Mango Bay Resort

Set on four acres of sand at Mahoe Bay, Mango Bay Resort faces a stretch of coast shielded by a coral reef that keeps the water calm and the larger charter yachts out. The resort holds six private villas, each built to face the beach or the gardens behind it, along with a run of studios and suites in beachfront, ocean-view and garden-view configurations. Villa Sparta sleeps eight across four double bedrooms and has its own infinity pool overlooking the beach. Every unit comes with a kitchenette or full kitchen, ceiling fans, air conditioning and an outdoor grill; larger suites add a terrace and, in some cases, a second bathroom. The beach itself needs no equipment rental: snorkelling gear, floating mats and kayaks are handed out free, and the reef just offshore makes for easy underwater viewing without a boat. It is a quiet stretch of coast. Built in the 1980s by BVI hotelier Aldo Moretti and now under new ownership, the property is mid-way through restoring its dock and adding waterfront dining, with a longer-term plan for a hilltop great house connected to the shore by funicular. Check-in runs from 3:30pm, check-out by 10:30am. For now, the draw stays the same: a sheltered bay, an uncrowded beach and villas built close enough to the water to hear it at night.