|
VIRGIN GORDA--THE
BATHS
|
|
On the beach, the Poor Man's Bar serves sodas, cold beer and snacks and Island Silhouette sells hand painted items by Virgin Gorda artists. Devil's Bay. Lovely and less crowded Devil's Bay can be reached by a very interesting trail through The Baths or from their entrance. On calm days, scuba and skin divers can enjoy a pretty cave on its south side in 12-15' of water. Cup corals and colorful sponges encrust the walls as glassy sweepers sway in the surge. Watch for boat traffic. Moorings are available and anchoring is possible all along the coast here. Or you can get a slip at the nearby Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour, where the ferry arrives for land travelers. Flag Warning System at the top of The Baths and on the beach: a red flag, is a warning not to use the moorings and no access to the beach; yellow means the moorings should be used with extreme caution; green means the moorings are available for use; and blue is a warning of jellyfish. |
|
|
||||||||
Touring A small circle at the entrance to The Baths is a good spot to call a cab or rental jeep (both at Andy's Jeeps at 495-5252). A long 40 minute walk, or short ride, to the Yacht Harbour from The Baths. Here also is the road to the beach at Spring Bay and the path to The Crawl, a rock-formed pool great for novice snorkelers. Spring Bay has a small public parking lot. The trail leads down to the beaches. Picnic tables and barbecue grills sit amidst giant boulders. After a picturesque jog in the road comes the more traditional countryside.
|
Shops. Easy Bargains (495-5527) has clothing including colorful crop-top and The Baths motif t-shirts, sarongs, wraparound skirts, elastic-back sundresses in island themes and beach cover-ups.
Tropical Gift Collections (495-5380) has an eclectic collection of small gift items, Cuban cigars, t-shirt dresses and caribbean designed t-shirts and kids clothes.
Lodging. |
![]() |
Virgin Gorda's |
||||
|
|
|||
A short walk to the right across a fenced-in park from the ferry dock, pictured on the far right, takes you to the Yacht Harbour complex (the two buildings pictured in the foreground) with refreshments and shopping at a number of interesting spots as well as a BVI Tourist Board office with information. |
|
Shops at the Yacht Harbour Complex |
Open air safari bus
Other car and jeep rentals
are Speedy's (495-5240), L&S Garage Taxi & Car Rental
(495-5297), and Mahagony Rentals & Taxi Service (495-5469).
See
CarRentals.com Taxi fares (one way for 1/2/3 passengers each): $5/$4/$3 around 'The Valley, $6/$5/$4 to The Baths, $30/$17/$13 to Gun Creek (Bitter End ferry in North Sound) (see schedule of rates).
Stevens Laundry (495-5596) has coin operated machines but also allows clothes to be left to be done. Other Activities Day sails are a big attraction. See La Boheme Charters and the Spirit of Anegada as well as Day Sails and Small Boat Rentals. Sea kayaking is increasingly popular along the coast here. Dinghies are popular rentals that charterers have available to explore intimate coves limiting sailboats keels. Power Boat Rentals (494-5511) rents a 13' Boston Whaler to a 24' Wellcraft. Rental arrangements can be made at the BVI Apparel Factory Outlet. Slamming dominos is popular at various bars and especially fun for older kids. Darts are popular as well at Thelma's. The Mine Shaft Cafe in the Coppermine area has miniature golf for families. Next Wave Sail & Canvas (495-5623) does custom canvas work including sails and awnings. Ramona, who is the owner, makes and sells hammocks and fine quality bags such as sport and travel duffels. They also carry Moroccan carpets. BVI Apparel Factory Outlet (494-5511), across the parking lot, embroiders clothing for many hotels and others and offers clothing including t-shirts. |
Pelican Pouch Boutique, an elegant shop, offers women's fashions such as Joseph Ribkoff designer dresses, hats by Cappelli and Betmar, sundresses by Jams World and swimsuits by La Blanca and Gottex. Blue Banana Boutique (495-6633) offers swimsuits, cover-ups and other clothing, tropical gifts and home decor. Margo's Boutique (495-5237) has a large selection handcrafted and other jewelry, baskets, wood sculptures and sarongs.
Wine Cellar and Bakery (495-5250), run by Ziggi and Melody, has its own bakery with oven-fresh bread, pastries such as large raisin buns, cookies and pound cake, delicious sandwiches ("best in town" according to Ziggi), hot dogs, sodas, wines, and bottled liquor. Ocean Delight Ice Cream Parlor (495-5740) offers a variety of flavored ice creams, milkshakes, fruit smoothies, malt and Guinness shakes, ice cream bars and take away pints. Scoops (495-5722) has unusual gifts and clothing, Diane ceramics such as decorative tiles, copper "fish" and brass moviles, picture frames made with Virgin Gorda sand, limited edition lucky lizards and animal themed sarongs.
The Virgin Gorda Craft Shop (495-5137) has craft materials like crocheted threads and beads and crafts with straw and other local materials, such as local straw hats. Flamboyance (495-5946), across the parking lot, has watches and a large variety of perfumes, both women's and men's, including Cartier (So Pretty and Declaration), Calvin Klein (Contradiction) and Christian Dior (Dolce Vita).
Buck's Food Market (495-5423) has groceries for provisioning and the Island Drug Centre (495-5449) is a drug store.
|
The Valley near the Yacht Harbour |
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
Dixie's Kitchen, near the Yacht Harbour, has nice crab salad and is popular with both expats and locals.
Thelma's Hide Out |
Formerly the Big Bamboo, Chez Bamboo (495-5752), open for dinner a few steps away from the Yacht Harbour, features garden patio dining in a casual, romantic atmosphere with fine French Caribbean Creole cuisine. Dishes include Red Snapper Papillote (stewed in parchment paper with seafood sauce), Pasta Penne Jumbalaya, Steak New Orleans and Conch Gumbo. Deserts include Apple Tart Tartin and Creme Brulee. Fischer's Cove Restaurant (495-5252, only minutes by foot, has a variety of excellent dishes from fresh grouper in mustard sauce to mango chicken and Caribbean peas (bean) soup. Its dining verandah sits right on the surf in a spectacular setting for a relaxing drink or dining. The Crab Hole has affordable West Indian items like callaloo, rice and peas, johnny cake, conch fritters, salt fish, and roti. To get there, take the first left before the 'T' at Rock Cafe, and go past the first speed bump, taking the next left on a dirt driveway. |
'T' on The Valley Coast Road |
|||||||||||||||||
Toward The Baths a short distance is RTW, Riteway's wholesale outlet for serious provisioning. RTW, Riteway's wholesale outlet (495-5228, fax 495-5572)(on the way to The Baths), offers strictly cash and carry selling cases and minimum quantities (usually sets of threes) for serious provisioning. Near the Riteway Wholesale Outlet is the LSL Bakery & Restaurant. Nearby the Island Pot has good inexpensive local food, including bbq ribs and chicken, rice and peas, and johnny cakes. |
Lodging. |
||||||||||||||||
Virgin Gorda Airport and Coppermine Point |
|||||||||||||||||
|
![]() |
||||||||||||||||
|
Dining. Mineshaft Hurricane Party. Elton and friends were drinking in the bar pit during Hurricane Lenny. The bar structure is open air with a large roof. Elton reports they had never been so scared in their lives, with fierce winds, constant roaring and ominous clouds, some seen offshore reaching down to the sea to form waterspouts. Needless to say, the second half of the storm was spent in a different location.
|
||||||||||||||||
Guide | BVI Map | Island Central |
Useful Info |
Honeymoons | Transport |
|
|