Fort Recovery Beachfront Villa & Suites Hotel
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Beachfront accommodation at Fort Recovery
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Relaxing massages at Fort Recovery
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Sunset view to sea
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Beachfront Villa, Fort Recovery
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Balconies overlooking the sea
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The Fort Recovery motoryacht
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A wedding at Fort Recovery
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The lounge area in a Fort Recovery suite
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Fort Recovery beach villa
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The beach at Fort Recovery Villas, British Virgin Islands
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Exterior view of Fort Recovery Beachfront Villa and Suites Hotel
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One Bedroom villa suite
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Fort Recovery Villa Resort
- Category
- Villa & Condo Resorts
- Island
- British Virgin Islands
- Location
- West End, Tortola
- Prices from:
- US $210.00/ room/night ? view all rates
At a glance
Set in the grounds of a 17th Century Dutch fort amid a profusion of bougainvillea, oleander and hibiscus, Fort Recovery Beachfront Villa & Suites Hotel is a family owned and operated establishment with a collection of charming villa-style suites in a quiet beachfront setting. There are 29 very comfortable one, two and three-bedroom suites and a spacious eight-bedroom beachfront villa. Each suite has a living room, kitchen or kitchenette and its own private patio or balcony to take in the views of islands across Sir Francis Drake Passage. Fort Recovery offers some low-key activities - there is a beauty and wellness spa for massages and treatments and there are daily yoga and Pilates classes - but it is mostly about relaxing in a secluded retreat with attentive, friendly service. To keep you busy there is a good stock of books (including children’s books) and there is original artwork on the walls.
- Best for:
- Beach, Family, Sailing & Regattas, Single travel, Wellness, Scuba Diving, Weddings
- Who for:
- Ideal for couples and families alike and for all age groups. It is also a great spot for single people wanting somewhere to chill out
- Not for:
- Busy resort fans
- How to get there:
- Fly to a Caribbean hub such as Antigua, St Maarten or Puerto Rico and take a flight to Beef Island, Tortola, or fly to St Thomas and take the ferry to West End, Tortola
Key features
Charming Tortola villa resort/small Tortola hotel. Swimming pool, cable TV in all rooms, beauty & wellness spa, exercise room, yoga retreats, yoga & Pilates classes, in-house restaurant (breakfast and dinner), private dock, 40ft crewed Sunseeker motor yacht for snorkelling trips and charters, library with some children's books, children's beach toys, free WiFi. Wedding, Honeymoon, Scuba Dive and Stay & Sail packages.
Style:
Tropical style with some traditional features, red roofs and wooden balustrades, white stucco walls topped with wooden shingle tiles. A low-key, beachfront retreat for those seeking a relaxed setting with a therapeutic ambiance
Client Profile:
Attracts all age groups, and has a high level of repeat business
Journalist’s Review
In Depth
With an original 17th Century Dutch fort at their midst, Fort Recovery Beachfront Villa & Suites Hotel have an air of history and calm that makes an ideal, low-key, beachfront retreat. Set near the lively western end of Tortola, Fort Recovery offers you a chance to relax and do your own thing among like minded people, within a shout of all the activity of Tortola. The villas are owned and operated by former Broadway producer Anita MacShane Cottoy, who fell in love with the setting at the end of the 60s when she was shooting a commercial in nearby St Thomas.
Today, Fort Recovery has 25 comfortable one-bedroom, and four, two and three-bedroom villa suites set along the shoreline on a small sandy beach. There is also the separate eight-bedroom Beach House. Over the years Anita has amassed an enviable collection of original artwork, including local work, which decorates the walls of the villas. The finest collection is in the beach house, where there are also a number of sculptures.
