Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
couple of hours at the most. Once you leave Road Town, however, you'll find Tortola
more alluring. The island's best and most unspoiled beaches, including
Smuggler's
Cove
(with its collection of snorkeling reefs), lie at the island's western tip. Tortola's
premier beach is
Cane Garden Bay,
a 2.4km (1
1
⁄
2
-mile) stretch of white sand.
Because of the gentle surf, it's one of the safest places for families with small chil-
dren. For hikers on Tortola, exploring
Sage Mountain National Park,
where trails
lead to a 543m (1,781-ft.) peak that offers panoramic views, is a definite highlight.
The park is rich in flora and fauna, from mamey trees to mountain doves.
Although many visitors to the Caribbean look forward to fishing, hiking, horseback
riding, snorkeling, and surfing, what makes Tortola exceptional is boating. It is
the
boating center of the British Virgin Islands, which are among the most cherished
sailing territories on the planet. The island offers some 100 charter yachts and 300
bareboats, and its marina and shore facilities are the most up-to-date and extensive
in the Caribbean Basin.
The crystal-clear waters compensate for the island's lackluster bars and restau-
rants. You can count on simple and straightforward food here; we suggest any locally
caught fish grilled with perhaps a little lime butter.
VIRGIN GORDA
Our favorite British Virgin Island is Virgin Gorda, the third-largest member of the
archipelago, with a permanent population of about 1,400 lucky souls. Many visitors
come over just for a day to check out the
Baths,
an astounding collection of gigantic
rocks, boulders, and tide pools on the southern tip. Crafted by volcanic pressures
millions of years ago, the boulders have eroded into shapes reminiscent of a Henry
Moore sculpture. With more than 20 uncrowded beaches, the best known of which
are
Spring Beach
and
Trunk Beach,
Virgin Gorda is a sun worshiper's dream
come true.
Unlike Tortola, Virgin Gorda has some of the finest hotels in the Virgin Islands,
including
Little Dix Bay
and
Biras Creek.
One caveat: You must be willing to pay
a high price for the privilege of staying at one of these regal resorts. There are also
more reasonably priced places to stay, such as
Virgin Gorda Village.
Outside the
upscale hotels, restaurants tend to be simple places serving local West Indian cuisine.
No one takes nightlife too seriously on Virgin Gorda, so there isn't very much of it.
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THE VIRGIN ISLANDS TODAY
The American way of life prevails today in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and it has swept
across to the British Virgin Islands as well. The region's traditional recipes and rem-
edies, as well as the self-reliant arts of fishing, boat building, farming, and even hunt-
ing, are all but gone. When islanders need something, they have it shipped from
Miami. In clothes, cars, food, and entertainment, America, not Great Britain, rules
the seas around both archipelagos. The British Virgins even use the U.S. dollar as
their official currency, instead of British pounds.
Like the rest of the world, the Virgin Islands have felt the effects of the recent
global recession. Because so much of the islands' economy depends on tourism, both
the U.S.V.I. and the British Virgin Islands were hit hard when the recession started
in about 2008, and they are still continuing to feel the effects of the recession to this
day. The bad economy has touched nearly everyone in the Virgin Islands. Many
people are employed in offshoots of the tourism industry: food suppliers, laundry
services that wash hotel sheets, liquor dealers, shop keepers, and more. Jobs are a
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