Cane Garden Bay on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands

CaneGardenBay2.jpg (4620 bytes) CANE GARDEN BAY
Jewel of the BVI!
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The first views are stunning as Cane Garden Bay, surprisingly close to Road Town over the mountain, reveals itself from the ridge high above (above photo: Cane Garden Bay On the Beach House).

Touring
Drive along the bay until the road tightens at the Ole Works Inn, where there is parking on the bay side and at Rhymer's. Explore the beach here before going on the Strolling Tour below.

Fine Beach & Anchorage
A favorite of sailors, sunbathers, swimmers, water sports enthusiasts, joggers and even horseback riders. See Beaches in the BVI for a description of this outstanding beach.

The spacious anchorage is protected by reefs at its entrance marked by two unlit buoys (line up Jost's south side with Tobago's peak). Rhymer's has moorings off the beach for overnight stays. There may be considerable ground swell, even in the protected northern side. Also, the wind off the mountain tends to shift.

Dinghy Dock

This well designed dock is integrated into a rock outcropping with steps down to the beach and up to the road at the Ole Works Inn.

On the left next to the dinghy dock and the Paradise Club, Quito's Gazebo (495-4837 email) has good food and entertainment by its owner, local recording star Quito Rymer.

Many a boater has had a pleasant evening surprise to hear this outstanding island music come drifting across the water. "Paradise" from a You Tube video, with the words "home man, home man, home, home, home--take me, take me to my paradise" is a beautiful synthesis of caribbean, gospel and British rock influences. Here is another selection. Quito plays with his band, The Edge, as well as solo West Indian folk tunes. Quito's music can be ordered here. Hear more at Island Music.

Quito Rymer

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The fabulous dance music of Quito and his band, The Edge, is guaranteed to make you move.

Spiced Rum
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"Spices" are put in the jar to steep with rum. See the spigot.

Big Banana
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The coconut/banana bread and the big breakfast are popular in the morning at the Big Banana, a/k/a Paradise Club (495-4606), as well as rotis, snapper, and M.O.M burgers for lunch, and coconut shrimps and lobster grilled in foil for dinner. At its cozy bar, people love the Big Banana house drink (rum, Bailey's, coconut cream and a banana).

Butter Fried
Coconut Shrimp

Photo: Gogobot

Rhymer's Beach Hotel
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With a special beach ambiance and very affordable rooms throughout the year, Rhymer's Beach Hotel (495-4639) is very popular and is a center of activity as well as the place to catch a taxi. Across the street is. Del's Jeep Rentals (495-9356).

Its famous Beach Bar and Restaurant (495-4639), open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, has an excellent breakfast (especially the French toast), great conch fritters and barbecue ribs, with a Saturday and Tuesday night buffet and a lobster special on Thursdays with a live steel band. And such lovely waitresses!

Rhymer's has a grocery and gift shop, a laundromat and beauty salon in back, showers ($3), ice (cubes and block), and the bay's only gas station. Pay your mooring fee here.

Run solely by the elegant Patsy Rhymer since her husband died some years ago, many say Patsy, from Nevis, remind them of Nefertidi, the Egyptian queen immortalized in the famous statue of the same name.

Cline's Bakery

Across from Rhymer's, Mrs. Cline (495-4549) bakes loaves of coconut, whole wheat, and white bread daily as well as pineapple, coconut, and guava (when in season) pies.

Out the back on the shop can be seen some sugar cane (which resembles corn) and the elegantly ornate banana tree.

Good Local Food

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Behind Stanley's on a little dead-end street, Netty's Diner (495-9001) specializes in local dishes, including three daily lunch specials such as "doved" pork, which is browned first and cooked in a sauce. NettysDinerInside.jpg (7913 bytes)

Bread, cakes and tarts (by order) are made fresh every morning. Dinner dishes include stewed lobster and sauteed conch in butter sauce. Pictured is Netty's daughter Janelle with a plate of "doved" pork.

Stanley's Welcome Bar
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Another favorite local hangout, Stanley's (495-9424), due to Hurricane Georges, lost its famous tire swing which used to hang over the beach from a palm tree (seen here snapped-off). Open for lunch and dinner, popular items for lunch are burgers (don't miss the "Cheese-burger in Paradise"), lobster, tuna sandwiches and fried chicken, and, for dinner, baby back ribs and lobster boiled and served with butter sauce. A pina colada place!

Affordable Drinks!

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Elm Beach Bar (494-2888), just off the beach before Stanley's, serves sodas, cold beer ($2) and cocktails ($3) such as pina colada and strawberry daiquira. On Friday and Sunday, the barbecue--oh so fine!

Have a ting or Two

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At Elm's, Lorraine (never seen without her cell phone) holds up a ting, a refreshing Jamaican citrus soda (order).

Wedding Central
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Myett's is a favorite place to hold wedding receptions after marriages on the beach.

Grill Pavilion
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Select your own entree of Anegada lobster, chicken, veggie kabob, ribs and shrimps for grilling.

Myett's
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Originally a two story, circular restaurant/bar, locally famous Myetts (email 495-9543) has added separate bar and grill pavilions.

Known as a jumpin' place as well as for its food, Myett's conch chowder is very popular. A varied menu includes vegetarian pasta and grilled chicken and mahi-mahi burgers as well as beef. Chef Kitt's recipe for Myett's rice and peas accompaniment won first place in the Festival Village competition.

