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Sprat Bay,
popular with yachtsmen from around the world (with moorings, ice, water, fuel and showers
available), is the water entrance to Peter Island. The Resort's land
entrance is also shown here. The ferry
from Road Town (494-9647 schedule), free
for those with dinner reservations, costs $14 per person each way. See Peter Island map and ferry routes.
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 The Silmaril (495-9225), a 41'
sailing yacht pictured here at Sprat Bay, is available for various charters tailored
to your needs from $95 each for 4-6 persons per day as well as part of Peter
Island Resort's Ashore/ Afloat
package. |
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Deadman's
Bay, a gorgeous beach rated as one of world's ten most romantic
beaches, sweeps along a mile-long crescent lined with coconut
palms and seagrape trees. Couples love to stroll in the fading evening light (photo: Jere Lull). |
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The
grassy bottom of Deadman's Bay that may make it difficult to set a hook is
good for snorkeling the seagrass beds.
Keep an eye out for the Green Sea Turtle foraging the Turtle Grass. Barbecues are
often held with dancing on the beautiful beach. A steel drum band
plays every Sunday with a West Indian brunch. Monday is
"West Indian night" with moko jumbee dancers on stilts (hear Peter
Island music). |
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A good day-anchorage (overnight as well if there is no
northern swell), this is a yachtsman's favorite. |
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Also located on Deadman's Bay is a water sports
center for guests, with complementary use of its windsurfers, sea kayaks, Hobies,
lazers, sunfish and snorkeling gear. The Bay is great for sailing and snorkeling is good
on both ends of the beach.
The west side of Deadman's Bay, where the beach is inside the area marked
off by the swimming area buoys, is for resort guests only. |
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| Deadman's Beach Bar
& Grill, the popular restaurant with good food pictured here, is
located right in the middle of the famous beach. Try Bartender Flo's Mango Smoothie! |
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| Tradewinds Restaurant. Well
worth a special trip to the island, seabreezes and spectacular views
enchance superb food. |
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New settings of German china, French silverware and Italian
crystal. |
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The masterful
cuisine of Chef "Willo" Stout, a member of the gold
medal winning BVI Culinary Team, combines indigenous elements
with international influences, such as cinnamon-baked rack of lamb with
plantains and artichokes or conch ravioli with banana-lemon chutney
(featured on the 1998 BVI calendar).  Heading
a new wine room, Commander Sommelier Cotton has weekly tastings
followed by a progressive "fusion" dinner matching the cuisine
with an international selection of wines as well as other tastings such as Cuban
cigars and Caribbean rums.
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| Drake's Channel
Lounge has concoctions it's best to stay away from to avoid catching
island fever, like the Mango Smoothie blended with ice cream,
rum and coconut cream. You've been warned--the virulent stage is the moonlight
madness, and it's contagious. :) |
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 Anchorages
and Beaches on Peter Island include protected overnight anchorages at Little
Harbour and Great Harbour (good snorkeling but be sure to avoid
the local fishermen) as well as Key Bay (with excellent snorkeling) and White Bay, so named for
its long, sparkling white sand beach pictured here, both on the south
coast of Peter Island. In Great Harbour,
Callaloo at the
Beach offers lunch and dinner. |
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Activities and
Facilities. Facilites include a fitness and massage therapy
center, a beautiful pool, and an outstanding tennis program.
Also, Peter Island features a botanist trail, salt ponds, palm
forests, and a thached hut at Honeymoon Beach.
Mountain bikes and courtesy vans are available for transportation. See map. |
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 Big
Reef Bay has an exercise
trial alongside its beach and foaming surf. |
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Dive
Sites. Peter Island has 30 dive sites within a 20
minute boat ride. Interestingly, the old Willie T floating
bar/restaurant is near here. Dive down and have a "drink" at the underwater
bar at the old Baltic Schooner--now you can jump
off the roof with ease! |
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Shark
Point is an advanced dive site formed by Peter Island Bluff, the scenic
overlook of the Loop trail, continuing underwater into a
"crossroads" of pelagic (ocean roaming) and local sealife. Schools of
horse-eyed jacks, butterflyfish, "clouds" of Bermuda chub, and
even the rare shark intermingle along the current-swept rocky ridges (see story). |
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| Carrot Shoal, an
open water formation, which gets its name from the fine branches of the legally protected black
coral, which resemble lacey carrot tops, consists of rocky
ledges that themselves resemble underwater train cars at a station platform. Other
Peter Island sites include Black Tip Reef, the Rhone
Anchor (only), the dive wreck Fearless and Truck
Reef, a collection of underwater cars and trucks. |
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Juvenile Blue Tang are pictured flitting over mounds
of Starlet Fire Coral as sea fans and rod
gorgonians gently wave in the light currents at Alice's Backside
near Ginger Island. |
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Nearby
Dead Chest Island, an uninhabited National Park, has three dive sites
reached by dinghying over from Deadman's Bay. Coral
Gardens, a friendly site for novices and snorkelers in very
calm weather (but watch for boat traffic), gets its name from the many massive
heads of brain, star and sheet corals resembling an acquatic garden. Dead
Chest West, a series of discoveries, including an archway, caves, bowls and
mazes. Painted Walls. But
the featured, top-ten attraction are those technicolor box canyons,
Painted Walls. Spilling down a rocky ridge under the foaming surf into three canyons with absolutely
vertical walls totally encrusted with sponges and cup corals brilliant
with color and hiding flame scallops and Christmas tree worms (see report ). Excellent
visibility and the explosion of color make Painted Walls perhaps the most
photogenic BVI dive site. Avoid if the surge is strong (photo from ScubaMom).
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.gif) |
Dead Chest Island reputedly got its name when the
notorious Blackbeard, after a mutiny, put 15 men ashore on this island
with only a bottle of rum--hence the song: "15 men on a dead man's chest, yo ho ho
and a bottle of rum." See Pirates &
Privateers. |
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