Fort Recovery is very relaxed and low-key, very much a home away from home, and offers friendly, unobtrusive service. A good example of this is that although many of the villas all have full kitchen facilities (or kitchenette if you prefer), Fort Recovery offers private in-villa dining through an on-property chef and waiter service. You may also dine in their in-house restaurant, which serves breakfast and dinner daily – complementary continental breakfast is also available each morning. Fort Recovery is the sort of place where it seems right to pass the time watching the yachts on Sir Francis Drake Passage, or you can snorkel, swim or read a good book. There is no need to bring your own as each of the villas has a small library and the Reception has a larger selection. For a slice of well-being you may want to join the daily yoga and Pilates class out on the dock, or if you are feeling energetic there is a small gym, but the small resort is intentionally low-key, a quiet enclave on quite a busy island. If you are looking for a full programme of activities, nightly entertainment and a busy bar with a happy hour then this is probably not the place for you (nor the BVI in general). Fort Recovery is for a get-away from it all, good old fashioned, beach holiday.
The villas are set behind a wall overflowing with greenery and colourful sprays of bougainvillea. As you enter you pull up at the main central building, where you will find the library and a homely, open-plan Reception. This handles reservations, offers concierge services, there are drinks and snacks for sale, and is the main point of contact for anything that needs to be organised. Fort Recovery’s freshwater swimming pool is set back from the beach. It provides a shady spot to sunbathe, but has views of the sea via a wide walkway between the nearby fort and the villas. Fort Recovery's Beauty & Wellness Spa which was moved to a new location on the property recently and offers a wide range of services from massages to facials, manicures, pedicures, reflexology, body wraps and scrubs. There is also a hairdresser working with the spa who offers a range of services from hair coloring and styling to cuts for the entire family.
The original pretty stucco and shingle-sided villa-style suites are just above the beach, set on an area of lawn. They are surrounded by tropical plants, palms and trailing flowers and each has their private patio or balcony looking out to sea, as do the newer suites - these are right on the beach. Fort Recovery has a very private setting with a good stretch of sand on a small bay where there is good swimming and snorkelling and a private dock and jetty. Along the waterfront are occasional benches and picnic tables where you can have a drink or eat by the waters edge. The crenellated fort sits on the edge of the beach, between the villas and the Beach House, and makes for a romantic backdrop for wedding ceremonies.
Fort Recovery is popular for reunions and is a popular choice for exchanging vows. With its multiple bedroom villas it copes well for families, but equally, its atmosphere makes it a good place to stay for solo travellers. You can tuck yourself away and there is no need to worry about sitting in a restaurant alone. If you decide to eat in you can either cook for yourself or leave it to the in-house chef and have your meal brought to you. Business travellers will find Fort Recovery a relaxing place to escape to and work, with free WiFi highspeed internet access throughout the property and a wide range of office services in the main reception area.
Beach & Swimming
The beach at Fort Recovery is a nice strip of light-coloured sand backed with lawns, palms and the old Dutch fort of the same name. There are views over the Sir Francis Drake Passage to the nearby islands of St John, Norman Island and Peter Island. It is set in a protected bay, so the waters are shallow and calm and provide a safe area for swimming and snorkelling.
There is a freshwater swimming pool (14ft x 26ft with depths of 3ft to 8 ft) with surrounding wood decking for sunbathing, set back within the grounds, partially shaded by trees and coconut palms.
Sports & Recreation
The Fort Recovery Beauty & Wellness Spa, which is certified by the World Holistic Massage School in California, offers Swedish, shiatsu and hot stone massage, aromatherapy, reflexology and salt scrubs, in addition to beauty and hairdressing services. The spa is located to the rear of the Reception and is now open to clients from around the island as well as hotel guests.
You will also find exercise equipment there including a treadmill, and air-glider and bicycle.
There is a daily yoga and Pilates session, sometimes held on the jetty, which guests are welcome to join. Private yoga sessions are also available on request.
Fort Recovery has its own 40ft Sunseeker Martinique motoryacht with captain and crew. All guests that stay for a week are treated to a complimentary snorkelling trip across the Sir Frances Drake Passage to Norman Island, where there are a couple of excellent snorkelling spots and the Willy-T Pirate ship for lunch. It is also possible to charter the boat and captain privately if you wish to put together your own trip.
