Mo Sallah’s heard it before. ‘Say Barbuda’ and people respond ‘Barbados’?’ And you say, ‘No, Barbuda.’ And they look at you like you’re crazy and say,Bermuda?’” As the general manager of Barbuda’s Lighthouse Bay Resort, the good-natured Sallah knows that this little island, pronounced bar-BYOO-duh, is off the map of most Caribbean travelers. And that’s just fine with him and his guests. “The only thing you’ll see on this sand,” he says, “is your own footprints.”

Antigua’s little sister to the north, the island of Barbuda is undiscovered country even to many Antiguans. Its major export is sand. Barbuda’s sand is so plentiful, in fact, so silky and white, that it’s scooped up by the ton and used to sweeten beaches all over the Caribbean and as far north as Louisiana. There are just 1,500 people occupying the island’s 62 square miles, and at least as many feral donkeys ambling around. There’s a healthy population of deer and wild boar here too, both legally hunted. And there are birds, lots of birds — more than 170 avian species, including a 5,000-strong colony of frigate birds. About a third of the island is a dedicated sanctuary for this black-feathered seabird with a long tail and a seven-foot wingspan that seems to spend most of its day suspended on the breeze like a kite without a string.

Most of Barbuda is encircled by a thriving coral reef system — great for snorkelers, less so for sailors (there are some 200 shipwrecks in these waters). Two-thirds of the island is comprised of sandy plains that sit just a few feet above sea level, but rocky beaches and rugged limestone cliffs as high as 135 feet dominate its Atlantic-lashed east coast. On the west side, a fine strip of land bows into the Caribbean like the handle of a teacup, lapped on one side by the brackish waters of a vast lagoon and fringed on the other by what just may be the most splendiferous beach on planet Earth. Fronting the humbly named Low Bay, it is 17 uninterrupted miles of sand so fluffy and white you could bake a cake with it, and it’s caressed by a swath of Caribbean Sea that’s truer than true blue. And along these many, many miles, apart from the diminutive Lighthouse Bay Resort, you’ll find not one hotel, villa, bar, restaurant or fishing shanty. Nothing.

My first glimpse of this beach, as a radiant square at the end of a column-lined passageway in the resort’s open lobby, was sort of how I imagine those bright-light near-death experiences to be. I’m willing to bet that every Barbuda virgin has a similar first-time encounter. Your eyes widen and your mouth falls open and you zombie-walk toward that wildly luminous portal of blue and white. You stagger onto the sand and blink into the sunlight, looking up and down and left and right in unmitigated astonishment. Then, if you’re me, you blurt out a favorite expletive and hear Mo Sallah laugh like the guy from the old 7UP commercials. “I get that a lot around here,” he says.

Of course, this slice of perfection is priced accordingly: A night at Lighthouse Bay starts at a fairly breathtaking $999 per room in low season ($1,099 in high). There are less dear ways to experience the wonders of Barbuda. A handful of small guesthouses in and around the island’s only village, Codrington, provide basic accommodations for less than $100 a night. And, really, you don’t have stay the night to get a satisfying taste of the place. Barbuda Express, which operates a once-daily catamaran ferry service between Antigua and Barbuda, offers a $159 tour of the island that includes a boat ride through the frigate bird sanctuary, a visit to east-coast caves whose walls are adorned with ancient Arawak drawings, and lunch on the beach.

Unfortunately, Codrington-based overnighters can miss out on some of Barbuda’s most majestic perspectives, and day-trippers arrive too late and leave too early to get the full effect. Sunrise from that long beach at Lighthouse Bay, for instance, when a looking-glass sea reflects an arching sky, and the sapphire blue of the wee hours gives way to the cotton-candy pink of dawn, may be as close to the divine as a mortal can get.

Approached by water taxi from Codrington, the nine-room resort looks for the world like some eccentric billionaire’s private island citadel. Its namesake lighthouse contains a quaint bar at beach level and, on top, in place of a beacon, his-and-hers alfresco massage tables. There are no roads on (or to) this side of the lagoon; if you want to get around, the resort has a Hobie Cat, a couple of kayaks and a small herd of horses. The property generates its own electricity and desalinates its water. Everything you see — every brick, every bed, every beach towel, every bottle of beer — came across the lagoon one barge load at a time. It was like building a moon base.

Lighthouse Bay’s amenities are top-shelf by most any measure. Sumptuous rooms feature vaulted ceilings and travertine marble floors and walls bedecked with original artwork. Wi-Fi and satellite TV and free international phone calls are nice, and the undivided attention of chef Lennox Cadogan doesn’t hurt either. (His grilled Barbuda lobster and local venison with shrimp and toasted seaweed are not to be missed.) Simply arriving here is an exercise in extravagance: Lighthouse Bay provides a complimentary helicopter transfer from the airport in Antigua to its private helipad. “Step off your plane over there,” says Sallah, “and you can be here, and on this beach, in 15 minutes.”

