nice beach not too far from port

[blue_water]

Ok, i have a call into a couple people who may be able to give you more personal transportation at a better price hopefully. They're busy too but they may work out, I should have an answer by the weekend. Not sure how many people they can take at once but we'll find out!

[katiecat]

Ok, i have a call into a couple people who may be able to give you more personal transportation at a better price hopefully. They're busy too but they may work out, I should have an answer by the weekend. Not sure how many people they can take at once but we'll find out!

 

Right now I have 6 people wanting to go. Thanks

[rummenroman]

Blue water

 

Are you suggesting that if you want to get out to Smugglers we should "pre-book" a taxi? How long would the wait be if we didn't, and what would the price be?

[blue_water]

Blue water

 

Are you suggesting that if you want to get out to Smugglers we should "pre-book" a taxi? How long would the wait be if we didn't, and what would the price be?

 

I'm sure you would find a taxi available, and probably without too much of a wait. I just prefer to have a driver waiting to prevent any delays because we have so little time on each island. So it's just a matter of preference.

[blue_water]

Right now I have 6 people wanting to go. Thanks

 

Katie I haven't gotten any responses yet from the contacts I have, here are two tour operators you can look at -

 

http://www.scatosbusntaxi.com/?q=private_taxi_tours

Scato gets $80 roundtrip for one person and an extra $20 for each additional person. So for 6 total it would be $180 for taxi service I think but check with him for the best price.

 

www.bvi360.com

 

And a normal taxi will run about $144 total for 6 people ($24RT pp for 3 or more passengers). You should be able to get a van for all 6 to ride together in case you want to stop at Long Bay, Bananakeet, or Nature Boy's.

 

If I get a reply I'll let you know here...

[katiecat]

Blue water I sent a e-mail off to both the companies. If you hear from another contact let me know, I'll check in once in awhile.

Thank-You, I wish you could come with us!:)

[madams77]

Katie I haven't gotten any responses yet from the contacts I have, here are two tour operators you can look at -

 

http://www.scatosbusntaxi.com/?q=private_taxi_tours

Scato gets $80 roundtrip for one person and an extra $20 for each additional person. So for 6 total it would be $180 for taxi service I think but check with him for the best price.

 

www.bvi360.com

 

And a normal taxi will run about $144 total for 6 people ($24RT pp for 3 or more passengers). You should be able to get a van for all 6 to ride together in case you want to stop at Long Bay, Bananakeet, or Nature Boy's.

 

If I get a reply I'll let you know here...

 

Blue_water,

 

Thanks so much for posting the links. I now have a ressie in with Karl at Skato's Tours to take us to Smuggler's Cove. He responded to my email very quickly! He will meet us at the pier holding a sign with my name on it!

 

He said. . .

 

"the fare is $80.00 round trip for the both of you."

[blue_water]

Great! Just remember Smuggler's is more natural and less developed than many popular beaches and there are no modern restrooms, just "portapotties". But that makes it what it is - gorgeous and not overly-crowded.

 

Do be sure to get a Rum Dum or 2/$5 Red Stripes from Patricia and have lunch at her grill. She makes a superb hot dog and burger (surprising for being such a simple set-up) and her jerk chicken and potato salad are great. You can go down the beach for more privacy and she has free lounges that may look used but they work fine.

 

I envy you and Katie!;)

[katiecat]

I heard from both companies rather quickly and yes scatobusntaxi is $40 pp RT but ezbvi quoted a better price of $28 RT or $20 RT for a child.

Thought I'd share my results!

I'm still not sure how many passengers a regular taxi can hold there. I do know these two tour companies can hold up-wards to 30pp. Right now I only have 6 people so a taxi service might possible take us but I don't know for sure.

The price of a taxi is equal to the cheapest tour company for 3 people at least.

[blue_water]

I heard from both companies rather quickly and yes scatobusntaxi is $40 pp RT but ezbvi quoted a better price of $28 RT or $20 RT for a child.

Thought I'd share my results!

I'm still not sure how many passengers a regular taxi can hold there. I do know these two tour companies can hold up-wards to 30pp. Right now I only have 6 people so a taxi service might possible take us but I don't know for sure.

The price of a taxi is equal to the cheapest tour company for 3 people at least.

 

There are many of the safari-type trucks, vans, and sedans. Going with a tour operator takes the worry away because they have the transportation ready for the number of people you give them. With a taxi you may ride a safari vehicle that drops others off at CGB or Long Bay first. But either way you should be fine, just may be a little longer getting there with a taxi if you're sharing because Smuggler's will not be a first stop.