Fort Recovery also arrange scuba diving packages with Blue Water Divers, who are ideally positioned at Sopers Hole less than five minutes drive away. Blue Water Divers visit sites all over the BVI, usually on two-tank dives.
For those who are interested in tennis or golf, at Long Bay Beach Resort, which is about five minutes away by car, you will find two floodlit astroturf tennis courts and a 9 hole pitch and putt golf course.
Staff
Daily, hotel style maid service. Fort Recovery is owned and run by Anita MacShane Cottoy, a former Broadway producer and actress from the States, who bought the property in the late 1960s (see more about how Anita came to Fort Recovery). Also instrumental in the management of the property is Pamelah Antoine, who heads up marketing and reservations. She also leads the daily yoga and Pilates classes offered on the dock, upon request.
The Suites
The villa-style suites are located in a series of linked cottages facing the bay, with upper and lower floors (with the exception of the Beach House which is a two-storey, detached villa). All of the beachfront units are furnished in a similar, light tropical style with an eclectic mix of modern and wicker furnishings, and bleached, steeply pitched wooden ceilings. The floors upstairs are white timber and downstairs cool, neutral coloured tiles. They each have a comfortable, open-plan living/dining area with fully equipped kitchen (standard suites) or kitchenette (superior suites) and breakfast counter to the rear and a sitting area that gives onto a terrace or patio reached via French or sliding doors. From here there are delightful sea views. Bedrooms, with bed linens by Ralph Lauren, are located to the rear of the villas. They are all air-conditioned and have en suite bathrooms. While the decoration is mainly light, the artwork provides a splash of colour. Collected by the proprietor over the years, the paintings and sculptures feature some local work and some from farther afield.
Dining
The restaurant at Fort Recovery has a pretty setting in a West Indian building among the cottages and palms, next to the swimming pool. Some tables are set on a deck just above the pool if youd like to eat outside. Otherwise there is the air-conditioned interior, where you will find a natural wood ceiling and walls decorated with the small resorts striking artwork.
The fare is good and the menu has a nice variety, with some Caribbean dishes and international cuisine. There are also several vegetarian options. Breakfast and dinner are served daily, but the restaurant at Fort Recovery also offers in-room service to your suite (which already has a table and all the crockery and cutlery of course), so you can eat on your own balcony overlooking the water and Sir Francis Drake Channel if you like.
Weddings
Fort Recovery Villas will provide full wedding planning services for guests who wish to get married on property. The service is free for guests. They will require prior notice in order to secure the registrar, order the flowers, cake and arrange any other ancillary requirements. Please see the Practical Facts section below for details of the resort's wedding package.
Children
A selection beach toys are available as are childrens books from the library in reception.
Useful Hints
Basic groceries can be arranged in advance and placed in your villa for your arrival. Please advise the resort or your travel organiser of your requirements. Items purchased will be billed to your room account and are subject to tax and service charges.
Personal laundry and babysitting services are available on request (extra).
Practical Facts
Annual Closure Dates: n/a.
Dress Code: Informal.
Facilities: Resort only restaurant and bar (breakfast & dinner), freshwater swimming pool, cable TV, beach towels, beach chairs, library, full service Beauty & Wellness Spa, exercise room and reception with 24-hour assistance.
Complimentary: daily continental breakfast. All one week stays receive a complimentary dinner and a boat trip per guest. Daily combined yoga and Pilates classes at 6pm. WiFi internet access. Beach towels.
Other Services: on-property chef and waiter service for in-villa dining on request. Spa & beauty services including Swedish massage, Shiatsu, reflexology, manicures, pedicures, body wraps, facials and hair salon services. Personal laundry service available. Babysitting service with 12 hour notice. DVD, VCR and video rental. On-site crewed 40ft motoryacht charter for Tortola snorkelling trips. All of these services attract an extra cost.
