Necker Island
The island that invented the category, and still lets rooms for a few weeks a year.
Necker is a 74-acre island in the British Virgin Islands, bought by Richard Branson in 1978 and turned into the property against which every private island since has been measured. It is reached by boat or helicopter from Tortola or Virgin Gorda. Nobody is on it but the party and the staff — a flock of flamingos and a lemur colony aside, both part of a long-running conservation programme.
The Great House and a set of Balinese houses hold up to forty-eight guests. Necker is normally let whole, which is why it sits under Exclusive-Use Primary rather than Exclusive-Use Only: for a handful of Celebration Weeks each year, individual rooms are sold to unrelated guests who share the island. Rates are all-inclusive and cover food, drink, water sports and the tennis courts.
The original. Necker created the market that this register documents, and the format — great house, whole-island rate, staff who stay for years — has been copied everywhere since.
Rebuilt after Irma. The 2017 hurricane destroyed much of the island; what stands now was rebuilt to a higher storm standard, which is worth knowing when comparing Caribbean islands by season.
Who it is not for
Forty-eight guests is a very large private island, and it is the wrong choice for a couple or a small family unless they book a Celebration Week — in which case it is not private at all. It is wrong for travellers seeking anonymity, since the island carries an owner's public identity. And it is wrong for anyone wanting quiet: Necker is a social island with a bar at its centre. Quieter BVI options are Guana Island and Moskito.
Sources
- virginlimitededition.com — Necker Island, up to 48 guests, Celebration Weeks
- Room count varies by configuration across sources; confirm current inventory 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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