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Tortola, British Virgin Islands

12/23/05

By Tab Hauser

With our daughter not having a February break anymore due to college we decided to take the Christmas week off and head to somewhere that both 2 adults and 2 teenagers would enjoy. Tortola was the destination picked by the kids because of its reputation for good surfing during the winter. We liked the idea of going here because our research said the British Virgin Island were not crowded, had pretty beaches, good food and nice scenery. There is everything here that can make anyone in our family happy.

We left on a cold New York morning to JFK airport to catch a 7AM Jet Blue flight to San Juan connecting to our flight to the Beef Island Airport adjacent to Tortola via LIAT. The flight was pleasant enough watching their satellite TV and a complimentary movie. We arrived with plenty of time to get our luggage and with the help of a friendly porter take it to the LIAT airlines counter to check in. LIAT with no explanation was almost 2 hours late. With not much to do it was off to Subway’s for sandwiches at gate as there are no other food services behind security. The flight to Tortola took 30 minutes. I recommend that people sit on left side so they can view the mountains and beaches of Tortola and Jost Van Dyke as well as the harbor of Road Town.

After 30 minutes of clearing customs and getting our luggage we met ITGO car rental rep who helped pack our bags in a Subaru Outback and take us to Road Town to complete the rental paperwork. The ITGO people told us to keep the wagon loaded with our luggage as the SUV we ordered was already rented. After some polite conversation about getting the wrong class of car, we were promised an additional 10% off our rate that never materialized or acknowledged when we gave the vehicle back a week later.

Leaving Road Town With "THINK LEFT" Post-It-Notes

In the Virgin Islands you drive British style even though the vehicles here have the wheel on the American side. To help keep my mind and car from wondering to the wrong side when driving British style I always put a “THINK LEFT” Post-It-Note on the inside of the windshield directly below my line of sight as well as in the middle of the windshield. Having the “THINK LEFT” under my eyes is just enough of a reminder to incase I day dream or have to make an emergency maneuver. With the paper work finished and BVI license in hand we drive to Apple Bay where the Sebastian Hotel is.

View Room 7 looking left, Sebastian's Hotel, Apple Bay

Sebastian’s is directly on the beach with the sound of the surf just in front of our balcony. The rooms on the beach front are nicely done with each having a small fridge in them. Room 7 had the sink in the bathroom. Our teens had room 9 which had one sink inside and one outside the bathroom. We learned that beach fronts do not have double beds so they brought in one of those old roll-away beds that sagged in the middle. (The kids decided to put the mattress one side of the king bed and made a pillow wall between them giving the feeling of two single beds.)

Dinner that night was on premises as we did not feel like heading out after a long travel day. Here we ordered 2 pepper steak specials that had a nice pepper cream sauce on top and two jerk chickens that were nothing other than over cooked chicken breast with spicy BBQ sauce. It was far from the jerk seasoning we were used to in Jamaica or other places. The Conch fritters and wings were good appetizers. Desert was an over baked and dry key lime pie. We found the service and location very nice and enjoyed eating open air next to the beach.

The next day we wondered into the dinning room for breakfast. Here they hit a homerun with fresh squeezed papaya and orange juice as well as a made to order banana and strawberry smoothie for my son. We also ordered on most mornings their excellent banana pancakes. After breakfast we w decided to head to Brewer’s Bay to snorkel because the surf was weak in front of the hotel. Heading up the winding roads we did a quick stop at Skyworld for a picture and look at the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and many Virgin Islands all around Tortola. People told during the week to avoid eating here.

We missed the turn off to Brewers Bay but decided to keep going to Josiah’s Bay to check out the surf. Josiah’s is known for a good surf with a sand bottom in the winter months but what we saw was pretty flat so it was back 20 minutes to Brewers to try some snorkeling and swimming. Brewer’s is a pretty and protected bay with calm waters, a beach snack shop and camp grounds. We parked our car by the snack shop, geared up and just as we headed into the water it started to rain hard. Well, no matter, we going to get wet anyway so snorkeled out only to find out the conditions are only fair with broken up or stomped coral in the middle of the bay. There were fish to be seen which was nice. After swimming around in the center of the beach we went over to the left side of the bay and saw different tropical fish amongst the rocks.

