Tortola vs. Virgin Gorda

[trigfunctions]

Hi! I have been considering planning a trip to the British Virgin Islands. Really want to snorkel the Baths in Virgin Gorda. Unsure if it's better to stay in Tortola or Virgin Gorda. Seems like Virgin Gorda might be more pristine, but is it more limited in terms of topside activities? Accommodations seem pricey in both locations, true? Can anyone recommend reasonably-priced accomodations (hoping for $150 or less per night)? I don't need the Ritz, but hot running water and freedom from vermin would be nice.

 

[diversteve]

Unsure if it's better to stay in Tortola or Virgin Gorda. Seems like Virgin Gorda might be more pristine, but is it more limited in terms of topside activities?

Definitely. Nightlife in Spanish Town consists of Chez Bamboo - and did I mention..Chez Bamboo. And a couple of locals bars. There's some nice restaurant/bars along the coast and on top of the Baths but that's pretty much it. We dove there a week, our one non-diver struggled to find something to do during the day, he drove all over the island and was repeating places by mid-week. There's one watertoys place on VG that we found and there's an old Copper mine but we didn't go there. Other than that, VG is pretty quiet. Except for all the goats and chickens running around.

Accommodations seem pricey in both locations, true?

At least at Biras Creek and Little Dix Bay, they run in the $6-800/nt. range.

Can anyone recommend reasonably-priced accomodations (hoping for $150 or less per night)? I don't need the Ritz, but hot running water and freedom from vermin would be nice.

There's Leverick Bay, but it's a good 30min. drive from the Baths, it's as far North as is possible to still be on the same island. The Baths are on the south tip of VG. Leverick Bay is nice though kind of isolated, one of the Dive BVI diveshops is there. More of a family resort.

There's an average looking small hotel in Spanish Town, which is 5min. away from the Baths and a couple more at Mahoe Bay, about 20min. away. Tripadvisor.com pretty much lists all your options, there's only maybe a dozen or so total. Most people rent Villas on VG. The main Dive BVI shop is in Spanish Town at the harbor.

What you might consider doing is taking the Fast Ferry over from Tortola. They run every couple of hours and on Wednesday till about 8PM. It's maybe an hour trip each way - or less. You can catch a cab right at the ferry dock to the Baths, it's about 5min. away.

We went over to Tortola one day. Roadtown is a small city. I'd bet there's more people there than on all of VG. And the resorts are spread out over several different areas. It's a long island so a car is a must. And the airport is on Beef Island, which has a bridge over to Tortola.

I think most of the diveshops on either island run out to the Rhone as well as the Dogs, Norman, Cooper Islands etc. so there's really no advantage to staying on either island for diving. You might get out to Anegada more often from Tortola, it's a run from Gorda. Get somebody to take you out to the Willy T. And if you're on Tortola on a full moon, Bomba's Shack throws famous parties.

If I had to do it again, I'd stay on Tortola. VG was just a little too quiet for me. We had a group so we made our own fun. I can't say enough good things about Dive BVI though, they were fun, super accommodating and I recommend them to anyone going there unhesitantly.

PM if you have other questions. I'm gone(diving ) till Monday.

 

[smokey braden]

trigfunctions,
check this out.
http://www.cooper-island.com/
there's several little places in that area.
i've been to the bvi's several times.
we've always charted a private crewed sailboat.
you see more islands that way.
regards,

 

[alashas]

HI trigfunctions,

We love the BVI and have stayed on a # of islands. Tortola has more night life if that is important to you. However, it does depend on the time of year. We were there last week and very little was going on during "low season" in early Oct. Cane Garden Bay http://www.bareboatsbvi.com/cane_garden_bay.html has Quito's http://www.quitorymer.com/page0001.htm and Myetts http://www.myettent.com/index.html also host musical groups. Bomba's Shack http://www.bareboatsbvi.com/bombas_shack.html is just a short drive from there on Cappoon's Bay. You should be able to stay in a # of places on CGB within your price range. Also, there are several day sails and charter boats that will take you to the Baths: http://angelinacat.com/DaySailing.htm

Having said that, you can't beat Virgin Gorda for it's pristine beauty and great beaches. You can stay very near the Baths in your price range here: http://www.guavaberryspringbay.com/ VG has a # of excellent restaurants and some of them will have bands playing several nights a week. Friday nights are hopping at Leverick Bay: http://www.leverickbay.com/

And you can finds lots of helpful info here: http://www.bviwelcome.com/

One of the best message boards for any location is here:
http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=bvi

Enjoy! alashas

 

[highlandfarmwv]

We snorkeled The Baths last spring, and that was the worst snorkel in the area, nothing but sand and boulders, no coral and very little fish life. So go where you like the other stuff, don't worry about the Baths as a place to snorkel.

 

[alashas]

We snorkeled the Baths 2 weeks ago, and saw a fair number of fish. Also, swimming through the boulders is enjoyable, as well as the walk on the path through the Baths: http://www.thebathsbvi.com/map.htm There are better places to snorkel on VG (Savanah and Mahoe Bays), but I would not miss the opportunity to experience the Baths first hand. The only other geological formation similar to the Baths is in Seychelles.

By the way, talk about a small world! We learned to dive 3 years ago with Cori Gondek and her staff at DiveBVI, Leverick Bay, Virgin Gorda, and walking on the trail from the Baths to Spring Bay 2 weeks ago, we ran into Cori, her husband, Paul, the DM at Little Dix Bay, and Paul's sister! :walksmil: