Rosewood Little Dix Bay

Arrival & First Impressions The arrival process is incredibly seamless. Upon arrival, we cleared immigration and customs and met our concierge as soon as we exited the airport. We hopped into a van for a quick ride to the dock on Tortola, where we were treated to drinks at the Loose Mongoose while waiting for our boat to fuel up. The 15-minute boat ride to Little Dix Bay was a fantastic way to start the trip and orient ourselves to the resort's location. Upon pulling up to the dock, we were warmly welcomed, given a quick tour, and introduced to our butler, who escorted us to our room. Accommodations & Room Amenities We stayed in an ocean-view cottage on the second floor. Initially concerned about the room size, we were thrilled to find it more than spacious enough, complete with an ample balcony and spectacular views. I tend to look for things to criticize, but my complaints here are incredibly minor and didn't negatively impact our stay: the rooms do not have televisions, and the toilet is not located in a separate water closet. Surprisingly, the lack of a TV wasn't an issue; we just used our laptop to watch movies in the evenings. Note on the Air Conditioning: We have stayed at multiple resorts throughout the Caribbean and were shocked at how well the AC worked here. We like it very cold, and this is the first time the AC was, at times, too cold! Resort Grounds & Cleanliness The grounds are essentially immaculate. In terms of the overall look and feel, there was really nothing I could fault. The landscaping, the upkeep of the common areas, and the cleanliness of the rooms were all somewhere close to perfect. Dining: On & Off Property * On-Property: Over our six nights, we ate at the Pavilion, Sugar Mill, and ordered from the beach. Overall, the food was very good, albeit a bit expensive. I do not eat seafood, and while the menus are definitely fish-heavy, I was easily able to find something I enjoyed at every meal. * Off-Property: We tried Sugarcane, Hog Heaven, Rock Cafe, and Coco Maya. All were great, but the standouts were Coco Maya (for the great food and ambiance) and Hog Heaven (for the amazing views of Necker Island, Moskito Island, and the surrounding area). The Beach Experience * Beach Service: The beach staff sets up your chairs every day with towels, water, and ice. Each palapa has its own call button to request a server, making ordering incredibly easy. The staff is attentive, though depending on your location on the beach, it can take 15 to 20 minutes to receive a drink. As is typical for a luxury property, drinks are quite pricey. * Beach Drops: We took advantage of a beach drop one afternoon, and the process was very easy. The resort's add-on food options didn't really appeal to us, so we skipped the food and brought a few of our own beverages to supplement the complimentary cooler and water provided by the resort. Pro-Tip: Rent a Car I highly recommend renting a car. It’s great to be able to go off-property, explore Virgin Gorda, grab different food options, and run to the grocery store. Driving on the island is pretty simple with one caveat: avoid the hills at night. The roads are very winding and steep, which can be challenging if you aren't accustomed to driving on the left side of the road. Although Rosewood is quite expensive, the quality of the service, food, and accommodations are truly first-rate. Highly recommended.

Note that this review is for a day pass. We visited for one day while we were on a cruise that stopped in Virgin Gorda. Everyone was extremely welcoming and pleasant. The beach itself was very long and beautiful. There were plenty of comfortable beach chairs and umbrellas. Service for everything’s very slow, but not shockingly slow for island time. We had lunch at the Sugar Mill restaurant, which was very tasty and the service there was also excellent. The vibe while we were there, which was during holy week, when many schools are on spring break was very family oriented. Overall, I found the Resort beautiful and the service great. However, I think it is a bit dated in light of the prices that they charge which are quite high.

Rosewood Little Dix Bay is undeniably a beautiful property in a spectacular setting. The beach and scenery are wonderful, and only some areas of the resort are well maintained. The overall experience left me questioning how the resort interprets its stated “sense of place” philosophy when many staff members do not appear to be from the local community. During our stay here and at other Rosewood properties, we noticed fewer staff members from the local community than we would expect at a resort that emphasizes regional culture. Many guests travel to "regions" specifically hoping to interact with people from the local community and learn about the culture of the region. This makes many guests uncomfortable to see this happening. Increasing local employment would greatly strengthen the authenticity of the experience. Teach locals to be butlers, as the Rosewood butler system isn’t a true butler system anyways where they go to a extensive butler certification school, they are truly just guest services agents with a title as butler which is strange, good service is good service and us guests don't need them to be called a butler, we simply want locals servicing us its that simple. What made this even more confusing was a recent Instagram video posted by a staff member, a butler named AL ( extremely difficult to understand the accent) not a local, highlighting the island’s historic sugar plantations. Given the region’s complex history, referencing slavery plantations without thoughtful context felt awkward and poorly considered. When a brand emphasizes storytelling and “sense of place,” historical narratives need to be handled with much more care and sensitivity and ideally presented with strong local cultural context. Sense of place with a non local butler telling us about local slavery plantations. Beyond that culture shock to the start of the vacation, we also noticed some aspects of the resort feel dated for a property positioned in the luxury category. The spa and activity offerings lack the innovation and modern wellness programming that have become standard in many luxury resorts in the United States and Europe. When you can't get a decent hair cut or a proper detailed pedicure as a basic function you have a long way to go when it comes to innovation. Maybe train your staff or check on their work. The food was acceptable but not particularly memorable, inconsistent, which unfortunately seems to be the issue at almost every BVI resort, highly difficult to get a chef meal, feels like cooks everywhere very low par experience and uninspired F&B again. Overall, the natural setting is exceptional, but the guest experience feels out of step with modern luxury expectations. With more thoughtful proper respectful storytelling, stronger engagement with the local community, and refreshed programming, the resort could better live up to its potential. At this time, I would not return; the resort needs major innovation and stronger engagement with the local community along with improved staff training. For the price point, guests should not be paying for subpar spa or wellness services or inconsistent experiences. Travelers work hard for their money and expect a resort of this level to deliver an extraordinary and authentic experience, something I would look for elsewhere in the future.

Another wonderful stay at Little Dix Bay. The resort is beautiful, the staff are very friendly and helpful. Esp our butlers Neil and Mikel, and Lucy, Quentin and Jose on the beach and Natalia and all the restaurant staff. The food was super good, the rooms very clean and beautiful, special shout out to Betsy!! We will be back, just love it!

Perhaps the ideal place on the entire Globe to host a meeting, bring your family or even a solo trip to meet new interesting people. Although the property was mostly full one would not know it from the attention to the tiny details requested of Mikel, Neil, Josephine, housekeeping, car services and drivers, on property 5 star dining options, the very knowledgable boat Captains and crews. Take the advice of staff. Take in the “Out Farms Way” and the Beach drops. Visit the Spa. Visit the Baths and Caves. We have had the pleasure and blessings to travel and stay at some of the best resorts and properties across the entire world. None are better than The Rosewood at Little Dix Bay, BVI — and the team of professionals catering to your smallest request. A major bucket list destination!