Necker Island

Necker Island: $78,000 a Night and What You Get For It

Richard Branson bought Necker Island in 1978 for £180,000. It was a 74-acre uninhabited island in the North Sound of the British Virgin Islands with no fresh water and no buildings. He was told it was worth £3 million. He offered £175,000, was refused, came back with £180,000, and got it on the condition he develop it within five years or the government would take it back. He built a Balinese-style Great House on the highest point of the island and opened it to rentals.

Exclusive use of the island currently starts at around USD 78,000 per night. This accommodates up to 34 guests across the Great House (10 suites) and the Bali Houses (separate cottages with private plunge pools). The price includes all food, staff, and activities. The staff-to-guest ratio is substantially higher than one-to-one.

The Great House sits at the island’s summit, open to the trade wind on all sides. The food is prepared by resident chefs using local seafood and produce from the island’s own gardens. All watersports equipment is included: kayaks, windsurfers, wakeboards, snorkelling gear, kiteboarding equipment, and the speedboat. Scuba diving and fishing trips are arranged on request.

The coral reefs around Necker are in reasonable condition. Hawksbill sea turtles nest on the beaches seasonally. Reef sharks and rays are present and habituated to divers.

Celebration Weeks

Around ten times per year, the island opens on a “house party” basis where individual guests book at rates starting around USD 5,000 to 7,500 per person per week. You share the island with other guests you haven’t met. This is how most individuals actually experience Necker rather than chartering it wholesale. The demographic of fellow guests is predictably varied – technology executives, finance professionals, the occasional celebrity – which makes for dinner conversation that is, at minimum, not boring.

Getting There

Access is by boat from Beef Island (Tortola) or by helicopter from Beef Island Airport. Flights into the BVI connect through Miami, San Juan, or Antigua. The Virgin Limited Edition team coordinates all logistics from the point of arrival.

The BVI Beyond Necker

The British Virgin Islands have enough to justify a trip even without the island. Virgin Gorda has the Baths – dramatic granite boulders creating grottos and pools above a beach that appears on every Caribbean shortlist for good reason. Jost Van Dyke has the beach bars of White Bay, including the Soggy Dollar Bar, which accepts the swimming-in payment that gave it its name. Cooper Island has good diving at the Indians. Necker is visible from the North Sound by boat, which is the closest most visitors will get to the island – and it is enough to understand why someone paid £180,000 for it in 1978.