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Thoughts/short report trip to BVIs
Thoughts/short report trip to BVIs
First off, I have now been to St. John 4 times in the past 3 years. I love that island. But I also like to find new places that are off the beaten path. Last January my wife and I went to the island of Bequia in the Grenadines and loved it. And even though we are returning to St. John this summer with our kids, we wanted to try someplace different this winter to escape the cold of Cincinnati. We had taken a daytrip on the New Horizons II charter a few years ago to Virgin Gorda and loved the part of the island we saw (Baths), so we decided to spend some time in the BVI's on this trip.
Because I fly alot for work, we have tons of airline miles on (dammit) Delta. Delta flies into St. Thomas, so about 6 months ago I booked flights for my wife, brother-in-law, and myself into and out of St. Thomas. We flew in on Thursday the 10th of Jan. and back out on Friday the 18th. This worked out well and allowed us to use the nearly impossible to find "Super Saver" tickets from Delta.
Because we were flying into and out of St. Thomas, we had to ferry into and out of the BVIs. This was fun, I thought. Trying to figure out the BVI ferry schedules is a nightmare (there are a number of companies operating them and their schedules seem to overlap), so we called the woman who ran Guavaberry Spring Bay vacation homes and asked her how to get there. She told us to get onto "Smiths Express" which left St. Thomas at 5 pm and went directly to Virgin Gorda. Our flight arrived at 3pm, so this gave us plenty of time to get our bag (travelling with the wife prevents carry-on only!) and catch a cab to the dock in Charlotte Amalie. We had some drinks at the bar overlooking the harbor while we waited and watched the sea planes come and go. The ferry ride took us right by St. John which was cool and arrived in Virgin Gorda just after 6:30 pm. We got our rental jeep and found our "home" for the next 4 days after 7. We were dying of hunger and we were tired, but we had finally made it.
Guavaberry was a fantastic place to stay. It sits right above the Baths and has its own little beach within about a 3 minute walk. There is no AC, but we didn't need it. In fact, we got pretty cold several of the evenings and had to close up the windows. There is no phone or TV in the rooms, and I thought that was also great. They do have a commissary stocked with lots of food/drink items that works on the honor system. We got tons of stuff from this incredibly convenient store.
We spent the first day picking around the Baths and the surrounding beaches: Spring Bay, Devil's Bay, Trunk Bay (weird, huh?), and Valley Trunk. We found the crowds in the Baths peaked at about 11 am and were gone by about 2:30. It reminded me of Honeymoon Beach on St. John in this regard. Here are a couple of pics of the Baths and surrounding areas:
One day, we rented a 17 foot powerboat from Leverick Bay Watersports and spent the entire day cruising around the North Sound. For those of you who aren't familiar with Virgin Gorda, this is an area that is very protected on the north side of the island. It is surrounded by reef and by little barrier islands and is filled with sailboats and power boats. We spent lots of time anchoring in out-of-the-way spots snorkelling and sightseeing. We stopped for lunch at Saba Rock, a tiny little island with a restaurant and hotel on it. Here are a few pictures from Leverick Bay and Saba Rock:
This was a great day and definitely a highlight of the trip. Here is a picture of the North Sound as seen from the road on the way there. Notice the "boutique" cruise ships in the harbor:
Food in Virgin Gorda was pretty good and very expensive. We did have a couple of meals that were reasonable ($20 per person), but you really have to seek those out. One meal that stands out was at the "Top of the Baths" which is a restaurant that sits right above the Baths with a magnificent view. Here are a couple of pictures from there:
After four full days on Virgin Gorda, we hopped aboard the 7:30am (yikes!) ferry for Anegada. Anegada is the only island in the BVIs that is not volcanic in origin - it is a coral atoll. What that means is that in stark contrast to the rest of the islands, it is extremely FLAT. In fact, the highest point on the island is 25 feet above sea level! I'm guessing that this was the top of a tree or something, because it never felt like we got more than 5 feet up. The ferry only runs to this island on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It is pretty remote. It is really a step back in time.
We were not given a key to our room. We were told to leave the keys in the car when we drove somewhere. There are 2 policemen on the island (I'm not really sure what they do). There is NO crime here. Total population - 190. It isn't for everyone, but we loved it.
We stayed in a little cottage on the westernmost point of the island which afforded great sunsets:
The cottage had no AC, no phone, and no TV. In fact, I don't remember seeing a TV on the island. It was perfect for us trying to escape work and the freezing cold. That is our cottage behind the sign:
And you can just barely see it along the beach in this picture:
Most of Anegada is all about beaches and snorkelling. The beaches are fantastic and the only shade available is man-made:
The snorkelling was incredible - better than what I have seen in my many visits to St. John. And that is really saying something. The reef in the areas we snorkelled was incredibly alive and filled with amazing formations that you could swim through, around, inside of, you name it. The higlight was probably the 6' barracuda that we had to swim right by to get out of the maze of reef. We gave him as wide a berth as we could, but he didn't seem to notice us. Also saw the usual: octopus (several), turtles, rays, and nearly every kind of fish including some really big snapper.
