help on accomodation in Tortola
 

Hi everybody,
My wife and me are planning our first trip to BVI, we've been to several islands in the past and never yet to this location.
We like to be as close to the beach as possible and also with calm waters, we like snorkeling and sunbathing, our idea is to spend not more than $ 200.00 a night.
I read there is surfing on the island ?..so I guess we should be on the opposite side ?...which side is calm and which one is rough ?.
Any help you can give us will certainly be appreciated, we are coming from Uruguay (South America), both in our 40's.
If you want you can answer directly to my email at : [email protected], or if not I'll check again here, this is my first time in this forum.
Many thanks.
Rgds.
Victor

Hi there:

My wife and I are planning a visit to Tortola as well. There are plenty of choices in terms of places to stay. We preferred Inns with kitchens so that we could cook - we looked at Coconut Point, Isis, Serendipity, plus a few more. They all cost less than $200 a night during low season (i.e. Now).

The one place that we avoided is the Heritage Inn - got confirmation that they are a bit run down.

If you plan on getting a car (which I recommend) don't let beach access be a selection criteria. You want to beach hop anyway, right? Also, as long as you are not there during the winter months (Jan-March), which is trade wind season, surf is supposed to be pretty low. All Tortola beaches, I believe are north facing.

Have a great trip.

Check out Sebastian's. They have both hotel rooms which are arm's length from the sea and villas that sit back a bit. They were reasonably priced and have good food. We ate breakfast there twice in Feb. and regretted that we did not stay there. The beach there is not a great swimming beach but it is beautiful with many pelicans. There are swimming beaches very close by and you will need to rent a vehicle anyway.

I agree to not let beach access be a breaking or making point.

The ferry system in Tortola is akin to a public bus system some some of the greatest beaches in the world are a ferry ride away.

Not on the beach but on the water and economical and nice are Village Cay and Maria's By The Sea. They are both a stone's throw from the ferry and in the middle of Road Town.

many thanks to all for your comments, I forgot to mention the trip would be in low season, sometime in September, we fly with mileage programs and low season starts August 15th, therefore its much more convenient for us, and since here in South America its winter and its quite cold its nice to take a break from the winter.
We would also rent a car for the length of our stay, aprox. 7-8 nights, not yet sure on number of nights.
Sebastians sounds like a nice place, I did check their site..and the prices seem very affordable, does anybody have pictures from there ?...their site doesnt show too muc.
Thanks again, all comments are suggestions are very welcomed, if you have pics and you want to share please feel free to email them to me.
Many thanks.
Victor

I'll chime in for Coconut Point. We stayed there a couple of years ago and thought it was a good value for the money. Also the location is very central. Many good restaurants a very short distance away.

Peace, Greenie

I have pictures from when I stayed at Sebastian's last November here:

http://community.webshots.com/user/amyfk

Check the album that is Tortola 1 - 11-05 - pictures of the room, beach, etc. I liked my room - the beach was a little rocky and tended to come and go, but it was a great place to lime. While I wasn't as impressed with the restaurant, the hotel is well situated for getting to West End or Cane Garden Bay by car or taxi. I was comfy there, and would stay there again.

I sent you a link that I have via e-mail that has a list of many accomodations on Tortola as well as some informative web sites.

Check my trip report for June 2006
It has a link for photos, etc.
Search for this title:
Tortola Trip Report-June 2006 Part 1

tewels,
I just read your trip report again. You mentioned that you usually go to STJ. Which island did you like better, Tortola or STJ and why? We are going back to STJ this November,but looking at Tortola in the future as I love the idea of BVI hopping. Anegada will be on the must do list.

They are very different. If you held me down and made me pick, I'd say St. John for sentimental reasons. We were married there. Love to hike, so the national park is awesome, but we have been there 3 times, so exporing Tortola was so great. Tortola is extremely laid back and uncrowded (June). You will never have a wait to have dinner, etc. No traffic. No crowded beaches. I did love being able to rent a chair and order a drink on the beach, which you cannot get in St. Johns national park (prob a good thing). Tortola is not as nice as St. John as far as roads, buildings, shopping, etc. So I guess it's all about what you like to do. You can't lose with either one. hope this helps

Thanks, yes it helps. I have been looking at Mongoose Apartments on CGB. We don't need anything fancy or major shopping. We are going to day trip and see if we like it. I have read some posts elsewhere about the water cleanliness on CGB during heavy boating days, as in no holding tanks, Yuck. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

The best is Mette's Garden Bay at
www.myettes.com

best car rental
jerrys at www.jerrysrental.com

For lifestyle and cul;ture info:
www.virginvoices.com

Thanks

We were on Tortola for our 1st ever Caribbean vacation June 25-July 6, and it was wonderful. Beautiful beautiful beaches.

The georgous beaches are all on the north side. We really liked Cane Garden Bay as a base (rented a beachfront cottage for $200./night); centrally located for all the day-trips; and enjoyed the beach during the day and loved walking along the beach to all the bars/restaurants in the evening. And for us, it was essential to have a selection of bars/restaurants within walking distance, since the roads on Tortola are truly something else. We drove all over the island, but stuck to daytime only - never got adventurous enough to try those roads at night. Paved, but narrow and STEEP!

Plenty of awesome beaches on Tortola, all with their own beach bar(s) - and when you add the day-tripping/island-hopping to it - well, it was fabulous. Our highlights were Smuggler's Cove on Tortola, a day-trip to the Baths on Virgin Gorda, and a day-trip to White Bay Jost Van Dyke. Beaches and water that are beautiful beyond words.

The best tip I can give you is to register on Traveltalkonline and visit their BVI forum - these people are TOTALLY knowledgable and friendly about answering any questions about the islands.....

What beachfront cottage did you stay in? I have been looking at CGB for a while. I like the looks of Mongoose Apartments. Shans Bungalow looks nice too. We are going to STJ in November. Plan on going to Tortola on a day trip to look around a bit.

Guess I should have re-read the whole post before I repeated myself like a parrot! Sorry. Still wondering which cottage Ihens stayed in though.

It was Shans Bungalow.

Brenandg, When are you going to STJ? We are going in November also.

I'm going to have to consider going back to Tortola after reading all of your comments. We've only driven thu Roadtown to get to the Peter Island ferry. Thanks everyone. Owa

owa,
November 25th-December 2nd. Staying at Gallow's Point. How about you?

Darn!! brenandg, I was hoping we might be there the same time. We are going to St. Croix (never been) on October 30, and then on to Caneel for a week on 4 November. Would have liked to hook up with you on STJ. Owa