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Nature
There are not many large land animals in the British Virgin Islands. The most visible is the considerable birdlife.
Around 200 species of birds come to the islands. Some of them are migratory so they are not there year round, but of course they are adapted to the different environments. There are many shore birds, including turnstones and sandpipers, which you might see twittering up and down the beaches in groups. You will definitely see pelicans, boobies and many species of gulls. If you are lucky you might see a peregrine falcon, a kestrel or an osprey, which hover on the winds and thermals in search of prey. Herons and egrets use the mangroves on the south coast to feed for small fish, standing immobile for hours on one leg while they wait in ambush. The BVI also sees a large number of ocean-going birds which use the many uninhabited out-islands to nest undisturbed. Finally in Anegada there are flamingos. A small colony was reintroduced in 1994 and there are now reckoned to be around 100 of them.
On land there is not much to see, and the most numerous species are reptiles. There are many lizards which you will hear scuttling around the dry undergrowth as you pass and see walking all over the ceiling (they are a good thing because they eat the mosquitoes and other insects, of which there are also plenty). There are a few snakes (all non-poisonous), but largest reptile on the islands is the iguana, an endangered species that lives on Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Necker. There is a captive breeding programme on Anegada and Necker. For more information see here.
The most distinctive reptile is probably a tree frog, whose impressive call you will no doubt hear at night. The islanders will usually claim that it is a cricket, but it is in fact a tree frog, called the Virgin Islands bo-peep. It takes its name from its double call (unlike the tree frogs on the islands farther east, which have a longer, single call), which sounds exactly like the words bo-peep. This same call is made by the best known Puerto Rican tree frog, the coquí. You will also see land crabs and hermit crabs that roll into their shell when they hear you coming.
If you go snorkelling you might be lucky enough to see a turtle. They live and breed here, nesting on Anegada and Virgin Gorda. When sailing around the islands you may also see a dolphin, or, if you're really lucky, a school of dolphins, either in the Sir Francis Drake Channel, or en route to Anegada. In springtime humpback whales pass through the BVIs. Their favourite places are just behind Beef Island and to the North East of Virgin Gorda. |
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Nudity
Nudity is illegal in the BVI. The BV Islanders are very modest and they are likely to get upset at women walking around town in a swimsuit and men walking around bare-chested. They are also polite so they probably won’t actually say anything to you, but you are asked not to do it. If you want to get an all-over tan you’ll have to do it in the privacy of the deck of your boat or balcony. Very occasionally toplessness has been known on certain remote beaches, including Smuggler’s Cove in the far west of Tortola. |
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Passports & Visas
The best document for entry into the British Virgin Islands is a passport. It is required by citizens of all countries except citizens of the USA and Canada, who are permitted to enter the BVI with an an authenticated birth or citizenship certificate accompanied by a valid photo ID such as a driving licence. As of 31 December 2006 however, all American citizens returning home from the Caribbean will need a valid passport. For further information please check with the U.S. Department of State.
British and European citizens are permitted to enter on a passport without a visa, but travellers from some countries, including most of the Caribbean islands, will need to obtain a visa before entering the BVI. If in doubt, contact the nearest BVI Tourist Board Office, the nearest British Embassy, or contact the Chief Immigration Department, BVI Government at t 494 3471 or 468 3701 ext 4700.
Ports of Entry
In addition to the Customs and Immigration at Beef Island Airport, there are ports of entry in Tortola in Road Town and West End, in Virgin Gorda at St Thomas Bay, at Great Harbour on Jost van Dyke. A Customs and Immigration Officer is in Anegada for charter flight arrivals. All vessels entering the territory must clear in with BVI Customs and Immigration immediately upon arrival. They must also clear out on departure. |
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Places to Go/Activities
With everything centred on the sea, and a limited visible history on the islands anyway, the British Virgin Islands do not have all that much to see on land. Recently however, there has been an effort in the islands to restore some historic sites to the point where they can be viewed. The BVI Tourist Board publishes a number of leaflets listing the historic buildings and places. There are also seventeen protected areas that fall within the National Parks Trust, where you can see the natural life of the island.
TORTOLA
Road Town
Road Town, capital of the British Virgin Islands, lies mid-way along the protected southern of the island of Tortola. It is a small town set along the waterfront and back into the flat land in the bay. There probably was a time when the town had a single road, but the name does not derive from that. A ‘roadstead’ was an old English word for a good natural harbour and this was always the main harbour for the island.
Now there are basically two roads in the main part of the town. The current major route through town, surrounded by modern buildings, including the government buildings and several banks, was built on reclaimed land in the 1990s when the old road, Main Street, became too slow and crowded.
Main Street, further inland now, is visibly from another generation and has some nice old West Indian buildings on it, including the Penn House, which contains the BVI Museum, the Smiths Gore building, the old Prison, and the Bougainvillea Clinic – or ‘Purple Palace’ as it is called locally – which is famous for cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. It was first set up over 30 years ago by British surgeon Robin Tattersall OBE. The Fort Burt Hotel has been built around the town’s original defence (it also used to be closer to the sea).
Penn House
A pretty gingerbread cottage on Main Street with clapboard walls and a red tin roof. It contains the BVI Folk Museum, where you will see displays of BVI natural life and old human artefacts including Amerindian pottery and more recent plantation and other remains. Some pottery from the RMS Rhone, whose hulk still lies off Salt Island where it sank in 1867 are also on view.
