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Virgin Gorda's
BEACH COAST
A hidden beach treasury |
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Page Contents
The Dogs
Dog and Dolphin
Giorgio's Table
Little Dix Bay
Long Bay
Mahoe Bay
Mountain Point
Nail Bay
The Pavilion
Savannah Bay
Upper Beach Coast
Villas
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Virgin Gorda's
"hidden" Beach Coast was revealed to the world when Laurence
Rockefeller (whose land donations also started the National Parks Trust) spent
the magnificent sum of $8 million in 1964 to create his famous Resort at Little
Dix Bay.
Beach Coast. Found north of "The Valley"/ Yacht Harbour, this
unique Beach Coast, an area of entrancing beauty,
somewhat remote in character, but close by car, offers a variety of intriguing
places to stay on pristine, secluded beaches. Pictured above is Little
Dix Bay and the rest of the Beach Coast to the north, including
beaches at Savannah Bay, Pond Bay, Mahoe
Bay, Nail Bay and Long Bay. See Touring Virgin Gorda by Land and Water. |
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Little Dix Bay |
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Touring
With walking distance from The Valley, Little Dix Bay is easily reached from the
ferry. Simply take the first left going out and proceed up over the hill.
The Little Dix Bay Resort is well worth a visit for
whatever reason.
The Pavilion's breakfast and lunch buffets are surprisingly affordable.
Some simply stop to see the gardens, but most make a
special trip for dinner (jackets are not required but trousers and shirts with collars are
expected).
Sometimes it's the drinks at the Pavilion's Bar & Terrace that's the
attraction.
Others don't want to miss the Pavilion's lavish Monday night buffet. |
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Unparalleled in charm,
Laurence Rockefeller's Resort reflects exquisite design.
Built originally to be an environmental hideaway, Little Dix Bay (web site, email
495-5555) has been redone, keeping its classic simplicity, while adding
some modern amenities and design touches. Nonetheless, it is still world-famous,
making many a best-of list.
Magnificent Setting. Behind its own emerald
coral reef, the beautiful beach curves gently within its own cove.
Cradled by two small picturesque mountains that wrap the small valley
ashore, before spilling their minature rocky headlands into the sea,
Little Dix Bay forms an intimate landscape--the idyllic tropical paradise. Gorda Peake can
be seen in the background in the above picture.
Dining.
The Sugar Mill, open Tuesday-Saturday for dinner, has fine
Italian cuisine with an emphasis on seafood in a romantic setting
pictured here. The Beach Grill, open for lunch and dinner Thursday-
Monday, offers casual American favorites.
The Pavilion (495-5555), open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, is the resort's
main dining room. Lavish breakfast and lunch buffets are followed by a la
carte candlelight dinners served under the resort's architectural
trademark-- majestic Polynesian "great roofs" open to the tropical air with stunning
views to the sea.
Come for cocktails and light fare at the
Pavilion's Bar with its moonlight-drenched Terrace and soak up the sounds from the
romantic piano or Caribbean band nightly. |
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Delicious dishes from Little
Dix Bay's fine cuisine that have appeared on Great Chefs of the Caribbean
include entrees such as Colombo
of Black Mussels with Leeks and Seared
Red Snapper with Sweet Potatoes and Christophene with a Creole Sauce (see christophene) by chef Benoit Pepin as well
deserts like Virgin
Gorda Coconut Layer Cake by chef John Rhymer. |
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Pavillion
Gift Shop (495-5555) at the resort has contemporary women's and men's
resortwear as well as jewelry and a variety of gift items. Lodging.
For more on resort accommodations, see Beach Coast Resorts on Virgin Gorda. |
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Upper Beach
Coast |
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Touring
To reach the upper part of this coast, take the turnoff on the Channel side at
the resort signs to Plum Tree Bay Road at the low, thin isthmus "neck" of
Virgin Gorda. |
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A narrow
isthmus, separating The Valley from Gorda Peake, presents picturesque views
of the water on both sides. On the Channel side are Savannah and Pond
beaches. The Upper Beach Coast derives its character from
and is framed by the mountainside of Gorda Peake as a backdrop. From this point on, the
upper Beach Coast road runs between mountain and sea, sometimes
challenging the driver. |
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Boat Touring
A lovely daytime anchorage in the swell-less summer, Savannah Bay is
reached via Blowing Point's southern entrance by working your way in good
light through the extensive reefs, which offer excellent
snorkeling.
By Land
Savannah Bay is reached by the first road, somewhat obscured, on the Channel side
in the flat area. The sandy path to the beach is an excellent spot to find hermit crabs. |
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Savannah Bay.
A beautiful long beach of white sand, Savannah Bay (as well as Pond Bay)
is unspoiled and pristine and not too far from The Valley. These
bays, and Mahoe Bay on the other side of Katitche Point, form one unique and
unparalleled watersports playground behind their continuous protective
reef. Pictured above is Katitche Point Great
House on top and Giorgio's Table below.
An ideal location for sea kayaking by
novices, expert paddlers can travel past the point into The Channel to Little Dix Bay and
go on up to "town" at the Yacht Harbour. Just remember that Blowing
Point may earn its name on the way back.
A nice hike starts from the bluff coming from The Valley
side where the beaches first appear. The trail goes all the way down to the beach. Found
here are cactus, aloe, exotic butterflies,
an abundance of lizards and other wildlife favoring dry, sunny habitats.
Pond Bay. Part of one
continuous bay from the water, Pond Bay is reached by land at the turnoff to the Upper
Beach Coast. |
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Lobster
Tank |
Anegada lobster are kept in a 5000 gallon
tank with seawater pumped in continuously, then chosen and caught, baked in foil with
butter sauce or Catalana Style (boiled live and flavored with
fresh chopped tomatos, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and parsley).