Brewer's Bay & the only rain we got caught in during the week (a quick down pour)

From Brewer’s we decided to go back to Josiah’s lunch at Ms. Naomi’s which is directly on the beach and to see if there were any boards available for rent. Naomi’s sign says how everything is prepared fresh and not rushed. This was the ultimate in understatements as it took nearly 90 minutes to get two tuna salads, a grilled chicken and a king fish lunch. (during the week we had lunch here 3 times and found the service to be 20 to 40 minutes. We also learned that you place your order, hang out at the beach or swim and just come back before it is served so you do not wait around. We highly recommend this place for lunch if you are hanging out at the beach here) At Josiah’s the kids saw people surfing in small waves but could not join them because there were out of boards. From here it was off to find surf boards for the week so we checked out the place on Beef Island. My daughter being picky did not want the boards there so we headed to Hi-Ho in Road Town and Island Sports in Nanny Cay which both closed early that day. With this in mind we called it a day. What we learned on our first day is how pretty Tortola is and what magnificent views there are to be had from the winding mounting roads.

After getting some rest, a cocktail and doing some reading back at Sebastian’s we headed 5 minutes away to the West End to have dinner at the Jolly Roger. This place gets two thumbs up. The every day menu consists of burgers, pizza, ribs, roti and chicken to name several items. They also come up with some amazing specials as well. In talking to the chef I learned he used to cook in SoHo in N.Y. Maureen said the ribs she ordered had the meat nearly fall off the bone similar to the way she makes them. Daniel tried the Tropical pizza of ham and pineapple that he really liked because it was smothered with mozzarella cheese. Melissa and I each ordered stuffed grouper with crab meat that had wonderfully made mashed potatoes that was a special that night. Appetizers included were 3 large pieces of tuna sashimi with seaweed salad, a large garden salad that was a special and conch fritters. We finished the meal by sharing an excellent piece of in house made key lime pie that was partially frozen giving it a very refreshing taste. Dinner was $145 with one rum punch and a couple of frozen virgin pina coladas.

Conch Fritters and Key Lime Pie, Jolly Rogers, West End

Dec. 25th

Today the kids got boards from the hotel and we headed to Josiah’s Bay. The ladies at Naomi’s said to help ourselves to the lounge chairs and we got comfortable in the shade of a large umbrella like awning. The kids waxed up and hit the beach. There complaint was that the boards were a little too heavy but they made due catching an occasional wave. The locals as well as some people who worked at the surf shops took advantage of a day off and were here also. There experience had them catch a lot more of waves that were about 3 feet. One of the locals did a head stand while surfing while 2 more stepped on each others board before diving off. I thought, here were during Christmas week, a peak week, and the place had perhaps 200 people. It was great not being in any crowds and with nice people.

Melissa and Daniel

Lunch was again at Naomi’s and knowing the service was a little slow from the day before we placed our order and headed back to the lounge chairs and ocean. Today service was better and the local style grilled chicken sandwiches hit the spot. At 4:30 we headed back to the hotel. For dinner we thought about eating at Sebastian’s because some of the restaurants were closed for Christmas. We changed plans when we realized Sebastian’s dinning room was slammed and people were not getting served any time soon. We were not blaming Sebastian’s for anything bad, it was just everyone wanted their Christmas Dinner and decided to sit down at the same time. With this in mind we gave a call back to the Jolly Rogers where they told us we can have a table if we were there in 10 minutes. The host sat us downstairs by the waters edge and this time we ordered a half BBQ chicken, the special stir-fry, nachos and burgers. The chicken was smothered in a delicious sauce and my daughter said she ate one of the best stir fry dishes ever having plenty of fresh vegetables and tender meat. Once again, no complaints here and as busy as they were, the service was excellent.