The JR O’Neal Botanical Gardens
Definitely worth a visit if you are walking around town – a calm and very attractive respite from the (relative) hustle and bustle of Road Town. The botanical gardens display indigenous BVI and Caribbean flora, divided into sections either side of a central alley of royal palms. There are areas devoted to orchids, cacti and local herbs, with collections of heliconia and anthuriums and 62 species of palms.
Government House
An imposing building (on a small scale) sitting on a small rise overlooking the harbour in Road Town, the former official residence of the Island Governor, who has moved to a new, similarly imposing but small building. It can now be visited. You will see the drawing and dining rooms laid out as they were. There is a gift shop and a knowledgeable guide.
Sage Mountain National Park
A forest area at Tortola and the BVI’s highest point, on the mountainous ridge, 1716 feet. Dry forest and some greener lusher growth. Trails run through the park, past mahoganies, enormous elephant ears, white cedars, kapok trees, ferns and philodendrons that quiver on the breeze.
Mount Healthy Windmill
The shell of an 18th century windmill high above Brewer's Bay, built to crush cane. The juice that was extracted was channeled to the boiling house on the other side of the road. It is the only windmill remaining on the island.
The Great Wall, Fahie Hill, Ridge Road, Tortola
Also known as the Fahie Hill Mural, the Great Wall is a community art project featuring the work of a group of local artists headed by Rueben Vanterpool. The idea behind the project was not only to beautify the bare concrete retaining wall on the Ridge Road but to also create an outside gallery depicting the cultural history of the BVI. Topics on the mural include market day, fishing, cutting sugar cane, baking, heritage dancers, wash day, donkeys carting sand, moonlight crabbing and landscape scenes. There are contributions by Quito Rhymer, Cedric Turnbull, Pearl Friday, Thor Downing, Dean ‘Ghost’ Smith and Garth Hewlette.
VIRGIN GORDA
Virgin Gorda has even fewer ‘sights’ than Tortola. There are just a few historical ruins on the island, so most of the things to see are either natural sites or they are set in the water. Among them are the excellent snorkelling and the simple beauty of the rocks at the Baths National Park.
The Baths National Park
The Baths are a jumble of extraordinary rocks fronting onto lovely sand that simply don’t belong in this area. They make up a spectacular (and all too visited) series of beaches in the southern tip of the island (and the islands to the south of here). The Protected Area also includes Devil's Bay, which can be reached from the Baths by a series of ladders scaling the boulders and just to the north of the Baths, Spring Bay, which is reached by a separate road and includes a lovely white sand beach.
The Copper Mine
A newly declared park that was once mined by Cornish miners in the mid-19th century for copper and other minerals. The shafts and several of the mine's stone structures still remain.
Gorda Peak
At 1,359 feet, the Peak is Virgin Gorda's highest point. The forest features many indigenous plants including some not found anywhere else. An observation tower at the top offers spectacular views of some of the surrounding islands, including Anegada.
Other National Parks
The Wreck of the Rhone Marine Park
A 310 foot Royal Mail Ship, the Rhone, sank off Salt Island in 1867, the victim of a devastating hurricane. Its remains are now home to a variety of corals, fish and other marine life. The Rhone, which was used as the underwater location for the movie, The Deep, has become one of the region's most popular dive spots.
The BVI has several bird sanctuaries accessible only by boat. These can be found on West Dog, Great Tobago, Little Tobago and Diamond Cay. Two other BVI parks well worth visiting are Prickly Pear Island, a sandy isle located in the North Sound off Virgin Gorda and Cam Bay on Great Camanoe, which has a secluded beach and a quiet anchorage. Two additional parks are Dead Chest located off Peter Island and Fallen Jerusalem, an island near the western tip near Virgin Gorda. |
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Places of Worship
The established religion in the BVI is Anglican, but there are a number of other denominations including Roman Catholic, Methodist Baptist, Pentecostal, Jehovah’s Witness and Seventh Day Adventist. There are three Anglican Churches in the BVI, St George’s on Main Street in Road Town, t 494 3894, St Paul’s in Sea Cow’s Bay to the west of Road Town and St Mary’s in the Valley in Virgin Gorda.
The Catholic Community, t 494 2690, also has three churches, St William’s in Road Town, Mary Star of the Sea in East End in Tortola and St Ursula’s in the Valley in Virgin Gorda. |
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Real Estate
The British Virgin Islands have seen a huge amount of development over the past 20 years. Much of it has been in Tortola, which has the by far the largest population and where many houses have been built as home for the BV Islanders themselves and others as holiday homes and villas. Other islands have developed differently, and there the building has been mainly second homes and villas for rental. A few are stand alone villas, but there are also villa developments and even some villa resorts.
It is worth noting that there are quite a few restrictions on property ownership in the BVI. First, non ‘Belongers’ (people who were not born in the BVI or have naturalisation) require a Land Holding Licence and it can be quite a long process to get one (up to two years). The application goes to the BVI Government and you have to provide bank and character references. If you are buying undeveloped land you must also make a minimum development commitment of US$250,000, which is subject to fines of up to 40% if you renege on your agreements. Land is sold as leasehold as it is mostly Crown Land.
The prices of houses in their very different settings vary enormously. Undeveloped plots in the Ridge Road area overlooking Road Town sell for around US$50,000 for around half an acre (where a 3 or 4 bedroom house with a third of an acre goes for US$800,000 or more) and at the other end of the scale a relatively simple 3 bedroom cottage on Cooper Island has been on the market at the impressive price of US$914,000. Some of the more spectacular villas go for over US$2 million.
