See more pictures - Here
British Virgin Islands map
|
Carnival
Carnival in the BVI follows the form of carnival in most islands in the area, but it is not held at the traditional time of Mardi Gras at the start of Lent. Instead it is staged in the summer, at the beginning of August, in honour of the emancipation of slaves that took place in 1838. In the run up to the main event there are the preliminary rounds of the steel bands and calypso competitions and then on the weekend before the parades there are the finals of the competitions and King and Queen of the Band show. On Monday morning the revellers spill out of the parties into J’Ouvert and then for the next couple of days they dance through the streets of Road Town in costumed parades.
Virgin Gorda sees its own carnival, held at Easter time. The main parade takes place around Spanish Town on Easter Monday. |
| ^ back to top |
Casinos
There are no casinos in the British Virgin Islands. The closest casinos are in St Croix in the USVI (surprisingly there are none in St Thomas), but most locals head off for Puerto Rico, where they can shop at the same time. |
| ^ back to top |
Charity Support
In the BVI we support VISAR (Virgin Islands Search and Rescue), a voluntary organisation that is on 24 hour stand-by to help those in trouble in BVI waters.
Please click through for more information about VISAR and their services and needs. |
| ^ back to top |
Check In/Check Out
As a general rule check-out times are 12 noon and check-in is not usually before 3pm, during which time accommodations are made ready for new arrivals. The relative lateness of the check in is not usually a problem because the majority of international arrivals into the country are in the early to late afternoon. Some properties may provide day rooms/shower facilities subject to availability, or may be flexible on check-in or check-out times by prior arrangement.
If you are chartering a yacht, charters run from noon to noon. If your yacht is available the charter company may be able to board you earlier. You should check with them close to your arrival date. If you flight arrives too late for you to start your charter on the same day, most charter companies offer the option of a sleepaboard on your first night, at an additional charge. In which case boarding tends to be after 5 pm and the yacht will be prepared for your late arrival. |
| ^ back to top |
Children
The BVI is a very safe place for children. In general they are well received but most importantly there are no worries with regard to their safety among other people. With regard to the sea however, it is essential that they are capable swimmers, or that they are properly protected by wearing some sort of suitable flotation protection, a life-jacket or, for very small children, a swim suit with in-built flotation.
Besides watersports there is not that much to do for children to do on land. There is a playground at Queen Elizabeth Park, but it is not that pleasant at the moment because the area is also being used for landfill from elsewhere, and a new one at Cane Garden Bay. Suitable for slightly older children is Captain Mulligan’s Crazy Golf at Nanny Cay. As well as the crazy golf there is a trampoline, a small pool and there is windsurfing and trees to climb. Nanny Cay is a general gathering place for children between the ages of four and fourteen and so it is a good place to meet others.
Some of the smarter hotels have an age restriction policy at certain times of year, especially during February and March. No hotels have facilities specifically for children. Most villas however are relatively well geared up for children. It is easy to find babysitters and they cost approximately $12 per hour.
Below we list the most child friendly accommodation options for children in the BVI: | Surfsong Villa Resort
A collection of six oceanside and ocean-view villas with wonderful views of Sir Francis Drake Channel from Well Bay on Beef Island off Tortola. Set among boulders and tropical gardens, with a beachside lounge and bar and a stilted wooden gazebo, they are furnished in Oriental style with natural stone and wood. Can be taken as private villas or one whole property for up to 24. Ideal for a small wedding or group celebration. | Baraka Point Estate
A striking BVI villa set in 2 acres of landscaped grounds on Virgin Gorda’s north shore, with lovely views across Sir Francis Drake Channel. Decorated in eclectic, Bohemian style, with earthy Caribbean colours offset by African and Oriental furnishings. Five suites (4 with adjoining children’s rooms) in octagonal pavilions and a main house. | 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. | Long Bay Beach Resort & Villas
Long Bay Resort Tortola is a 52 acre estate set on rising ground and fronting an excellent stretch of beach on Tortola’s north shore. It has beachfront cabanas, hillside rooms, and 1-4 bedroom self-catering villas, some with their own pools as private villa rentals. | 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. |
|
| ^ back to top |
Complementary Health
The British Virgin Islands offer a limited range of complementary health facilities although they are seeing a steady increase as islanders and ex-patriates begin to see benefit in alternative treatments. Many of the services are hotel-based, but there is a growing number of small spas and individual practitioners which offer a call out service to deliver treatments at your hotel, villa or yacht, providing that there is sufficient space and the environment is conducive to the treatment. While it might be convenient to have a therapist call on you, there is often more to be gained from a specially created environment that encourages you to relax.
