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Background: Necker Island is Sir Richard Branson’s home and favorite hideaway situated in the British Virgin Islands, a stunning and unspoiled area of the Caribbean. My wife and I are currently enjoying a 1 week vacation on Necker Island. The usual price for a Celebration Week on the island is just north of $30,000. Instead, we paid 1.2 million Virgin Atlantic miles. For additional background, please see “Considering the 1.2 million mile Necker Island challenge,” and “Days away from Necker Island.”
* The island is normally hired exclusively for up to 34 guests sharing 17 bedrooms on an all- inclusive basis. Rates start from $78,000 per night ($2,294 per person per night). It can also be shared with others during Celebration Weeks; these are held several times each year and allow guests to book individual rooms as opposed to hiring the entire island. Prices for Celebration Weeks start from $30,000 for a 7 night stay.
On Saturday, we awoke at 4:30 am in an Orlando Airport hotel room where we had spent the night. Our 6 a.m. JetBlue flight to Puerto Rico was uneventful. At the San Juan airport we were booked into a 2:30pm flight to Beef Island, but we managed to fly standby on an earlier flight instead. Once we cleared immigration and customs at Beef Island, a van picked us up to drive us to the dock. There, Necker Island staff were waiting with champagne and a speedboat to take the 12 guests who had arrived around the same time to the island. Please checkout this video for more about our travels to Necker Island:
When we arrived at the island, several staff members and Richard Branson himself greeted us. The 12 of us were shown to a nearby table for a magnificent lunch and a magnificent view. Nearly everyone was giddy about being here. My wife and I really enjoyed getting to know several of the other guests. While I didn’t get a picture of the lunch area, here’s the view from the pool which is only steps away:
There are several different buildings containing Necker Island’s guest rooms. Ours was is the Great House. There, we found that our room was very nice, and that the balcony and view were fantastic:
I was eager to get out to the water, so I headed out to nearby Turtle Beach where I was told that I could snorkel at any time. Things didn’t go exactly as planned. The exciting snorkeling adventure story can be found in the following video. Enjoy!
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[…] Definitely Necker Island! That trip exceeded my expectations. It really was like stepping onto Fantasy Island. It’s not like it’s over the top luxury. Even though staff are all over the place, they’re not in your face the way that some places may be. They’ wee just friendly, like they were hosting us in their house. It was just absolutely terrific. There’s something special about sharing that experience with no more than 30 total guests. It was a quick bonding experience with other people from around the world. Just very special. […]
[…] Necker Island Day 1 […]
[…] Definitely Necker Island! That trip exceeded my expectations. It really was like stepping onto Fantasy Island. It’s not like it’s over the top luxury. Even though staff are all over the place, they’re not in your face the way that some places may be. They’ wee just friendly, like they were hosting us in their house. It was just absolutely terrific. There’s something special about sharing that experience with no more than 30 total guests. It was a quick bonding experience with other people from around the world. Just very special. […]
I’m trying to figure out which Great House bedroom you stayed in and what the heck that building to the left of your terrace is. I don’t see anything like that on the Great House floor plan. Huh. Was it bedroom 5, maybe? (But still…what the heck is that building?) Did you have an outdoor shower on your terrace? Anyhew…so jealous, but very happy for you. I visit Necker Island frequently, but only in my way-too-detailed imagination.
We were in room 2. What you see to the left is part of the Great House. You’re probably seeing the the Bunk Room to the left of our terrace. The door to the bunk room was open once — it looked sooo cool with gigantic teddy bears. I didn’t go all the way in, though. My guess is that the bunk room is larger than a regular room but doesn’t have a terrace. Again, this is just a guess.
Yes we had an outdoor shower — I used it every day! Other than the Master Suite, I think that rooms 2,3, and 4 in the Great House are the best because there is a lot of privacy on the terrace and an amazing view of the ocean, and of the sunset at night. The rooms on the other side of the hall have terraces that look over the island and then the water. Those are still very nice, but I don’t think you’d have much privacy on the terrace.
Thanks for solving the mystery, Greg! I was thinking the Bunk Room is on the main floor, not upstairs with the other bedrooms. And yes, if I had an outdoor shower, I’d be in it all the time too!
Both are on the main floor. I never saw the upstairs.
[…] Necker Island Day 1 […]
I hope you got a photo with Richard Branson!
Great video, better than 20 photo reviews!
How cool especially meeting Sir Richard Branson. Thank you for sharing the experience. You are one of my favorites for all your clever ways of generating miles.
I’ve robbed your house of all furnishings.
Thanks for letting me know you were leaving.
You realize you could have bought those points from Virgin Atlantic for only 5 cents each?
This is AMAZING. I am so jealous!!! Keep the tripe reports coming.
[…] See also:Necker Island Day 1. […]
How awesome!! Thanks for sharing, you are amazing!
So great and aspirational. Shows us the best that our hobby has to offer! Thanks for sharing and enjoy ithe mightily! (Did I just say mightily?)
looking forward to more reviews and vids from your trip!
Hardly rough for this time of year. Get in and snorkel a bit! By Friday the waves should be less after building a bit for the next 3 days. Can’t wait to see the snorkel videos . . .
You were right. Friday was perfect for snorkeling. Had a blast.