April 2001

The straight scoop on this island: the landscape is extremely hilly and dry, the powdery white sand beaches are secluded and peaceful, and the crystal clear water is warm enough even for the very thin-skinned.  The villas on Virgin Gorda are spectacular.  It's all too easy to slip into a groove here watching the sunsets with a fortified beverage or two.  If you travel to Virgin Gorda for sea-faring activities, you certainly won't be disappointed.  It seems that yachting is the diversion of choice, as there is little else to do.  To top it all off, the island is very sparsely populated, which is a real treat in the Caribbean these days.  Even today there are several undeveloped beaches and coves awaiting the adventurous visitor.   Did I mention hilly? Hilly indeed.  You almost need an 8-wheel drive to get around Virgin Gorda. 

The drawbacks were few, but if pressed (so that we appear to be impartial island reviewers) the most notable would be the quality of restaurants.  Not that you go to the Caribbean for fine dining, but generally in the islands you can expect either traditional, local “island style” home cooking eateries, or more upscale cuisine for the discerning tourist.  On Virgin Gorda you’ll find neither.  Oh, you’ll pay a hefty bill ($100 for lunch for 4, and potentially much more for dinner), but you’ll get neither the down-home Caribbean experience that you might find in Bequia, nor the tasty haut-cuisine experience that you might enjoy in St. Bart’s.  So don’t plan your vacation here around the dining experience.  If you are taking notes: there are two exceptions which offered pretty good, albeit expensive, food - Giorgio's Table (Italian) in Mahoe Bay and Chez Bamboo (Continental-Carib) in Spanish Town.  Both are worth a try if you are ever in town.

The beaches on Virgin Gorda range from nice to spectacular.  Unlike the long, wide beaches, á la California or Florida, most of the beaches here are small sea grape and palm fringed enclaves with fine white sand and gentle blue water.  The boulder hewn “Baths” on the southern tip of Virgin Gorda is the most dramatic beach on the island (and arguably the most spectacular in Caribbean).  In this postcard-like setting, warm water gently laps at the enormous smooth granite boulders, forming a labyrinth of sandy caves that can be explored on foot or with a mask and snorkel.   The villa we rented sits directly on Mahoe Bay, a typical crescent shaped beach with perfect sand and almost no surf due to the fringing reef just offshore.  On the windward side of the island the beaches are jagged and rocky - but their physical beauty and the accompanying palate of colors delight the eyes nonetheless.

If you are a surfer in Virgin Gorda, you are probably going to have to turn to booze, as waves are scarce.  The British Virgin Islands consist of countless small islets dotting the horizon, so large waves are diffused before reaching the shore.  The upside is that swimming off the beaches of Virgin Gorda is like swimming in a great clear warm pool. 

If you are into snorkeling, the reefs off the beaches on the west side of the island offer reasonable coral reefs about 50 yards from shore.  The water averages 10 or 15 feet deep and the coral is well formed and interesting.  As with most Virgin Island reefs, there is a reasonable quantity of fish, but the variety of species is somewhat underwhelming.  There are parrotfish, angelfish, grunts, twinklers, be-bops - who the hell knows.  Snorkeling here is a pleasant diversion, but you won't be blown away. 

As we mentioned above, on the southern-most point of the island visitors are impressed with "the Baths," a famous formation of smooth granite boulders spilling into the sea.  The sand is white and surrounds the rounded rock formations.  Folks spend hours exploring the caves, tunnels and beachlets in this tropical playground.  And when you finally abandon your search for lost pirate treasure among the crags, you still have a high probability of discovering a cold Red Stripe beer at the tiny “Poor Man’s” beach bar.  Tip: the Baths are popular with the day-trippers from other islands, so arrive early to explore the rocks and crystal-blue water in relative solitude before the masses arrive.

Above the Baths there is a restaurant named the "Top of the Baths" where hungry explorers can consume a decent cheeseburger and a creamy piña colada.  Visitors can also enjoy the expansive ocean views of the area while soaking in the restaurant's enticing fresh water pool.

The villa, aptly named Pelican Reef, was the highlight of the journey.  It was stunning.  The modern home is open and airy and sits smack-dab on a private stretch of pristine beach in Mahoe Bay.  The spacious pad has three private bedrooms, indigenous gardens and an open kitchen/living area.  The swimming pool is just feet from the sand and ocean.   The house abuts a virgin hillside, so it's pleasantly secluded except for the birds and bats that frequent the backyard.  This house was a real find - there was little motivation to leave the property (except to refresh the margarita supplies. “Yo! More limes!”).

Because Mahoe Bay sits on the western side of the island, we had front row seats to the Caribbean sunsets.  There is no better way to greet the evening than soaking in warm salt water with a cool tropical drink watching nature’s daily swansong.  Dammit, I wish I were there now!

For the restless traveler, the island offers some interesting land-based diversions like hiking through narrow trails on the north end of the island to seldom visited vistas offering breath-taking views of the surrounding islands.  Alternatively, on the southeast corner of the islands one can explore the picturesque old Copper Mine.  Built in the early 1700's, the Copper Mine is an all-stone structure formally used to mine copper from the surrounding cliffs. The mine is perched on a copper-green stained hillside overlooking the vibrant blue-green Atlantic Ocean.  The grounds are covered in colorful processed ore.  The place would be a rock hound's paradise save for the fact that a sign asks visitors to leave all samples on the ground, no matter how tempting the souvenirs are.

On Coppermine Road, just up from the mine ruins is the Mine Shaft – a bar/restaurant favored by tourists and locals alike.  We managed to plow through a plate of marginal-yet-expensive buffet-style barbequed chicken and ribs, and an old Creole favorite - ox-tail stew.  The drink of choice here is aptly named “cave in,” but we stuck to cold Red Stripe on this sweltering afternoon.  The beers tasted really great as we watched the afternoon sun approach the western horizon.

Copper Mine Bar & Grill

View from the Bar & Grill

As we cooled our heels in the Casa Caribe (San Juan Airport's finest watering hole) after flying all night from California, the most amazing thing happened: the Air Sunshine rep hunted us down and rushed us off for an early departure to Virgin Gorda – two hours early!  What luck. 

Minutes later we hooked up with our pilot and boarded the eight-seater for a scenic flight over the Virgin Islands.  The descent into Virgin Gorda was thrilling - a dip over the rocks and a low-banking turn, then we dropped into a valley and landed on the dirt runway.  When we stepped out, it truly felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, save for the small wooden sign welcoming us to Britain’s Virgin Gorda.   Customs in these tiny islands is always a hoot – we practically had to wake the customs agent up and announce our arrival.  He shuffled a few papers and we were on our way.

Shots from the Flight In