The Baths or Brewers Bay Beach Tour

[Shelby Cruiser]

We will be in Tortola on Feb 28, 2006, with the Sea Princess & we are trying to decide if we should take the ship's tour to The Baths @Virgin Gorda for 4 1/2hrs. @$62 or if we should take the Brewers Bay Beach & Scenic Drive Tour for 4hrs. @$46. They both sound good to us, but since we have never been to Tortola, we were kind of looking forward to some sightseeing also. With the beach tour, you also get a chance to stop @Sky World for photos + have a scenic drive getting to beach. My husband & I both have back problems & don't know if we can handle the climbing that sounds like is required in order to truly enjoy the boulders + we are in our 60's. Does anyone have any imput from first hand experience? Comments would be greatly appreciated.

[sunprincess]

HI

 

I highly recommend Virgin Gorda/Baths.

I have included some photos for you to see.

 

 

 

Enjoy your cruise :)

 

PS Had to remove the other photos will put them in another post :confused:

[sunprincess]

Here are photos from Tortola/Brewers Bay Beach

 

 

 

Enjoy :)

[CaribbeanBound]

I vote for Virgin Gorda, but do it yourself.

 

There is no need to prearrange any excursions here. Taxis line up at the pier to take you anywhere you want to go. Several passengers hopped into taxis and got the exact same tour that other passengers paid double for through the ship. Our sights were set on visiting Virgin Gorda. We got off the ship just after 8:00 am and walked 15 minutes to the red-roofed ferry terminal off to the left of the pier. Speedy's and Smith's both offer service to Virgin Gorda. However, only Speedy's could get us back before our 3:00pm departure. So we caught the 9:00 am Speedy's Ferry over and the 12:30 pm ferry back. Cost was $25 per person roundtrip, including roundtrip Speedy's Taxi service from the Virgin Gorda docks to The Baths. (You will not want to attempt to walk to The Baths from the dock). We brought our mask and snorkel with us. Rentals are available at The Baths. We sat upstairs in the open air seating atop the ferry. Cool winds and great views. 30-35 minute ride each way followed by a 10-minute taxi to The Baths. There is a $3.00 (adults) and $2.00 (children) entrance fee to The Baths which are part of the BVU National Parks Trust. The 5-minute walk down to The Baths was rocky and uneven. At the bottom, single-use-only lockers can be rented for $2.50 each. They are large enough to hold a beach bag or backpack. The Baths are an incredibly fun experience. Here is a detailed map of The Baths at Virgin Gorda. The Baths were really fun to explore. Highly recommend water shoes, a water camera, and a swimsuit. A beautiful beach with crystal clear waters awaits visitors on the other side of the rock maze. While not the greatest snorkeling site for fish, the coral formations were interesting. The water was nice and clear. We would have liked to stay another couple of hours, and look forward to another visit. Highly recommended!

 

If you have an interest in our entire Eastern Caribbean trip, here are the details... http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/easterncaribbean.html

[Shelby Cruiser]

Just a note to say thank you to both Sunprincess & Caribbeanbound for your input. We probably will go to The Baths. They sound incredible. By some of the previous comments we have read on other threads, we were not quite sure if you had to climb over & under boulders to just get to the beach. I ran a copy of the map for The Baths but still wondering if you have to swim in order to reach all places on the map or if it is walkable. It sounds like great photo opps. Again, thanks to both of you for your input & also to Sunprincess for the lovely photos.

[CaribbeanBound]

You don't have to climb through caves if you don't want to.

 

There is a great beach at the bottom of the main path, to the right.

[MAPilgrim]

Here's an idea. Take the taxi to Cane Garden Beach on the side of the island. cost 13.00 for a single, less in a party. A beautiful beach. You can

sit on the sand for free, or 5.00 for a lounger. There are small places to eat right on the beach w/bathrooms. Everything right there:)

It's also a neat ride to the beach and back.

Don't forget Sunny Caribbe. Great spices to bring home. Enjoy

[Shelby Cruiser]

That was originally or first choice, but read in other posts that this beach was polluted from boats out in bay dumping waste. Do you know anything about this?:eek:

[MAPilgrim]

Shelby Cruiser I also heard about that problem. Granted, this is a semi-

busy stop for sail boats, but we were there again, in March-05, and it

was absolutely beautiful :) . The was pristine.

Hope this helps. It's such a beautiful spot..

[chrysalis]

Do The Baths on Virgin Gorda...even the boat ride over there is enjoyable.

[Cruisin Kay D]

We were at the Baths last January and it was a rather steep walk down the hill from taxi stand to beach & then back up! I have a bad knee and it was tough -- had to stop to rest 2 or 3 times going up. Small beach before going into the boulders, plus 1 or 2 more can be reached by climbing around & over the boulders, but I did not try that.

 

Going back to BVI in Nov on cruise & we're going to a beach on Tortola or take a catamaran/snorkel trip.

[sandbag7]

I wouldn't recommed Cane Garden Bay as the water is too calm, and I don't recall any good snorkeling areas; Brewers Bay is excellent and won't be as crowded as the Baths. People do seem to love the rocks at the Baths, but I didn't find them that impressive. There is decent snorkeling at the Baths, but Spring Bay Beach nearby has less people, good snorkeling and some similar rock formation.

[sandbag7]

I wouldn't recommed Cane Garden Bay as the water is too calm, and I don't recall any good snorkeling areas; Brewers Bay is excellent and won't be as crowded as the Baths. People do seem to love the rocks at the Baths, but I didn't find them that impressive. There is decent snorkeling at the Baths, but Spring Bay Beach nearby has less people, good snorkeling and some similar rock formation.

[sandbag7]

I wouldn't recommed Cane Garden Bay as the water is too calm, and I don't recall any good snorkeling areas; Brewers Bay is excellent and won't be as crowded as the Baths. People do seem to love the rocks at the Baths, but I didn't find them that impressive. There is decent snorkeling at the Baths, but Spring Bay Beach nearby has less people, good snorkeling and some similar rock formation.

[sandbag7]

Sorry duplicate.

[scottlyn]

I would definately go to the baths. We sail in the BVI regularly and that is our favorite stop. We also love to take the trail to the top of the hill behind the baths. There is a snack bar with a breathtaking view of the BVI and a swimming pool. The snorkling at the baths is great as well!

Enjoy!