TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands — You know how sometimes on vacation you just can’t wait to get home? Not “home” home. We’ll be there soon enough. Rather, back to one of those special spots that becomes your home-away-from-home. In our case, during a June trip to the Caribbean, that was Cane Garden Bay.
Picture-postcard perfect, Cane Garden is a crescent-shaped bay on Tortola’s north coast. Its turquoise water is framed by a white sand beach and swaying palm trees.
A favorite of the sailing crowd because of its inviting anchorage, the island’s most popular bay is home to numerous beach bars, restaurants and guest accommodations. There are no resorts there; instead, it hosts a variety of locally owned inns and guesthouses.
During the busy winter months, Cane Garden — which is backed by steep hillsides covered with lush vegetation — receives its biggest share of visitors when cruise ships dock in nearby Road Town.
During the offseason, though, pelicans often outnumber people on the beach. Many times during our week there, we were the only people on it. It was kind of like being in a real-life Corona commercial.
Between the village’s idyllic setting and the challenges associated with seeing the rest of Tortola, we were content just to kick back on our own little slice of heaven.
Here’s why getting around the island, while not impossible, is a bit challenging: Tortola, while only 12 miles long and 3 miles wide, is very mountainous. Its northern roads, most of which are in various states of disrepair, essentially go straight up and down, and have multiple, 180-degree switchbacks thrown in for good measure.
I’m sure there are some spectacular views to be had, but it’s all you can do to keep your eyes on the road.
Additionally, road signs are pretty much non-existent. Their lack turned what seemed like relatively simple excursions to “must-see” spots such as Smuggler’s Cove and Josiah’s Bay into exercises in frustration.
If that wasn’t enough, trying to negotiate the streets of Road Town, the British Virgin Islands’ capital, left us a bit on edge.
So we spent much of our time simply relaxing in “The Bay.” We stayed in the Mongoose Apartments, which are just across the “main” street from the beach and provide beach towels, lounge chairs, floats and kayaks for its guests.
Life in sleepy Cane Garden Bay (at least in June) moves at a snail’s pace. Most days, we’d sleep in, which with an air-conditioned bedroom was easy to do.
After starting a pot of coffee and heading for our balcony to avail ourselves of the cooling breezes, we’d start planning our day.
An hour or so later, we’d have a leisurely breakfast before doing . . . well, usually not much.
“Our” portion of the beach was just a three-minute stroll through a coconut/palm grove, so we’d grab our snorkel gear, a few beach towels, some books and magazines and bottled water, and plop ourselves down on it.
There’s not a lot do in Cane Garden, but when it comes to places to have a few rum punches and a bite to eat, it’s hard to go wrong.
After an afternoon in the sun, we’d enjoy happy-hour specials at one of the many beach bars that line the bay. Then, after watching the sun set over nearby Jost Van Dyke, we’d dine from open-aired decks, with reggae music playing in the background.
Snorkeling? Go fish
In general, we found the snorkeling on Tortola to be a bit underwhelming. If you’re going to snorkel, you want to see (hopefully brightly colored) fish, right?
Well, that wasn’t the case at Cane Garden, or nearby Brewers Bay, which is just as pretty as its neighbor, with even fewer people. Both beaches have sandy bottoms with very few features — rocks, coral — to attract fish.
While the water was crystal-clear, it was pretty much devoid of fish, save for a few trumpetfish and some small, jack-type fish.
Oh, there were schools and schools of small, silver minnows, inviting targets for dive-bombing pelicans, but not much for us to get excited about.
We did really enjoy a snorkeling day trip to Norman Island and The Indians (an offshore rock formation), though, which turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip.
Taking us there was the Aristocat, a 48-foot catamaran that sails out of Soper’s Hole in the West End.
Captain Steve Wooster (an Englishman) and his first mate Gilbo Simpson (who is from Jersey — the island off the coast of France, not the state) do their utmost to keep customers happy.
With stops at three snorkel spots, where we did get to see lots of brightly colored fish, a sea turtle and a spotted ray, and a hearty, well-prepared lunch — not to mention and unlimited rum drinks and beers — it wasn’t hard to forget about home altogether.
