Your Guide to Spending 7 Days in BVI

We arrived at Virgin Gorda on a cruise, and we liked it so much! We have always wanted to come back ever since our first visit, so here we are back for an entire week. I will be sharing with you my experiences, day by day.
I flew Delta from Atlanta to San Juan without facing any issues. We had a 2-hour layover to make this connection, and we checked our bags. We didn’t face any problems with the connection. The limit for carry-on is 40lbs. We were a group of 8, and we only exceeded by 8lbs, which cost us $1 per pound (a very reasonable amount).
Our ride with Air Sunshine was good; we were a group of 8 and we had no issues. The flight wasn’t as convenient as booking through 1 airline that has a sharing agreement, but for $200 saving over Cape Air, it was an opportunity not to be missed! I can’t deny that not getting my “ticket” until I showed up at their gate was a bit unnerving, but the whole experience was good. The landing in Virgin Gorda is part of the exciting part of the trip!
We rented Adagio Villa – a 5-bedroom villa with a private pool, and we honestly couldn’t ask for better accommodations. It felt so special staying here. We rented an 8-person Tahoe that is plenty big to haul our group around from Mahogany for car rentals. Our car rental person that met us at the airport (Verlyn) took us right to Bucks where we stocked up on food and booze before going to our rental.
We had dinner at The Rock cafe for the first night. We ate outside amongst the boulders, and everyone liked the food and the overall ambiance. Everyone in the group loved the food – and that was a thumbs up. When stocking up for food at Bucks and Rosy’s, we learned that fresh fruit comes in on Mondays to the island, so Tuesday is the day to buy your fruit. Limes for gin and tonics are a must!
The weather was good; we learned that the forecast always looks worse than what the actual day will be like. See you tomorrow on Day 2!

Everyone has settled into our Villa on Mahoe Bay, and we decided to head to The Baths to explore and take in the day. The Baths is an easy trip down “The Road”. We were pleased as we had a “no ship day”, and the site was not crowded with people. So, we basically have the place all to ourselves and spent a great time! It seems that they have reversed the desired flow of the trip through The Baths since a few years ago, we were here on a cruise ship and the path was the opposite. Now, you can either start your cruise by heading to the Baths or to Devil’s Bay. Since there was no one there, we went through the new “exit” in the Baths ending up in Devils Bay – which is a route I preferred more. 

We snorkeled in Devils Bay after the rocks before we all headed up to the top of the Baths. We stopped for a fine meal at “the top of the Baths” and rinsed off in the freshwater and had some drinks. All in all, it was a good day! We ended it up with gin and tonics and a meal at Hog Heaven which was great by the way! The BBQ was great, and everyone in the group loved it. The service was fine, and the restaurant had great views. I had the ribs and my wife has the BBQ chicken. Both were really good. To everyone visiting Virgin Gorda, I highly recommend Hog Heaven! Pass by and enjoy a good meal and great meals.

We finally stopped by Bucks because my wife suggested that we needed to stock up on some food, so we bought what we needed (which by the way was nearly the entire store)! But as the saying goes, happy wife, happy life! Can’t argue with that!

The weather looked “iffy” this day, so the ladies decided they wanted to go to Tortola to shop. We picked up the ferry at the terminal to head to Tortola. The round trip costs around $30. The ladies stopped at all the local shops in Tortola around the ferry dock while we, the men, searched for cigars and “Pussers” for food and drinks. The women roamed around the entire afternoon shopping while the men kept Pussers bar in business for almost the entire afternoon. Both groups considered the afternoon a success and enjoyed their time.

We took the late ferry back and had dinner at the villa with gin and tonics. It was an early night for us. We were having fun on the island, but above all, taking a break from the hustle and bustle of life. We were enjoying fine food, resting, and relaxing without having to worry about checking our emails often. All we were worried about was our next drink and meal! 

We decided to take Dive BVI’s Island hopper for a day trip to experience the several islands. It was easy to book online, and our group of 8 was joined by another couple that made it feel like we had a private cruise. Kudo’s to our captain Brad and his fiance Michelle who took care of us from the moment we got on the boat. 