Accommodation: 29 villa-style suites and 1 Beach House
All suites have sea views, an open-plan living/dining room with fully equipped kitchens/or kitchenettes and breakfast bar, cable TV, free WiFi internet access, a small library, private balcony or patio with loungers, air-conditioned bedrooms with king-size beds and en suite bathrooms with tub/showers. 13 x One-Bedroom Standard Suite: on the ground floor or penthouse suites, with screened French doors leading off the living/dining area out to the patio/balcony. All have full kitchens (4-burner stove, microwave, full size fridge-freezer, coffee maker, toaster and blender) and are the hotels original suites which were renovated and refurbished in 2009-2010. They are located just above the beach on an area of lawn near to the fort. 12 x One-Bedroom Superior Suite: with over-sized living room, kitchenettes (microwave, blender, toaster and fridge), porch or balcony. These are newer units with a more modern feel and are more spacious. There are 6 ground floor and 6 penthouse superior suites, all are directly on the beach facing the sea at the top end of the property. 2 x Two-Bedroom Standard Suite: one ground floor and one penthouse, both with larger open-plan living/dining areas with kitchen, large patio/balcony, two bedrooms with en suite bathrooms - master bedroom with own patio/balcony. 2 x Three-Bedroom Superior Suite: with three master bedrooms, en suite bathrooms with full size bathtub (a combination tub/shower), a large well appointed open-plan living and dining room with fully equipped kitchen, and a large patio or balcony comfortably furnished for outdoor living. 1 x Beach House: in the shadow of the old fort and located directly on the beach, opposite the jetty. It has a spacious open-plan living and dining area with fully equipped kitchen with stainless steel appliances, opening via large folding picture doorways onto a wrap-around covered wooden terrace furnished for outdoor living. Guests can dine inside on the antique pine table or out on the terrace, with the sea in full view either way. The well appointed sitting room with 42 LCD TV, is furnished with modern couches and chairs. The villa features an entrance hall Art Gallery with both paintings and sculptural work, and has 8 bedrooms en suite: 4 ground floor master bedrooms (1 beach view, 3 garden/pool view) and 4 upstairs master bedrooms (2 with beach view, 2 with garden/pool view). At the rear of the house an atrium-style veranda leads to the resort's pool. There are 8 bathrooms in the Beach House, two with Jacuzzi tubs, the rest with full size tub/shower combination. Within the Beach House there is a private office area and mini gym, this space also doubles as an ideal area for in-villa massage services.
Children: Welcome year-round. Cribs available on request.
Weddings: You will need to pay for the Registration (US$110 wedding stamp), the Registrar (US$100)and anything else you wish to put in place for your wedding such as flowers and a photographer. Photography - from US$400, Flower Bouquet - from US$45, French Designed Wedding Cake - from US$70, Wedding Dinner Planning.
Credit Cards: VISA, MasterCard or American Express.
Special Packages
Deluxe Package for 2 - this is makes for an ideal honeymoon package and is also a good basis for building a complete wedding package. The package includes 7 nights accommodation in a One-Bedroom Suite (including tax and service charges), continental breakfast daily, 3 days jeep rental (excludes tax, US$10 driving licence, petrol and insurance), full breakfast daily (excludes 15% waiter gratuity), welcome gourmet snack basket, welcome tropical flower bouquet and a split of Moet Chandon Champagne, 4 nights of dinners for two in their restaurant (excludes 15% gratuity), a half day boat trip to Norman Island for snorkelling and swimming, a half hour massage each, a manicure or pedicure each, and cooler and unlimited ice for the beach/picnic lunches. Available for US$2,574 in Summer and US$3,413 in winter. See table above.
Other Special packages include a 7 night Dive & Stay with 3 days of 2 tank dives for US$2,827 per couple in summer and US$3,647 in winter with Blue Water Divers.
