The only thing missing from this luxurious Caribbean retreat? A hotel.
You can tell a lot about a resort by its arrival ritual, so when the sleek cabin cruiser came to whisk us across the water from Tortola to Oil Nut Bay, a luxury resort located on the far eastern tip of Virgin Gorda, I eagerly jumped aboard.
The timing was perfect. As we sped away from the sun, it transformed the water from bright turquoise to deep indigo; ahead, the island was still aglow with golden rays. A golf cart waited to take us over the hilly roadway to our villa; as we climbed we caught glimpses of a white sand beach glowing nearly pink in the unfiltered light. And once settled, we raced to the pool deck to catch the last bright stripe of orange and watched as it faded to black.
Later, sipping pre-dinner cocktails at the resort’s main pool, I began to wonder about the location of the actual hotel. We’d passed a movement studio, kids’ club, and nature center as well as tennis courts, trio of pools, and beach club restaurant; we’d also stopped at the marina, with its restaurant, lounge, and shopping village. I couldn’t imagine where they’d stashed the hotel, but figured we’d visit it the next day.
Turns out the hotel isn’t deftly hidden, it simply doesn’t exist: at Oil Nut Bay, all guests stay in the beautifully designed and decorated private homes that are scattered along the hillsides and set along the water. It’s a brilliant concept: all the services and amenities of a five-star resort, but in a fully private, uncrowded environment. In other words, the beaches are blissfully empty, poolside lounges stay available all day long, and the restaurants are buzzy but relaxed enough that you don’t have to wait for a table.
Exquisitely Designed
Of course, you can also hang out at your villa all day. Our five-bedroom stunner was an engineering marvel with a huge infinity pool that jutted out over the Atlantic and kept us cool while we searched the cobalt expanse for whales.
Each bedroom had direct outdoor access (I could see the ocean from my bed); most had outdoor showers, some also had private plunge pools, soaking tubs, and steam showers. We opted not to cook, but we could have, since the kitchen was outfitted with brand-new Wolf and SubZero appliances; there was also a washer and dryer. Though we made liberal use of the two golf carts that came with the villa, at night we opted to let staff take us up and down the twisty road.
The variety of rental homes is vast and allows for all sorts of guest groups: Sun and sand types can book steps from the beach; view lovers will adore mountaintop villas overlooking the Atlantic or the Caribbean. Traveling by boat? Stay near the marina with its shops, watersports center, and an L-shaped pool set over the water. I especially loved, that instead of relegating the one- and two-bedroom villas to less than desirable lots, they’d been built on prime real estate with the same stunning architecture and amenities. Even better, since most of the residences are privately owned, they’re filled with high-quality finishes, gorgeous designer fabrics, light fixtures that resembled works of art, and funky touches that reflected each owner’s individual style.
And Sustainable Too
The resort is also proof that sustainability and luxury are not mutually exclusive. There are just 140 homesites on the 400-acre resort; 50% will be retained as green space. The resort runs almost fully on solar-generated electricity, there’s extensive water management, turtle-friendly lighting, green roofs, and a one-story, above-grade limit on construction that keeps the mountains looking surprisingly natural.
On a guided walk one morning, staff members pointed out not just plant life, surrounding islands, and cool rock formations, but some of the more interesting conservation programs, too, like underground water storage (it’s beneath the tennis courts) and onsite facilities for concrete production, water desalination, electricity production, and other conservation-related programs. We also visited the resort’s animal sanctuary, where we offered handouts to the grateful emus, tortoises, and horses rescued in 2017 after a pair of hurricanes swept through the region. The sanctuary is a pet project of Pam Johnson, who, with her husband, developer David V. Johnson, own the resort.
Gathering Options
Oil Nut Bay’s beach is a long curve of white sand speckled with tall palms. Here and there, sea grapes had grown so big they offered cool shade and a sweet scent as we dug into a picture-perfect picnic lunch delivered with comfy pillows for lounging and silver buckets filled with Perrier and Chablis. We moved to the pool for a bit — terraced sun decks allow you to nap with a modicum of privacy while also allowing great views of the ocean — before heading back up the hill for time in our pool and, hopefully, a whale sighting or two.
Dinner at Nova, an outdoor restaurant and lounge near the marina, is a lively affair with visitors — both from other resorts and boat charters — and guests mingling over craft cocktails and French rosé while children play on the deck, splash in the pool, and feed the fish that hang out near the dock. As at the Beach Club, which is quieter and closer to the center of the resort, there’s lots of local fish, and it’s prepared with both care and creativity — my snapper arrived with a soy-based sauce brightened with yuzu, for instance, and the sushi is impeccable. We also discovered the existence of an authentic pizza oven, and while mozz pies might not seem like beach food, the blistery crust and bubbling cheese was pretty satisfying after a long day in the sun.
The newest addition to Oil Nut Bay is the Sundara Spa, an overwater space with a perfect little bar, hair and nail salon, multiple treatment rooms, and a wellness studio with four walls of operable glass for an open-air or air-conditioned space for Pilates, yoga, sound baths, and meditations.
I thought I would miss having a hotel as a gathering place within the resort, but I found that I didn’t. Like the other guests, I soon found my own favorite places to sip a cocktail, grab a coffee, or go for a swim. Even better, I didn’t have to share my space with anyone…unless I wanted to.
Feature image courtesy, Oil Nut Bay