We hit several spots including the Indians and the Caves. At one spot, we all hoped that we’d see a sea turtle. I hop into the water and looked down, only to find the sea turtle right below me. Then I found an octopus and all sorts of bright fish. Then we headed to Willy T’s for lunch. We ordered our food beforehand, so the food was ready when we got there. I earned some beads by jumping off the top of the boat in the recommended manner regardless of my wife’s disapproval look. However, after 32 years of marriage and 3 kids, I think this marriage will take as her face turned into a smile. No children’s morals were corrupted during this jump as we were the only boat there.

After WIlly’s, we headed over to The Soggy Dollar for afternoon drinks. I heard the captain say words I’ve never heard before, “Please jump off the boat and swim to the bar.” So, we did! Then we had a beer and relaxed amongst folks from all over the world.

On our way back, we spotted a very small island called “Sand Cay”. The captain told us they filmed a Corona commercial there because it was so picturesque. We all wanted to check the island out, so we managed to get ashore and do an unscripted walk all around where we discovered crabs, and birds, and were generally relaxed. 

I would recommend the island hopper day; it was a fun tour and the price was just right! Again, Brad and Michelle made the day for us. 

After arriving at the villa, we had some hamburgers and drinks in the early evening as the sun took it all out of us this day. What day is it again? What month? All senses of time were falling away as the island time was fully taking effect.

After what has seemed a busy but relaxing trip, we decided to hit the brakes and just lounge at the villa for the day. We spent the day snorkeling off our beach (Mahoe), laid around the pool, and then hit Hog Heaven for lunch and pictures during the day. 

We saw a sea turtle off our shore, and others saw puffer fish, rays, and more. It was pleasing to snorkel right out our front door. We asked the man grooming our yard where we could get some fresh coconut since the roadside stand we used to get from earlier had shut down. The reply we got was surprising; the man asked us to come back in 5 minutes. We then saw the man go to a neighboring palm, get the coconuts we needed, then took his machete out. He whacked the coconuts several times before cutting the top off and revealing the fresh coconut water for drinks. It was pretty cool to see the process, especially as he added the rum and served us. We tipped him for being so nice as he added to our afternoon’s entertainment and drinks.

Chef Chet – dinner – The men in our group decided to splurge and set up an evening with “Chef Chet” for a privately cooked meal at our villa – unbeknownst to our wives. It was the first time any of us had ever done this, and it was just a fantastic night. 

Chef Chet has about 7 menus to choose from. A menu is a 3-4 course meal he prepares at your villa, sets the table, cooks, cleans up, and is generally entertaining. We couldn’t decide on a single menu, so he just asked us to pick and choose from all of them so he would cook what we wanted. As an appetizer, we had fresh guacamole with chips, coconut shrimp (actually the best coconut shrimp anyone in our group had ever had), duck salad (tasted great though I’m not a fan of duck), and homemade coconut bread.

Entrees were pork loin with rum raisin sauce, grilled swordfish, mixed vegetables, coconut rice, and beef tenderloin. For dessert, we had some homemade key lime pie with strawberry sauce. I know you’re thinking, “strawberry sauce on key lime pie?” Trust me, it works wonders and tastes really good! We also had a banana flambe which was incredible!

As we all sat staring at one another and recovering from the food coma, we thanked Chef Chet for the wonderful meal as he was clearing up the table. It was a memorable, delicious experience. For full disclosure, with tip and service charge, it was $85. Everyone agreed that it was a good deal and experience given the fact that we had LOTS of leftovers and that the food was cooked on our time – not the island time! 

If you want to know more about Chef Chet, you can Google him. See you tomorrow in new experiences!

Is it Day 6 or Day 7? I really can’t remember. The Virgin Gorda effect has completely held. I am now convinced that I am thinner and better looking, and my jokes are funnier than ever before. I have called my boss saying that I am never returning to work and told my friends that I have at home that I have said goodbye forever. 

I have chartered a day-long private cruise through DD to Anegada; Captain Angel took care of us. The weather was great; the water was crystal blue, and the cooler was full of booze, but above of all, there was no cell service – yey!  The ride over was typical and bouncy, but enjoyable. It lasted around 45 minutes. 

We docked, and I picked up a rental pickup with bench seats in the back from L&S rentals for $85 a day. We rode in the back over to Big Bamboo to have lunch and had an enjoyable snorkeling experience there as well. I had the rubs and the DW had coconut shrimp which she was Okay; it wasn’t as good as Chet’s. But actually, nothing is as good as Chet’s.