Dinner on Anegada is fantastic. All the restaurants (there are about 6) require reservations and ORDERING before 4pm. This allows them to get the seafood in the correct amounts for dinner. Lobster is the specialty, but Mahi, Grouper, Snapper, and others are available as well as barbequed chicken and ribs. Dinner usually starts at 7:30 and is over whenever you want it to be. And you eat right on shore with sand between your toes. Many come barefoot but dressed smartly! This is the Anegada Reef Hotel one evening just before dinner was served. You can see the cooks grilling fish, lobster, and chicken on the right:
Anegada runs at its own pace. We really found this out as we were preparing to leave. We were supposed to fill the car back up to half a tank (which is where it was when we got it), and leave it at the ferry dock with the keys in it. The day before we left, we stopped at the ONE PUMP on the island and there was nobody there to help us. I stopped in a nearby store to ask how we get gas and was told that they were "out." Of gas. And that they should have more tomorrow, but that was only if the cargo boat made it back in time. Hmmm. OK. No gas. Anywhere on the island. Next time, I'll need to plan better. It all worked out though, as the cargo boat arrived the morning of the ferry and offloaded fourteen 55 gallon drums of gas and we were able to put some in the vehicle before we left.
Two ferries back to St. Thomas (if you miss the first one, you stay on Anegada for 2 more days until the next one comes, so be early!), two plane flights home, and we had an absolute blast.
It is hard to compare Virgin Gorda and Anegada to St. John. In many ways, they are similar. Similiar views (on VG), similar snorkelling (on Anegada), similar laid back style (on both). But they are also very different. St. John has a much more "upscale" feel to it. There are nicer grocery stores on St. John and most of the shopping is more upscale (at least in Cruz Bay). It is easier to plan a trip to St. John and easier to provision for yourself with food, etc. once you get there. But it also has more crime (which is almost non-existant anyway, so that isn't a dealbreaker!), more people, and more to do activity wise.
We loved the trip. Will we return? Yep. And we'll be back in St. John this summer, too. Choices, choices, choices. All good ones. Now, I'm checking into Cat Island in the outer Bahama islands. It never seems to end...
More pictures here --> http://rcplanefan.zenfolio.com/p185607264/
Ken
Because I fly alot for work, we have tons of airline miles on (dammit) Delta. Delta flies into St. Thomas, so about 6 months ago I booked flights for my wife, brother-in-law, and myself into and out of St. Thomas. We flew in on Thursday the 10th of Jan. and back out on Friday the 18th. This worked out well and allowed us to use the nearly impossible to find "Super Saver" tickets from Delta.
Because we were flying into and out of St. Thomas, we had to ferry into and out of the BVIs. This was fun, I thought. Trying to figure out the BVI ferry schedules is a nightmare (there are a number of companies operating them and their schedules seem to overlap), so we called the woman who ran Guavaberry Spring Bay vacation homes and asked her how to get there. She told us to get onto "Smiths Express" which left St. Thomas at 5 pm and went directly to Virgin Gorda. Our flight arrived at 3pm, so this gave us plenty of time to get our bag (travelling with the wife prevents carry-on only!) and catch a cab to the dock in Charlotte Amalie. We had some drinks at the bar overlooking the harbor while we waited and watched the sea planes come and go. The ferry ride took us right by St. John which was cool and arrived in Virgin Gorda just after 6:30 pm. We got our rental jeep and found our "home" for the next 4 days after 7. We were dying of hunger and we were tired, but we had finally made it.
Guavaberry was a fantastic place to stay. It sits right above the Baths and has its own little beach within about a 3 minute walk. There is no AC, but we didn't need it. In fact, we got pretty cold several of the evenings and had to close up the windows. There is no phone or TV in the rooms, and I thought that was also great. They do have a commissary stocked with lots of food/drink items that works on the honor system. We got tons of stuff from this incredibly convenient store.
We spent the first day picking around the Baths and the surrounding beaches: Spring Bay, Devil's Bay, Trunk Bay (weird, huh?), and Valley Trunk. We found the crowds in the Baths peaked at about 11 am and were gone by about 2:30. It reminded me of Honeymoon Beach on St. John in this regard. Here are a couple of pics of the Baths and surrounding areas:
One day, we rented a 17 foot powerboat from Leverick Bay Watersports and spent the entire day cruising around the North Sound. For those of you who aren't familiar with Virgin Gorda, this is an area that is very protected on the north side of the island. It is surrounded by reef and by little barrier islands and is filled with sailboats and power boats. We spent lots of time anchoring in out-of-the-way spots snorkelling and sightseeing. We stopped for lunch at Saba Rock, a tiny little island with a restaurant and hotel on it. Here are a few pictures from Leverick Bay and Saba Rock:
This was a great day and definitely a highlight of the trip. Here is a picture of the North Sound as seen from the road on the way there. Notice the "boutique" cruise ships in the harbor:
Food in Virgin Gorda was pretty good and very expensive. We did have a couple of meals that were reasonable ($20 per person), but you really have to seek those out. One meal that stands out was at the "Top of the Baths" which is a restaurant that sits right above the Baths with a magnificent view. Here are a couple of pictures from there:
After four full days on Virgin Gorda, we hopped aboard the 7:30am (yikes!) ferry for Anegada. Anegada is the only island in the BVIs that is not volcanic in origin - it is a coral atoll. What that means is that in stark contrast to the rest of the islands, it is extremely FLAT. In fact, the highest point on the island is 25 feet above sea level! I'm guessing that this was the top of a tree or something, because it never felt like we got more than 5 feet up. The ferry only runs to this island on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It is pretty remote. It is really a step back in time.