Dec 26^th. (Boxer Day in the BVI’s)

Today the kids got smaller boards. Melissa tried from 11 to 12 to catch the waves just to the side of the hotel in front of Bomba’s famous beach shack bar but could not get stand on any of them. Earlier there were some surfers catching a few here and there. At 12 we packed up and went to Smugglers Cove for some snorkeling. After driving about 1/3 mile on a dirt and muddy road we arrived at a small parking lot just next to the beach. Our original plan was to spend an hour or so here but we found this place so beautiful and relaxing we stayed the entire day. We snorkeled and saw tarpon, millions of small 2 inch long fish that surrounded us, an eel, parrot fish and more. There were also several pelicans with in 5 yards of us diving in for the small fish around us. The reef at Smugglers Cove is not bad for snorkeling, but it is the scenery and the calm waters that make this place special. This beach is what I would call picture perfect.

Picture Perfect Smuggler's Cove, Tortola

Click the above pictures to see larger version of this dive bomb run by the pelican at Smuggler's Cove near us

That night we headed to Myett’s in Cane Beach for dinner. We found the live entertainment of a one man with electronic back up too loud for dinner. The food was OK and service was slow because they were packed in with people waiting for tables.

Dec 27^th.

Today was our boat trip day. Rather than take a day trip on a large tourist boat we rented a 22 foot speed boat from http://www.islandtimeltd.com/ on Nanny Key. After breakfast at the marina a cheery lady named Becca did a briefing on the boat as well as advised us on where to go. Our first destination was 40 minutes to Virgin Gorda to see the famous Baths. There we found a mooring close to the beach and secured our boat. With our masks and fins as well as cameras in a waterproof bag we swam the 150 yards to the beach. From there it was another snorkel swim to the main beach around cottage size boulders to where the entrance starts to go through, around and under these massive rocks that make this place famous. The Baths are said to be remainders of boulders that were once embedded in lava long ago. Over time the softer rock material eroded away leaving gaps for the boulders to lay on top of each other with space to crawl and walk through. Some of them have formed grotto like areas where you walk thigh deep in the water. Our kid loved being inside them as well as climbing up ladders and crawling on their hands and knees in tight spots to see the different areas. The Baths should be a stop for anyone in the British Virgin Islands. It can get a little crowded with tourist boats. If you want the place more to yourself come early or after 3PM. I recommend you where water shoes for the grip.

Our Speed Boat Above Just Off Beach in Background with Other Shots Around At The Baths

From the Bath’s we got back on the boat for a 15 minute cruise to Cooper Island. This is a small island with a very pretty beach and great place for lunch at reasonable prices considering its location. Lunch consisted of 2 rotis, salad and a burger along with a few cold Tings for $45. Ting is a Jamaican grapefruit soda. (no rum for me as I was piloting and navigating today) The beach and restaurant had mostly yachties resting, playing beach games, eating and drinking. From here it was a quick stop at a mooring around the next island to where the wreck of the Rhone was. From 60 feet above I was able to make out the very large propeller laying on its side along with the parts of the smashed up ship. After this quick look it was off to Norman Island to see the caves. The caves on the water here are reported to be the same ones written about in Robert Louis Steven’s book Treasure Island. Our last stop just 5 minutes away was called the Indians. These were a few rocky pinnacles rising 30 feet up and perhaps 40 feet down offering some of the best snorkeling I have done. I have dove walls but never snorkeled them and this was impressive not only for the way the coral was lined up on the wall and floor but because of the condition of it. We spotted many fish as well as a 4 foot reef shark. We motored back to Nanny where we gassed up and handed the keys back to Becca. Dinner tonight was at Sebastian’s as the Palm was closed or as we learned the next night, does not always answer its phones when they get busy.

Cooper & Norman Island and Nanny Cay

12/28: Kids got up at 7AM to get boards at Sebastian’s and then went back to sleep until 10AM. I was out of bed at 8AM watching the surfers catch the bigger waves that finally rolled in just to the right of the Sebastian’s on Apply Bay. These serious four feet to an occasional 8 footer would be the norm for the next few days and more typical of the winter waters here. The advanced surfers said that any storm in the northeastern U.S. will result in good surfing a few days later. When our kids woke up they saw the conditions were a little too much for their experience. Being that Apple Bay had coral and sea urchins which would hurt if they wiped out they decided to go back to Josiah’s. The other day they saw 2 people who got stuck on their hands, knees and heels from urchins and it did not look like fun.

