This New St. Thomas Resort Has 300 Acres — and Only 20 Villas

The Botany, a 20-villa retreat on the far western tip of St. Thomas, is preparing to welcome its first guests this winter — on a property where the land dwarfs the room count.

Set inside the gated Preserve at Botany Bay, the solar-powered resort spreads just 20 villas across 300 acres of tropical terrain above Sandy Bay Beach and the narrow spit of sand known as Mermaid's Chair, where the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic meet. It sits only minutes from Cyril E. King Airport, yet far from the cruise traffic and hotel corridors near Charlotte Amalie.

"Luxury used to mean more," said Practice Hospitality founder and CEO Bashar Wali. "Here it means less, on purpose. Fewer villas. More land left alone." The resort will operate under the L.V.X. Collection from Preferred Hotels & Resorts.

Guests can choose from three villa types: the one-bedroom Villa King, the larger Villa Suite, and two- and three-bedroom Villa Residences built for families and groups, some with private pools. Blue volcanic stone from the Virgin Islands, exposed beams and floor-to-ceiling windows run throughout.

Two pools anchor the grounds — the Sequence Pool curving above the bay and the lower Legacy Pool near the sand — each with its own bar. A three-room spa, fitness center and yoga pavilion sit nearby, along with more than 50,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space spread among lawns, terraces and historic stone ruins. The signature restaurant, Ginger Thomas, takes its name from the U.S. Virgin Islands' yellow flower.

The property runs largely on solar power, with goats grazing beneath the panels and rainwater cisterns feeding every building — a modern take on a longstanding Virgin Islands tradition. For an island still rebuilding its luxury inventory since the 2017 hurricanes, the arrival adds a very different kind of hotel to one of its quietest corners.