This article was first published in Atelier's July 2011 issue. 

After getting married to his beloved Joan, on Turtle Beach, Sir Richard Branson wanted a private paradise to spend time with his beautiful wife in the lap of nature, lavishly. He explored the British Virgin Island and fell in love with its natural beauty. In three years, with approximately Ten million dollars, Branson built his dream resort island – Necker Island. A man-made paradise. Today, the holiday destination is a getaway for most celebrities worldwide, Vandana Rana takes a sneak peek…

Princess Diana, Catherine Zeta Jones, Janet Jakson,  Mel Gibson, Larry Page, Eddie Murphy,  Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey are only a few names from the list of people who have enjoyed the luxury first-hand. The island spreads over 74 acres, rolled in white sand beaches, blocked-up in turquoise water, and surrounded with coral reefs. At Necker Island, the tide and the time are all yours to enjoy! 

You set the pace and everything is about your preferences and your likings. Vacations on Necker span a full spectrum of fun between two extremes – laid-back and adventurous. Catch extreme adventurous action, a romantic week, a family vacation, or a peaceful sojourn, at your wish and will.. Every corner of the resort is well-festooned with local stones, Brazilian hardwoods, antiques, art pieces and bamboo furniture along with island’s natural exquisiteness. 

The splendid bedrooms have open walls that allow refreshing breeze to enter the room. Moreover, with a 360 degree breathtaking view, the room is a blissful experience. And every room has something special to offer – beach, Caribbean Sea, et al. The staff at the island treats you like royalty. At your disposal you have a team of 60 staff members, a personal chef, two private beaches, private pools, tennis courts, breathtaking views, and a wide array of water sports equipment. The island offers perfect setting for celebrations, weddings, sports vacations or simply a rejuvenating holiday. 

Accommodation

One can go alone, with family or a group of friends, the entire island can be booked for self! If you book the resort exclusively for your 28 guests, it costs about $54,500 to $56,000 per night. While booking individual rooms for a week costs $ 26,495 to 28,490 per couple, per night. This resort has impressive stay options and venues for every occasion to help one make the best of the time here.  

The Great House

The Great House is a second home for Richard Branson. He loves spending time here, whenever he can for a quick rejuvenation. The Great House is also a common celebration place at the island, where everyone is invited to be a part of the  theme parties or casual drinks before dinner. This is also the best place to enjoy the spectacular sunset. One can spend leisure time on comfortable sofas, indulging in endless chats with the loved ones. 

The construction of The Great House is a mix of various creative elements. The artistically created handmade furniture was made in Bali and accentuates the beauty of the house. The roof was built in Brazil and was shipped to the Island, where it was carefully reassembled by expert craftsmen. The walls are made of local Necker stones and timber from Devil’s Hill and the flooring came from Yorkshire. The Great House has six stunning spacious rooms and a Junior Suite each with a balcony. A king-size Master Suite is luxury incarnate. It has its own jacuzzi and a private terrace with panoramic views of the ocean and neighbouring islands.

Bali House

The six Bali Houses around the island are done in true Balinese style, with options like  ‘Bali Hi’ , ‘Bali Lo’, ‘Bali Buah’ and ‘Bali Kukila’ to chose from. The Bali Hi is a bamboo house with three floors and it is offered as  a private place for individuals or couple bookings. The  top floor gives  a picturesque view of the Turtle Beach and the house  also has a plunge pool where one can relax and cool off. 

The Bali Lo easily catches everyone’s attention for being in the center of the Necker Island and its flaunts a huge pool that is  shared with other accommodations. Other Balinese style housing Bali Lo, Bali Buah and Bali Kukila are built over a cliff and are perfect for tropical privacy. The picturesque view and sea breeze add to the fun at the island. 

Activities

This holiday destination unfolds tranquility and serenity for a peaceful holiday. But, there is plenty in store from relaxing spa therapies to adventure activities, if vacations spell nonstop fun for you.

Bali Leha Spa

The Necker Island Spa or The Bali Leha Spa is all about unwinding, rejuvenating and pampering oneself. True to its name, this spa offers a peaceful and relaxing experience, considering Leha Leha means peace in Balinese. The highly trained masseurs use Balinese techniques for a complete ‘Bali’ experience. The spa is built into a cliff that overlooks the sea; so, while one enjoys the indulgent spa treatments, one can also enjoy a pleasing sea view, or just hear the soothing sound of sea waves. This five-star spa offers special treatments like Mint Aloe wrap, Algae Detox body wrap, Marine Salt scrub, Firming Bust treatment, Flash Beauty and Stone Massage to pamper the guests. These spa treatments can be taken in spa room or under the open sky to revitalize the mind, body and soul! 

Family Fun

It is interesting to note that Richard Branson explored Necker Island as a family holiday destination. He wanted a perfect gateway, where his kids could spend their school holidays lavishly. No wonder then, Necker Island is a vacations delight for families. There are many sporting activities for kids including boat races around the island, grand slam tennis tournaments, egg and spoon races, beach Olympics, somersault competitions from the aqua trampoline into the sea. A whole week called ‘Family Fun Week’ is dedicated to these fun and frolic-filled activities. 

The Necker Nymph

If you want to uncover ancient shipwrecks, fly side-by-side with dolphins, or spy hop with whales, then Necker Nymph is just the thing for you. Experience the extremes of water adventure riding the world’s first, three person aero submarine. It is an exploratory experience of flying underwater. The aircraft specially designed for Virgin Limited Edition unravels the sea depths in an exciting way. Two people sit next to a trained pilot as he takes the submarine down to as deep as 30 meters below the surface! The experience is incredible in itself; the spectacular view of marine life without the swimming and scuba gear makes it splendid. 

Special Occasions

Birthday celebrations, wedding ceremonies, honeymoon getaways, anniversaries or get-togethers, the island makes every celebration tailor-made! Fireworks, hundreds of balloons, thousand of flowers, nonstop feasting, sporting competition on water, whatever one can dream of and the island staff will make it happen. People book individual rooms during the Celebration Weeks at select times during the year.    

Fine Dinning 

Like everything else, food is also a one-of-a-kind experience at Necker. The guests can either set their own menu or leave it to the chefs. The celebrity chef Lee Cowie takes charge to prepare various tastes and dishes with a team of trained Michelin chefs. The dinning unfolds an extravagant experience. Formal or informal, indoor or outdoor, themed or traditional, beachside or poolside, in the dining room or at the pool’s floating dining pavilion, food is a complete divine experience at Necker. The lavish dining options offer a palette galore; silver, lace, crystal or linen, the guests have the choice of their dinner settings too. 

Tempura Shrimp on Banana Caper Relish’ and ‘Sambuca Souffle with White Chocolate ice cream are a few that top the menu card and the light lobster lunch with fruits is a must try for every guest  with vintage wines and  royal champagnes flowing freely. Bon appetit!  

How to reach

The Necker Island is situated in the British Virgin Islands and can be reached via flights. The Tortola (Beef Island) is the closest international airport. This island is a 35 minutes flight from San Juan, 1 hour 20 minutes from Anti Gua and St. Thomas. The Necker Island is approximately 30 minutes distance from Virgin Gorda, if you are travelling by boat.