It’s November on the East Coast and you’re wondering how you’re going to get through winter without the chance to soak up some sunshine, wiggle soft white sand between your toes and float starfish-like on cerulean waters beneath swaying palms.

The obvious solution is a post-Christmas trip to a hotel in the Caribbean with your favorite people. But hotels aren’t great for a crowd; they lack the exclusivity and seclusion of a private yacht or villa. Even the top luxury hotels can’t always prevent other guests from intruding on your private gathering or hold back the ever-present threat of social media exposure. And while villas and yachts are, by their very nature, more private, they can lack the extensive facilities of a good hotel.

It was this conundrum that led the four entrepreneurs behind Moskito to create a new kind of destination concept that would provide the privacy, luxury, activities and escapism required by a group looking to escape together to a tropical paradise for fun times and down time.

The Moskito Island comprises four ultra-luxury estates on the private island of Moskito in the British Virgin Islands. Each estate is vast and sleeps around 20 guests in design-led suites and standalone cottages. The four estates are unique in their own way – The Point is perfect for families, The Village is made for parties, The Oasis delivers blissful rejuvenation and Cape Stout is built for adventure – but they’re all surrounded by lush gardens and jaw-dropping views of the Caribbean Sea, have large dining pavilions, multiple bars, gyms, media rooms and entertainments, plus estate teams that provide seamless service in a casual style.

Each estate is actually a family home-from-home for its owners – they each spend weeks at their property each year – hence the finest furnishings, decor and unique spirit that represents each owner. The private island has just ten estates in total and they’re all privately owned family holiday homes, including that belonging to Richard Branson’s family. Together, these ten owners have created a tiny community who share the pristine beaches, tennis courts, pavilion and the watersports center. However, the generous size of the island and estates means parties rarely bump into each other.

A typical visit to Moskito would see a group of 20 guests – often multi-generational families or groups of grown-up friends – spend five days on the island during which they get to enjoy an itinerary as chilled or as active as they wish.

Relaxing is easy: three beaches, numerous pools, whirlpools and hot tubs on each estate, in-room spa treatments, and long and lazy dinners under the stars come as standard. Those looking for a more energetic getaway will find it in an exciting range of watersport opportunities which runs from paddleboarding, snorkeling and Hobie Cat sailing to wing foiling, hydrofoiling and jet skiing. Whatever flavor of experience floats your boat, a vacation at one of The Moskito Island estates is guaranteed to deliver – and in style.

Pair these facilities with the privacy and space that comes from having an estate all to yourselves on an extremely private island and the result is that everyone feels free to let their hair down – before escaping to their own roomy suite or cottage to recharge before another day of adventures in paradise.

Groups can currently hire The Oasis, The Point and The Village estates, while Cape Stout, will join The Collection in 2024.