Richard Branson’s Latest Non-public Island Escape Is Now Open — and We Acquired a First Look

A lazy river-style pool meandering via the property, a 42-foot boat with a personal captain, a employees to serve your each need or need, absolutely stocked bars, and kitchens, a listening room with a classic report participant and 250 items of vinyl — that is only a style of Cape Stout on Moskito Island within the British Virgin Islands, which Journey + Leisure bought a primary take a look at final month.

After a harrowing set of canceled flights, I emerged from Beef Island’s Terrance B. Lettsome Airport to an indication with my identify on it, as Callum McKendrick, the pinnacle of property visitor service, greeted me and unburdened me of my luggage. We shuttled to the dock, the place a modern speedboat awaited to hold me to my island house for the weekend. A cotton candy-colored moke pushed by property supervisor Leah Wheeler deposited me on the stone path entrance to Cape Stout. The fledgling arbor of scorching pink bougainvillea fragranced the air because the welcoming employees handed out colourful tiki mugs crammed with recent painkillers, the official cocktail of the British Virgin Islands.

Located on the tip of billionaire playground Moskito Island, the seven-building property delivers panoramic Insta-worthy sundown and dawn views towards craggy cliffs, cerulean water, and nutmeg sand.

“Richard Branson purchased [it] in 2007 and offered plots selectively to create the estates,” Shaylene Todd Enlow, Moskito Island’s CEO, instructed T+L. “Managers, cooks, and mixologists function cruise administrators, customized to teams of visitors. When visitors arrive, all of the pondering is finished. No one worries about something besides shared adventures and experiences.”

A mild breeze lifts the plush tropical foliage as I meander down the Ipe hardwood steps to HQ, the property’s social hub. Inflatable slices of orange, lime, and watermelon stack neatly beside the infinity pool, punctuated by a tiki bar that appears to hold in area over the cliff. Moody skies and churning seas are on full show via the wall-to-wall home windows framing the indoor-outdoor area. Ornamental screens enable tradewinds to blow freely all through the constructing, offering a cooling respite from the tropical local weather.

The whole lot feels richly textured as I wander across the communal gathering area: woven ceilings and chandeliers, delicately beaded placemats on the tables, fringed pillows in a kaleidoscope of colours from the encompassing panorama, hand-painted terracotta tiles line the kitchen backsplash (only one model of the over 100 varieties throughout the property), and the centerpiece: a set of cabled nets for lounging, opening to the evening sky. I elevate a glass of champagne to the twinkling stars peeking via the clouds, toasting what guarantees to be a unprecedented weekend.

Right here, my evaluation of Cape Stout Property, and the way it’s including to the narrative of customized, ultra-luxe experiences on Moskito Island within the BVIs.

The Rooms

The property’s seven suites provide a choose-your-own-adventure model of keep. Widespread components embrace outside showers, absolutely stocked minibars, a choice of espresso and tea for the Smeg espresso maker, a Sonos speaker system, every day housekeeping, and beautiful views from floor-to-ceiling home windows.

I stayed within the Sand suite with panoramic views of ocean waves crashing on the secluded Honeymoon Seaside beneath. The thoughtfully apportioned area afforded me a lounge with floor-to-ceiling home windows, blackout shades for rejuvenating sleep, gentle mauve swivel armchairs, a trio of dusky green-blue accent tables that mirror the ocean exterior, and a mustard-colored low profile couch strewn with ivory boucle pillows. A vibrant summary portray of a tropical drink with shades of aqua, raspberry, coral, and saffron anchors the lounge. The partition to the king bed room showcases intricate woodworking and results in the loft with an extra couch mattress, making this best for households.

Subsequent door, the Salt suite mirrors mine with a special shade palate. Downstairs, the Surf suite affords the identical king mattress and luxe ensuite lavatory setup with out the loft. Only a brief path away, the Seaside Barn is a hotspot for teenagers of all ages. The deluxe suite options two ranges, three queen beds, and two double beds arrange sleeper train-style. Outfitted with a sound system, TV, and PlayStation, the lounge space retains the leisure going. The romantic Clifftop and Nest suites function non-public gardens, plunge swimming pools, king beds, and full ensuite bogs with walk-in closets.

Cape Stout Property can accommodate 24 visitors and is offered for unique buyouts solely. Throughout off-season, the nightly charge for the whole property checks in at $24,000. Charges fluctuate by season.

Meals and Drink

Chef Dhani Inderpal greets visitors each morning with a scorching breakfast ready to order. The scent of freshly brewed espresso pulled me from my slumber every day to HQ, the place all of the visitors gathered for communal meals. An array of recent fruit, moist carrot bread, croissants, in a single day oats, and extra populated the bar, whereas a menu of conventional breakfast gadgets like pancakes and omelets was whipped up within the open kitchen. I let Chef Inderpal shock me every day together with his distinctive creations, from shakshouka to eggs Benedict to breakfast burritos. Recent squeezed juices, coconut water, and creative wellness pictures — just like the zippy turmeric on my final day — supplied loads of hydration.

