Tortola - no beaches, no swimming

[wassup4565]

We will be in port at Tortola on Sunday, Feb. 8/15 from 8:00 to 5:00. Hubby will have had cataract surgery, and his doc says no swimming and no possibility of blowing sand. However, we're active seniors, and we've never been to Tortola before. Don't want to hide away! Any suggestions for an interesting day?

 

Is the National Park with hiking trails an option, and worth the effort? We are still pretty spry, but not up for gruelling hikes.

 

There is a Botanical Garden in Road Town. Worth a look?

 

I've seen some suggestions that it's easy and not horribly expensive to find a taxi near the port and arrange for an island tour. Anybody done this? And obviously, we don't want a tour that takes us to some beaches with free time - beaches not an option for us. Where else to go in a taxi?

 

Is it worth it for us to go to Virgin Gorda under the circumstances?

 

Any ideas you can contribute will be very welcome!

Lindy

[mollydogsmom]

Maybe you can get him some goggles and go to the beach.:rolleyes:

[wassup4565]

Maybe you can get him some goggles and go to the beach.:rolleyes:

I was hoping for something better. Might as well stay on the ship as wear goggles all day on the beach : ((

[mollydogsmom]

Tortola is a beautiful island with very nice beaches, maybe get off the ship and see if there is much wind. At the very least you can get a taxi and do an island tour to get an idea where to go if you come back. Good luck. I recently had LASIK on both my eyes and was given googles to wear, looks kind of dorky but served the purpose.

[blue_water]

With 9 hrs in port you have lots of time.

The island tours offered right at the dock are a great option for Tortola since it is a beautiful island and there are great views and photo ops from the mountains. Some include a beach stop, some do not, your choice.

 

Would you be interested in a daysail to Virgin Gorda? Once there you could hire a driver to take a tour while others taxi to the Baths and Devils Bay. Perhaps enjoy a stop at the Mineshaft Cafe for lunch and a "Cave In" along with the spectacular panoramic views.

 

There's a chance of sand or dirt or sea salt in the eye even on a taxi or boat of course...Most of the island touts will stop at different ruins and possibly at the rum distillery which is in CGB. So the wind that day may dictate what you do. There is some shopping at the port, we like Sunny Caribbee for spices and rubs, and Pusser's Pub for lunch. But I hope you can enjoy seeing at least some of Tortola and not miss her beauty!

We haven't yet hiked Sage Mtn Nat'l Park or visited the Botanical garden so can't help there, sorry.

[wassup4565]

Thank you Blue Water, very helpful. I'm reassured that we can find a driver at the dock and arrange a tour that suits us.

[LrgPizza]

Another option would be a boat tour around the island. The views from the water of all the neighboring islands is breathtaking.

[blue_water]

Yes if you can get a boat with a partially-enclosed cabin you'd be protected from the sea spray/salt somewhat and the coastal boat ride would be very nice. There are operators out of Nanny Cay, for example.

 

A road tour along the coast between Road Town and the West End is a very nice drive with views of the easternmost islands. You will also find shops in West End, along with a few great restaurants for a lunch including

 

Fish 'n Lime

https://www.facebook.com/fishnlime

 

D Coal Pot

http://www.dcoalpotbvi.com/

 

Clubhouse at Frenchman's

http://www.frenchmansbvi.com/dining/

 

I know the cruise ships offer an excursion with a boat ride to West End and time there. But highly recommend at least some time seeing Tortola from Tortola if possible...