Stay & Sail
Sail and Stay Package for 2 - this includes 7 nights accommodation in a One-Bedroom Suite (including tax and service charges), a two-day US Sailing Association Basic Keelboat Certification course with the Rob Swain Sailing School on Tortola. The corresponding certification for the course is Basic Keelboat. Testing is optional. There is an additional fee of US$50 per person for the certification, which includes text, logbook, certification exam fee and one year membership to US Sailing Association or American Sailing Association. This fee, if you choose this option is payable in person to Rob Swain Sailing. Also included is daily continental breakfast, 4 nights of dinners for two in their restaurant (excludes 15% waiter gratuity), 4 full American Breakfasts each (excludes 15% waiter gratuity), a half day snorkel trip with lunch, a half hour massage each (Swedish, Shiatsu, & Reflexology combination), a welcome bouquet of tropical flowers, bottled water starter supply upon arrival in room, cooler and ice located at reception area for your convenience at any time. See table above for prices
Locality
Fort Recovery is located within five minutes drive of Tortolas West End, where you will find the West End Ferry Terminal (with daily services to St Thomas and St John in the USVI), supermarkets, several restaurants and bars and other services. The Jolly Roger Restaurant is close to the ferry dock, and is a very popular pub style eatery and bar, with a deck on the waterfront and a large veranda upstairs. It serves Caribbean, pan-Asian & Mediterranean fusion foods with lots of seafood and barbecued fare. In season they have live music on Fri & Sat (barbecue night). This can get extremely lively, as can happy hour. Across the water on Frenchmans Quay is Sopers Hole Wharf & Marina, which has a host of services including an ATM, gift shops, boutiques, an ice cream parlour, the Ample Hamper (a grocery/provisioning store which also does great deli style sandwiches), an internet caf, a photography studio and nearby Kellys Superette. Highly visible in bright pink is Pussers Landing Restaurant & Bar (another spot that can get busy in season) and the Pussers Store. A grocery shop, Big Bens, is within a couple of minutes drive of the villas. It is open daily from 7am to 10pm.
Over the hill on the north side of Tortola you come to Cappoons Bay and Apple Bay, also within five minutes drive. You will find two good restaurants here, the excellent Sugar Mill and the less formal Sebastians on the Beach. And for a more rustic and fun evening with great atmosphere and good food there is Coco Plums, which also has a lively bar. If you happen to be on island during a full moon then the Full Moon Party at Bomba Surfside Shack is not to be missed. It attracts a huge crowd for Bombas special full moon brew and live music.
Further along the north coast (about 20 minutes from Fort Recovery by car and via a very steep hill!) is the islands most popular beach, Cane Garden Bay, which has a string of beach bars catering to visitors both day and night. Towards the end of the week the bars feature live music and stay open to the wee hours. The most popular spots are Quitos Gazebo, where Quito Rhymer sings with his reggae band The Edge on Fridays and Saturdays, and Myetts, which has live music Friday through to Monday. On the way to Cane Garden Bay you pass through Carrot Bay, where you will find simple, tasty, local fare at Palms Delight.
Meet & Greet
If you are travelling independently, taxis are readily available at the airport or from the ferry dock, however if you have concerns the resort will arrange taxi transfers on request at any time, The taxi ride from the airport on Beef Island, Tortola is around 40 minutes, depending on the traffic and the hotel is approximately five minutes from West End ferry terminal.
If you are booking through a travel organiser, it is likely that their representative will be at the airport to meet you. This service and your return airport transfers should be included in the cost of your holiday. Please check at the time of booking.
Getting Around
A hired car is strongly recommended for your stay. It will be useful when you go sightseeing and visit the beaches by day, when you want to dine out at night and particularly when it comes to shopping for groceries. If you are booking direct or through a tour operator, you can organise your car hire at the same time as booking your accommodation. Please be aware that during the height of the winter season, over Christmas and New Year and then in February and March, cars can become scarce, so you are advised to book one well in advance.
