About Jumby Bay Island
Jumby Bay Island is a 300-acre private island accessible by a 5-minute ferry from Antigua's northeast coast, hosting the Rosewood Jumby Bay resort (28 rooms, consistently the Caribbean's most expensive room rates per sq ft) and a residential community of 40 private villas owned by an invitation-only group of buyers. The island's hawksbill sea turtle nesting programme (the Jumby Bay Hawksbill Turtle Project) and its absence of motorised vehicles — only golf carts are permitted — give it a character that resort alternatives with roads and infrastructure cannot replicate. Jumby Bay represents the gold standard of private-island residential living in the Eastern Caribbean.
About Rosewood Jumby Bay Residences
The Jumby Bay Island Company manages the estate and administers the residential membership. Rosewood Hotels & Resorts (New World Development subsidiary) manages the hotel and the shared amenities. The existing 40 villas rarely appear on the open market; when they do, they typically sell off-market within weeks. The new Palmetto Bay Residences represent the first new build on the island in 12 years.
Project Overview
Palmetto Bay Residences is a collection of 6 new villas on Palmetto Bay — the island's calmer northern lagoon beach, distinct from the main Jumby Bay beach. Each villa is on a 5,000–8,000 sq m private plot directly on the lagoon's white-sand edge, with access to shallow, crystal-clear water that is among the Caribbean's safest swimming environments (enclosed lagoon, no boat traffic). Villas are designed by Atlanta-based architect Stan Dixon, who worked on the original Jumby Bay structures, maintaining design continuity with the island's 1980s-era colonial aesthetic.
- Private island — vehicle-free, absolute seclusion, 5-minute ferry only
- Rosewood hotel services: spa, beach club, three restaurants, water sports
- Direct Palmetto Bay lagoon beach access — one of the Caribbean's calmest and clearest
- Hawksbill sea turtle nesting programme — residents participate in monitoring
- Island golf cart provided to each residence for internal transport
- Antigua CBI qualifying investment for units above USD 400,000
Unit Types & Configuration
- 3 Bedroom Lagoon Villa — 400 sq m on 5,000 sq m lagoon-edge plot
- 4 Bedroom Estate — 600 sq m on 8,000 sq m with private pool and outdoor kitchen
Pricing
Three-bedroom lagoon villas from USD 5.8 million. Four-bedroom estates from USD 9.5 million to USD 14 million for the premier positions. These are among the highest prices in the Eastern Caribbean, reflecting the island's unique vehicle-free, full-service private island character. Antigua has no capital gains, income, or inheritance tax.
Investment Verdict
Positives:
- Jumby Bay island is finite — the 6 Palmetto Bay villas are the final available new-build on the island
- Rosewood's rental programme generates USD 15,000–35,000/week for enrolled villas during peak season
- Private island vehicle-free lifestyle is a permanent, inimitable differentiator — no road or development can intrude
Watch Points:
- At USD 5.8M+ entry, the buyer pool is extremely narrow globally; resale timelines are longer than main-island Caribbean properties
- Island isolation means medical emergencies require helicopter transfer to Antigua — buyers with health conditions should factor emergency planning into ownership