Day trip to Tortola......any advice?

[Pianogrl]

Hubby & I were thinking about taking a day trip over to Tortola this time around. Having never been, looking for advice on ferry there/back, car rental or not for a day, things to do/things to not miss in that short amount of time.....etc.....etc....any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

[RickG]

It's tough to do much on Tortola without a vehicle. There's a Hertz stand in West End, where most of the ferries arrive - (284) 495-440. http://www.bvitourism.com/GettingAround/Rentals/

I like to head out to Brewers Bay for beach and lunch then hit Sage Mountain, down to Cane Garden Bay and the Callwood Distillery followed by Bomba Shack and Smugglers Cove. This makes for a full day and focuses on my favorite parts of Tortola.

Cheers, RickG

[BillyD]

RickG has some good advice - as usual. Head to the North Shore. His itinerary may be a bit ambitious given the ferry schedules, but can't argue with any of the suggested stops. If it's not too late, consider spending a couple days on either end of your trip to soak in some nightlife and not be so hurried. It's much easier to get short duration accomodations on Tortola than STJ.

If you opt not to get a car, don't hop on a taxi to spend a day in Roadtown - no disrespect here, but you won't get a good feel for what Tortola has to offer! You could do Brewers and Cane Garden Bay via taxi if you want to skip the car rental. Taxis to Smugglers (IMHO the finest beach Tortola has to offer) are not typically feasible for a day trip.

[mrscaptainjay]

Jay and I took the ferry from Red Hook to Tortola for a day trip. We went to look at boats and ended up just hanging out at Nanny Cay marina the rest of the day. They have a nice beach and bar/restaurant. We just used a taxi.

The ferry schedule from St. John:

Inter Island Boat Service (340) 776-6597
Rates: Adults $40 roundtrip, $26 one-way. Children $32 roundtrip, $22 one-way.
Time: 30 minutes, Clearing immigration is necessary; trip may take longer than approximated. Proof of citizenship is required.


Leaving Cruz Bay, St. John

8:30 am (daily)
11:30 am (daily)
3:30 pm (Mon-Sat, except Fri)
5:00 pm (Fri)
4:30 pm (Sun)

Leaving West End, Tortola
9:15 am (daily)
12:15 pm (daily)
4:15 pm (Mon-Sat, except Fri)
5.30 pm (Fri)
5:15 pm (Sun)

[Pianogrl]

Thank y'all so much for all the helpful info.

[bubblybrenda]

I agree with Rick. Cane Garden Bay is decent and Bomba's is good for some stories to tell to the folks back home.

In my opinion, you need to rent a car to get the feel of what Tortolla is all about.

Frankly, I found Tortolla rather depressing when comparing it to St. John.

[UF Prof]

Some great info on the day trip. We are considering doing this by ferry also in mid-Nov since the ferry looks like a good option from Cruz Bay to Tortola. Have never been over to the BVI and would like to see what some of them are like. We are also considering a possible day sail to Jost. We will probably wait until we are there to book a daysail. The ladies at the office close to Skinny Legs were great to work with last year and saves a lot of e-mail back forth about who is sailing at the time and how many they have signed up.

[Pianogrl]

UF Prof....last year we did the New Horizons II/Breakaway day trip to Virgin Gorda (the Baths), snorkeled at Diamond Reef w/lunch on Marina Cay & then on to Jost. It was so much fun & well worth the day spent. It's hard for me to give up one day on STJ but I'd love to see some of Tortola while we're that close.

[mahojim]

UF -
Where exactly next to Skinny's are you talking about? We're staying near there in a few weeks, and have yet to charter anything definately.
I think a ferry to Jost might be a good solution cost-wise...
Suggestions?
Smiles-
MJ

[silverheels]

Just a guess but I think the poster is referring to Connections East.