Virgin Gorda
Beach Coast
LITTLE DIX BAY
No Frames    Frames

Earning its five stars, Little Dix Bay (web site, email 495-5555) offers personalized service for its guests, from the airport greeting to picnic lunchs and its many activities.

The resort has all the dining establishments, activites and facilities in a self-contained setting, yet is close enough for quick taxi ride or a 15-20 minute walk to The Valley for those seeking more diverse island life.

Built with the romantic notion of the vacationing guest enjoying the "idle pleasures of the beachcomber," the original design by Lawrence Rockefeller blended architecture with the natural beauty of the islands. Gifted stonemasons and other artesans incorporated stone and woods such as purple heart, mahogany and ash into the structures.

Guests arriving by water through a cut in the reef will not notice any obtrusive buildings, only white sand with Bohio sunshades. The 98 suites and rooms are scattered along the length of the cove grouped from two to eight to a building and secluded from the beach by a grove of coconut palms and seagrapes.

The Premium Cottages are the most desirable, built in beachside pairs of nicely-styled, somewhat larger, hexagonal room shapes that feature fieldstone walls, peaked roofs and exposed wood beams. And with more spacious bathrooms.

The Deluxe Cottages, also hexagonal, are on stilts nestled in the sea grapes a few yards from the beach, with expansive downstairs patio with hammock and upper sun deck.

All rooms have been tastefully redecorated in the recent past, and have air-conditioning, separate sitting area, desk and a small refrigerator as well as private balconies or patios.

Also, the two suites feature separate living and sleeping areas, a spacious bathroom with a deep, oversized bathtub and a separate shower and direct access to the beach from its patios.

The best locations for those seeking seclusion are, of course, away from the two main activity areas, especially the pier with its beach house grill and watersports center (see map).

The emphasis is on naturalistic landscaping, in keeping with Laurence Rockefeller's original concept of an eco-friendly resort.

Strolling the grounds of Little Dix Bay is a favorite activity--and like touring a succession of small gardens. Mahogany and calabash trees add to the canopy of palms and seagrapes. The terrain is broken by an occasional group of granite boulders. Amid the profusion of bougainvillea, flamboyant and the intensely fragrant frangipani, unusual plants such as silk oak blend with the tropical flora.

Complementary activities include snorkeling gear and lessons, waterskiing, sunfish sailing with lessons, kayaking, hiking trails across the full 500 acre area, tennis racquets, ball machine and clinics, bicycling and water taxis to nearby beaches. Reserve the popular trip to a secluded cove a day or two ahead and make sure to take enough drinks.

And of course there is Little Dix Bay's famous Children's Program.

Every conceivable activity can be arranged by the staff at an extra cost, from diving, jeep rentals and island tours, fishing, glass-bottom boat tours, daysails, sunset cocktail cruises, and massage therapy.