The golden Caribbean sun sears the horizon as it reddens and sinks below the Sir Francis Drake Channel, a moment seemingly suspended in time from my cozy beach lounger on Baraka Point’s main house patio.
On this cloudless afternoon, the view radiates off the infinity pool in my foreground and dances faintly with the calm winds as they brush over the clear, blue waters. Soft lounge music brings me deeper into a trance as I sip from my fresh kiwi and ginger blended martini.
Baraka Point
After a relaxing afternoon by the pool, the surreal sunset seems the perfect transition into the evening. In the December/January issue of BVI Property & Yacht, writer Owen Waters said his experience at the villa resort best equated to the Sufi translation of baraka: “breath of life.” I thought about this sentiment as I indulged and reflected on how the property truly does cater to all of the senses and seems to breathe life into its guests. But most of all, the experience consistently evokes a mood unique to each of its guests.
My hosts, resort managers Kim Takeuchi and Aaron Seddon, take extraordinary care to ensure that the Baraka experience caters specifically to each one of its guests. Kim is able to offer guests a range of therapeutic spa treatments and scenic yoga sessions. Aaron, a master culinary artist and divine mixologist, promises to impress even the most stubborn connoisseur. Six other friendly and experienced staffers offer their own unique forte to the encounter. Add the majestic turquoise Caribbean waters which lap gracefully against the Virgin Gorda signature giant boulders and soft sand beaches that decorate Baraka’s natural surroundings, and the resort seems to come alive. Kim describes it as a “barefoot luxury. … It plays to sensory details.”
The stun ning view from the main patio.
She points to the “massive sense of privacy” the resort entails and the rich yet unrefined beauty that it embodies. And while many resorts chose to move toward a contemporary style, Baraka seems to follow its own rules. Describing the lush, multicultural themes of the villas and their surroundings, Kim says, “I feel like it’s alive—it’s constantly changing and using its surroundings to its benefit.”
Baraka Point jets out from Nail Bay on Virgin Gorda, a quiet and extremely private refuge seemingly miles away from reality. The lush, tropical, two-acre resort is connected by an intricate set of trails adjoining its five suites, games pavilion, spa and wellness pavilion and spacious main house. The paths also extend to two beaches on either side of the resort which remain stocked with all amenities for the action-seeking water enthusiast. Aaron says he most enjoys wakeboarding, and Kim tells me she loves to snorkel Mountain Trunk Bay’s intricate reefs. I choose both.
Baraka’s main house beams under the evening sky.
Kim explains to me that the resort is tailored to a myriad of different guests—from those looking for the perfect family retreat to others searching for a place to let loose, and the wanderlust romantics looking for a majestic retreat. Whatever the case, Kim says that Baraka benefits most from a high number of repeat visitors.
“It’s a place where you come and just sink in and say ‘I never want to leave’,” she says. “It’s Eden.”
After the sun drops at Baraka, an arrangement of intentionally placed lights, lamps and torches illuminate the resort. I’m asked where I’d like to dine, and choose the balcony closest to the water’s edge. From there, Tortola, Peter Island and St Thomas glow in the distance, and the stars sparkle overhead. I’m treated to a four-course meal infused with fresh seafood, and paired with fine wines and fresh and fruity spirits. I can’t remember a time before I had been so coddled and cosseted. I truly feel as if my experience was intentionally catered specifically to me—I can’t imagine perfection any other way.