At Josiah's Bay, Tortola

Josiah’s surf was stronger today than the other days. Melissa was very frustrated as she could not get her timing right to stand on the waves there and nearly gave up. At that point we spoke to Owen Waters of Island Water Sports and arranged for him to meet us the next day for 10AM lessons in which he would bring 2 good surf boards for them Anyway, once again it was a beach of a day here and we left 5:15 taking the ridge roads that hug the north coast watching a pretty sky settle down for the night.

At 8PM we headed to the Palms which is a simple restaurant sitting on the water. The food is of local venue with a catch of the day as well bonita fried (not breaded though) with or with out their Creole sauce or steamed. They also had ginger chicken, ribs as well as large rotis amongst there menu. Palms local island side dishes included like yams, sweet potatoes, Johnny cakes, cassava and rice. The staff is typical laid back Caribbean. When drove by at 6PM asking if we need a reservations for 8PM and they said, no problem just show up. At 8PM they were slammed and we were seated 45 minutes later. Customers here included locals and tourists. Most locals just carried out their food. For dinner we shared wings, shrimp Creole and one Johnny cake for starters. We also ordered a delicious Ginger chicken which was breaded as well as fried chicken which was good but basic. My dish on what was to be fried grouper with Creole sauce on the side turned out to be fried Bonita steaks. When he served it he said there was no more grouper or sweet potatoes and plunked the plate in front of me. In a different place I would have sent back the fish I did not order but here is seemed the thing to do was just eat was was served making only a friendly comment to our waiter. He promised that if I came back he would take care of me specially (for whatever that means) For desert we shared a delicious slice of cold and tangy Key Lime pie. It was here I also tried the Pusser’s Rum on the rocks with a couple of slices of lime squeezed in. Pusser’s had a nice flavor with no after taste or burn as it went down. Pusser’s according their label is made with the same recipe in wood casks from when it was the official rum of the British navy. A tot of rum was served from 1600’s to 1970.

12/29: After breakfast we headed to Josiah’s where we arranged to have surf lessons with Island Sports at 10AM. Both Owen and Damian asked the kids to go out and surf for a few sets to see what they can do. Melissa got frustrated and came in after not catching any waves and called it quits for the day. Daniel was out there for about 90 minutes with Damian the instructor. I would have rather had Damian go out the first time with the kids and give them a hand. Melissa may not have been so frustrated. Her problem is in the timing of the wave. (I guess I am used to the surf instructors in Tamarindo Costa Rica that were very hands on) After nearly two hours of Daniel surfing and getting exhausted he decided to give surfing a break for the day and we head back to Smuggler’s Cove for the afternoon. Here we had a beach shack that used to be a hotel. The menu was kept simple with 5 items but did have an list extensive of tropical drinks. We picked chicken and fish tacos and were extremely satisfied. The fish was not fried but steamed and had a pleasant flavor. The chicken tacos had moist strips of chicken under a bed of lettuce, bean spread and salsa. The Mai-Tai that I washed it down with was fruity and hit the spot. It seems that this particular beach bar is popular with many regulars. Here we met Matt the executive chef at the Sugar Mill. I told Matt we were going to make a reservation at the Sugar Mill in a couple of nights and if it would be OK if I put my dinner in his hands rather than look at a menu. He agreed.

That evening we could not get reservations at a place called Bananaquit so we ate at the Big Banana back in Cane Bay. Rather than order typical island fare, Maureen and Daniel ordered pizza. Melissa got a pasta with shrimp while I got the grilled Mahi-Mahi. The food was only fair as the pizza was overdone and the shrimp and pasta was salty and dry. The mahi-mahi was OK but nothing to run there again for. In Cane Bay I tried the locally made rum sung about in one of Jimmy Buffet’s song which I found passable. Once again we had loud music while we ate. It must be a Cane Bay thing.

