Jumby Bay Island
Three hundred acres off Antigua, run as a private community since the 1950s.
Jumby Bay lies two miles off the north coast of Antigua, reached by the island's own ferry from a private dock. It has been a private island community since the 1950s: the Oetker Collection resort occupies part of the three hundred acres and privately owned estates the rest, sharing the roads, the beaches and the turtle beach at Pasture Bay. Guests have no cars — bicycles and buggies only, which sets the pace of the whole island.
Around forty rooms, suites and villas make up the resort, alongside the estates. The hawksbill turtle project at Pasture Bay is among the longest-running in the Caribbean, and guests can attend nesting and hatching under supervision in season. The island is flat, planted and walkable in a way most Caribbean resorts are not.
Seventy years of the same arrangement. Jumby Bay has been resort-plus-owners since long before the model had a name, and the community's rules — no cars, no development beyond the line — have held.
A turtle project older than most resorts. The Pasture Bay research has run for decades and produces published data, not guest entertainment.
Who it is not for
Jumby Bay is wrong for guests who want exclusive use of an island, since a resident community shares it. It is wrong for travellers who want to drive, or to leave for dinner on Antigua in the evening — the ferry sets the day. And it is wrong for those wanting dramatic landscape; the island is flat and gentle. Those wanting exclusive use in the Caribbean should look at Calivigny or Necker.
Sources
- oetkercollection.com — Jumby Bay Island, around forty rooms, suites and villas, private ferry
- Room count, estate numbers and turtle project scope unverified. Confirm before publication.
Booking
Private Island Resorts arranges each stay on request, quoting the rates available for the island and dates. No benefit should be assumed unless it is confirmed in writing for the individual reservation.
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