The British Virgin Islands have long been a favored escape for the discerning elite and A-list celebrities, rivaling Caribbean heavyweights like St. Barths and Anguilla. While the archipelago may not feature the scenic drama of St. Lucia or the championship golf courses of the Dominican Republic, I love it for its stylish charm, sublime sailing grounds, world-class bonefishing and picture-perfect beaches. After eight years of post-hurricane recovery, the BVI are back, along with two of the region’s most iconic hotels: Rosewood Little Dix Bay and Peter Island Resort. These storied properties reopened after major refurbishments, and I couldn’t wait to see how they turned out.

Rosewood Little Dix Bay

Set on 500 acres of emerald rainforest and a pristine white-sand crescent on Virgin Gorda, this property closed for renovations in 2016. However, catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Irma kept its doors shut. After a multimillion-dollar investment, the 81-room Rosewood Little Dix Bay reopened in 2020.

Led by New York-based studio Meyer Davis, the magnificent redesign stayed true to Laurance Rockefeller’s vision of the hotel he created in the 1960s, even maintaining the resort’s original layout and the eye-catching conical roofs of the Pavilion dining area. The renovation focused on resilience and sustainability, with discreetly integrated hurricane-proof windows, a new organic farm supplying fresh ingredients to the hotel’s four restaurants and bars, and the elimination of single-use plastics.