Necker gets the headlines, but it only sells single rooms a few weeks a year. The British Virgin Islands have three other islands you can book by the room any time, and for most couples the pick is The Aerial on Buck Island: 44 acres, 16 rooms and an all-inclusive rate. Peter Island is the bigger resort, Guana Island the wildest, and Necker the bucket-list week.
Booking for live prices · Review for our take
| Hotel | From/night | Area | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guana Island | ~$1,225 | Off Tortola's north coast | Best for nature · 850 acres, 18 rooms · all-inclusive · book direct | Review ↓ |
| The Aerial, BVI | ~$1,250 | Buck Island, off Tortola | Best overall · 16 rooms · all-inclusive | Review ↓ |
| Peter Island Resort | ~$1,100 | Peter Island, south of Tortola | Biggest island · 52 rooms · reopened in 2024 | Review ↓ |
| Necker Island | ~$5,150 | Near Virgin Gorda | Bucket list · single rooms in set weeks only · book direct | Review ↓ |
Rates are per night for two. Each island has one resort and nothing else to stay in – the test the private island resorts hub applies everywhere.
Which BVI private island should you book?
For most couples, book The Aerial. It's small, everything is included, and you can book one room rather than the island. Check The Aerial, BVI availability first – the island never takes more than 32 guests.
For more space and more to do, book Peter Island. For hiking and empty beaches, book Guana Island. For Necker, pick one of its individual-stay weeks.
| Your trip | Book | Where | The trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small, all-inclusive, easy to book | The Aerial, BVI | Buck Island | A 44-acre island – no long walks |
| A full resort on a big island | Peter Island Resort | South of Tortola | 52 rooms – the busiest island here |
| Nature and empty beaches | Guana Island | Off Tortola | Books direct, with a service charge on top |
| Richard Branson's island | Necker Island | Near Virgin Gorda | Single rooms only in a few set weeks |
The Aerial, BVI
The couples' pick. The Aerial has all of Buck Island, 44 acres of beaches and sea cliffs off Tortola's east end. It started out as a whole-island rental and, since July 2023, sells single rooms by the night.
There are 16 rooms, each with its own name, spread across the island's houses and two hillside and beach palapas. None has a private pool. The island shares a saltwater infinity pool.
The rate is all-inclusive, with food, drinks and water sports. Rates start around $1,250 a night for two. The whole island is still available for a group.
Book this one if you want a small island, one bill, and nothing to organize once you land. Check The Aerial, BVI rates.
Peter Island Resort
The full resort. Peter Island is an 1,800-acre private island about 4 miles south of Tortola, and the resort is the only one on it. Boats run from Tortola several times a day.
It reopened in 2024 after seven years closed following Hurricane Irma. There are 52 rooms and junior suites, 28 of them on the beach, plus private villas. Two pools, a spa, tennis courts and five beaches make it the most resort-like island on this list.
Rates start around $1,100 a night. Check what's included before you compare it with The Aerial or Guana, which fold meals into the rate.
Book this one if you want a proper resort with room to spread out. Check Peter Island Resort rates.
Guana Island
The wild one. Guana is 850 acres of hills, trails and seven beaches off Tortola's north coast. There's no public bar, no marina, and only registered guests may land.
It takes no more than 35 guests in 18 rooms and villas – Sea View Cottages, plus the Harbor, North Beach, Anegada and Jost Villas. Meals and wine are included.
Sea View Cottages start around $1,225 a night for two, all-inclusive, and villas around $2,280, with a service charge on top. It books direct, not through the booking sites.
Book this one if you'd rather hike to an empty beach than lie by a pool. Check Guana Island availability.
Necker Island
The bucket list. Necker is Richard Branson's 74-acre island near Virgin Gorda, run by Virgin Limited Edition. Most of the year it rents only as a whole island.
In a few set weeks, it sells single rooms. For 2026 those are 21–28 September, 20–27 October, 18–29 November and 20–27 December. You share the island with the other guests that week.
Room rates start around $5,150 a night for two. Meals, drinks, boat transfers and water sports are included.
Book this one if you want to stay on Necker, and your dates fit one of its weeks. Check Necker Island individual stays – a handful of weeks is all there is.
Necker's single-room weeks are the only time a couple can book it. Outside them, the island is sold whole to one group.
Why Moskito Island isn't ranked
Moskito, Branson's second BVI island, is often listed next to Necker. It doesn't sell single rooms. Stays are booked by the estate, with a five-suite and three-night minimum – built for a group, not a couple.
Why the BVI has so many private islands
The British Virgin Islands are a scatter of small islands a short boat ride apart. That makes it easy for one resort to take a whole island and still be 20 minutes from an airport.
For a couple, the practical choice is The Aerial, Peter Island or Guana. The Aerial is where we'd start. Check The Aerial, BVI availability.
For stays over the water rather than on a private island, overwater bungalows in the Caribbean covers the region. Elsewhere, Panama has private islands on both coasts, and the Seychelles is the Indian Ocean equivalent.
When to go
December to April is the dry season and the Caribbean high season, with calm seas and the most reliable sun. It's also when rates peak.
June to November is hurricane season. Necker's single-room weeks fall in September to December, so check the forecast, and consider travel insurance, if you book one.
FAQ
Images: Kevin Stroup / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0