We took great pictures by all, then we headed off to the next bar. We drove to a relatively quiet and quite nice Anegada Beach Club just for drinks. It was a fun bar which has a nice pool to wash off the salt of the day. There were cool Tent villas on the beach that seemed fun to stay in, but probably not for us. We then drove off to Cow Wreck on the North Shore for drinks and the view. We found a cozy, little spot for drinks; a few other drinks later we were off. 

The return trip back to VG was fine, and our day with DD was a fun one. I would definitely rent with them again. As we reached the villa, we had the leftovers from Chet’s food and gin and tonics by the pool.

As I watched the sunset over a beautiful blue ocean, I was convinced that I am the most interesting person in the world and that VG is where I want to spend my final days.

As our last day in paradise comes to an end, I have informed my wife that I will be staying on VG forever, and I will be changing my name to Raoul and working as a pool boy. She (again) sighs and continues packing. I wake up to another beautiful morning with the sounds of gentle surf, hummingbirds, geckos, and the great views of Tortola.

As my trip comes to an end, here are some parting thoughts of what to think of when visiting VG and the BVI:

Getting here is easy from the states; Delta to San Juan and Air Sunshine to VG was simple. I am not shilling for Air Sunshine, but the cost was a big enough difference, and purchasing the tickets was easy.

We had 4 couples and rented a Tahoe which was perfect for our group. Please remember that any rental car on VG is approximately 47 years old, and will have bald tires, mostly with questionable amounts of air in them – air that kind of works.

Rush hour on the road can be terrible as sometimes 2-3 cars can be spotted while you drive. At any given time at any part of the road, expect to see goats, cows, and/or random people. If you hit any of them, the goats will find you!! (Remember, the island is a small one.)

Brian was of great help! He answered all of my questions and helped me arrange a truly, easy rental and experience for us. I will rent from him again.

There is a surprising amount of good BBQ on the island, and just at Hog Heaven.

There we a few bugs, mosquitos, and other insects. A couple of the ladies had a few bites, but that was it. In my opinion, I can say it is a bug-free island as I didn’t need to pit bug spray – not once.

Credit cards are accepted virtually everywhere, but always have some cash with you – actually, plenty of cash. The price you pay for a bottle of “Kirkland” water and anything else is way more than you pay in the states. Don’t complain! It is what it is. Everything is flown or boated in that’s why it just costs more. 

Dive BVI is great! You can book any of their tours, and you can’t go wrong. Anegada is truly unique, and yes, it is worth the trip over to see. 

Pack your suitcase, then open it up and take half of everything that you packed out. You will spend most of your day in a swimsuit and come home with lots of unworn shirts.

My wife said an indispensable piece of clothing was the “rash guard” she wore in the water to protect her from all sorts of things, but most importantly, it allowed her to keep enjoying the sun after sunburn on days 3-6. Make sure to bring more sunscreen than you think you’d need, and don’t forget your lip balm too!

Don’t worry about figuring out where everything is before you come, it is part of the adventure. When I looked up an address attempting to find a bakery, the address said it was “on the road”

Don’t worry about figuring out where everything is before you come….it’s part of the adventure. When I looked up an address attempting to find a bakery, the address said it was on “The Road”….. you know…the road…as in basically the only road in town. If you can’t find something, roll down you window and ask, everyone was helpful and we always found what we needed easily.

You have to go to more than one grocery store to find what all you may need although Bucks and Rosy’s has most everything.

Chef Chet was awesome, wives loved it (translation, they loved their husbands) for setting this up. Great meal and worth it.

We snorkeled all over these islands, from Norman Island, Devils Bay, caves, the Indians, just all over, and it was very good everywhere. You will see many opinions as to where the “best” snorkeling is. However we found some of the easiest, and best to be right out our front door at Mahoe Bay. I just saw squid, another turtle, parrot fish, flounder, angel fish , and more. This is all 50-100 feet from shore.

Weather – example Day 1 OMG it’s supposed to rain our vacation is toast!….. weather is fine and sunny. Day 2 – OMG it’s supposed to rain again!… terrible luck!….weather is sunny and fine. Day 3 – it’s supposed to rain….hey…wait a minute…does anyone ever change the weather reports around here?…weather is almost always nice….do not fret when you read the weather reports.as they just use the same report each day. ( I swear) Hmm…maybe I could be a weatherman down here. …

We will be back and my wife’s swears she’s taking that taller, better looking , thinner Adonis-like man home with her. That’s one lucky guy.