One of the unique qualities of the BVI is the many small and even private islands, where seclusion is pretty much guaranteed. It is rare that whole islands come up for sale (though there are some at the moment, see below), but there are a number of islands on which there are collections of private villas which individually come up for sale from time to time.
TORTOLA
Traditionally the private villas on Tortola were at the western end of the island, clambering on the hillside above Soper’s Hole and on Frenchman’s Cay and then on the north shore in the Belmont Estate, Long Bay and east towards Cane Garden Bay. The island is fairly developed now, but there are still some areas that have barely been touched. Land in the Sage Mountain area is currently for sale at around US$100,000 and a good quality villa in the Belmont Estate will set you back $1,500,000.
VIRGIN GORDA
Virgin Gorda has more of a tradition of villas and holiday homes than Tortola. They have been built all over the island and there are some architecturally striking buildings among them. The few stand-alone villas can go for as much as two or three million US Dollars for a five bedroom house with pool and tennis court within a short walk of a good beach.
Most of Virgin Gorda’s villas however have been built in developments, either attached to a resort or as private houses within a residential area mostly on the sheltered western coastline. These include Leverick Bay and Mahoe Bay. There are several developments ongoing, including new villas at Little Dix Bay and there is a development at the very far eastern end of the island at Oil Nut Bay, where two-acre plots are accessed by boat.
JOST VAN DYKE
Jost van Dyke, which is owned largely by BV Islanders, has been laid out in plots in many parts of the island for a long time, but building has hardly begun. There is not much infrastructure and there are just a few houses already on the island. They come onto the market at prices ranging from US$400,00 for two bedrooms to plots at US$500,000 per acre for a prime beachfront location.
OTHER ISLANDS
Islands do occasionally come up for sale. Recently Mosquito Island and Ginger Island have been available, the second for US$6m, for 250 acres (the main beaches are very difficult to access and so they have near guaranteed privacy). There are also small islands with just a few private villas to which you can escape, including Great Camanoe off Beef Island and Eustatia off the North Sound in Virgin Gorda. Scrub Island, opposite Beef Island, currently has one or two luxury villas on it, and is scheduled for imminent development. There will be a megayacht marina, villas and condominiums.
In Anegada there is very little development. There are just a few houses that are not owned and lived in by islanders and with such a pristine environment and with calls for its conservation, it does not look as though there will be much development in the near future.
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Recommended Books
If there are any good books, particularly novels set in the islands
Treasure Island , the children’s pirate story by Robert Louis Stevenson is reckoned to be set on Normal Island.
Just an Affair, by Eugenia O’Neal, Genesis Press, is a romantic romp set in the BVI.
Although it was not written in the BVI itself, Don't Stop the Carnival by Hermann Wouk is among the funniest books written in and about the Caribbean hotel business. Set in a fictional hotel in the US Virgin Islands, it was written in 1965 and is as accurate as it ever was. It is hard to look a hotelier straight in the eye after reading it. |
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Restaurants
The BVI has a reasonably good variety of restaurants, many of them spectacular settings. The top dining rooms tend to be in the smartest hotels (on Tortola the Sugar Mill is particularly highly thought of, as are others in the smaller islands, including Biras Creek, and Little Dix Bay and Peter Island Resort), but with its large expatriate community, Tortola itself has a few independent restaurants of note, including Brandywine Bay, Le Cabanon, the Dove and Eclipse. These and others may offer a particular style of cuisine such as French or Italian.
Beyond the few at the top end of the range, the fare in the restaurants tend to be a little the same, offering a combination of ‘international’ dishes (largely American), and slightly sanitized versions of West Indian dishes (for details of local fare see under Food and Cooking). Finally, the BVI has many places serving takeaway food, including the ubiquitous 'chicken bus' and other mobile food stalls, less endearingly named ‘roach coaches’. These are mainly in Road Town.
You are advised to make reservations during season because the restaurants can get pretty busy. If you are on a yacht you will find that many of the restaurants will answer the VHF Channel 16. The following price categories are a guide to the cost of a main course.
Price categories are as follows, according to the cost of a main course (excluding lobster and steak) at dinner. Inexpensive - up to US$12, Moderate US$12 – $20, Expensive US$20 and above.
TORTOLA
Road Town has the highest concentration of restaurants, many of which have different menus in the daytime and in the evenings. There is a bustling lunchtime trade catering to the business community which then peters off to something less frenetic and more relaxed in the evenings, often with more sophisticated fare.
Brandywine Bay, t 495 2301, expensive
Set in a hilltop villa just east of Road Town. Diners have a lovely view of Sir Francis Drake Channel before dinner and then move into the main house for mainly Italian dishes. Nightly changing menu with an emphasis on fresh ingredients available on island.
Eclipse, t 495 1646, expensive
Stylishly presented food on a deck right on the waterfront in the East End. An international menu including tapas for grazing (in styles from around the world) and more substantial plates.
Le Cabanon, t 494 8660, moderate - expensive
A lively open fronted restaurant set back from Waterfront Drive among the palms. The fare is French and some of the ingredients are flown in from France twice weekly. During the day try one of their pannini sandwiches, or a chartcuterie platter, or even a salade Niçoise. In the evening expect beef carpaccio, calvados-flamed Camembert, smoked salmon platters as dinner appetizers, with entrees that range from fresh Dover sole or foie gras through to Normandie chicken or cassoulet. Finish with an espresso and cognac if there’s room.