TORTOLA
The Sanctuary Holistic Therapy Centre, Treasure Isle Hotel and Mount Healthy, t 495 1614, sanctuary@surfbvi.com
Headed up by a delightful Canadian, Kim Webster-Fahie, who is a massage therapies, esthetician, Reiki practitioner, Kripalu Yoga and Pilates instructor. Kim is also qualified as an aromatherapist and has trained in cranio-sacral therapy, reflexology and Ayurvedic medicine. A special feature of the Sanctuary at the aptly named new Mount Healthy location is a day of pampering. You begin with a Thai yoga massage or a private yoga/pilates class followed by one of the body treatments on offer. The day continues with a homemade lunch from locally grown products and finishes with an additional treatment of choice. The Sanctuary uses the Naturemed product range imported from Italy, but Kim also makes many of her own treatment products and herbal remedies from local aloe vera, the much acclaimed noni fruit, other locally grown fruit, herbs and natural sea salt. Try an ‘Abhyanga’, an Ayurvedic full body massage with warmed organic sesame oil! The Sanctuary offers call out services, and both locations are open seven days a week from 9am to 8pm, by appointment only.
Healing Herbs, Road Town, t 495 4477
Nadine Battle is a former registered nurse who now offers live blood analysis and colonic irrigation. Nadine specialises in working with herbal remedies.
Healing Hands, Pasea Estate, Road Town
Dr Alan Platt, t 495 0016, offers chiropractic health care, injury rehabilitation and hands on healing whilst Doug Arter, t 494 9070 offers massage therapy and spa treatments.
Fort Recovery Villas, t 495 4467
Fort Recovery offer their guests and outsiders reflexology, Shiatsu, and deep tissue massage by appointment.
Wellness Spa, Long Bay Beach, 495 4252 ext 2038
This small spa offers a range of massage therapies and reflexology.
The Oasis Salon & Spa, Village Cay Hotel & Marina, t 494 8891, relax@oasissalon.com
The Oasis offers different massages, reflexology, Shiatsu and even 2 hour couple's massages in which they also teach basic massage techniques. They will also do massages and manicures on the deck of your yacht or at your villa.
Nature’s Way, Mill Mall, Road Town, t 494 6393, natsway@surfbvi.com
The only health food shop in town where you can get a good range of supplements as well as fresh juices, including wheat grass juice, and homemade health foods which you can either take away or eat at their small café at the back of the shop.
VIRGIN GORDA
Biras Creek Hotel and Little Dix offer some complementary therapy treatments at their spas.
The Spa at Leverick Bay, t 495 7375, thespa@surfbvi.com
Dr Mitesh Banthia is a naturopathic doctor with a naturopathic hospital in India. Specialities include Indian head massage, a range of massage and holistic treatments including Swedish, aromatherapy, reflexology, hot stone and la stone massage along with a range of spa treatments. They offer a mobile service if you want a therapist to visit your hotel, villa or yacht for a surcharge of US$20 per session. |
| ^ back to top |
Conservation
The National Parks Trust of the BVI
The National Parks Trust has a small number of projects designed to protect and restore the natural life of the islands, including a marine protection programme which has installed around 200 of buoys since 1993 to stop sailors using their anchors near corals and some efforts towards species restoration. This has included the re-intrduction of flamingos to Anegada. Twenty were brought back in 1994 and ten years later the population was reckoned to be nearer 100. They also have a programme to help the ‘critically endangered’ Anegada rock iguana, whose numbers have been badly reduced because the juvenile were being killed by feral cats, snakes and kestrels. The programme keeps hatchlings enclosed until they are around three foot long (they can grow to about five feet). They have released around 100 animals since 1997. The project is in the Settlement.
Darwin Anegada
The Darwin Initiative has recently set up a project in Anegada, one of the few remaining islands in the Caribbean that has not seen significant development. The Darwin Anegada projects document and monitor the birds, plants and sea turtles of Anegada with the eventual aim of protection by promoting an understanding of the uniqueness of the island and its environment. Funded by the British Government, Darwin Anegada undertakes research through visiting scientists and is run on the ground by the Conservation and Fisheries Department. See here www.seaturtle.org. |
| ^ back to top |
Corporate/Incentives
BVI does not have an onshore incentive or conference market of any size. There are no big meeting halls (the Exhibition Center in Shirley Grounds is really a large gymnasium) and there is very little meeting space. A hotel would of course find a way if you particularly wanted it (the Long Bay Hotel has rooms that it can set aside for a conference), but in general they are not that well set up for anything larger than a small meeting.
There are of course good possibilities for a board meeting with a difference on board a yacht, but necessarily the space is quite small. Some of the larger private yachts (50-100 passengers) might be able to arrange conference facilities for you.
For assistance in arranging a corporate get-together or a conference, we recommend that you contact Romney Associates, Road Town, t 494 2872 |
| ^ back to top |
Cruises
A full range of cruise ships visits the BVI. This includes some of the extremely large ones, which stand at dock and anchor in Road Town, and whose passengers then flood the islands and beaches with people. But the islands also receive a number of smaller, more stylish ships that can reach shallower and more isolated beaches. You will see them in the North Sound for instance and off Jost van Dyke (they tend not to call into Road Town). It is not possible to join any cruise liners in the BVI, but many ships depart from San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Some of the smaller liners that put in to the BVI are Sea Cloud, Club Med 2, Sea Dream, Star Clipper, Le Levant, Seabourn Legend and the Windstar and Silversea fleets. |
| ^ back to top |
Currency/Credit Cards
The unit of currency is US dollar and no other currency is accepted.
