Frenchmans Lookout in British Virgin Islands
A Room with A View in the British Virgin Islands.
By Joan Tapper
The pirates in the British Virgin Islands knew a good view when they found one: at the west end of Tortola, from a hilly spit of land called Frenchman's Cay, they would watch for treasure ships. The buccaneering days are in the past, but the cay's sunrise-to-sunset panoramas can still be enjoyed when you stay at the picturesque two-story villa Frenchmans Lookout. The Carolina-style house—complete with sixty-four French doors that effectively unite inside and outside—was recently bought by American hotelier Richard Friedman, who refurbished the property with an eye to ultra-comfortable Caribbean ambiance.
In the dining room, mirrored closet doors reflect a vista of sea and neighboring St. John; it's a perfect setting for a feast of fresh lobster, from the nearby island of Anegada, turned out by an on-demand chef. The villa sleeps ten: there's a bedroom downstairs, and a central staircase zigzags up to four others, one of which is geared to children. The adults' bedrooms come with four-poster beds. Workaholics will enjoy the well-furnished office, and everyone else will love the hammocks on the wraparound veranda in addition to the L-shaped pool and barbecue gazebo.
You may be ambitious when you arrive (and Clarence, the houseman and driver, will happily show you the best of Tortola, including nearby Smuggler's Cove beach), but after a few days here, plans tend to melt away. Then all you want to do is laze in a hammock and stare out to sea; perhaps you'll even spot a treasure ship on the horizon. Villa rents for $4,500 to $15,000 a week, depending on the season and the number of guests. 888-223-3778; frenchmanslookout.com.
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