Earlier than we arrived on the island, the Cape Stout workforce known as to debate every part from dietary restrictions and menu choices to how we wished to spend our days. They constructed a draft itinerary, wine listing, and menus that we custom-made in order that after I arrived, my favourite wine was stocked within the cellar, and all of the meals I liked have been in rotation. No matter we wished, irrespective of how particular the request, was obtainable. The whole lot was thoughtfully ready, and produce from the island’s gardens and fruit bushes was included, from breakfast to snacks to lunch to dinner.

Actions and Facilities

It’s onerous to encapsulate the depth of choices right here as a result of if you happen to dream it, they make it occur.

There are billiards, cornhole setups, a number of scorching tubs, and a listening lounge geared up with 250 information. And coming for subsequent season: a video games pavilion overlooking the waterfront with pool desk, darts, and extra. A full gymnasium with Peloton gear, free weights, and yoga gear enhances the numerous watersport choices, together with the 42-foot energy boat that comfortably suits 12 individuals and three crew, good for exploring the famed North Sound and past.

The whole lot is included, however you possibly can add hearth dancing demonstrations, DJ dance events, non-public spa remedies, scuba diving, cooking courses, and extra. Wheeler organized a visit with Sunchaser Scuba for the weekend. After a 7:45 a.m. departure, we motored out to Sharkplaneo to discover some aircraft wrecks. Then we hit the motherload on the Kodiak Queen, a Pearl Harbor survivor with an intact construction that held an indoor jungle gymnasium of sights and swim-throughs with plenty of marine life, together with a 6-foot nurse shark ready on the exit.

Visitors also can e-book complimentary time on the Seaside Home, a communal area for all of the estates that options grass tennis courts, climbing trails, swimming pools, an geared up gymnasium, a watersports heart, and loads of entertaining area.

Household-friendly Choices

Past the unimaginable luxurious, a cornucopia of choices will hold multi-generational vacationers returning for extra. The community of terraces, gardens, pavilions, and paths supplies intimate areas for {couples} to take pleasure in sunsets, expansive tables for everybody to assemble round a shared meal, quite a lot of swimming pools of various depths for plunging or floating, courtyards crammed with outside video games, and seashores stocked with watersport autos like e-foils, paddleboards, water skis, and extra.

A half-basketball court docket does double responsibility as an outside film theatre with stadium seating. The canal pool is the crown jewel for household enjoyable — many hours can be spent floating down the lazy river-style pool. Baskets of bug spray, sunscreen, and luxe pool towels are sprinkled all through, a couple of much less issues to pack.

Accessibility and Sustainability

Cape Stout doesn’t provide any ADA-compliant rooms, however different resorts on Moskito Island have flat, ground-level pathing and elevators.

On the sustainability entrance, Cape Stout and Moskito Island, as an entire, examine many packing containers. The water provide is totally self-made on the island. All rooms, bars, and eating places make the most of glass servingware. A glass bottling plant is on the horizon. Within the meantime, they’ve a glass crusher to recycle all these bottles, a cardboard recycling program, and every bar shares biodegradable seaweed straws, a step additional than these paper straws that disintegrate in your drink. Additionally they have a number of gardens that seed the chef’s choices, together with a stone path via a hall of grapefruit, orange, avocado, soursop, and statuesque coconut bushes laden with fruit.

Location

Most visitors fly into Beef Island’s Terrance B. Lettsome Airport and board the Moskito Island shuttle to the dock (included in reserving price), a speedy two-minute drive. From there, a speedboat takes you on to Moskito Island, about half-hour away. Visitors even have the choice of paying to reach by helicopter. The Caribbean Buzz helicopter service operates between the BVI, USVI, and San Juan and might take as much as eight passengers.

A direct flight on American Airways from Miami is new to the combo. Reasonably than transferring to one of many Caribbean airways at areas like San Juan or St. Maarten, vacationers from the U.S. can take pleasure in uninterrupted air journey straight to the Moskito Island shuttle at EIS. As soon as on Moskito Island, a fleet of mokes chauffeured by every property’s employees carry visitors wherever they should go.

Easy methods to Get the Most Worth Out of Your Keep

As an impartial, all-inclusive property, worth is discovered extra within the time you e-book than in rewards packages. Off-season is August via October and affords the most effective worth, however that can also be squarely inside hurricane season, so unpredictable climate is the added price. Mid-season, Might via July, affords financial savings as properly.