ATMs are located at banks in Road Town, Rite Way grocery in Purcell, East End, Sopers Hole, West End and at Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda. Most have daily withdrawal limit of US$200.
CREDIT CARDS
Credit cards are widely accepted anywhere that deals regularly with tourists. This can include beach bars, but do not expect local bars or small local restaurants to accept them. There is a 10¢ stamp duty on all cheques and travel cheques.
Most of the major credit cards are accepted in restaurants, duty free shops, and the larger supermarkets, though it might be prudent to double check payment methods in advance, especially when dining out. It is worth noting that certain credit cards may attract an additional charge or simply not be accepted. |
| ^ back to top |
Day Sails/Boat Trips
The BVI has some of the best day sails in the Caribbean. Of course it has some of the best sailing to begin with, but there is also good variety, from day snorkelling and lunch trips or a full-on sail across to Anegada and a party cruise on a large catamaran or a sunset cruise. There are monohull yachts, powerboats, wooden pirate boats and luxury catamarans (the big advantage of the multihulls over mono-hulls is the deck space and the stable platform, which may also be appealing anyone thinking they may suffer from seasickness). Drinks and meals are generally included, and on day cruises there is usually the chance to snorkel or swim with turtles.
If you do not want to be out on the water for too long, then you might choose a power boat, which tend to offer half day trips. Because of their speed they can go farther afield, to places that the sailing yachts do not normally reach. On full day charters, however, they do offer lunch and drinks like the sailing yachts. Finally, if you would like to customize your own snorkelling or day motor boat trip, this is also possible through a couple of companies that provide captained motor boats. You decide where you want to go and you head off.
Daysails in TORTOLA include:
Kuralu, based in Soper’s Hole, West End, t 495 4381, www.kuralu.com.
Kuralu, a catamaran, has a number of itineraries that take guests to Sandy Spit and Jost van Dyke or to Norman Island’s Caves or the Indians. If there are eight of you, you can charter the whole cat and sail for Cooper Island or charter for up to three nights as a stay sail combination with a villa. Always fun, good value for money with a decent lunch and excellent rum punch. Family run by Gary and Clare Cottreau.
White Squall II, based in Village Cay Marina, t 494 2564, www.whitesquall2.com
A classic old wooden hulled sailing yacht, White Squall offers trips either to the Baths on Virgin Gorda with a stop at Cooper Island, or a sail to the Caves at Norman Island and a stop in the Bight at Norman Island.
Patouche Charters, based in Road Harbour, t 494 6300, www.patouche.com
Both power and sail charters, to the islands in the chain and farther afield to Virgin Gorda. Sail charters are aboard a 48’ catamaran, with a well-informed in-water snorkel guide. They also have a 28’ Bertram.
King Charters, Nanny Cay Marina, t 494 5820
A luxurious charter aboard a 50’ motoryacht. They can reach areas not normally covered by the sailboats, including the Bath, the North Sound and Anegada as well as the usual Norman Island and Cooper Island. Smaller groups can be taken aboard one of the company’s fleet of 30’ power boats.
For captained excursions, try Sail Caribbean Divers at Hodges Creek Marina in Tortola.
VIRGIN GORDA
Lady Kelzie, based in Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour, t 496 7427
The nicest of the vessels available for charter in the BVI. A 56’ Sunseeker kept in pristine condition, Lady Kelzie specializes in customized trips, for day, evening or short term charters. |
| ^ back to top |
Departure Tax & Taxes
A departure tax must be paid when you leave the BVI, in US Dollars cash. At the airport it is US$20 and is payable at the window next to the Departure Lounge. Those departing by ferry must now pay $5 at a separate window after obtaining their ferry ticket. There is a US$7 tax for passengers who come ashore from a cruise ship.
A 7% hotel tax is added to all accommodation bills (for stays of six months or less). There is no sales tax to pay on goods you buy on the island. |
| ^ back to top |
Driving & Parking
Driving is on the left in the British fashion. You must be in possession of a local Driving Permit, which costs US$10 and requires a valid driver’s licence from your home country. A seatbelt law has been introduced.
Although most of the traffic in the BVI proceeds at a fairly sedate pace, be aware that on the south coast road on Tortola there is some shockingly bad driving –at high speed and overtaking on blind corners. It is particularly bad at night. Drive defensively. Another thing worth remembering when you hire a car in Tortola is that the roads are often very steep and some are unpaved so that they do become muddy. It is a good idea to have a 4 wheel drive. You might also want to check the tyres and brakes.
Parking in Road Town can sometimes be a difficulty. There are sometimes spaces in the lots near to the Village Cay Hotel. Traffic wardens do occasionally have a blitz, so stay aware. |
| ^ back to top |
Electricity
Domestic current runs at 110 volts AC, 60 Cycles and uses 2-pin sockets in US style. |
| ^ back to top |
Embassies & Consulates
There is no diplomatic representation in the BVI and so you will need to be in touch with your closest embassy or consulate. These are usually in Barbados. |
| ^ back to top |
|