Here’s What a $28K Per Night Vacation Rental Looks Like

Perched atop a private island, this Caribbean compound makes the secret headquarters in international spy movies look positively drab. Pull up a chaise and feast your eyes on contemporary tropical luxury.

June 14, 2022

By: Lauren Oster

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Photo By: Virgin Limited Edition

Is This the Ultimate Group Vacation Headquarters?

Planning a trip for a slew of family and friends is a special kind of juggling act, and doing it for more than a dozen of your nearest and dearest would be next-next-level, but go with us here for a moment. If you could convince 17 of your favorite people to save up and join you for the vacation of a lifetime, this could be your destination.

You’re looking at Moskito Island, a 125-acre jewel of the British Virgin Islands owned by Sir Richard Branson. (Barack Obama learned to kiteboard there on a visit in 2017.) Through Virgin Limited Edition (Branson’s collection of private retreats and luxury hotels), visitors can rent out one of its three spectacular estates. If we were planning the reunion to beat all reunions, we’d go for the Oasis Estate, a contemporary beauty with high-season rates beginning at $28,000 per night. What would that getaway look like? Come on in and see.

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This Contemporary Estate Boasts 360-Degree Caribbean Views

Perched on Moskito Island’s highest point, the Oasis Estate is an entertainer’s paradise. Fanned out over four stories, its spacious wraparound decks boast idyllic tropical vistas (including views of Virgin Gorda and Necker Island) in every direction.

A Massive Deck Turns This Principal Suite Into a Private Retreat

Behold the apotheosis of indoor-outdoor living: In this sculptural, 812-square-foot suite, floor-to-ceiling glass walls retract completely to erase the distinction between living area and bird’s-eye views of the Caribbean Sea. Lest you worry that retracting those walls will also erase the distinction between you and your traveling companions, note that a truly gargantuan deck offers plenty of breathing room when you’re ready to take some time for yourself.

Sleek, Pale Wood in This Suite Epitomizes Coastal Luxury

Smooth surfaces and warm neutrals contribute to a spa-like sense of serenity in the principal suite. When the greatest luxury of all is spectacular views, minimalistic silhouettes and barely-there tones let natural beauty take center stage. (A walk-in wardrobe, desk and kitchenette are available beyond the wall behind the super-king-sized bed.) Can’t you just feel the easterly trade winds breezing through this space?

Secluded Outdoor Soaking Tub + Caribbean Views = Vacation Perfection

Another benefit of choosing the estate at the top of the island? The principal suite’s utterly private bathing spot. You can wave to pals from among the bubbles — or take advantage of the outdoor shower tucked around the corner — without worrying about becoming part of other vacationers’ panoramas.

Fully-Equipped Pod Suites Offer Privacy Away From the Party

Guests who don’t manage to call dibs on the principal suite needn’t fret over missing key amenities. When it’s time for a vacation away from the vacation — a metavacation, if you will — all eight of the property’s suites welcome tuckered-out revelers with floor-to-ceiling view-framing glass, private decks with loungers, ensuite baths, private living rooms and kitchenettes featuring refrigerators stocked with goodies and replenished every day.

Ocean-Facing Exercise Room Offers Workouts With a Side of Scenery

If you and your fellow guests don’t feel like ambling down to the island’s shared recreational areas — where walking trails crisscross the scenic hills and equipment for water sports like kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding are available on the pristine beaches — there’s always the estate’s private, ocean-facing exercise room. (Best Peloton or treadmill session ever.)

Lush Caribbean Greenery Turns Tennis Into a Tropical Idyll

Moskito Island’s private estates also share access to picture-perfect facilities like this verdant tennis court. Add-ons like spa treatments and boat excursions — in addition to the you’re-officially-part-of-the-jet-set-now speedboat transfer to and from the island that’s included with your stay, that is — are also available.

With Retractable Walls, Dining Areas Becomes Elegant Covered Patios

As in suites and pods throughout the property, the Oasis Estate’s family room and dining area feature contemporary glass walls that retract to dissolve the distinction between outdoor and indoor spaces. Meals themselves are also a breeze: Before they arrive, guests coordinate with the home’s resident private chef (We repeat: resident private chef.) to create bespoke menus and treats for their entire vacation.

