Soggy Dollar Bar--More info?

[TN-CruiseGirl]

I've noticed this very interesting place called the Soggy Dollar Bar. How do you get there and is it worth it? Any details?:D

 

[mytime53]

2 ways to get there--boat excursion directly from the pier to White Bay on Jost Van Dyke; or taxi to the ferry, ferry to Jost Van Dyke, and then taxi to White Bay (where Soggy Dollar Bar is).

 

Is it worth it? Depends--we took an excursion with Tortola Charters...we enjoyed the catamaran ride, the beach, the Painkiller, the snorkeling, the rum punch on the way back...we had a great day! But to go just to go to the bar? no

[negn]

Was on my bucket list.. went with NCL as did not want the hassle of arranging myself. Secluded beach with bar, nothing else. No water sports, small beach Glad I went but not what I expected

[Got2Cruise]

Check out the website

http://www.soggydollar.com/soggydollarbar/

We loved it there, it is an "away from it all" chill out type of place. Almost like a set from a t.v. show. Yes, there is nothing to do there but drink painkillers and work on your tan. And you can swim in the crystal clear water.:D

 

I've noticed this very interesting place called the Soggy Dollar Bar. How do you get there and is it worth it? Any details?:D

 

[nabby]

Jost Van Dyke is a special place, but not everyone "gets it". If you are looking for watersports, such as waverunners or parasailing, JVD is not your place. If you are looking for lots of shopping, JVD is not your place. If your idea of the perfect beach bar is Senor Frogs, JVD is not your place.

 

Watch this video. http://www.truveo.com/somewhere-in-the-sun-jost-van-dyke/id/1849032991

 

If this looks like the perfect place, then JVD is for you. Actually the video was mainly filmed at Ivan's just down the beach from Soggy Dollar. JVD has plenty of wonderful beach bars where you can relax, with your toes in the sand and a painkiller in your hand, watching and listening to the ocean and doing nothing but limin'. Maybe you will be one of the lucky ones who "gets it".

[mytime53]

small beach Glad I went but not what I expected

 

 

We went and had a good time, but wasn't what we expected, either. More people than what we thought would be there, and judging by the fact that there were plenty of extra chairs for everyone, I'm guessing it wasn't nearly as crowded (well, crowded isn't the right word, but apparently my mental thesaurus isn't working right now:() as it could be.

[Tutone56]

We went there this past Thursday. I thought it was a nice beach and decent snorkeling. I agree that just to experience the Soggy Dollar Bar- save your money. The only thing I didn't care for was the long catamaran ride - 1 hour each way. It makes for less time to enjoy beach. By the time we got back to the pier we had to board - no time for shopping.

[winncruiser]

we took Tortola Charters over to Jost Van Dyke for the day last Tuesday and had one of our best days of the entire week. The ride over was nice and smoothe...lots of sun to be had on deck. once on Jost we found a wonderful place on the beach, comfy chairs, a few painkillers and Caribes at The Soggy Dollar, walked down the beach to the bar next door for lunch because we knew it would be quicker. All in all it was a wonderful day relaxing and chillin'! As my daughter saw written on the wall at The Soggy Dollar..."I've got a Jost infection and there is no cure." says it all!

[Tyskie]

Just Curious, how much do they charge for a "Painkiller" ?

[OnlineMom]

We went to JVD from St Thomas last fall and had lunch at Soggy Dollar and relaxed on the beach. It was a long day (will be a much nicer and shorter "ride" from Tortola next year when we go!) but all 4 of us absolutely loved it and agreed it was one of the best ways to spend a day. I have quite a few pictures of the day (beach and bar) in the Oasis album in my signature.

[Got2Cruise]

I'm remembering about $6.00

Just Curious, how much do they charge for a "Painkiller" ?

[Cameorose]

How deep is the water when you get off the boat to swim ashore? Doable for a non-swimmer?

[Betsy's Mom]

We had deep water and a very strong current:( It was not for non swimmers. My husband is not a strong swimmer and he had a very hard time. once was enough!

B.

[Cameorose]

We had deep water and a very strong current:( It was not for non swimmers. My husband is not a strong swimmer and he had a very hard time. once was enough!

B.

 

Ok thank you for that info! Bummer :(

[raventhebouv]

We had deep water and a very strong current:( It was not for non swimmers. My husband is not a strong swimmer and he had a very hard time. once was enough!

B.

Were there life jackets for those who are non-swimmers or weak swimmers?

[Got2Cruise]

Were there life jackets for those who are non-swimmers or weak swimmers?

 

When we went, the captain was able to pull up close. There weren't too many boats docked, and I think it has to do with the tides. The water was not over our heads. We had small children on our tour and they used water noodles. That said, you will be drinking alcohol. If you do not think you will be able to get back to the boat safely, why risk it?

