ROMANTIC RESORTS IN THE BVI

TORTOLA

Long Bay Beach Resort
P.O. Box 433
Road Town, Tortola
284-495-4252, Fax 284-495-4677
Reservations: 800-729-9599
$$
They call this resort Long Bay but we found that they might as well change the name to Long Beach. A mile-long white sand beach is the central focal point of this 105-room resort located near West End. All rooms, both hilltop and beachside, have views of the beach and the quiet waters of Long Bay.

The Moorings
P.O. Box 59
Road Town, Tortola
284-494-2332, Fax 284-494-2226
Reservations: 800-521-1126
www.moorings.com
$ and up
Ahoy mates, here's your chance to take to the seas on your own yacht. Well, maybe the yacht's not technically yours, but for a few days it will be home to yourselves and usually two or three other couples. You can rent a stateroom aboard a yacht and enjoy a luxurious trip around the islands (or for true luxury you can rent the entire boat, complete with the services of a captain and a cook.) The Moorings is the world's largest charter yacht company, an operation that started right in tiny Road Town.

Hotel Features: beachfront, casual and fine dining, tennis , freshwater swimming pool, sailing

Sugar Mill
P.O. Box 425
Road Town, Tortola
284-495-4355, Fax 284-495-4696
Reservations: 800-462-8834
www.sugarmillhotel.com
$$-$$$
If you're a cooking aficionado, you may already be familiar with the Sugar Mill's owners, Jinx and Jeff Morgan. These Bon Appetit columnists and cookbook authors have brought their expertise to the Caribbean in the Sugar Mill Restaurant (see Dining.)

But part of the recipe for happiness for this former California couple included not just a restaurant but a complete resort. Since 1982, the Morgans have operated this 21-room inn and made it a prime destination for couples looking for peace and privacy.

The Sugar Mill is one of the finest small inns in the Caribbean, offering visitors a chance to enjoy a spectacular setting while at the same time feeling part of island life. The rooms are nice but not distinctive. In our second floor room, air conditioning was provided by nature. We enjoyed a balcony and kitchen facilities and a simple room with a view of the lush grounds.

It's those grounds that draw visitors to this Tortola site. This hotel is located on the ruins of the Appleby Plantation, which dates back to this island's days of sugar and slaves. Little remains of the early buildings except the ruins of a 360-year-old sugar mill, today part of the hotel's elegant restaurant. Another reminder of the location's sugar history is the swimming pool. This circular tank is built on the site of a treadmill where oxen once powered the machinery to crush the sugar cane that eventually became rum.

Honeymooners will find a seven-night package that includes a deluxe room, bottle of champagne, massages for two, a castaway beach picnic for two, a day sail to neighboring islands, car rental, and more.

Hotel Features: beachfront, freshwater pool, casual and fine dining

VIRGIN GORDA

Biras Creek
P.O. Box 54
Virgin Gorda
284-494-3555, Fax 284-494-3557
Reservations: 800-608-9661
www.biras.com
$$$$
Biras Creek makes a mighty tempting offer to lovers: they'll maroon you on a deserted beach for the day. Just the two of you, a picnic basket and paradise.

Problem is, it's pretty tough to leave Biras Creek itself. This luxurious resort on Deep Bay combines beach resort and yacht club. The 32-suite property recently was purchased by Bert Houwer, who had vacationed at the hotel for 14 years. You can't get a much better guest recommendation than that.

Biras Creek offers a complete wedding package with marriage license, registrar's fee, floral arrangement, wedding cake, champagne toast and photographer. Pick from an outdoor ceremony or an intimate exchange of vows on a 47-foot luxury yacht.