It’s tough to overstate the singularity of this scene: a beach so sublime and a lone resort whose excellence is worthy of the setting. Only 26 miles to the south sits one of the Caribbean’s most popular and energetic destinations, but little Barbuda offers beachy solitude on a scale we’re really not accustomed to in the modern age. Yes, a sojourn at Lighthouse Bay Resort will strike more than a few travelers as a once-in-a-lifetime splurge. But when you plant your feet in this immaculate sand and gaze out over the water, when you see a piece of the Caribbean as Christopher Columbus saw it, or the Arawak before him, your time here starts to feel less like a splurge and more like what it really is: a privilege.

From $999 per room, all-inclusive, in low season ($1,099 high); 888-214-8552; lighthousebarbuda.com

Barbuda has the deep blue Atlantic on one side with wild beaches full of driftwood and shells and the calm Caribbean sea on the other, perfect for swimming and snorkeling, with plenty of opportunities to see turtles and many varieties of tropical fish undisturbed in the turquoise water.

The beauty of Barbuda is in its natural, peaceful way of life. It is not for visitors who are looking for sophisticated nightlife, it is a place where you relax, slow down and make your own entertainment in Burbuda.

There are only two hotels open at the moment on the island of Barbuda; the membership only and indeed very private Coco Point Lodge and the Lighthouse Bay Resort, more recently opened. There are several small guest houses in the village, ranging from single rooms to self-catering cottages.

The population of 1500 live in the village of Codrington. Village life is unaffected by tourism in Barbuda and if you are a guest here you will soon be part of the social life of the local people. Barbudans are helpful and friendly people and welcome visitors to their island.

Barbuda, 15 miles long and 8 miles wide, is mostly very rocky and flat. Much of the island is covered in bush and there are unmarked roads and tracks to the beaches. It is possible to cycle almost as easily as driving, as speed is of no importance here.

The bush hides all kinds of wildlife, including deer and boar, land turtles and guinea fowl, and the occasional wild cat. There are feral cattle, horses, and donkeys wandering about and in the village sheep and goats roam freely, returning to their pens at night. There are several salt ponds where it is possible to see a great variety of bird life, and in the lagoon the most spectacular of all the birds – the rare Magnificent Frigate Bird has a colony of approximately 2000 birds, one of the largest colonies in the world.

Barbuda is a haven for birdwatchers who come to see the frigate birds but can also expect to see many other rare species including ospreys, whistling ducks, tropic birds and the Barbuda Warbler, known locally as the Christmas Bird, and the only one of its kind in the world.

At the start of 2009, abcNews.com featured Barbuda in the Weekend Window slot on their Good Morning America programme. The video features Senator Mackenzie Frank, Jackie Beazer-Joseph, and Calvin Gore, guide at the Frigate Bird sanctuary. A full transcript of the video is available, and a selection of pictures from around the island too.

how to get here

by plane

There are no international flights to Barbuda, visitors must travel to the sister island of Antigua first. A number of international carriers from the US, the UK and the Caribbean have flights to Antigua. In most cases you would need to stay at least one night in Antigua unless you can afford to charter a flight which is sometimes cost effective if there are five or more people with a lot of luggage, and a plane available.

SVG airlines (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) are the current carrier, tel: +1-(268)-562-7183. The ticket price as at March 2011 is EC$253 return. This is approximately US$96.

Scheduled daily flights leave from from the V.C. Bird International Airport on Antigua to go to Barbuda:

Antigua

Morning

• 1st flight: Departure time 7:45
• 2nd flight: Departure time: 8:45

Afternoon

• Departure time: 5:15

Barbuda

Morning

• 1st flight: Departure time 8:15
• 2nd flight: Departure time 9:15

Afternoon

• Departure time: 5:45

by boat

The ferry is sometimes preferred by Barbudans because of the capacity to carry shopping and luggage on board.

barbuda express

The Barbuda Express is the ferry service between Barbuda and Antigua and it leaves from the centre of St. Johns, while small cargo boats make the return trip to Antigua twice a week.

For Reservations & Tours call (268)-560-7989, or e-mail barbudaexpress@yahoo.com. For an up-to-date schedule visit the Barbuda Express web site at www.antiguaferries.com.

cargo and container freight

Other village supplies get to Barbuda on small cargo boats that make the return trip to Antigua twice a week usually leaving on Friday and one other day, depending on the weather. Ocean Venture Freight Services can be contacted on (+1) 773-2699, 720-6046 or 764-0649.