Fat Hog Bobs, t 495 1010, moderate
Comfortable cushioned sofas and rattan armchairs on a covered terrace on the waterfront at Hodges Creek. As the name suggests, generously proportioned dishes, particularly good for breakfast, known for its cheese and bacon rosti.
Harbour View, t 495 2797, moderate to expensive
First floor, waterfront dining at Harbour View Marine, East End. Good fresh fish, nightly specials.
Sugar Mill, Apple Bay, t 495 4355, moderate - expensive
Set in the authentic stone walls of an old sugar boiling house at the hotel on the north shore of Tortola, the Sugar Mill has a nightly changing menu that mixes Caribbean and foreign ingredients in an innovative way. Well worth a visit.
Oscar’s Restaurant & Bar, Frenchman’s Cay, Tortola t 495 4844, moderate-expensive
Beachfront setting on Frenchman’s Point. Mix of Caribbean and Southern Mediterranean cuisine
The Dove, Road Town, t 494 0313, moderate - expensive
Set just south of the Government Dock, the Dove offers good food, in portions that are slightly on the light side. It has an excellent wine list, with over 100 wines and 20 by the glass and is a popular stopover for Tortola’s young ‘yuppie’ crowd from the Trust Companies, who catch a glass of champagne during happy hour. Their ‘Hangover Sunday Brunch’ is also popular with residents.
The Captain’s Table, Road Town, t 494 3885, expensive
Overlooking the dock at Inner Harbour Marina. A light lunch menu, with the exception of excellent jerked pork chops. More sophisticated evening menu offering French and other dishes including escargots, a warm goats cheese salad and conch fritters through to steaks, fresh local fish. The Captain’s Table is the only place in the BVI where you can pick your live lobster from a vivier.
The Last Resort, Bellamy Cay, offshore in Trellis Bay off Beef Island, t 495 2520, moderate-expensive
Set on its own island just offshore at the eastern tip of Tortola (off Beef Island), the Last Resort is a BVI institution for its atmosphere as much for its (very good) food. Singing chefs and sometimes a cabaret. Fusion cuisine and trusty international dishes. The ‘nice ass’ of its logo refers to the restaurant’s donkey, which sticks its head through the window. The donkey is not a drinker like the last one, but you can have your picture taken with it…All good fun as well as good cuisine.
Skyworld, Ridge Road, t 494 3567, moderate-expensive
A spectacular setting by day (when quite a lot of busborne cruise ships passengers come for cocktails), but also a good restaurant in the evenings. Daily changing international menu with a good variety.
Fort Burt Restaurant, t 494 2587, moderate-expensive
Home of the New England Culinary Institute’s catering school in the BVI. All meals are prepared by students, with bread and pastries coming from the school’s bakery in Road Town. The menus are imaginative, the food well prepared and service is generally good, if sometimes slow. Try the fresh Prince Edward Island mussels appetizer or the jerked rack of lamb for some wonderful flavours.
C & F Restaurant, Purcell Estate, t 494 4941, moderate-expensive
A fun place in the back streets of Road Town that has built a reputation for its West Indian fare and BBQ food, particularly ribs. Dark, cramped and not well lit, and with a telly blaring in the background, it’s not the most inviting of places but it is an institution. Huge racks of baby back ribs or half chicken, generously covered with a tasty, but not overpowering sauce served with bowls of potato salad and coleslaw. Their conch in butter sauce is excellent, as is the traditionally prepared steamed fish with mayonnaise sauce, which hardly sounds appetising, but which is excellent.
Capriccio di Mare, t 494 5369, moderate
An all day Italian café overlooking the palms and ferry dock. Sit with a cappuccino and croissant while watching Road Town’s business day commute. At lunch perhaps have a piadina (an Italian style tortilla) of a focaccia sandwich, or in the evening some bruschetta followed by pasta and salad. Their unique offering is a drink called the ‘Hot, Hot, Hot’, a shot of home-made hot pepper vodka served in a glass of Red Stripe beer. Open 8am-9pm, Cappriccio serves an all-day menu, with a breakfast menu available until 10.30.
Seaside Grill, Sebastian’s, Apple Bay, t 495 4212, moderate
The Seaside Grill is set on a very pretty waterfront deck at Sebastian’s in Apple Bay, looking out past the palms and waves to Jost van Dyke in the distance. Homely atmosphere. International fare with local ingredients, including excellent fresh local fish.
Coco Plums, Apple Bay, t 495 4672, moderate
Pretty setting in a dining room by the road side in the small local community of Apple Bay. Good service and good fare, a combination of Caribbean and international dishes.
Palm’s Delight, Carrot Bay, t 495 4863, moderate
West Indian food family style on the waterfront in Carrot Bay near the west of the north shore, rotis, curry goat and fish with rice ‘n’ peas.
Village Cay Dockside, t 494 2771, moderate
On the dockside in town, overlooking the yachts, but comfortably breezy and right in the action of the dock. Serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, from an American influenced menu, with buffet lunches some days and sushi on Friday evenings. Sunday brunch is worth going to, particularly if you’ve a healthy appetite. Service is reliably slow, so patience and a sense of humour are a necessity, but there is plenty of activity on the dock to keep you amused. Village Cay’s sandwich shop is open from 10am – 4pm and has a comprehensive made-to-order sandwich menu plus some good salads and quiches. Good if you’re thinking about taking a picnic to the beach.