[katiecat]

Bluewater- Saturday Jan 28th Smuggler's has a good size group going. I wish I could warn Patrica :)

[blue_water]

I left a note with an acquaintance there, she may get the message. At least she can make sure the Red Stripes are cold and the Rum Dums are ready!

Enjoy your day, and enjoy the ride there and back. If time allows and you are with a small group in a vehicle stop and check out the Long Bay Resort and the beach for 1/2 hr for future reference!

[blue_water]

katiecat I have Patricia's phone number but I don't want to post it here. Do you want to give me an e-mail address to send it to?

[Lily429]

ok blue water you seem to be the go-to guy so I have a question for you...our ship is only going to be in port from 7:00-3:30; we have the option of a half-day sail with bvi360 to go over to JVD or do we take a taxi to smuggler's cove? I have read your posts and smuggler's cove sounds absolutely perfect but 2 things concern me. One is the time allowance we have, is it possible to get to the west side of the island and have enough time to eat, drink and play before we have to head back to the ship? The other is the cost of a taxi getting there for half a day...seems pricey but worth it if we would have several hours there. We really wanted to go over to JVD, BUT my daughter probably won't take advantage of snorkeling except off the beach and again, not much time to actually spend on the island due to our ship's schedule....HELP ME PLEASE! We love low-key and everything you say about Patricia's grill and bar and the beach itself sounds like heaven on a budget....your advice? Another note...we are going to be there the fist week in April (Thursday the 5th) right at spring break time if that makes a difference.

BTW there are 3 of us, myself, my husband and our 9 year old daughter (who is used to roughing it).

[blue_water]

Lily I do understand your predicament. We like White Bay on Jost too but it's such a short day there on a cruise. We also left Tortola at 3:30 on the one cruise we did take there and I just can't see going all the way to Jost from Road Town for a short day, that's just my feeling though.

 

The taxi to Smuggler's is not cheap at all. And you won't find beach bars there like on White Bay. Just little ole Patricia and her grill...

But I gotta say I would much rather go there for a nice, relaxing day than anywhere else. I would count Tortola as a beach day stop and do Smuggler's. I think you all will absolutely love it!

 

I don't want to confuse you even more but should mention there are 2 alternatives -

One is Brewer's Bay which is a shorter taxi ride and has Nicole's, a beach bar with food and drink. Not as nice as Smuggler's but definitely a nice beach.

 

And the Long Bay Resort sells day passes, nice long beach, rock in many areas but sandier to the north. I believe you have access to the facilities and maybe even the pool there. Smuggler's is a short but bumpy ride past Long Bay, and Brewer's is north of CGB.

 

For me it would be Smuggler's, and I would take a water taxi to Jost when I returned for a week-long visit to the BVI! Let me know which way you lean...

[blue_water]

Katiecat, you are on your cruise!

 

Lily, how are you with your plans?

[Philphan1]

We are on Tortola on 2/15/12 but only from 7:30AM to 1PM Probably have to be back on the ship by 12:30pm. If we were to cab over to Smuggler's Cove from the cruise ship pier & back, about how long would the ride be?

[blue_water]

We usually drive over Belmont or Zion Hill and take the coast and that is probably the long way. I would guess the taxi ride would be 30 minutes or so but you'll get a better idea when you talk to the driver.

You could also email scatosbusntaxi.com and ask for their price and how long a drive it would be.

[cookie225]

Bluewater...we will be in Tortola in March, just got information for a day pass at Long Bay Resort, how long do you think is the ride from port?

[blue_water]

Bluewater...we will be in Tortola in March, just got information for a day pass at Long Bay Resort, how long do you think is the ride from port?

 

Probably 20 - 30 min, Long Bay is just before Smuggler's? You can get an idea of the layout of the beaches from various maps.

Also the view from the Heritage Inn is of Carrot, Apple, and Long Bays, and Smuggler's is just beyond out of sight. Go to the Heritage site ot to reviews on TA to see the pics there from our review or others. This view is famous. You will probably pass the HI /Bananakeet unless the driver takes the coastal road to Zion Hill.

[cherylroslyn]

Probably 20 - 30 min, Long Bay is just before Smuggler's? You can get an idea of the layout of the beaches from various maps.

