In the Islands: Guana Island in the BVI

	*In the Islands* G U A N A I S L A N D B R I T I S H V I R G I N I S L A N D S
	______________________________________________________________ 850 ACRES <> 30 GUESTS <> 7 BEACHES <> 1 ISLAND ______________________________________________________________
	GUANA ISLAND IS LIKE NO PLACE ON EARTH. THOUGH IT'S NOT UNCOMMON IN FICTION. The escapist kind. In which a character knows someone who owns a private island in the Caribbean where a small group gathers and the plot unfolds. Guana doesn't have bus tours, public restaurants, or glitz of any kind. It does have excellent accommodations, fine service, wonderful food, acres of privacy per guest, year-round temperatures in the seventies and eighties, and a choice of oceans. This makes good reading, we admit. But, as you're about to discover, it's even better when it's real.
	__________________________________________________________________________ YOU GUESSED IT, TEAMS OF DECORATORS WERE NOT FLOWN IN FROM NEW YORK. With the splendor of nature taking people's breath away at every turn, we use restraint indoors. Our interiors are comfortably but not overwhelmingly furnished in a style that comes out of the history of the Island, which was once a sugar cane plantation owned by American Quakers. That's right, Quakers -- but Quakers who knew how to live! They favored native stone architecture and managed very nicely without media rooms and discos. That mood still prevails.
	__________________________________________________________________________ THIS IS OUR BUSIEST BEACH. THERE ARE SIX OTHERS IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING MORE PRIVATE IN MIND. White Bay Beach is the powder-white stretch of glimmering coral sand that most of our guests use every day. And since they never number more than thirty, it's hard to imagine anyone thinking it crowded. We do, however, understand that there are times when people want to be alone. Really alone. Fortunately, we have six more beaches on the Island, some so secluded they're accessible only by boat, on any of which we can arrange a very private picnic.
	__________________________________________________________________________ AS FAR AS WE KNOW, WE'RE THE ONLY WILDLIFE SANCTUARY IN THE WORLD WITH A COCKTAIL HOUR. And we mean a real wildlife sanctuary. With an official designation and more flora and fauna than any island its size in the Caribbean, maybe even the world. In fact, we've published a special guide for the many naturalists who come from as far away as China to explore our mountain trails. Most guests, however, prefer to observe it all from a distance on a chaise, with a pina colada as a study aid. Like everything else on the Island, how you make use of the natural wonders is entirely up to you.
	__________________________________________________________________________ OUR DINING TERRACE OVERLOOKS BOTH THE ATLANTIC AND THE CARIBBEAN. MINGLING IS ENCOURAGED. But not required. At cocktail time, guests gather on Sunset Terrace hoping to see the Green Flash -- a blink of iridescent chartreuse at the moment sun meets sea that is somehow not visible to everyone. Then comes dinner -- the freshest seafood, Island-grown fruits and vegetables, breads and muffins from our own oven -- all served on china and crystal by a staff as cheerful as candlelight. And then comes the rest of the star-filled night.
	For more information, go to Guana Island's website.
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