Spaghetti Junction and the Bat Cave, t 494 4880, moderate
The Bat Cave is a club in the evenings, when Spaghetti Junction takes over the main dining room, for its full range of pastas and Caribbean fish and seafood dishes as well as specials. By day you can eat in the Bat Cave itself. It is a cool air-conditioned spot for lunch, for a wonderful seared tuna salad or a sizzling fajita.
The Pub, Fort Burt Marina, t 494 2608, moderate
Right on the water with views over Road Harbour, the Pub is second home to many of Tortola’s older ex-pat community and it can be fairly rumbustious. The day-time waitress, Princess, does an admirable job of keeping everything under control and service flowing well. Breakfast, a robust lunch menu and simpler dinner menu, with exceptional prime ribs on Thursday nights, probably the best available on Tortola.
The Mid-Town Restaurant, t 494 2764, inexpensive - moderate
Really more of a diner than a restaurant, with a good market menu of West Indian dishes. Check the chalk board out side the door to see the days’ specials, and then get stuck into a good rib-sticking meal.
The Roti Palace, Main St, t 494 4196, inexpensive
Set above a jeweller’s shop on Main St, the Roti Palace is a small restaurant with only one thing, roti, on the menu. A roti is a large flat unleavened bread a bit like a soft tortilla with a layer of ground spiced channa (chick-peas or garbanzos) in the middle. This bread is wrapped like an envelope around a mild-medium spiced curry - boneless chicken, conch, lobster, whelk, mutton or vegetable fillings. Add some of the coldest bottled beer in Road Town, mango chutney and the spicy condiment called kuchela (grated green mangoes, garlic and spices) and you have excellent traditional West Indian fare.
The Virgin Queen, t 494 2310, inexpensive
In the back of town, the ‘VQ’ serves essentially English style ‘pub food’, Shepherd’s Pie and liver and bacon remain staples for the ex-pat community. Also known for its pizzas. At lunch-time during school terms it can be difficult to get served quickly as hordes of high school students go there to eat.
Courtyard Café, Main St, Road Town, inexpensive
A café set in a very pretty wooden house and covered courtyard, great stopover for a juice and a coffee and a cookie. Also some light fried fare for lunch, daytimes only.
VIRGIN GORDA
The two best places to eat out are probably the hotel dining rooms at Biras Creek and Little Dix Bay, as there are just a handful of independent restaurants of any standard in Virgin Gorda. The island is basically divided into two halves, the North Sound and the ‘south’.
Giorgio’s Table, Mahoe Bay, t 495 5684, expensive
Lovely setting in a wooden cabin with verandas right above the water. Excellent Italian fare. Well worth the effort of getting there. Good service, though you need to take time because it is cooked to order.
Chez Bamboo, Spanish Town, t 495 5752, moderate - expensive
A pretty courtyard and indoor dining room in Spanish Town, serving a combination of international and Caribbean cuisine.
Rock Café, t 495 5482, moderate to expensive
Al fresco dining amidst the boulders of Virgin Gorda, or inside in the Piano Bar. Italian inspired dishes, good for pastas of all kinds, fresh fish, steaks and the ubiquitous lobster.
The Fat Virgin, Biras Creek, moderate
A café and deli on the lagoon, great lunch.
The Restaurant at Leverick Bay, North Sound, t 495 7154, expensive
Newly refurbished and upgraded, the Restaurant at Leverick Bay has lost some of its mock ‘Pub’ style and is now more cosmopolitan, with a menu to match.
Leverick Bay, North Sound, moderate
Set above a small marina, Leverick Bay is a mock-nautical bar with stained wood and brass. Fairly standard international fare, steaks and local fish dishes.
The Mineshaft, inexpensive
Good grub and the best sunset on Virgin Gorda.
JOST VAN DYKE
Sidney’s, Little Harbour
A waterfront restaurant in a wooden deck. Local and international fare.
ANEGADA
With a couple of exceptions you will be dependent on the dining rooms in the places to stay when on Anegada. The cuisine is not as sophisticated as in the other islands in the BVI, but you can expect wholesome West Indian and international fare.
Anegada Reef Hotel, t 495 8002, moderate
On a calm waterfront on the southern shore, either outside under the palms or on a screened deck. International and good West Indian fare.
Cow Wreck Beach Bar and Restaurant, t 495 8047 moderate to expensive
A charming, family-run restaurant in a spectacular beach setting, with the best value lobster on Anegada. Also great lobster and crab fritters and simply prepared fresh but excellent grilled fish. Particularly good salad dressing. The food is cooked to order at Cow Wreck, so service might be slow, but you probably won’t care after a few Cow Wreck punches!
Flash of Beauty, Loblolly Bay, t 495 8014, moderate
Also on the beach at Loblolly Bay, West Indian fare as well as some sandwiches.
Neptune’s Treasure, t 495 9439, moderate
Locally caught fish and seafood and other hearty West Indian fare.
Big Bamboo, Loblolly Bay, t 495 2019, inexpensive - moderate
Classic West Indian setting, right on the beach, and cuisine, fish and chicken and more. |
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Rum
There are no large scale distilleries in the BVI any more, but there is a small producer on Tortola called Sebastian’s, which produces a rich rum, like a liqueur. It is available in most bars around the islands. The small Callwood distillery in Cane Garden Bay produces a fairly rough and ready white rum for local consumption.
A rum that is branded as from the British Virgin Islands is Pussers, the key ingredient of the ‘BVI drink’, the Painkiller. In fact the rum is distilled in the States and then bottled to be sold as Pussers. Pussers also has a series of mock-nautical bars on Tortola. |
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Sailing
The sailing in the BVI is some of the best in the world. The islands are supremely beautiful for one thing, but the real advantages are that they are relatively close to one another, that there are constant winds and yet the islands are well protected from the worst of the Atlantic weather. The calm seas and line of sight navigation make them ideal for first time charterers. Finally the anchorages are good (many of them have overnight mooring buoys). There are isolated coves and deserted sandbars where you can just jump overboard and swim ashore. On top of this, when you are looking entertainment, the BVI does better than anywhere in the Caribbean. There are more sail-up beach bars than anywhere else.
And of course there is an extraordinary range of yachts there too. You can get anything from a simple sailing yacht with bunks for two through to a small ocean liner with helicopters and liveried crew. The BVI has large international charter companies including the Moorings and Sunsail, but there are also some smaller BVI based companies some of which offer a more personal service and in some cases more comfortable yachts.
BVI BAREBOAT SAILING CHARTERS
Look out for Horizon Yacht Charters who offer high quality boats and service and TMM who also have bases in St Vincent and Belize. There is also great depth in price, with companies like Conch Charters, a long established company that has some yachts that have previously been with other fleets and which they offer at lower rates. For details of hiring a bareboat, see our notes on bareboat yacht charters.
There is the chance to sail in a flotilla, though Sunsail, who arrange flotillas for a week or a fortnight, with a departure each week. Like them, the Moorings offer corporate outings.
BVI CREWED YACHTS
If you do not want to look after yourself, you might prefer to take out a crewed yacht, in which you are looked after by a captain and crew. The crew can range from captain and mate (usually cook) to a small uniformed legion. See our notes on crewed yacht charter.
BVI MOTOR YACHT CHARTERS
An increasing number of bareboat motor yachts have also come onto the charter market in recent years, so if you have the requisite licence then you are able to take out a very comfortable motor yacht, with or without crew, through Virgin Traders.
SAILING SCHOOLS
There are also a number of sailing schools in the BVI:
TORTOLA
Rob Swain Sailing School, Road Town, t 495 9376, sail@swainsailing.com, www.swainsailing.com
The Rob Swain Sailing Schools offers courses at all levels, from beginner (Basic keelboat sailing) to courses that will sharpen up your racing skills and performance. They are affiliated to the US Sailing Association
Offshore Sailing School, The Moorings, Road Town, t 494 5119, info@offshoresailing.com, www.offshore-sailing.com
US-headquartered Offshore Sailing School offers all levels of US sailing certification through the following courses: Learn to Sail, Live Aboard Cruising and Coastal Passage-making. Also women’s only courses and special events.
Most of the yacht charter companies offer instruction, often liveaboard on a yacht that you have chartered from them.
Horizon Yacht Charters, Nanny Cay
They offer private tuition and a number of courses of different levels within the ASA programme. Courses are taken by qualified instructors and examined. Successful candidates attain certificates and stamps in their logbook, which enable them to show their level of competence to a charter boat company. The most popular courses offered are Basic Keelboat Sailing, Basic Coastal Sailing and Bareboat Chartering.
VIRGIN GORDA
The Bitter End Yacht Club
Their sailing school offers tuition and training at all levels of sailing, from dinghies to skipper masterclasses.
REGATTAS
A number of regattas are held throughout the year. Some are pretty serious events, with crews flown in in some cases to compete for an owner, but others are more 'fun' (while still being extremely competitive). They usually also have entry categories for the cruising yachts, so you can hire a yacht with a group of friends and enter the races. There are always extremely good parties at the end of each day.
YACHT SERVICES
Shoreside Services, Village Cay Marina, t 494 5135 or 496 8227, info@shoresideservices.com, www.shoresideservices.com
A VIP concierge and full dock-side yachting services agent. Services include Immigration & Customs clearance with online forms for pre-arrival submission, advance dockage reservations throughout the BVI & St Thomas, ground handling for visiting aircraft, taxi and limousine transfers, provisioning services and crew placement.
MARINAS
The main marinas are on the southern shore of Tortola, at Soper’s Hole at the West End, Nanny Cay mid way to Road Town. In Road Town itself there are Village Cay Marina, Tortola Yacht Services and the Moorings.
On Virgin Gorda there are smaller marinas at Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour in the Valley and at the Bitter End Yacht Club in the North Sound. In the smaller islands you can try the bigger hotels for services, but you will probably have to return to Tortola.
Nanny Cay Marina, t 494 2512
Full service marina (180 berths) with showers, rest rooms, laundry, postal services, Internet & email access, bars, restaurants, salon and spa services. and boat yard. Boat yard, 2 travel lifts (up to 70 tons/33' wide capacity), chandlery, marine craftsmen and engineering, fibreglass repair, rigging.
Hodge's Creek Marina, East End, t 495 4740
Will accommodate boats up to 120', depth 8.5', storage, fuel , ice, 110 & 220V, provisioning, bar, restaurant, dive shop.
Tortola Yacht Services, Road Harbour, t 494 2124, sales@tysbvi.com, www.tysbvi.com
3.5 acre full service yard with long established chandlery, shipwright, rigging service, and watermaker among the services offered.
Soper's Hole Marina, West End
Accommodates yachts up to 170' with a good range of onshore facilities, bars, restaurants, shops, provisioning, showers, ATM, Internet Cafe and office utilities.
Village Cay Marina, t 494 2771
106 berthing spaces, water, direct dial telephone and cable TV hook-ups at each berth, laundry, popular waterside bar and grille.