Also the view from the Heritage Inn is of Carrot, Apple, and Long Bays, and Smuggler's is just beyond out of sight. Go to the Heritage site ot to reviews on TA to see the pics there from our review or others. This view is famous. You will probably pass the HI /Bananakeet unless the driver takes the coastal road to Zion Hill.

Blue water I am in Tortola from 7-2. I had the pleasure of doing JVD in December when I was there for a full day and it still felt rushed......so that is ouot. I have also done the Baths last April when Tortola Charters was still in business.

 

This April I am going to be there with three people that have never been. I was thinking CGB, Brewers Bay or a day pass if offered at Long Bay Resort.......

 

 

Do you have any recommendations or suggestions? Thank you for all your information.......

[blue_water]

Blue water I am in Tortola from 7-2. I had the pleasure of doing JVD in December when I was there for a full day and it still felt rushed......so that is ouot. I have also done the Baths last April when Tortola Charters was still in business.

 

This April I am going to be there with three people that have never been. I was thinking CGB, Brewers Bay or a day pass if offered at Long Bay Resort.......

 

Do you have any recommendations or suggestions? Thank you for all your information.......

 

Sure! It all depends on what kind of experience you want?

 

Do you like a busier vibe with several beach bars/restaurants and other cruisers enjoying the same place? Cane Garden Bay is a large bay with a decent beach that is overrun with cruisers on busy ship days. We spent a week there and stayed at Myett's where the best happy hours are. There is great evening entertainment in CGB, better than anywhere else in the BVI or the USVI. Stanley's Welcome Bar has a great burger, and you can find water sports there including Julian's water taxi to Jost.

 

Smuggler's is a little slice of Heaven, beautiful beach that offers snorkeling and amazing views of Jost and Sandy Key. Just portapotties, no amenities other than Patricia's grill and small bar.

 

Brewer's is also nice, north of CGB.

 

The Long Bay Resort day pass is for their pool ($20pp or $45 with a burger and 2 drinks). The pool is a wading pool (not deep) and there's a small pool bar. It's OK...

If I were going to Long Bay I would choose to grab a disposable cooler and beer and ice or other drinks at the store in Road Town and just head to the Long Bay beach. The beaches in Tortola are free to the public. There are resort lounges there and you can use them if no one minds or just use your towels. We used the resort pool while we were there and the girl didn't have a problem with that.

 

What are your interests - busy beach, laid back beach, or something else?

[Alatariel]

Hi! I hope you can help us too: We are on Tortola March 31th 9-6 and we really would love to go to smugglers cove. I have read here about the portapotties (A really nice word, here in Germany we say "Dixies") and this doesnt matter for us. The only problem I have is, that we dont know anybody on the ship and so there are just the two of us doing our honeymoon. Will this really be a problem catching a taxi and get to the beach? This is our first cruise and I´m kind of nervous about everything ;) .

[blue_water]

Hi! I hope you can help us too: We are on Tortola March 31th 9-6 and we really would love to go to smugglers cove. I have read here about the portapotties (A really nice word, here in Germany we say "Dixies") and this doesnt matter for us. The only problem I have is, that we dont know anybody on the ship and so there are just the two of us doing our honeymoon. Will this really be a problem catching a taxi and get to the beach? This is our first cruise and I´m kind of nervous about everything ;) .

 

No worries! You have a nice, long 9 hrs in port and have plenty of time for a beach and then a little shopping in Road Town if you'd like. And congratulations on your wedding!

 

If you would prefer just the two of you taxi to Smuggler's because it's your honeymoon you can grab a taxi at the pier and even make arrangements to have that driver return to pick you up at a specific time. Or you may see taxis coming in as they drop off others who have researched Smuggler's like you.

 

If you want to see if others are interested in sharing a van and the experience of Smuggler's you can go to the Roll Call forum for your specific cruise here on cruisecritic.com. Just go to Roll Call section and select the cruise line you're taking (Carnival, RCL, Princess, etc), then to your specific ship. You will see several threads under that ship for different cruise dates. Just locate your roll call thread and ask if anyone is interested in joining you.

 

The "dixies" are there if you need them (as is the ocean :eek:) and Patricia's grill is there to keep you full and happy!

 

Congratulations once again, and let us know if you need any more help!

[Alatariel]

Thank you so much for your fast answer! Its good to hear, that it will be no problem and I have found our Roll Call and will ask if someone will join us.

 

And thanks, I will be back if there are more questions ;)