Alexander Britell and Guy Britton (Caribbean Journal) describe the breathtaking Guana Island, which is just a short boat ride from Tortola. Unfortunately, Guana is “the most private of private island destinations.” The authors describe it as “a self-contained ecosystem, with myriad lora and fauna both on the ground and beneath the water.” Here are excerpts: Read the complete article and don’t miss the amazing array of photos and video of Guana at Caribbean Journal.

[Evansley “Jamal” Bradshaw] is picking through the basil plants waving purply in the breeze. The first mango just came off the tree, he tells us, the fruit of a year of humbling revivification. Chickens hop around the edge of the greenhouse, the loudest members of this vibrant orchard. It may be just a short boat ride from Tortola’s Trellis Bay, but Guana Island is a world away from away.

Once a quaker compound (one whose ruins still dot the landscape), today Guana is the most private of private island destinations, a remarkably secluded, pristine natural wonderland.

There are seven beaches, three reefs, 12 miles of hiking trails and of course the orchard, which today supplies the property’s farm-to-table program, helmed by chef Xavier Gili, whose previous stints include Nobu and Zuma in London.

Everything seems to point back to Guana’s orchard, a scene of rebirth that is a symbol for this whole island chain’s renaissance.

Indeed, just a year later, what was once barren is now bearing every manner of fruit and herb, replanted and reinvigorated, bursting with yellows and reds.

There is a reverence with which Evansley “Jamal” Bradshaw glides around the grounds, looking over the grounds with a sacerdotal gaze. [. . .]

Read full article at https://www.caribjournal.com/2018/09/07/exploring-guana-island-a-secret-caribbean-paradise