Champagne and Long Walks at Peter Island

This past Sunday a group of us girls hopped on the ferry over to Peter Island to say goodbye to a dear friend.

Sadly, goodbyes are all too frequent in the BVI – it’s by and large a transient place since it’s difficult for expats to put down roots. But as sad as it is, nowadays with all the photos and stories on social media, it’s never been easier to keep up with old friends and their new adventures – even if it’s no longer over a glass of happy hour champagne after work.

She had planned the perfect day and we took full advantage of beautiful Peter Island and their delightful Resort & Spa. First with a 5 mile hike around the island and then with a well-deserved (guilt free) three-course lunch and plenty of bottles of chilled champagne.

After we disembarked the ferry (a 30 minute ride from CSY dock just outside Road Town – find the schedule here) we headed straight down to Deadman’s beach – made sure that we had enough water, put on our sensible shoes and started the climb up the road from the beach.

It isn’t a quick or easy hike (it took us roughly an hour and 45 minutes) but it is manageable and affords some lovely views, which make all of the effort worthwhile. They also have a couple of water stop/lookouts with benches and a small amount of shade, so you can take a breather along the way. (Remember to top up your water bottles as you go, it gets very hot).

Somehow we never seem to learn and always end up doing these things later in the morning than we intended, (you know what they say about mad dogs and English (wo)men…) and there’s not much shade on the trail so plenty of sunscreen is a necessity. A hat would also be beneficial.

Reaching the summit – the name of this section of the hike is ‘Sunset Loop’ so while very beautiful at midday, it also affords gorgeous views looking West at sunset.

Once we had finished our walk, and burnt an impressive number of those pesky calories (along with a few faces and shoulders – okay, just mine…), we headed back to Deadman’s Bar and Grill to replenish them with champagne and a delicious lunch.

(With some advanced preparation the resort’s F&B and restaurant team had kindly agreed to create a special menu for our table. This is worth considering if you’re a large enough group visiting for a special occasion. Ordinarily Deadman’s Bar and Grill serves a casual, tasty lunch menu comprising salads, wraps, sandwiches and pizzas. More on their menu here.)

Peter Island Resort & Spa is all about the attention to detail and the little touches. This even extended down to the personalized menus.

The beautifully fresh spring salad with a crispy egg was a superb start to the meal. Clean plates all round!

The blackened (locally caught) Mahi Mahi was unexpectedly spicy, but very, very good. The portion, complete with tender pieces of Caribbean lobster and home made pasta, was very big though and I struggled to finish my plate.

The vegetarian option was a Spanikopita-style pie, with flaky filo pastry wrapped around a spinach and cheese filling.

Tandoori Game Hen with it’s accompanying sauces and sides was popular.

Decadent chocolate fondant with its puddle of salted caramel ice cream (whenever I see salted caramel on a menu I am utterly compelled to order it).

Honey ricotta stuffed crepes – with another tempting ice cream.

Note: regardless of whether you order off the regular menu or a specially arranged prix-fixe menu the signature Peter Island cookies still make an appearance at the end. 🙂

Thoroughly sated after our wonderful lunch, there was just enough time for a quick look around the gift shop before despondently making our way back to the boat to head home.

We’re already planning our next visit (though very sadly with one less member of our crew) – with all the best intentions to get the early boat over so that we can hike before the sun gets too high. Hopefully this will also allow me enough time to sneak in a quick spa appointment as Peter Island has one of the best in the Territory. I’ll be sure to update you if I do!

EDIT: Very sadly the Peter Island Resort & Spa suffered significant damage during Hurricane Irma in September 2017 – the resort is now closed until further notice. As with all the businesses that closed post-Irma, I look forward to bringing you re-opening updates just as soon as I am able to. 

PS. Please note that the Peter Island ferry and the Resort & Spa areas are reserved for their guests. If you wish to plan a day trip please communicate this to the Resort and make the necessary reservations. Ensure that you dress and behave appropriately and be aware that charges for the ferry may apply.