DHAYDEN

MY HUSBAND & I WANT TO TRAVEL TO TORTOLA IN FEB, 99 BUT CAN'T SEEM TO CONNECT WITH A TRAVEL AGENT THAT KNOWS ENOUGH SO SET THINGS UP. WE WOULD LIKE A COMPLETE PACKAGE TO INCLUDE AIR, HOTEL AND TRANSPORTATION. TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR??

kimby murakami

my husband and i were in tortola at the end of july and had a great time--loved every minute! we flew into san juan, p.r. and then flew to tortola (beef island)but the next time we go, we will probably fly into st. thomas and then take a ferry from there-- the ferry is only about $22 and takes about 45 mins-1 hr, depending on if you're trying to get to road town or the west end ferry dock. we stayed at frenchman's cay hotel in west end. we liked the beaches at that end of the island better. our hotel "pkg." included a rental car (you should definitely get one for at least a few days if not the whole time you are there) plus some other good stuff. the hotel has a great website [email protected] you might want to check it out. went to long bay beach but the surf was rough. our favorite beach was smuggler's cove (which is near long bay) but white bay beach by the campgrounds(on jost van dyke) and the baths and devil's bay (on virgin gorda) were great too (took the ferry to those islands). sorry, i guess i really don't have any info about airfare/hotel/car pkgs. since we kind of did it ourselves (bought cheap tickets through a consolidator and booked our hotel directly myself). there are tons of websites on the bvi's, check out bviwelcome.com or email me direct.

Bob Morton

Definately get a 4-wheeler and explore the island. The ocean views atop the hillsides are breathtaking. Plus, you can visit pristine beaches like Smuggler's Cove, which you'll need a 4-wheeler to reach. We stayed at Sebastian's-By-The Sea and had a great time, although their beach was small. Take some good snorkeling gear along as well- the under water world close to shore is a real experience. The Bamba Shack, which was written up in Caribean mag. is not all what it's cracked up to be, however, it was only several hundred feet down from Sebastian's, and we ate low-priced, great lunch buffets of peas & rice, BBQ'd chicken, grouper, cole slaw, beans, etc. Tortola natives respect nature, and won't allow many cruise ships in, and have laws limiting the height of buildings; can't be higher than the nearest palm tree. You'll love the snorkeling and island exploring; we toured the island with snorkels in backseat, and simply pulled over and dove into any isolated beach. Various roadside stands up in the hills selling sandwiches, pop, etc. TIP: Because of this, if you get a complete package, you'll be chained to the hotel and won't be able to explore the day away. I snorkeled at Pusser's boat marina and Id'd over 34 varieties of tropical reef fish. Have a good time there. Bob

KathyH

Bob, my husband and I are going to Tortola late January/early February. We are probably going stay at Sebastians. We were deciding between there and the Sugar Mill. Sebastians has beachfront rooms and is $70 a night cheaper. How did you like Sebastians. Would you recommend it as a place to stay. Any info would be helpful. Thank you. I tried to e-mail you direct but it wouldn't go through. KathyH <BR>

Bob Morton

Kathy: We liked Sebastians,were there in july, 1994, but there was no A/C; not a big deal since the ocean breeze was enough, plus a large ceiling fan. It may have changed since then. However, we decided to stay at Long Bay Beach after visiting it.There, the toilet backed up and our room, which was spacious, stunk, literally. It really didn't matter, though, because we were gone all day snorkeling and exploring the hilltops, and subtropical rainforest there. So, you may as well stay at Sebastians and use it as a base camp, rent a 4-wheeled jeep(we rented ours at Sebastians) and explore.Don't get me wrong, Sebastians was a nice, friendly, neat place and the courtyard was lush with all types of native plants. The Sugar Mill was nicer, and their beach was just across the highway(a 15 foot wide, hardly traveled, coral rock). I had some drinks and dinners there with my wife and daughter. Tortola is definately "Natures Best Kept Secret" with mucho deserted beaches and coves and the Mt. Sage Rain Forest. The best snorkeling was at Smuggler's Cove and Brewer's Bay. Smuggler's is isolated and hard to reach, the road is full of chuchholes and unpaved, but beautiful Flamboyant Trees lining the path getting there. A regular car won't make it. Once there, we Id'd dozens of reef fish just offshore, and the three of us had the entire beach to ourselves for a half day. Then, one other couple came by. A cigar box with a note on it said, "Pop in the refrigerator, just put the money in here". I walked into the back room and passed a hanging shark in the doorway to get to the refrig. That's when you know you're someplace else. Tortola has never wanted, "mass tourism" and remains laid back. Visit Sopers Hole. I was snorkeling in 25 feet of water there, while my wife and daughter were on the marina dock. I had baracuda following me like curious pet dogs, and id'd trumpet fish, angel fish, grunts, butterfly fish, all types of jacks, etc. just in the marina! A shark was watching me from under a sailboat, hidding in the shallows, and I heard my wife and a native man screaming from above. i saw a mass of fish shaped like a torpedo zip over my head, when I was on the bottom. The shark pursued them,j but never bothered me. It probably was watching me for a half hour snorkeling, and wasn't interested. Anyhow, the architecture at Sopers is West Indian, all the colors of a coral reef..interesting buildings.Try the snorkeling excursions to Buck Island. It's worth it. Have fun, Bob