Nearly 1,600 miles south of Nantucket, Gwenn and Mark Snider have developed a private resort so secluded, it has the feeling of being in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. That was the intent when the Sniders—the owners of The Nantucket Hotel—purchased half of an island one mile off the coast of Saint John in the U.S. Virgin Islands for their newest resort, Lovango. And while the resort provides a sense of escape from cold winters, guests on the island are not totally isolated.

“There are very few places that are undeveloped, especially in the U.S. Virgin Islands,” said Gwenn, who co-owns The Nantucket Hotel through Little Gem Resorts with her husband, Mark. “We most certainly wanted to—given this time of climate change—try to build something that will be there and endure. We had the opportunity to do something with great mindfulness. We’re not building a monolithic building. That really guided it.”

The idea for a third resort got its start about 10 years ago. The Sniders—who also own the Winnetu Oceanside Resort in Katama on Martha’s Vineyard—were looking for a place to establish a tropical resort for guests wanting a winter getaway. As self-proclaimed island people who had vacationed in the Virgin Islands on multiple occasions, the couple began forming the idea for a private resort on Lovango after a visit to the island in 2017.

“We had a beautiful experience there [in 2017],”Gwenn said. “We let our imaginations go and we could see it. It’s enchanting, completely unspoiled, and you have the whole experience of having a private resort where even though you’re away from Saint John and Saint Thomas, you’re not isolated.”

When the Sniders purchased the land in 2019, they had a blank slate to create a resort that would adhere to their guiding philosophy: a light environmental footprint and a resort that puts you in nature. At the time of the purchase, all that stood on the land was a lone building overlooking the Caribbean. Five years later, the Sniders have built out their luxury private island resort an ensemble of resplendent tropical beaches, restaurants, shops, glamping rooms and villas intended to provide direct access to the beauty of the island.

“When you’re on this island, you feel like you could be in Polynesia, you could be in the southern seas,” Mark said. “It’s a remarkably beautiful island surrounded by azure waters. When you’re on it, you feel isolated from the U.S., but when you go for dinner, you can choose from 15phenomenal restaurants and beautiful national parks on Saint John.”

Sustainability is at the core of the entire operation. The resort produces its own power. The chefs on-site—including at their upcoming second annual Taste of Lovango—source their food locally. The resort even created a coral reef restoration project in collaboration with the University of the Virgin Islands that spells out L-O-V-A-N-G-O.

Instead of a sprawling multi-story hotel building, the Sniders built a series of walkable villas, luxury glamping tents, a waterfront restaurant and a Main Street of boutique shops, all surrounded by beaches and walking trails. Saint John and Saint Thomas, with their restaurants, shops and the Virgin Islands Natural Park on Saint John, are only a 10-minute ferry ride away.

“When we think of vacationing to the Caribbean, there is a certain naturalism to it, and while there are other beautiful resorts in it, they’re more manicured,” Gwenn said. “We walked softly on the land, made sure that we did it in a way that feels very curated and celebrates the unspoiled quality of Lovango.”

The glamping tents were designed for a luxury vacation. They don’t feel like traditional tents, Gwenn said. The treehouse guest rooms put you directly in nature, though they also come with air conditioning.

Since opening the resort, Mark and Gwenn said they have heard from guests who describe their stay at Lovango in nostalgic terms, likening the resort to the Saint John of 30 years ago. They talk about opening their door to a blue sea, lush forests and a concert of tropical birds that comprise the mostly untouched landscape on the island. Some of those guests also have fond memories of the former Caneel Bay hotel on Saint John, Gwenn said, and the quiet, undeveloped land they had known from vacations to the island before the storied Caneel Bay resort was destroyed by Hurricane Irma in 2017. They remembered a vacation destination not hard to reach, with luxury rooms, quality hotels and a virtually untouched landscape. It was clear from day one that Lovango would share that quality of vacation.