BVI trip report
Oct 30th, 2007, 05:01 PM
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BVI trip report
My husband and I stayed at Long Bay Beach Resort from Oct 20-25. We were on the all-inclusive plan.
The hotel is a 4 star property, and the largest resort on the island of Tortola. We stayed in a Hillside Oceanview room, and it was quite nice - I had no complaints. It was not 5 star luxury, but it is not a 5 star resort, so that's fair enough for me! The service was excellent the whole time we were there - I am baffled by those who had bad experiences, maybe the staff has changed??
The resort complex has 3 restaurants, the main one being the 1748 – the building is a converted 18th century sugar mill, and the tables are on a terrace steps from the gorgeous Long Bay beach – you can sit and watch the waves while you eat. The food is excellent, with decent variety – theme nights such as ‘Taste of Tortola’ or ‘BBQ cookout’ are especially good, with some live music as well. The other two restaurants are the Palm Terrace (no jeans or shorts – this is the nicest of the 3), and the Pasta House, which are each open 2 nights a week.
The bars at the 1748 and the Palm Terrace are open all day, and the pool bar is open until 7:00 PM. They offer a nice selection of rum based drinks and wine, and some bottled drinks as well. My husband quite enjoyed the Painkillers – rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, and coconut crème.
The beach at the resort is one of the most beautiful beaches in the BVI’s, but the water is fairly rough and the bottom is rocky out past your knees. With a boogie board (which the resort rents out) and some water shoes, it can be a lot of fun.
A calmer beach can be found a 10 minute cab ride ($20 USD) away at Cane Garden Bay. Also located in the town of Cane Garden Bay is the Callwood Rum Distillery, from the 1600’s. They have some excellent rums for sale, which you won’t find anywhere else.
Another beautiful beach is Smuggler’s Cove – it has rougher water but a sandy bottom. The road to get there is long, bumpy, narrow, and a bit overgrown with trees and vines – this may be why the beach seems to have a problem with biting sand flies (this may be seasonal, but they were sure out when we were there!). For those who just want to go straight into the water and do some snorkelling though, this wouldn’t be a problem. None of the other beaches had any insect problems.
The main city on Tortola is Road Town, and it offers some good shopping – in particular the Craft Alive Village, Sunny Caribbee (spices, etc.), and Pusser’s Rum Company (store and pub).
We went on a day sail on the White Squall, to the Baths at Virgin Gorda (beautiful boulder formations on a sandy white beach) and snorkelling at Cooper Island. Lunch and unlimited drinks was included – the two friendly captains made us barbequed chicken and hot dogs, along with some salads.
Renting a car was a lot of fun - it was scary at times driving up 45 degree hills on the left side of the road, but you get used to it!
The cab ride from the airport to Long Bay was $40 per couple.
Here are some photos if you'd like to take a look:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...p;id=689206112
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...p;id=689206112
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...p;id=689206112
If you have any questions feel free to ask! We had a wonderful time and would go back in a heartbeat.
The hotel is a 4 star property, and the largest resort on the island of Tortola. We stayed in a Hillside Oceanview room, and it was quite nice - I had no complaints. It was not 5 star luxury, but it is not a 5 star resort, so that's fair enough for me! The service was excellent the whole time we were there - I am baffled by those who had bad experiences, maybe the staff has changed??
The resort complex has 3 restaurants, the main one being the 1748 – the building is a converted 18th century sugar mill, and the tables are on a terrace steps from the gorgeous Long Bay beach – you can sit and watch the waves while you eat. The food is excellent, with decent variety – theme nights such as ‘Taste of Tortola’ or ‘BBQ cookout’ are especially good, with some live music as well. The other two restaurants are the Palm Terrace (no jeans or shorts – this is the nicest of the 3), and the Pasta House, which are each open 2 nights a week.
The bars at the 1748 and the Palm Terrace are open all day, and the pool bar is open until 7:00 PM. They offer a nice selection of rum based drinks and wine, and some bottled drinks as well. My husband quite enjoyed the Painkillers – rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, and coconut crème.
The beach at the resort is one of the most beautiful beaches in the BVI’s, but the water is fairly rough and the bottom is rocky out past your knees. With a boogie board (which the resort rents out) and some water shoes, it can be a lot of fun.
A calmer beach can be found a 10 minute cab ride ($20 USD) away at Cane Garden Bay. Also located in the town of Cane Garden Bay is the Callwood Rum Distillery, from the 1600’s. They have some excellent rums for sale, which you won’t find anywhere else.
Another beautiful beach is Smuggler’s Cove – it has rougher water but a sandy bottom. The road to get there is long, bumpy, narrow, and a bit overgrown with trees and vines – this may be why the beach seems to have a problem with biting sand flies (this may be seasonal, but they were sure out when we were there!). For those who just want to go straight into the water and do some snorkelling though, this wouldn’t be a problem. None of the other beaches had any insect problems.
The main city on Tortola is Road Town, and it offers some good shopping – in particular the Craft Alive Village, Sunny Caribbee (spices, etc.), and Pusser’s Rum Company (store and pub).
We went on a day sail on the White Squall, to the Baths at Virgin Gorda (beautiful boulder formations on a sandy white beach) and snorkelling at Cooper Island. Lunch and unlimited drinks was included – the two friendly captains made us barbequed chicken and hot dogs, along with some salads.
Renting a car was a lot of fun - it was scary at times driving up 45 degree hills on the left side of the road, but you get used to it!
The cab ride from the airport to Long Bay was $40 per couple.
Here are some photos if you'd like to take a look:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...p;id=689206112
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...p;id=689206112
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...p;id=689206112
If you have any questions feel free to ask! We had a wonderful time and would go back in a heartbeat.
Oct 31st, 2007, 08:51 AM
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Thanks for taking the time to post your trip report, which I enjoyed reading very much. It really took me back to my first stay on Tortola in 2005.
Your first snorkel stop was a good one--Cooper Island is among the best snorkeling I've experienced.
Your first snorkel stop was a good one--Cooper Island is among the best snorkeling I've experienced.
Oct 31st, 2007, 09:24 AM
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Nice report. When we went to Tortola we stayed in an apt in little carrot bay and would have breakfast and lunch most days at Long Bay. We enjoyed it and really liked the beach also.
Glad you had a good time.
Peace, Greenie
Glad you had a good time.
Peace, Greenie
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