From the top of Sage Mountain National Park on the top of Tortola, View is of Smuggler's Cove

12/30: On our last full day we started the morning with a drive up to the Sage Mountain National Park and walked 12 minutes to the entrance and another 15 minutes or so on the main trail in the park. This park is what can be called a petite rainforest. While the mountain top he is very green and think it is not nearly as lush and thick or with the same large plants as you would see in Dominica or Costa Rica. There are also many local trees on the top replanted after everything was cut down many years ago in an attempt to bring the area to its natural state. The trail in the park was an easy hike. The path is damp but not muddy when we were there. The hike is worth the hour or so total for this side trip because it does show a different ecological side to Tortola and has great views of Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. As we were 1700 feet up the nice forest smell and change in temperature were a nice noticeable change. We also had the entire park to ourselves where we were there.

Last Day at Josiah's Bay

Cow Guarding our Outback in Josiah's Parking back

From Sage Mountain it was back to Josiah’s where the Island Water Sports people had our surf boards waiting. The kids did not get any lessons as Damian said he had the afternoon off and decided to surf instead of giving the kids an hour less after his 10AM group lessons. Today’s waves were running 4 to 6 feet. Both our teens decided to make the best of surfing by catching the smaller waves or just ride them after they crashed down. They would go out for 20 or 25 minutes, get thrashed around and then rest up or play a game of beach side billiards. After a couple of hours Daniel gave up on the surfboard and switched to boogie board we brought down. Lunch was again at Naomi’s and once again no complaints. There are two places next to each other on this beach that offer food and drinks. There is Naomi’s and another place just 40 feet away that had no name to but seemed to be under permanent construction. The people at Naomi’s could not have been any nicer. They let you run tab for the day and are as easy going as can be. The other place does not seem family run and the staff is a bit gruff. When Naomi’s ran out of a bananas to make a daiquiri I went over to the other place. There I had to ask 3 people to make it and even then they did not get it right.

At 3:30 the kids decided they had enough of Josiah’s Bay so we gave back the surf boards, packed up and started to drive to Smugglers Cove to spend our last hour of beach time. Pulling out we realized we had a flat and with no jack thanks to Itgo rentals. With the help of some local construction workers and their jack we were on our way in 10 minutes. We got to deserted Smuggler’s Cove and soaked in the calm seas while we watched the sky change colors. We were all floating about, throwing a coosh ball and just having fun realizing how special it was to be here during the holiday break.

Pretty Sky at Smuggler's Cove

For dinner this last night we decided to go upscale at the Sugar Mill in Carrot Bay which was a 10 minute walk from Sebastian’s on Apply Bay. The Sugar Mill Hotel and Restaurant is on the ground of a former sugar mill and rum distillery. In fact the two hundred year old walls of the dinning room used to be where the rum was distilled. We knew this was far from a typical local dinning place when out came three different freshly baked breads along with a tomato basil puree - olive oil dipping sauce. Chef Matt took care of me with food off the menu as promised the day before so I did not need to look at menu. He started me off with 2 small round pieces of marinated lamb and for a main course served sliced duck in a light citrus sauce over scalloped potatoes with zucchini and squash hand cut and steamed. Melissa had a fettuccini with large shrimps while Maureen and Daniel had steak with a nice sauce on it. Theirs came with porcini mushroom mashed potatoes. For appetizers they shared sautéed Portobello mushroom as well as an order a puffed roll stuffed with vegetables and cheese with sliced duck on the side. The hit on desert was the trio of tropical ice creams. The Key lime pie was nothing special and black bottomed banana cream pie was good but did not wow us. I think the problem was that were not served colder.

Cattle Egret with Cattle Just off the Road

The last morning we went fully packed to Road Town. After spending an hour shopping for shirts, trinkets and rum cake we drove up the block to the Itgo rental office to finish the paperwork and get our ride back the airport. Itgo decided not to honor the 10% extra discount I was promised when I checked in a week earlier stating that a Subaru Outback Wagon and Nissan Pathfinder SUV are considered the same category. I would not rent from Itgo again. While the Subaru did a fine job getting us around, they did break there discount promise. The other reasons to avoid them was that and then gave me an old car that had 72,000 km and showed its wear all over. The windshield washer did not work, there was no car jack when our tire went flat. This Outback was scratched up and the rear panel inside came lose and the tires could have been better as saw on other rental vehicles. After signing reluctantly signing the rental agreement there driver took us over to the Beef Island Airport.