VIRGIN GORDA
Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour, The Valley, t 495 5318
Accommodates yachts to 160' and 10' draft, chandlery and provisioning alongside small town facilities, bank, shops, bars, restaurants, bank, etc. Full service 10-acre boat yard, 70 ton travel lift, shipwrights, fiberglass specialists, marine engineers, sail and canvas work.
Leverick Bay Marina, North Sound, t 495 7421
A small marina with 20 slips, 36 moorings, full service dock, bar, restuarant, shops, provisioning, spa services.
Saba Rock Island, North Sound
Overnight slips and moorings, power, water, ice, bar and restaurant
Bitter End Yacht Club Marina, North Sound, t 494 2745, binfo@beyc.com
25 slips, 70 moorings, launch service, provisioning, laundry services, showers, full service dock and repair shop. Resort facilities.
SAILAWAY
Hotels with sailaway packages and other types of accommodation suitable for a stay sail holiday perhaps because they have their own mooring or docking facilities include:
| Biras Creek
A delightful, trusty retreat. Elegant and full of character, set on its own bays in the North Sound on Virgin Gorda. Just a few very comfortable suites in cottages, excellent dining room on the hilltop, with a superb view. Best for adults except in summer school holidays. Stay sail holiday available on crewed yacht. | Peter Island
An extremely luxurious hotel on a private island in the British Virgin Islands. Peter Island Resort has just 56 rooms and a handful of extremely comfortable villas set around the 1800 acres of the island, including rooms on the spectacular Deadman’s Bay beach. A very elegant, sometimes glitzy island getaway with very high levels of service. Spa, stay sail option available. | Fort Recovery Beach Villas
A friendly cluster of seventeen one and two bedroom villa apartments (and a four bedroom beach house), set on a quiet beach near Tortola’s lively West End. A very low key getaway for those seeking a relaxed setting with a therapeutic ambiance. Good for single travellers, families and popular for weddings and honeymoons, as well as dive holidays. | Bitter End Yacht Club
The only resort of its kind in the Caribbean. Set on a mile long shorefront on Virgin Gorda’s lively North Sound, Bitter End is devoted to sailors and watersports fans of all ages and experience. It has a comprehensive schedule of sailing and watersports programmes, including instruction at all levels, and an impressive fleet of 100 yachts, dinghies, cats and windsurfers. The atmosphere is upbeat and it is ideal for families looking for an active watersports based holiday. | Gestalt
Romantic and stylish 4 bedroom BVI villa in Spanish ‘finca’ style, set on a clifftop with private jetty and stunning sea views across Soper’s Hole, Tortola. Perfect for weddings and honeymoons or just a restful retreat. Own dock. | Steele Point
A spectacular tropical hideaway set on the tapering western tip of Tortola in the BVI, with vertical views down to the translucent sea and a seascape of islands. Architecturally impressive, the living rooms and 5 bedrooms are set at varying levels, clinging to the cliffside, literally hanging in the air, giving a superb view from your bed. Own dock. | Sugar Mill Hotel
An extremely friendly and comfortable small BVI hotel set in pretty gardens on the grounds of an old sugar estate on Tortola’s north shore. There are just 24 rooms in a variety of styles and, in the old walls of the sugar boiling house, a renowned dining room, regularly a prize-winner. Good for weddings; excellent 'adventure'package with daysails and scuba. | Anegada Reef Hotel
Truly relaxed hotel in an already dozy Caribbean island, Anegada. No keys, no phones, no tvs (but air-conditioning). One of the main gathering points on the island, in a sandy garden under the casuarinas pines on the southern shore. Escapist's idyll. |
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Scuba Diving
The diving in the BVI compares favourably within the Caribbean and it can be recommended for several things set it apart. These include the clarity of the water and the fact that the sand is light and often shallow, giving the corals excellent colours. Even the geography of the islands helps. They are relatively dry and so there is little water runoff (which inhibits coral growth). Also, the number of islands means that there are many pinnacles, canyons, caverns and tunnels. There are coral heads in shallow water and coral gardens on shallow reefs. Diving in the BVI is easy and safe, suitable for learners and newly qualified divers. It is not particularly challenging if you are an experienced diver looking for an edge of excitement, but there are some interesting wrecks, the most famous of which is the RMS Rhone, a huge British mailship that sank in a hurricane in 1867.
There are about 100 main dive sites in the BVI, most of them along the 18 mile stretch of Sir Francis Drake Channel. Most companies do a two-dive trip in the mornings, leaving around 9am and returning in the early afternoon. One important feature of scuba diving in the BVI is the fact that the dive companies are all happy to do what they call rendez-vous diving. This means that they will collect you from your yacht, rather than your having to turn up at the dive shop.
Scuba operators that we recommend in the BVI are Blue Water Divers based at Nanny Cay and Soper's Hole, West End; Sail Caribbean Divers based at Hodges Creek and Cooper Island and Dive BVI, who operate out of Virgin Gorda.
