Tortolla

Travel discussion for Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, and beyond!
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New Englander
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2013 3:05 pm

Tortolla

Post by New Englander »

In February my husband and I will be headed to St Thomas for our annual vacation. This year we thought of taking a day trip to Tortolla, but we are unsure of where to go when we arrive. Any suggestions would be great!
AquaGirl
Posts: 913
Joined: Mon Aug 21, 2006 6:59 pm
Location: Fairfax, Virginia

Re: Tortolla

Post by AquaGirl »

Hello
We've stayed on Tortola several times, so here are a few suggestions.

- Smugglers Cove is a beautiful beach. You have to bring your own food and drinks, as I believe vendors are not allowed there now.

- Brewer's Bay. Beautiful scenic beach with excellent snorkeling and palm trees for shade. There is a snack bar there that serves drinks and hamburgers, and rents chairs, but you should check if they are open before you go. On our visits there, it was hit or miss as to when it was open. The roads are very steep going down the mountain to Brewer's Bay.

- Cane Garden Bay. One of the most popular beaches on Tortola - very scenic - lots of boats usually anchored here. Plenty of restaurants on the beach. Check to see when cruise ships are visiting Tortola, because CGB gets really crowded with cruise ship passengers.

- Main Street in Roadtown. If you like old West Indian architecture, take a walk down Main Street. Its the "old town" part of Roadtown. There are many old buildings on this street - it was the main street before they filled in the harbor. We enjoyed seeing the colorful buildings, some with the classic gingerbread trim. The Roti Palace had excellent rotis. We also visited the small botanical garden in Roadtown. If you like tropical plants you may enjoy a walk through it.

If you haven't visited St John yet, you might want to consider it as a day trip from St Thomas as its closer than Tortola. Its a short ferry ride, a splendidly beautiful island, with gorgeous beaches and great snorkeling.

Happy trip planning :)
Bandit
Posts: 118
Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2008 3:04 pm

Re: Tortolla

Post by Bandit »

One of the biggest fears that we travelers have is the fear of being lost.

With that said, catch the Tortola Ferry from St. Thomas. Once you arrive, find a Taxi and negotiate an island tour to see the main sites. We spent the day on Tortola, which comprised of an island tour and then hanging out at Pussers. I wasn't too impressed. If I had known about Jost Van Dyke back then, Tortola would still be on my Bucket List I suppose.

And yes, if you haven't done St. John as a day trip, please do so.
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