We got to the LIAT check in counter 90 minutes before the flight. Everything is done by hand and is slow. While our plane was only a few minutes late in getting to Tortola we left an hour later with no explanation. Even behind schedule the LIAT ground crew supervisor took her sweet time walking the paperwork to the plane across the tarmac. This got us into San Juan with less time between flights missing lunch due to the cruise crowd taking over everything at the airport. There was no time to wait the 45 minutes for a sandwich from Subway if we were to make our flight.

If Your Go:

Tortola is a beautiful place. It is very scenic with mountains and pretty beaches. The food is good and people are nice. There are also a lot of things to do if you choose to do so. There are many dive operators, fishing boat charters, bare boat charters, surf board renters to keep any one happy and busy if they choose. A helpful web site to plan a trip can be found at http://www.bvitouristboard.com. I recommend getting a car or small 4WD vehicle to get around this island. The reason for 4WD is because never hurts to have the extra grip on wheels when making sharp and steep turns on the switch backs. Use my Post-It-Note advice mentioned early to make you feel more comfortable about keeping left on the roads. People in Tortola are pretty courteous to other drivers. Also, as rental cars have green plates, they are more forgiving.

Sebastian’s

Sebastian’s was a friendly place. The beach front rooms are nice. The also have what they call “beach rear” which are rooms behind the beach front rooms facing the intersection and road. There are also rooms across the street and above their office. This hotel is an excellent location for surfing Little Apple Bay as you go from hotel room to waves and back in a couple of minutes. It is also just a few minutes drive from lounging and snorkeling at Smuggler’s Cove which we would call the best beach on the island. Sebastian’s location can be problem if do not want to be on of the west side of the island. I would rate Sebastian’s a nice place. Perhaps 3 ½ stars out of 5. If we return we will rent a villa over looking one of the beaches. We were advised many 2 and 3 bedroom villas can be had for nearly half the price of our two hotel rooms.

Food overview:

Sebastian’s: The two dinners we had there were average to good and but not worth a special visit it if you staying in a different side of the island. They over cooked the chicken each time it was ordered. The fish and steaks were also good. The key lime pie was over baked and dry. While dinner was only OK they shined at Breakfast. My kids will talk about the banana pancakes for a while. Each morning you can order various fresh squeezed juices including papaya that my daughter had every day. The staff was happy to mix and match items as well. Maureen ordered a slice of gouda cheese from the cheese plate with an English Muffin. There fruit platter was also worth getting as well. . If you stay at Sebastian’s get a car or arrange taxis to try other places because I feel you will get tired eating here every night.

Jolly Rogers: This place is located in West End. There menu items were all delicious. There SoHo board specials shined. We ate here twice also.

The Palm in Cane Bay gets a thumbs up from us but be patient with the service.

Myett’s was also good but do not go during entertainment night if you hope to have dinner conversation. I would also go later or early for better service.

We would pass on the Banana Boat in Cane Bay and try Bannaquit which we could not get reservations for. Consider the Sugar Mill on a splurge for fine dinning or an extra special occasion. Dinners for 4 averaged with a couple of cocktails, one desert and tip was $120. The Sugar Mill with a cocktail, 3 deserts and 3 appetizers was $215. We found lunches on the island averaged about $45 for the four of us.

Markets and Shopping:

We visited a couple of super markets for snacks. Our favorite was the one in Cane Bay. It had a good selection and was clean. Keep in mind things here are shipped in from the U.S. so they are more money. A bag of cheetos and pretzels marked 2.99 sold for $4.97. A gallon of Poland Springs was also marked up 35% additional.

If you are looking for the usual tourist souvenirs Road Town and Beef Island are good places to shop. There are shops along Water Front Street that has everything you will need. Beef Island near the ferry docks has shops that sell things made by local artists. There is an open air market that opens by the cruise ship docks when one is in port.

Overhead at Smuggler's Cover

Did you know you are nearly 100 times more likely to be killed by a coconut at the beach than a shark?

The End