Situated around a crescent beachfront in front of the gemstone-like hues of the Caribbean sea, Rosewood Little Dix Bay could be considered a hidden gem in the British Virgin Islands. But really, the resort is something of a landmark after nearly 60 years in operation.
Founded in 1964 by American financier and conservationist Laurance Rockefeller (yes, of those Rockefellers), Rosewood Hotels has owned the Little Dix Bay resort property since the early 1990s. The 500-acre property completed a four-year renovation in early 2020 after closing for a partial refurbishment in 2016 before being entirely shuttered in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Little Dix Bay offers 81 accommodations, consisting of 42 guestrooms, 35 suites, two beach houses and two hillside villas. Based on the designs of luxury architecture firm OBMI and New York-based design team Meyer Davis, the most prominent upgrades can be seen in the modernization of the suites and dockside as well as the new Reef House restaurant. Overall, the property’s blend of sophisticated Caribbean sensibility with mid-century modern design is meant to evoke a relaxed yet refined sense of luxury bolstered by the surrounding natural beauty.
Central to that is the restaurant’s food and dining program. Reef House, the resort’s colorfully designed signature restaurant, showcases premier al fresco “farm-to-fork” dining for lunch and dinner, with fresh provisions and ingredients sourced daily from the property’s on-site garden as well as through local purveyors.
Rosewood Little Dix Bay recently announced the appointment of new executive chef Andy Gaskin, who will oversee the resort’s four restaurants and bars, which along with Reef House include Pavilion (open early in the morning for full service breakfast), Sugar Mill (open for dinner and serving tapas-style dishes with an island influence), and Rum Room, a craft cocktail bar that has 107 different labels of aged and rare rums in its collection. All of the restaurants are open air, but keep the guests well protected from the fierce sunshine and any unexpected rain.
The resort also offers a range of activities including water sports (such as snorkeling and kayaking), sailing lessons, and plenty of onsite fitness options with the fully equipped gym, six tennis courts, and two pickleball courts with the option to book private lessons with an instructor. Offsite, guests can book private tours to exploring the local baths of Virgin Gorda as well as curated “beach drops” to one of the seven secluded beaches on Virgin Gorda accessible via boat. For the day, guests can have their own personal and private beach day with a picnic lunch and enjoy an afternoon of sunbathing, swimming, and snorkeling.
For a more adventurous beach day, guests can tour the “wilderness beach,” dubbed as such by founder Laurance Rockefeller. In a guided tour, guests can partake in a Snorkeling Safari where they will bear witness to the incredible sea life native to the destination. Also there is an exploration of the area’s wildlife, where guests are invited on a scavenger hunt throughout the island to find different species of animals and flora, and a hike on the property’s grounds to experience sea life and fish.
For a more relaxing experience, Sense, A Rosewood Spa, is perched high on a hilltop with the best views in the area, which spa goers can enjoy from private plunge pools while sipping on herbal teas. But the spa here also offers an offsite excursion: the “Journey to the Baths” package is a unique wellness offering in which guests can explore the healing waters of British Virgin Islands in a national park, followed by a body or face spa treatment back at the hotel.
Rates at the Rosewood Little Dix Bay start at $1,125 per night for an ocean view cottage with a private patio. Low season coincides with hurricane season, which should be wrapping up by November, and the property is gearing up for a busy holiday season starting in December.
Reaching the British Virgin Islands does take some planning, either by air or sea, although it is soon about to be easier than ever. Tradewind Aviation, a U.S.-based aircraft operator that provides both scheduled and private charter service in the Caribbean as well as New England, is expanding its service with a new route between San Juan International Airport in Puerto Rico to Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. And while the airfield at Virgin Gorda is quite small, the huge benefit is that it is less than a five-minute drive from the Rosewood property.
Tradewind recently invested in expanding its aircraft fleet with the acquisition of 20 new PC-12 NGX pressurized, single-engine airplanes, which will be delivered over the next five years. Having pressurized cabins is a big selling point for Tradewind as many other shuttle airplanes in the Caribbean, including to the British Virgin Islands, are not pressurized, resulting in hotter cabins and restrictions on how high the aircraft can fly, which is a sticking point when it comes to flying in inclement weather.
Tradewind’s scheduled service to St. Barths is available year-round from San Juan and Antigua. Additionally, from December 2023 to April 2024, Tradewind’s scheduled service to Anguilla will return with flights departing from San Juan.
The Virgin Gorda launch follows Tradewind’s expansion in September into the southeastern United States with the opening of a new aircraft base near Palm Beach, Florida, continuing its growth plans for 2023 and beyond. Tradewind says its opening of a Florida base is reflective of the continued rise in demand for private charter services.