Warm up in the British Virgin Islands
Cane Garden Bay, on the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, has plenty of beachfront dining. Each of the BVI’s 60 islands has its own secluded beaches, historic sites and fresh seafood restaurants.
Photo © Kevin Oke | Dreamstime.com
When I last visited the British Virgin Islands 20 years ago, I checked out its inviting beaches, visited historic and natural sites, and oohed and aahed at the magnificent scenery.
During a return trip there last fall, I relived those experiences and discovered some new ones.
The British Virgin Islands, or BVI, transcend a typical sun, surf and sand vacation with opportunities to delve into intriguing touches of Caribbean culture. The BVI became a British colony in 1672, but today it’s considered a British overseas territory with its own government.
What’s missing in the BVI? High-rise hotels, gambling casinos, chain restaurants and the commercialism found at many Caribbean destinations.
About 60 islands and tiny cays make up the archipelago located east of Puerto Rico. The largest island, Tortola, is 20 square miles, and the smaller ones, at barely two acres, are no more than sandbars.
On Tortola’s almost-vertical hills, roads rise and fall, twist and turn. Because many stretches of road are more pothole than pavement, and vehicles drive on the British side, I recommend taking taxis and tour buses rather than renting a car.
The first place many Tortola visitors head for are beaches, which come in many sizes with amenities to meet most tastes. Cane Garden Bay combines a swath of inviting sand with a wide choice of water-based activities. Smuggler’s Cove, fringed by cactus and palm trees, offers good snorkeling close to shore.
For BVI history, head to the capital, Road Town. Its Virgin Islands Folk Museum brims with pre-Columbian artifacts from people who once inhabited the islands. The museum also tells stories of pirates and buccaneers who found a home base for seeking quick treasure and British colonists who came to stay, enslaving thousands of people.
The J.R. O’Neal Botanic Gardens is an oasis of tropical plants that represent the different habitats of the BVI. Given the lush foliage that proliferates the island, even such a magnificent garden seemed almost redundant to me.
One spot many visitors miss is the Jenesis Studio. It showcases paintings of BVI life, some of which also decorate a mural that stretches along a roadside wall nearby. Behind the building is a garden of tropical herbs and medicinal plants with signs indicating what ailments each has been used to treat.
Island hopping
I also took time to visit three other islands in the BVI. They’re relatively easy and inexpensive to reach by ferry, or you can pay more for a private flight or boat charter.
Virgin Gorda has remnants of early African, Spanish and Indian settlements, but it is best known for the Baths, a collection of enormous granite boulders and grottoes.
Because of its coral and limestone topography, which contrasts with the volcanic origin of the others, Anegada is rimmed by the loveliest sparkling sand beaches. It’s also surrounded by colorful reefs and old shipwrecks, making it a popular dive and snorkeling destination.
Jost Van Dyke, said to be named for a Dutch privateer, measures only about 3.5 square miles. It’s dotted by the ruins of early sugar mills and laced with early explorer footpaths. But the international reputation of this tiny enclave also rests upon the Soggy Dollar Bar, a nondescript but inviting beachfront watering hole that reputedly is the birthplace of the popular local beverage known as the Painkiller.
The name of the establishment came from the fact that before a road had been built, people docked their boats nearby, swam to shore and paid their bar bill with wet paper money.
The British Virgin Islands have long been a paradise for boaters. The first visitors came by sea, and since then, the consistent trade winds, clear water and countless islands close enough to navigate by sight have made the archipelago known as the sailing capital of the Caribbean.
For many people, the larger islands serve as a stopover before they rent a catamaran or sailboat and head out to discover tucked-away coves, deserted beaches, caves and other attractions inaccessible to landlubbers.
Even so, I highly recommend spending time on the islands. Each has its own scenic appeal, activities and intriguing history — and plenty of peaceful beaches.
If you go
Round-trip flights to Tortola start at $439, with one stop in San Juan. You can also fly through St. Thomas.
The Wyndham Tortola BVI Lambert Beach Resort fronts an outstanding beach and offers gourmet dining, an inviting pool, cabanas and low-rise accommodations set amid Caribbean foliage. Room rates begin at $220 a night.
A favorite restaurant find was the Coconut Lounge in Road Town, which overlooks the harbor. My personal favorites were the coconut-crusted shrimp and seafood pasta.
For more information, contact wyndhamhotels.com and bvitourism.com.
