Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sundresses and logo wear. You can also purchase a hat here for protection from the
sun. You might also check out
Island Silhouette in Flax Plaza
(no phone), located
in Flax Plaza near Fischer's Cove Beach Hotel (p. 228), which has a good selection
of resort-style clothing that's been hand-painted by local artists.
Pusser's Company
Store,
Leverick Bay (
&
284/495-7369
), sells rum products, sportswear, and gift
and souvenir items.
Tropical Gift Collections,
the Baths (
&
284/495-5380
), is
a good place to shop for local crafts. Here you'll find island spices, bags, T-shirts,
wraps, jewelry, maps, and pottery on sale at good prices.
Virgin Gorda After Dark
There isn't a lot of action at night, unless you want to make some of your own.
The
Bath & Turtle
pub, at Yacht Harbour (p. 232;
&
284/495-5239
), brings in local
bands for dancing in the summer on Wednesday and Friday at 8:30pm.
The
Bitter
End Yacht Club
(
&
284/494-2746;
www.beyc.com) has live music on Fridays.
Accessible only by boat, this is the best bar on the island. With its dark wood, it
evokes an English pub and even serves British brews. Call to see what's happening at
the time of your visit, and see p. 226 for more on the resort.
Andy's Chateau de Pirate,
at the Fischer's Cove Beach Hotel, the Valley
(p. 228;
&
284/495-5252
), is a sprawling, sparsely furnished local hangout. It has
a simple stage, a very long bar, and huge oceanfront windows, which almost never
close.
6
JOST VAN DYKE
This 10-sq.-km (4-sq.-mile) rugged island (pop. 150) on the seaward (west) side of
Tortola was named after a Dutch settler. In the 1700s, a Quaker colony settled here
to develop sugar-cane plantations. (One of the colonists, William Thornton, won a
worldwide competition to design the Capitol in Washington, D.C.) Smaller islands
surround this one, including Little Jost Van Dyke, the birthplace of Dr. John Lettsom,
founder of the London Medical Society.
On the south shore are some good beaches, especially at
White Bay
and
Great
Harbour.
The island has a handful of places to stay but offers several dining choices,
as it's a popular stopover point not only for the yachting set but also for many cruise
ships. Jost Van Dyke is very tranquil, but only when cruise ships aren't in port.
Essentials
GETTING THERE
Take the ferry to White Bay on Jost Van Dyke from either St.
Thomas or Tortola. (
Be warned:
Departure times can vary widely throughout the
year, and often don't adhere very closely to the printed timetables.) Ferries from St.
Thomas depart from Red Hook Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, usually twice daily. A
round-trip is $40, while one-way is $30. More convenient (and more frequent) are
the daily ferryboat shuttles from Tortola's isolated West End. The latter depart five
times a day for the 25-minute trip, and the round-trip cost is $20 for adults, $10 for
children 12 and under. Call the
New Horizon Ferry Service Paradise Express
(
&
284/495-9278;
www.bestofbvi.com) for information about departures from any
of the above-mentioned points. If all else fails, negotiate a transportation fee with one
of the handful of privately operated water taxis on Tortola. Fees start around $100
one-way.
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