We were not given a key to our room. We were told to leave the keys in the car when we drove somewhere. There are 2 policemen on the island (I'm not really sure what they do). There is NO crime here. Total population - 190. It isn't for everyone, but we loved it.
We stayed in a little cottage on the westernmost point of the island which afforded great sunsets:
The cottage had no AC, no phone, and no TV. In fact, I don't remember seeing a TV on the island. It was perfect for us trying to escape work and the freezing cold. That is our cottage behind the sign:
And you can just barely see it along the beach in this picture:
Most of Anegada is all about beaches and snorkelling. The beaches are fantastic and the only shade available is man-made:
The snorkelling was incredible - better than what I have seen in my many visits to St. John. And that is really saying something. The reef in the areas we snorkelled was incredibly alive and filled with amazing formations that you could swim through, around, inside of, you name it. The higlight was probably the 6' barracuda that we had to swim right by to get out of the maze of reef. We gave him as wide a berth as we could, but he didn't seem to notice us. Also saw the usual: octopus (several), turtles, rays, and nearly every kind of fish including some really big snapper.
Dinner on Anegada is fantastic. All the restaurants (there are about 6) require reservations and ORDERING before 4pm. This allows them to get the seafood in the correct amounts for dinner. Lobster is the specialty, but Mahi, Grouper, Snapper, and others are available as well as barbequed chicken and ribs. Dinner usually starts at 7:30 and is over whenever you want it to be. And you eat right on shore with sand between your toes. Many come barefoot but dressed smartly! This is the Anegada Reef Hotel one evening just before dinner was served. You can see the cooks grilling fish, lobster, and chicken on the right:
Anegada runs at its own pace. We really found this out as we were preparing to leave. We were supposed to fill the car back up to half a tank (which is where it was when we got it), and leave it at the ferry dock with the keys in it. The day before we left, we stopped at the ONE PUMP on the island and there was nobody there to help us. I stopped in a nearby store to ask how we get gas and was told that they were "out." Of gas. And that they should have more tomorrow, but that was only if the cargo boat made it back in time. Hmmm. OK. No gas. Anywhere on the island. Next time, I'll need to plan better. It all worked out though, as the cargo boat arrived the morning of the ferry and offloaded fourteen 55 gallon drums of gas and we were able to put some in the vehicle before we left.
Two ferries back to St. Thomas (if you miss the first one, you stay on Anegada for 2 more days until the next one comes, so be early!), two plane flights home, and we had an absolute blast.
It is hard to compare Virgin Gorda and Anegada to St. John. In many ways, they are similar. Similiar views (on VG), similar snorkelling (on Anegada), similar laid back style (on both). But they are also very different. St. John has a much more "upscale" feel to it. There are nicer grocery stores on St. John and most of the shopping is more upscale (at least in Cruz Bay). It is easier to plan a trip to St. John and easier to provision for yourself with food, etc. once you get there. But it also has more crime (which is almost non-existant anyway, so that isn't a dealbreaker!), more people, and more to do activity wise.
We loved the trip. Will we return? Yep. And we'll be back in St. John this summer, too. Choices, choices, choices. All good ones. Now, I'm checking into Cat Island in the outer Bahama islands. It never seems to end...
More pictures here --> http://rcplanefan.zenfolio.com/p185607264/
Ken
My St. John Photos: http://rcplanefan.zenfolio.com/
Great report, fabulous pictures! Thanks for taking the time to put this together. I love reading about different carribean vacations....I, too, love St. John, but also love exploring other locations. We went to Bequia this past August - what an experience! We're planning for another trip in June, and trying to narrow down the islands... 
Thanks for a great look at the BVI's.
Thanks for a great look at the BVI's.
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sailorgirl
- Posts: 1644
- Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:03 pm
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martini girl
- Posts: 329
- Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2006 4:29 pm
- Location: Pennsylvania
Wow, thanks. Beautiful pics too! We are traveling to VG/Anegada for an island stay in June before heading back for our 3rd trip to STJ. We became intrigued with VG on a daytrip as well and decided to have a stay next time we were in the neighborhood. We are also staying at Guavaberry and so excited. Thanks for sharing your trip, pics and thoughts!
Hubby and I were in awe looking at your pics. We spent part of the day yesterday looking at ferry schedules trying to figure out the best way to get there..LOL we have 2 cruises schedules this yr one for adults and a Disney one for the kids. So it will be next yr. but you can bet we will be looking at Anegada as a destination because your pics were so wonderful..Thanks for sharing them.. 
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