If you are looking for a dive package with your accommodation, try... | Peter Island
An extremely luxurious hotel on a private island in the British Virgin Islands. Peter Island Resort has just 56 rooms and a handful of extremely comfortable villas set around the 1800 acres of the island, including rooms on the spectacular Deadman’s Bay beach. A very elegant, sometimes glitzy island getaway with very high levels of service. Spa, stay sail option available. | Fort Recovery Beach Villas
A friendly cluster of seventeen one and two bedroom villa apartments (and a four bedroom beach house), set on a quiet beach near Tortola’s lively West End. A very low key getaway for those seeking a relaxed setting with a therapeutic ambiance. Good for single travellers, families and popular for weddings and honeymoons, as well as dive holidays. | Virgin Gorda Villas
A collection of more than 40 privately owned individual villas in the north of Virgin Gorda, some set above Leverick Bay Resort and Marina, with views across the North Sound, others in the quieter Mahoe Bay a couple of miles away. | Bitter End Yacht Club
The only resort of its kind in the Caribbean. Set on a mile long shorefront on Virgin Gorda’s lively North Sound, Bitter End is devoted to sailors and watersports fans of all ages and experience. It has a comprehensive schedule of sailing and watersports programmes, including instruction at all levels, and an impressive fleet of 100 yachts, dinghies, cats and windsurfers. The atmosphere is upbeat and it is ideal for families looking for an active watersports based holiday. | Cooper Island Beach Club
A very informal often lively small hotel set on a pretty and virtually private island in the BVI, popular with sailors and divers. Cooper Island sees a passing stream of yachts that brings activity to the bar, but otherwise it is peaceful and you can read, write, snorkel, kayak, rent a RIB or just chill out at the bar. Good for secluded honeymoons and for solo travellers wanting to hide away. Good value too. | Sugar Mill Hotel
An extremely friendly and comfortable small BVI hotel set in pretty gardens on the grounds of an old sugar estate on Tortola’s north shore. There are just 24 rooms in a variety of styles and, in the old walls of the sugar boiling house, a renowned dining room, regularly a prize-winner. Good for weddings; excellent 'adventure'package with daysails and scuba. |
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Security
The BVI is a safe place, but you are advised to take simple precautions that you would at home and anything beyond petty theft tends not to involve tourists. The sage advice is simply not to carry too much cash on you. Your belongings are generally safe on the beach but it is probably better not to leave anything to temptation. |
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Service Charge/Tipping
There is no standard procedure for tipping throughout the BVI, but with so many American visitors there is an expectation in the bars. The rule of thumb is 10-15%. Use your discretion; remembering that staff are normally paid just the minimum wage. Some restaurants include a service charge in your bill, so do check your bill before leaving a tip on top. Others don’t normally levy a standard service charge, but might apply a 15% service charge to groups of 6-8 or more. Finally, be aware that unless waiting staff have spent time working in the US, you are unlikely to receive swift and attentive service. Be prepared to actively seek your waiter’s help! |
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Shopping
The BVI is not a shopper’s paradise, but there are some shops to detain you on Main Street in Road Town. You will find some small boutiques offering locally made handicrafts, but much of the merchandise is imported from elsewhere in the Caribbean anyway. For a good selection of bona fide local crafts try wandering around Crafts Alive, a small area established on Road Town by the BVI Government to promote local handicrafts. The BVI does have some talented and prolific artists so if you’re looking for a souvenir of your trip you might plan on visiting some of the galleries scattered around the islands.
TORTOLA
HEALTH FOODS & SUPPLEMENTS
Nature's Way, Mill Mall, Road Town, t 494 6393, natsway@surfbvi.com
Good range of health foods and supplements as well as homemade juices, vegetarian health foods to take away and eat on the premises.
Sunny Caribbee Herb and Spice Co, Main Street, Road Town
They package their own soaps, spices and other gifts, set in a pretty creole house
Hucksters, Road Town
Aragorn's Studio, Trellis Bay
Hand painted clothes, sculptures and some Carib crafts including basketry, imported arts and crafts from Guyana and Dominica.
Bambooshay, Nanny Cay
For excellent pottery.
VIRGIN GORDA
The Artistic Gallery, The Marina, Spanish Town
General gifts including jewellery, maps and some collector’s pieces
Fat Virgin’s Treasure, Biras Creek
Gifts with some clothing
Little Dix Bay
Gift shop excellent but quite expensive
Palm Tree Gallery, at Leverick Bay
Gold jewellery made on VG, handicraft and paintings & gifts by Virgin Gorda-based artist Amy Thurmond
SUPERMARKETS
In Tortola, try Bobby’s Marketplace, which you will find on Wickham’s Cay 1 in Road Town and at the East End. You can provision to villas in Virgin Gorda.
All the supermarkets on Virgin Gorda are expensive. Go to Buck’s Food Market. |
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Solo Travellers
The hotels in the BVI tend to be fairly couple and family oriented or activity centred so as a single traveller they might not be that comfortable, but if you would like to tuck yourself away for a very quiet break, for instance to read and scuba dive, there are a few that will look after you well. The Sugar Mill Hotel is friendly and, less expensive, you would find yourself well looked after at Sebastians. Or Cooper Island if you want to isolate yourself some of the time, but have a crowd at hand by day and in the evenings. The Beef Island Guest House is another option, particularly if you are a windsurfer or kitesurfer. Some of the self-catering apartments would also look after you well and give you a friendly reception, particularly close to the centre of the action in Cane Garden Bay. Try Mongoose Apartments.
With its large and transient yachting community, there is plenty of action if you are happy to bar hop and mix in, but if you stay for a decent length of time there are very strong resident crowds in the bars that are always up for new blood. If you are only there on holiday it can help to have an activity. It is usually possible to get a place as crew during the regattas (on one of the less serious boats, the most serious yachts fly their own crews in), which will introduce you to a sailing crowd. Similarly divers have their favourite haunts and there is a good crowd of sportsmen and women up in Trellis Bay on Beef Island. |
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