Hotel Features: beachfront, FAP (all meals included), watersports, tennis, fine and casual dining, freshwater pool

Bitter End Yacht Club
P.O. Box 46
Virgin Gorda
284-494-2746, Fax 284-494-4756
Reservations: 800-872-2392
www. beyc.com
$$$$
This 100-room resort is located at the "bitter end" of the BVI on the North Sound. Reached only by boat, this resort gives you the real feeling of staying at a yacht club, where days are spent in close connection with the sea. The resort boasts 150 vessels, the largest fleet of recreational boats in the Caribbean. Many guests arrive via their own craft and simply dock for their stay. Those without a boat can stay in a resort room or aboard one of the club yachts. Spend the day in your "room" boating among the islands, then return to port at night and enjoy a quiet meal in the resort's elegant restaurant.

Lovebirds will find a seven-night honeymoon package here that includes a beachfront villa, a refrigerator stocked with orange juice and champagne, a sunset sail on the North Sound, a daysailer or outboard skiff to explore quiet coves, and more. Even if you don't take the package, there's plenty of romance at this resort, from mornings spent on the hillside hiking trails among orchids and island birds to afternoons spent learning to sail together.
Hotel Features: beachfront, FAP (all meals), marina, casual and fine dining, sailing school

Little Dix Bay
P.O. Box 70
The Valley, Virgin Gorda
284-495-5555, Fax 284-495-5661
Reservations: 800-928-3000
www.littledixbay.com
$$$$
We have fond memories of our stay at Little Dix: lazing beneath a palm palapa, snorkeling just offshore, enjoying our rondoval guest room with a wonderful view in every direction, dining outdoors to the music of whistling tree frogs.

Apparently plenty of other couples also have good memories of Little Dix; it boasts a wonderful repeat business. Many customers have been coming since the days Laurance Rockefeller first developed this property in 1964. Today the hotel still has the same attention to service as it did in its Rockresort days; you'll find that the ratio of employees to guests is one to one.

Hotel Features: casual and fine dining, tennis , watersports, dive shop, Sunfish sailboats and kayaks

Toad Hall
P.O. Box 7
Virgin Gorda
284-495-5397, Fax 284-495-5708
www.toadhallvg.com
$$$$
This elegant inn offers its guests privacy and one-of-a-kind rooms where you'll truly feel like you're living outdoors. Scattered among the six and a half acres are three guest suites, bath cottages with stone showers tucked into screened gardens (and one with a whirlpool bath), dining room, kitchen, and living room. The real treat is the location: perched just above The Baths this inn has the only private access to the park beach. The atmosphere of The Baths is felt here at the inn as well; granite boulders tumble from the sides of the swimming pool, mimicking the natural pools just down the hill.

Hotel Features: freshwater pool, music system and video players

PETER ISLAND

Peter Island Resort
P.O. Box 211
Road Town, Tortola
284-495-2000, Fax 284-495-2500
Reservations: 800-346-4451
www.peterisland.com
$$$$
This is true luxury: a resort that occupies an entire island. Owned by the Amway Corporation (a fact that most visitors are unaware of except for the can of Amway spot remover in the closet), Peter Island is truly a place where romance can flourish like the bougainvillea, hibiscus, and sea grapes that dot its hills. This 1,800-acre island is paradise for couples. It starts with your arrival by private launch from Tortola, and continues as you check in and see your guest room: a combination of Scandinavian and Caribbean styles.

Lovers can try the special Island Romance package, which includes a day sail to the Baths in Virgin Gorda, champagne on arrival, and a photo album. Other packages include scuba diving, a combination land and sea stay with two nights on your own private yacht with guide, crew and cook.

For us, though, Peter Island's most memorable feature is its beach. Here we lazed away one afternoon in a hammock built for two beneath the shade of some of the most impressive coconut palms we've ever seen in the Caribbean. They were planted by the daughter of an early island family, and today they stand in tall, straight rows looking out on the turquoise waters dotted with nearby islands.

The most isolated spot is Honeymoon Beach, perfectly named and outfitted with nothing but two lounge chairs and a single thatch hut.

Hotel Features: beachfront, casual and fine dining, freshwater pool, tennis, yacht harbor, watersports center and dive shop, fitness center and massage center