Steve McPherson: 303-954-1891 or smcpherson@denverpost.com
Tortola Insider’s Guide
GET THERE: There are no direct flights from the U.S. mainland to the British Virgin Islands. You can either fly to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and take a ferry ($50 round trip) to the BVI, or fly into Tortola’s Beef Island airport after a change of planes. From Denver, you can fly one-stop to St. Thomas on American or U.S. Airways. The last ferries to Tortola depart Charlotte Amalie or Red Hook around 4 p.m., so you’ll likely have to spend your first night on St. Thomas. If you don’t want to take an early ferry from Tortola on the day you depart, consider spending your last night on St. Thomas (the Best Western Emerald Beach is right near the airport). Flights into Beef Island, on the above- mentioned airlines, as well as Delta and Continental, require at least two stops (one of which usually includes San Juan) and often require overnight travel.
GET AROUND: Rental cars are available in the West End, Road Town and at the airport. Jerry’s and Denzil’s are established independent operations in the West End, and you see their vehicles all over the island. There is a Hertz location at the ferry terminal in Sopers Hole (West End) and at the airport. Expect to pay about $50-$65 per day for a two-door, Jeep-like vehicle. Taxis in Tortola are generally very expensive, while big “safari” buses are available and less expensive. While you drive on the left-hand side of the road, like in the U.K., steering wheels are on the left side.
STAY: The Mongoose Apartments, 284-495-4421, . Each of the six original one-bedroom apartments have a private balcony, living room and fully equipped kitchen. They have Caribbean style doors, screened windows and Mexican clay floor tiles. Two newer (and more expensive) apartments are a bit more modern. Sandra and Elroy Henley, your hosts, gladly assist in helping you plan your island activities. Summer rates begin at $135 per night ($10 per night for air conditioning in the bedroom) and $198 in the winter. While a 7 percent government tax is added, the island’s standard 10 percent service fee is not charged.
Myett’s Hotel, 284-495-9649 . Right on the beach, Myett’s offers air-conditioned rooms with tropical decor, king-size or two queen- size beds, a fridge, wet bar and a telephone. Rates are $130 in summer, $200 winter (with 17 percent tax and services added). Additionally, both the Agape Cottages and Lighthouse Villas came recommended by locals.
SHOPPING: There’s not much in Cane Garden Bay, although Myett’s has a small gift shop, and Vermont native Jake Barron has a nice selection of handblown glass goods he makes at his Green VI Glass Studio. For more touristy stuff, we found Soper’s Hole to be a better option than Road Town. Sunny Caribbee specializes in local seasonings and crafts. Latitude 18 and Pusser’s Landing are good spots to find T-shirts and baseball caps. We heard that the Harbour Market has better prices and as good a selection for groceries as the larger Right Way in Road Town.
DINE/DRINK: Stanley’s Welcome Bar is a quintessential beach bar with an extended happy hour (3-7 p.m.). Try a Painkiller or a Stanley’s Special — or two. On the left next to the dinghy dock, Quito’s serves good food and entertainment by its owner, local recording star Quito Rymer.
The Elm features a barbecue menu (fish, chicken, ribs — $16 for one protein, $18 for two or $20 for three) on Fridays and Sundays.
Rhymer’s is another popular joint, and Myett’s is a spot known for its happening night life and good food.
At the top of the food chain, though, is the Bananakeet Cafe, which is located just up the hill on the eastern end of Cane Garden, where you are served Caribbean fusion food with a view to die for. Set atop Windy Hill overlooking Carrot Bay, the Bananakeet is arguably the finest place to watch the sun set in the BVI. Everything, from the restaurant’s signature drink — a Blended Bananakeet — to a shrimp appetizer, to our main courses (locally caught whole snapper and a New York strip), to a slice of Key lime pie, was excellent. It’s a place where fond memories are made.
Even though the British Virgin Islands are a British overseas territory, the U.S. dollar is the official currency.
We ate breakfast at the Mongoose every morning and had dinner there twice, as our apartment had a full kitchen. In Cane Garden Bay, Bobby’s Market meets your basic grocery needs, although we went to a much larger store — Rite Way in Road Town — to stock up.
Expect to pay “island” prices for many items. For example: a box of corn flakes at the local supermarket costs about $7, a loaf of bread $4.50 and a half-gallon of milk $5.
On the flip side, a bottle of Pusser’s, “the single malt of rum” that for more than 300 years was rationed daily to sailors of Great Britain’s Royal Navy, costs just $9.30. (It’s $24.99 at Argonaut Liquors.)
DO: Days trips to neighboring islands Jost Van Dyke (White Bay) and Virgin Gorda (The Baths) via ferries are very popular. A number of day-sail operations — Aristocat, Kuralu, Voyage, Patouche and White Squall II — take guests to the BVI’s top snorkeling spots and its remote beaches.
Steve McPherson