[mytime53]

When we were there, some excursions were close (ours was only about 5 feet, even if that, where you had to float, not walk--I made it back out with a painkiller in my hand), some were definitely ones to swim to, and some had a little landing barge take you from boat to shore and back to the boat. There were life jackets for any who wanted them, and crew to help if you needed it. If you're doing an independent excursion, email them and ask about your concerns!

[Ima Cruiser]

JVD - especially The Soggy Dollar Bar is the perfect place for liming. Lots of laid back bare boater people and awesome bartenders. The bar itself is nothing special unless you like a place with hammocks, great people and Reggae music- if you do, then its as good as you get.

 

If you go for a dip in White Bay east of the Soggy Dollar Bar - be careful there are sea urchins.

[KATHYMAC68]

Does anyone know what is in these PAINKILLERS?

[Got2Cruise]

A secret recipe of Pussers Rum and some juices. It is one of those drinks that go down so easily and then you try to stand up. lol

Does anyone know what is in these PAINKILLERS?

[seahunters2000]

Does anyone know what is in these PAINKILLERS?

 

1 Part Cream of Coconut

1 Part Orange Juice

1 Part Premium Dark Rum

4 Parts Pineapple Juice

Mix well & pour over ice, then add fesh grated nutmeg.

 

I love these & make them all the time.

[KATHYMAC68]

Sounds good to me!! Just hope I can swim back to the boat after...LOL

[finzup-kt]

Soggy dollar has a hotel property (sandcastle -- 6 rooms). We stayed there for a week and it was Heaven. That being said, Soggy Dollar is a different place in the morning and late afternoon (before the boats come in). It was quiet and gorgeous. BUT we did have a fantastic time talking/drinking/hanging out with the folks that came on the boats. We met people from all over the world. Yes it becomes more of a party atmosphere but it's still lots of fun.

Walk about 1/4 mile down the path to get to Ivan's stress free bar... head the other way and there are a few other bars on the beach as well.

 

The boats docked close, not a tough swim, trust me... we swam out to visit a giant catamaran and I think it was maybe a 1 minute swim.

 

Painkillers (and other drinks) are $6. There's a small shop there to buy shirts/hats/etc. Mic is the bartender and he's fantastic! You can also get lunch - decent menu , sandwiches around $8-10.

 

If you have the chance to get to JVD/Soggy Dollar, GO! It hasn't been voted best beach bar in the Caribbean for nothing :)

[hladygirl]

Soggy dollar has a hotel property (sandcastle -- 6 rooms). We stayed there for a week and it was Heaven. That being said, Soggy Dollar is a different place in the morning and late afternoon (before the boats come in). It was quiet and gorgeous. BUT we did have a fantastic time talking/drinking/hanging out with the folks that came on the boats. We met people from all over the world. Yes it becomes more of a party atmosphere but it's still lots of fun.

Walk about 1/4 mile down the path to get to Ivan's stress free bar... head the other way and there are a few other bars on the beach as well.

 

The boats docked close, not a tough swim, trust me... we swam out to visit a giant catamaran and I think it was maybe a 1 minute swim.

 

Painkillers (and other drinks) are $6. There's a small shop there to buy shirts/hats/etc. Mic is the bartender and he's fantastic! You can also get lunch - decent menu , sandwiches around $8-10.

 

If you have the chance to get to JVD/Soggy Dollar, GO! It hasn't been voted best beach bar in the Caribbean for nothing :)

my husband and i are looking at sand castles for next year. how expensive was it to get to and from jost van dyke from new england?

[finzup-kt]

my husband and i are looking at sand castles for next year. how expensive was it to get to and from jost van dyke from new england?

 

We flew from Providence to St Thomas using air miles.. but I think it would've been about $750 each. BOS to St Thomas was around $550 pp.. had we not been paying with miles we would've done that. Then we took a quick cab to the ferry port and bought a ticket to West End Tortola (I think around $35pp round trip). You do have to go through BVI customs when you get there but I think it took all of 10 minutes.

Unfortunately we did not have time to get the last JVD ferry (we knew this in advance though, and had booked a place on Tortola for the night). Next morning we took the JVD ferry and stayed there for a week of bliss! ($25pp, round trip I think)

Just remember for the ferries, to save your ticket for the return back or you'll have to pay again :eek:

On the way back we had an afternoon flight from St Thomas to Boston and had plenty of time to take JVD to West End ferry and then the West End to St Thomas ferry..

 

 

You will LOVE sandcastle !

 

Another way to go is fly to San Juan Puerto Rico and then take a puddle jumper flight to tortola... then cab it to west end. This is significantly higher priced...

 

 

 

Edit: keep checking bos-st thomas air fare though, because at times I did see it go $384+ tax. There's a BVI board on travel talk online -- not sure if I can post the link but here it goes: http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/postlist.php?Cat=0&Board=bvi

It's def not that active a board but lots of good info. I wrote a mini review and there's a link to my pics in there too:

http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=bvitrip&Number=1221299&Searchpage=1&Main=1221299&Words=+finzup&topic=&Search=true#Post1221299