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Touring
To reach Giorgio's Table by land, as well as the rest of the upper part of this
coast, take the turnoff to Plum Tree Bay Road at the low, thin "neck" of Virgin
Gorda. Further up, take the lower "Y" down through the Mango Bay Resort. |
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Dining at Giorgio's
Table

Savannah Bay view with Blowing Point on right
That's our table. Where is Kim? Late as usual! |
On Katitche Point next to Pond and
Savannah Bay beaches, Giorgio's Table (495-5367, VHF 16) came to the BVI
in 1994 to offer 100% Italian food with all the regions of Italy represented. Giorgio's
uses fresh local seafood, bakes its own bread and makes its own pasta and
deserts. Typical mediterrean ingredients in this fine cuisine matches the Virgin Gorda
climate.
Favorites are homemade cake of the day for
breakfast, linguine with lobster sauce and gnocchi (dumpling) for dinner, eggplant
parmigiana and shrimps flambe with brandy. And pizza of course!
A welcoming jetty greets sailors and a bar and
dining pavilion overlooks both bays and the Channel to George Dog and
Great Dog islands. Georgio's Table is a great spot for a drink and a chat with a
friend!
Resorts.
See Beach Coast Resorts for
great accommodations in this area, including Mango Bay Resort and Paradise Beach Resort. |
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Touring
Going straight, Plum Tree Bay Road quickly reaches a vantage point for a great
view of the hillside valley with its enclave of Mahoe Bay villas. |
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Mahoe
Bay |
Protected by
picturesque reefs just offshore, Mahoe Bay forms a tropical lagoon
with ample areas for water activites like swimming and windsurfing off its white sand
beach. These shallow reefs afford good snorkeling with abundant marine
life, especially sea turtles. Tennis is also available for villa guests. Villa On
The Beach is pictured here. |
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The Gardener
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Mahoe
Bay Villas |
 An
enclave of red tiled villas, Mahoe Bay has blossomed into a veritable tropical garden set in a
hillside valley of terraces leading down to the gently curving beach.Pools
are inlaid in handsome stonework, patios entwined with flowers, and
walkways lined with a riot of color. |
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Touring
As the road climbs around and up the valley wall toward the sea side, a great
view looks back down to the Mahoe Bay beach. |
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Touring
The road past the Mahoe Bay enclave is a challenge and a four wheel drive vehicle
helps on any of the steep hills.
Passing Plum Tree Bay (that gives the road its name) and then Mountain
Trunk Bay, the road leads on to Nail Bay.
Mountain Trunk Bay's sandy beach is great for beginner snorkelers and
swimmers, but watch for winter swells.
Nail Bay beach offers quiet walks and great snorkeling on its reef, but
swimmers must exercise caution. A rocky hike leads to Long Bay beach. |
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Nail Bay Sugar Mill Ruins.
Off a side trail 500 yards up the mountain, the stone ruins include a small overseer's cottage on
the right, the crumbling sugar mill with its boiling bench and holes for
copper boiling kettles, and a horsemill out back, where the cane was
crushed before flowing through a trough to the boiling room. See Virgin Gorda: On Foot or By Car.
Dining.
An excellent adventure off the beaten path, the Dog and Dolphin (494-8000 email), open
breakfast, lunch and dinner, offers an all-you-can-eat continental
breakfast and island specialties like ackee & saltfish,
conch fritters and flying fish for lunch. Swim up to the bar for
cocktails and incredible views over The Channel!
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Touring
The long road trip ends at Long Bay. This beautiful beach is often found
deserted.
A beachcomber's dream, Long Bay beach invites a stroll in search of
seashells, surf-crushed coral and storm-tossed
treasures. |
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Long
Bay. The ultimate secluded beach, reached partly by
dirt road, Long Bay has a long beach with fine swimming and snorkeling.
Your only company may be a sailboat or two anchored when the ground seas are down.
Great birding spots, Long
Bay and adjacent Nail Bay are common habitat for blue herons, spotted
sandpipers, black- necked stilts, and ruddy turnstones as well as brown boobies and
pelicans. |
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Mountain Point
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This point
before the turn toward the North Sound makes a familiar landmark for
those on the North Sound Express |
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Mountain
Point. Its rocky ridge, coming down from
Gorda Peake, breaks into sections as it extends out into the sea,
leaving "cuts" like "cow's mouth" for experienced divers.
On the sheltered beach side, novice divers can explore
large coral heads and overhangs with abundant parrotfishes and
butterflyfishes. Large tarpon chase huge schools of fish fry in
the summer. Even experienced snorkelors should be wary of the surge in the shallow
reef areas.
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The
Dogs. Small islands in the Sir
Francis Drake Channel offshore from the Beach Coast,
The Dogs are a marine national park
and seabird refuge with great diving and
snorkeling. Named for the barking sounds of an extinct Caribbean seal
population, The Dogs are a great windsurfing venue
as well as a good day anchorage with dive moorings, but
watch for ground seas. |
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The Chimney |
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Popular sites include the
well-known Chimney, with a wide-arched tunnel, Joe's Cave (Wall-to-Wall), a cathedral-like cave, and the
Cockroach, with canyons and crevices lushly covered with coral growth and teeming with
reef life due to the strong current in this area. |
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This nurse shark, napping on a ledge at
George Dog Island, was photographed by the famous ScubaMom
as described here. |
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Named for its occasional winter
surge, Bronco Billy has an archway leading to a shallow canyon that curves
gently into a "reef amphitheatre" with pillar coral and grottos hiding
lobsters. |
Airplane
Wreck
"Steward" pointing to overhead bins,
for a safe flight |
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Off the south side of Great
Dog, Coral Gardens features beautiful large coral formations as well as
the fuseluge of a commuter plane (photo:
Sunchaser Scuba). |
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