At a Mountaintop Estate, There’s No Such Thing as a Bad View

If you run out of conversational topics after a few days of rest and relaxation at the Oasis Estate, you can always play Where Isn’t It Gorgeous (i.e. challenging your fellow vacationers to find a spot that doesn’t sport a ludicrous vista). Fair warning: It is impossible to win this game.

Wraparound Pool Transforms Indoor-Outdoor Great Room Into a Peninsula

It’s hard to pick a favorite feature at this home, but we’re especially taken with the way pools serve as both recreation spaces and architectural stand-ins for transitional spaces like hallways. If you decided you didn’t feel like walking around the estate, you could quite literally commute from space to space via an inflatable pool lounger — which will henceforth be a vacation goal.

Soaring Great Room Combines Spectacle and Luxury

The “interior” of that same space is a breezily gorgeous sitting area that functions as the estate’s unfussy hub. When you want to keep gossiping with a sun-loving friend but aren’t quite ready to grease up with sunscreen and head for the pool, this pair of endless sofas have your back (and shoulders and feet). They’re also the perfect place to gather and puzzle out how you’ll defeat James Bond once and for all (embrace that island-lair vibe!).

Multilevel Pool Is Suitable for Both Strolls and Swims

Here’s an aerial approach to the genius of that wraparound pool. Yes, it’s possible to circumnavigate the property by picking your way across the stepping stones and along the walkway at the patio’s perimeter. It’s clearly preferable, however, to lean into amphibious island life and splash your way past the loungers en route to the pergola.

Sleek Poolside Pods Feature Decks and Lounge Areas

A feet-in-the-water stroll around the estate beginning at the great room will lead you to the well-appointed poolside pods, where you can almost jump from bed to the water (do not try this). If a walk does take a splashy turn, know that the estate’s dedicated laundress — yes, there is an on-site laundress — is on hand to rehabilitate your cute cocktail outfit as needed.

Self-Catering Pods Function Like Resort Suites

The pods’ proximate-but-individual locations are an apt illustration of how a stay at the Oasis Estate feels like renting out an entire resort. Its shared luxuries pair handily with the luxury of being able to slide those futuristic glass walls into place, lower one’s shades and turn into one’s own private island for a bit.

Clever Landscaping Creates an Estate That’s Green From All Angles

On a terraced property like this one, every surface offers some sort of functionality. The poolside pods’ sculptural, ornamental-grass-covered roofs feel like an extension of the landscaping surrounding the estate’s living spaces — and they ensure that unsightly tarred expanses don’t photobomb party pics snapped from the main building’s entertaining areas.

Contemporary Coastal Family Room Features Tropical Accent Hues

Plush seating spots sprinkled throughout communal areas offer cozy spaces to curl up after a long day of exploring or to swap beachcombing tips. Should you fancy a bit of old-fashioned cinema to accompany your cinematic location, there’s also a giant lounger bed in the screening and billiards room for epic movie nights.

Dazzling Rooftop Bar Is Picture-Perfect Perch for Sunset Cocktails

Speaking of epic nights, the Oasis Estate’s all-inclusive refreshments include snacks and alcoholic drinks served at any location on the island — including at the home’s stunning rooftop “Skybar,” the ideal spot for taking in a painterly sunset. After dark, you and your fellow vacationers can use a telescope to pick out constellations in the British Virgin Islands’ unspoiled night skies.

Plush Poolside Patio Features Cozy Outdoor Seating and Fire Pit

If the idea of barhopping at your own private property appeals, transfer the rooftop party down to the poolside patio, where another atmospheric conversation area faces the sea. (Psst: There’s yet another refreshment area — a swim-up bar — accessible via the pool itself.)

Landscape Lighting and Water Features Complement Tropical Sunsets

Did we mention that you can swim through a waterfall to reach the hot tub and conversation area on the other side of the great room peninsula? We disagree with TLC, respectfully: Go chasing waterfalls. Go chasing them whenever possible.

Wherever You Go, Steer for the Horizon

The Oasis Estate’s undeniable loveliness comes with a knee-buckling price tag, even for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. That said, it’s a reminder to aim for the unusual when planning a group getaway. As Ian Fleming — who dreamed up all of James Bond’s adventures at his own Caribbean estate in Jamaica — once wrote, “Never say ‘no' to adventures. Always say ‘yes,’ otherwise you’ll lead a very dull life.” (He wrote that for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, not his famous secret agent. Adventures are for all ages.)

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