Caneel Bay, a Rosewood Resort

A lot has changed in the Caribbean since Laurence Rockefeller established a string of resorts across the Caribbean, but Caneel Bay remains worthy of both the luxury associated with the Rockefeller name and the ecological vision of its founder. Now owned by Rosewood Resorts, Caneel Bay remains the standard by which all other upscale resorts in the Virgin Islands are judged -- as well as home to a virtual menagerie of donkeys, deer, birds, lizards, and other wildlife.

What price would you pay for solitude? That's the question you need to ask yourself before coming to Caneel Bay. With 170 acres and seven beaches, but only 166 guest rooms -- plus hiking trails, gardens full of frangipani and cactus, and a protected bay to explore with snorkel or Sunfish -- privacy is never in short supply when you need it. The price? Well, as they say, if you have to ask ...

Suffice to say that there is no really cheap way to stay at Caneel Bay. Ditto for dining, unless you go off-property, which is easy enough given the resort's proximity to the restaurants of Cruz Bay. What you pay for is the experience of staying in a classic Caribbean resort, far from the madding crowds but close enough when you want some relief from all that relaxing on the beach. Rooms come in nine different classes but share a devotion to plantation shutters, decorative tile countertops, glass-block windows, and natural stone.

Some date back to the resort's founding more than half a century ago; all rooms have balconies or patios, and rooms are cooled by the natural breezes coming through the shutters, not air conditioning units. I found this -- like the floor tiles decorated with fish and the absence of a TV or even phone -- quaint and charming, but anyone coming here looking for Ritz-Carlton style room amenities may be disappointed.

The Equator restaurant features plenty of local influences to complement the outstanding views of Caneel Bay, Cruz Bay and beyond. The Caneel Beach Terrace offers an upscale breakfast buffet, while the Caneel Beach Bar and Grill is the closest you'll get to an inexpensive meal on the resort. The Turtle Bay Estate House is the resort's most luxurious restaurant -- and its location in the ruins of an old plantation house make it the most romantic -- but since we came in the off-season it was unfortunately closed.

Tours can be arranged at the activities desk: I would highly recommend the resort's Reef Bay Trail outing at Virgin Islands National Park, which allows you to hike the trail one way down to the bay for a pickup by boat, rather than having to retrace your steps back up to the trailhead at park headquarters.

The facilities and instruction at the Peter Burwash tennis program at Caneel Bay were first rate, and the 24-hour fitness center was well-equipped. The Self Centre, perched on high, was a lovely setting for a massage, other spa treatments, or morning yoga. Most guests, however, seemed content to spend their days sunning and swimming along the peninsula's east and west facing beaches, greeting each day and saluting its departure at a island pace that some will still pay good money to experience.

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary services for review purposes. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our Ethics Policy.