopter or small aircraft.
