Peter Island

Peter Island is one of the largest of the privately held British Virgin Islands, lying across the Sir Francis Drake Channel from Tortola, with beaches on both its northern and southern shores and a single resort occupying it. Deadman's Bay on the northern side is a long curve of sand with a view across to Tortola. The resort was severely damaged in 2017 and reopened after several years of rebuilding; access outside it is limited.

Background

The island covers 720 hectares and lies about 5 miles south-west of Road Town on Tortola. It is named after Pieter Adriensen, whose brother Abraham was the Dutch West India Company's Patron of Tortola early in the 17th century. Torolf Smedvig bought most of the land in 1968 for $950,000 and had 20 A-frame chalets prefabricated in Norway. Two ships brought the materials across in 1969, and 20 Norwegian craftsmen and about 30 island workers put the chalets up in about ten days, on land reclaimed by dredging Sprat Bay. The Devos family bought the island in 1978. It is the largest private island in the territory.

Source: Wikipedia, "Peter Island"

What you'll find

• Deadman's Bay - the long northern beach with the Tortola view.
• The two shores - beaches on both the north and south sides of the island.
• The single resort - the one property occupying the whole island.
• The channel - the Sir Francis Drake Channel between here and Tortola.

When to go

December to May is the season. Hurricane season runs June to November. Access depends on the resort's arrangements.

Good to know

The island is private and access is through the resort, which is expensive. Day visits are limited and must be arranged. The 2017 hurricanes did severe damage and rebuilding took years.

Nearby

Norman Island is west, and Tortola is north.

Key facts