COOPER ISLAND, British Virgin Islands -- No phone. No TV. No Internet. No air conditioning. No cars. No roads. No crowds. It's surprising how so many nos can add up to one resounding yes.
Cooper Island Beach Club is my escape valve from the pressure cooker of everyday life. Even in a chain of islands known more for simplicity than hype, Cooper Island stands apart. Compared with the neighboring Virgin Islands, Cooper barely qualifies as a loud sigh. Or perhaps that sigh is just me, exhaling in relief upon arrival.
The British Virgin Islands, about 60 miles east of Puerto Rico, are a natural archipelago comprising more than 60 islands, from tiny islets that barely pierce the water's surface to volcanic mountains. Most are undeveloped, a few house small resorts and private homes, only a handful have sizable populations. Many are surrounded by reefs, which feed fish and shelter shipwrecks, making them a favorite for divers and snorkelers. Scuba diving, snorkeling, and sailing are in abundance at Cooper.
Cooper Island is not a place for those who require endless entertainment, fancy spas, freshwater pools, or even a daily change of towels. Rather, Cooper delivers the requisites of a Caribbean vacation -- sand, sun, palm trees -- without glitter, glare, or hype, and at a fraction of the price of the flashy, big resorts. British owners Toby Holmes, who maintains the resort's US office in Turners Falls, and Christopher Tilling, the on-site manager, are committed to keeping it that way.
Most guests arrive on the Beach Club's shuttle boat from Road Town, capital of the BVIs, on Tortola. Indeed, there's little on Cooper besides the Beach Club, a handful of private cottages, and a few dozen moorings used by charter boats that sail in each afternoon and usually depart the next morning. It doesn't take long for Cooper guests to get to know each other -- should they choose. Nor does it take long for guests to become very protective about the island. It's a loyal clientele, Tilling says: ''Some guests return two or three times each year."
That's no wonder, given the island's size and the resort's intimacy. Cooper Island Beach Club's six duplex cottages peer over a garden of palms, serape trees, frangipani, and other tropical vegetation to a sliver of beach edging turquoise waters. Paths connect the cottages with the beachfront bar and restaurant, a small boutique selling T-shirts and necessities, and a dive shop that rents sea kayaks, motorized dinghies, floats, and other toys, and offers scuba and snorkel trips. Behind the resort, the land is rugged and steep and covered with scraggly brush.
Each guest room has an efficiency kitchen; queen or twin beds; a table, desk, and chairs; bathroom with private outdoor shower; and a porch overlooking the Caribbean. Rainwater is stored in a cistern; solar heaters provide hot water. Batteries power the lights and a ceiling fan. There's no reason to bring personal appliances, such as hair dryers or irons, as these cannot be used. Rooms are cleaned daily; linens are changed every third day. A young, friendly staff is ever-present and eager to assist.
From my room, I gaze into a mesmerizing view. Palm trees and mountainous islands frame the sailboat-dotted waters of Manchioneel Bay and Sir Francis Drake Channel. Each time I come to this British Virgin Island outpost, the raw beauty of the land and seascape quiets any inner turbulence.
As day fades, flamboyant sunsets, explosions of red and orange and pink, give way to smoky shades of violet and blue before the final glow ushers in the calm and quiet of night. Still I sit and watch, unable to tear myself from the view of distant Tortola, where twinkling lights compete with stars.
Just as mesmerizing is the view from the dining patio, and the food is equal to it. The conch fritters are widely viewed as the best in the Virgin Islands, and the homemade soups are delicious. Entrees can include grilled mahimahi and pork chops rosemary, and the nightly special, ranging from finger-lickin' barbecued ribs to just-caught fish, is always special.
For dessert, flambeed banana custard is a fiery spectacle, with dancing flames lighting the night.
Complementing Cooper's lack of fancy amenities is its lack of distractions. Again, it's surprising how easy it is to get in the groove of doing nothing and how satisfying that can be. Stroll the beach, pull up a beach chair and read, swim, find company at the beach bar, boutique, or dive shop. For entertainment, watch the antics on the charter boats.
My only must-do each day is to snorkel. Drop your face in the water, and a world of color and life comes into view. Neon and brightly colored fish are suddenly just an arm's length away. Intricate coral and sea grasses invite exploration. Hidden pockets reveal sea horses, eels, crabs, lobster, urchins, and other wonders of the sea. Sea turtles forage in the grasses. Octopi scurry under rocks. Rental equipment is free to Cooper guests on a package plan.
At Cistern Point, a good swim or easy kayak down the island, the snorkeling is even better. The surf is rougher here, nudging snorkelers toward the craggy rocks. It takes constant kicking to keep from being battered, but the rewards are worth the effort. I've seen a huge ray float by, a moray eel squiggle out of his rocky hiding place, and sea horses pass before my mask.
On one visit to Cooper, I joined a dive-boat excursion to the wreck of the RMS Rhone. This 310-foot Royal Mail Steamer was dashed against the rocks off nearby Salt Island in a hurricane in 1867 and is now an undersea national park. While divers plunge to the 80-foot depths of the sunken stern, I snorkeled over the bow, submerged 15 feet below the surface.
I've also booked a day sail on occasion, or hopped a shuttle into Road Town for a few hours of nosing about the shops and restaurants. But I'm always ready to return to car-free, carefree Cooper, ideal for those who want nothing more than to rest and recuperate, read and relax.
Contact Hilary Nangle, a freelance writer in Maine, at htnangle@midcoast.com. 