Bartender and owner "Sandman" recommends Myett's Delight, a delicious frozen concoction of dark rum blended with guava, mango, papaya and coconut juices. Myett's Sundowner, a refreshing off-the-beach drink, has the same tropical juices with local Callwood rum, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Strolling Tour
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From the Ole Works Inn at the head of the dinghy dock, head down the hill past the door to Quito's Gazebo, the seafood market and Rhymer's. Soon the road jogs (at the little road up to the Agape Cottages) and there is a dead end street to Myett's, Netty's Diner and Elm's bar and gift shop.

Follow the road on past the Cane Garden Bay Cottages and a cemetary to the small Columbus Sunset Store & Bar, a great spot for a refreshing drink. Here is the Columbus Sunset Vacation Apartments as well as the entrance to the Mongoose Apartments.

Continuing on to another jog in the road, on the left is the entrance to Callwood's Rum Distillery, well worth a visit.

Here also is Popo�s Art Gallery with Haitian paintings and sculptures

Further on at the end of the settlement is Da Wedding, a great place to eat and drink and watch the pelicans dive for their food.

Walking along the beach is one way back.

Driving further on this road takes you up to the connecting point to Ridge Road at Windy Hill and onto the North Coast Road down into Great Carrot Bay.

Activities and Shopping.

Every imaginable watersports and small boat activity is available. Located right on the beach, both Cane Garden Bay Pleasure Boats (495-9660) and Baby Bull Watersports (495-9627) have a complete line of related rentals including sunfish, windsurfers, Hobie Cats, kayaks, canoes, and small powerboats.

Hair braiding. Lydia's Boutique (495-9257), right on the beach in front of Elm's, braids hair for women and men, some of whom do their chests. Lydia also has popular cat and map motif "puff" t-shirts (and other colorful designs). Mention the B-V-I Guide and get a good price!

Diving. The Molly Brown dive boat offers diving for small groups (photo: BareboatsBVI).

Ice Cream. At the Big Bamboo/Paradise Club is the A&S Ice Cream Parlour.

Seafood Market. All caught in BVI waters, Cane Garden Bay Seafood Superette (495-9455) has fresh local seafood, including lobster, conch, kingfish, yellowtail snapper, grouper, tuna, swordfish, as well as groceries, fresh bread, spirits, wine, beer and sodas including Puerta Rican Pina pineapple soda.

ColumbusSunsetStoreInterior.jpg (6796 bytes) Variety Store. A charming little bar/cafe for drinks, Columbus Sunset Store & Bar (495-4751) has a variety of items needed by the traveller.

Olivia's Corner Store, a gift boutique at Myett's, offers a colorful island sun dresses, kites and toys and much more.

Myett's also has internet services and a Barclay's ATM.

Boutique. A quaint little shop at the Big Bamboo/Paradise Club, Distinctively Natural Boutique (495-4606) has interesting items like local "shellfish" statues and picture frames made form sand bordered with shells as well as lightweight cotton/rayon A-line and sheath dresses, skirts and wrapsets in "mythai" colorful island motifs, thong, hi-waist and one piece Brazilian style bathing suits, tank t-shirts for men, Margaritaville and Cheeseburger in Paradise Jimmy Buffet t-shirts, and colorful paper mache strings of fish.

Jan's Potpourri & Art Gallery is at Quito's Gazebo.

Rhymer's has a small grocery and gift shop.

Del's (495-9356) rents jeeps and cars.

Bobby's Market Place has groceries.

Elm's has a nice shop with clothing, beach bags, sunglasses and various gift items.

CaneGardenBayPelicansDiving.jpg (2754 bytes) Snorkeling and Pelican Watching. Camped out on the south side of the bay, pelicans are continually diving in the area in front of Da Wedding. The reason is a snorkeler's dream--a vast school of sprats, a small fish that never gets larger than a few inches long. Snorkel here a bit and soon the fish all around you dart in unison from side to side.

Da Wedding

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A friendly, beach front restaurant/bar at the south end of the bay is owned by "Poui," a fisherman who catches yellowtail snapper, king mackerel, and triggerfish.

Da Wedding, open for lunch and dinner with daily menu changes, specializes in fresh fish grilled for dinner and served with "vegans" such as corn on the cob and rice and peas.

Don't miss the "fish fry" on Wednesday evenings, which includes live entertainment and chicken, ribs and mutton as well as conch soup and "goat water," a curried stew.

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Callwood's Rum Distillery.
As you might imagine, Cane Garden Bay gets its name from the sugar cane, which is still grown to make rum (Jere Lull's photo). Exchanged for rum, cane from "gardens" is crushed in a machine

yielding perhaps a cup of liquid per stalk section, which is boiled, fermented, distilled and aged for the finished product (photo: BVI Bareboats). White rum, costing $5 per bottle is aged 2 years in Dimijohn bottles, while dark rum ($6) is aged 4 CallwoodsBarrel.jpg (4268 bytes)

years in oak casks (the dark color comes from the tannins in the oak). Read more about Callwood's in "Sun, Sea and Rum." Also, "The Two Cane Garden Bays" describes the the bay's present-day culture.

Villas.
Cane Garden Bay Villas has information on the many varied villas on the tropical mountain above Cane Garden Bay as well as other areas of Tortola. Pictured is Arundel (more), a gorgeous villa sitting atop Luck Hill overlooking Cane Garden Bay. Make a virtual visit here even if you never rent this fine taste of luxury.

Lodging.
A choice of inns and guesthouses for every budget are available to the visitor. Most are close to the beach. See Inns and Guesthouses at Cane Garden Bay for more information. Pictured here is the Mongoose Apartments Guesthouse (495-4421, email), an affordable destination decorated in a lively West Indian style.

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