Honeymoon advice

Hello all - we are going to Virgin Gorda for our honeymoon from 2022-08-21 through 2022-08-28 and I am looking for any and all advice on things to do and places to eat / drink / visit. Any recommendations on Virgin Gorda or the surrounding islands would be very appreciated. Are the resort restaurants still open in August? Any favorite hiking trails or should we stick to the beaches? Especially good snorkeling spots?

I am also concerned about our ferry travel. I know this is a common question on this forum and I already saw some advice to check https://bestofbvi.com/ for schedules but could someone vet this itinerary?

Sunday 8/21/22
1) Arrive at 1:30 pm in STT
2) 2:30 pm ferry to Tortola (Can we make it from the plane to the ferry in an hour?)
3) Customs at Tortola and cab ride to Beef Island / Trellis Bay
4) 4:30 pm ferry to Spanish Town

Sunday 8/28/22
5) 6:00 am ferry from VG to Beef Island / Trellis Bay
6) Cab ride to Tortola's dock.
7) 7:00 am ferry to St. Thomas
8) 2:30pm flight out.

Is that too early to leave Virgin Gorda? My worry is the next ferry isn't until 11:30 and it's and that would put us at the airport around 1PM. Anyone have experience on how long the STT airport takes?

Also - should we rent a car for the week? It doesn't look like taxis are any cheaper. I'd also like to boat over to some of the surrounding islands, can you reach those on a dinghy?

Your logistics look good. I'd rent a car for at least a couple of days and have the freedom to come and go as you please. You really can't reach the other islands by dinghy, but you can rent a boat at Leverick Bay.

I was thinking local boating like Saba Rock and Prickly Pear island. I wouldn't want to try traveling outside of that larger bay area without a captain.

Saba Rock has a ferry that will pick you up at Leverick Bay or Gun Creek.

Your arrival might be a little tight. Its doable if your flight is on time and bags come out quickly. The 5:00 ferry is a safer bet. Or you can try to arrange a water taxi. There is also a new ferry operator out of Red Hook (St. Thomas) that may have another ferry option for you.

Many places close during the heart of hurricane season (mid august thru mid-late sept).

For you return, I would not try to take the 1130 ferry to make a 230 flight. Any delays and you would not make your flight. Take the 730am ferry from Road Town (or water taxi) to be safe and stress free.

Check out the "Official Ferry Schedules" at the top of this forum and the thread called "ferry" for more info. BestofBVI.com is also a good resource for ferry options.

As for renting a car..a definite yes for the week from me. You'll rack up $$$ in cab rides but not have the freedom to see all that VG has to offer..and its a lot!

Couple notes on travel for you:

1.) Arrival - I would not count on catching the 2:30pm ferry if you land on STT at 1:30pm. Any delays in your flight at all and you will certainly miss that ferry. If everything goes perfectly you will have a chance, but I would plan on the 5:00pm STT to Tortola ferry, taxi to Trellis, and then 9:00pm Trellis Bay to Virgin Gorda ferry.

If you do happen to catch the 2:30pm STT to Tortola ferry, I would also not count on catching the 4:30pm Trellis Bay to Virgin Gorda ferry. Sample timeline - 2:30pm to 3:30pm ferry ride STT to Tortola. 3:30 to 4:00pm clear customs (if you are lucky), 4:00pm to 4:30pm taxi to Trellis... it'd be very tight. I'd say the 6:30pm would be more likely.

Obviously this is less than ideal and makes for quite a long day. As this is your honeymoon and if you are willing to splurge I would highly recommend looking into a private flight charter from STT to Virgin Gorda through Island Birds. You can call Nadia directly @ +1-284-496-6729. Or a private water taxi through IslandTime Powerboat Rentals.

2.) Departure - You definitely should take the 7:30am ferry to St. Thomas instead of the 11:30am one. St. Thomas airport can take a very long time. Although you will be here during a much slower time of the year and in theory going through the STT airport will be faster due to their being less travelers, I would highly recommend the 7:30am ferry.

3.) As for restaurants, unfortunately many will be closed during your dates. In the North Sound - Saba Rock, Bitter End Yacht Club, Oil Nut Bay and The Restaurant at Leverick Bay (fine dining upstairs) will all be closed. SugarCane in Nail Bay will also be closed.

Downstairs at Leverick ("Jumbies"), as well as CocoMaya will be open. Hog Heaven I am uncertain of.

“As this is your honeymoon and if you are willing to splurge I would highly recommend looking into a private flight charter from STT to Virgin Gorda through Island Birds.“


Absolutely, treat yourself. You can be on the beach in an hour. We flew over last trip in February.

On your return, take the early ferry. STT is a nightmare on a good day. Some airlines cut off checked luggage 90 mins prior to departure. Check in lines can be very long. We get a red cap porter to ease the way. Don’t count on light crowds during off season, the facility defies logic and the staff seem to go out of their way to be as slow as possible.

In February, we enjoyed Sugarcane, Coco Maya and Upstairs at Leverick. We had a very nice (and expensive) lunch at Little Dix.

This is very similar to our arrival/departure times except we get in an hour earlier allowing us to make that 2:30 ferry. You will most likely not make it. Plan on the later ferry to Trellis or splurge on a private water taxi or charter.
Coming home, take the 6AM and 7:30 and you will be totally fine. Do yourself a favor when you get to STT-leave your bags at the taxi stand (they are happy to do this if you use them to get to the airport) and walk across the street to Glady's cafe. Have the biggest breakfast you can because there really aren't food choices at the airport worth mentioning.

You are definitely limited by closures as already mentioned but be sure to go to Coco Maya and the Jumbies BBQ is fun.

Things to do:
*Have massages https://www.spaandsparkle.co.uk/about
*Hire a private chef (we always use Chef Chet (chetty41@hotmail.com) but there are others.
*Contact Elaine with Bradley powerboats to arrange for small boat or dinghy rental (she also does SNUBA as well as day trips) https://www.virgingordapowerboatrentals.com/ Shore snorkeling isn't fabulous so an excursion is your best bet.
*If you are into watersports, check out Blue Rush watersports in Leverick. You can jet ski the North Sound or they will do SUP beach drops for you. Savannah is a great place to do this.
*Inquire about the Necker Island tour (he may not be running it in the summer) as it is a great experience. If he isn't running it but is on island, ask about having him take you out snorkeling or do the night tour. Great snorkeling off Oil Nut/Necker/Eustacia. https://www.seaitcleartours.com/nature-tours
*Don't miss Spring Bay

IS Gumption still doing tours of Necker? That was a nice day for my group.

Rose at the Bath and Turtle and Chez Bamboo always does a nice job with food and entertainment.

Top of the Baths and Mad Dogs are always fun.

Listen to Mal. Rent a car for your entire stay.

Thanks all! I went ahead and rented a car and have a couple options for boating one day. It's a bit disappointing to hear some of the resort restaurants are closing but it sounds like there are plenty of good places to try that will keep us busy. I think we will definitely check out the Baths, Savannah Bay, and Gorda Peak. I'd also like to go to some of the nearby surrounding islands. If anyone has any recommended spots for snorkeling or hiking, I am all ears.

We were just down last month. We hired Dive BVI for the day and they took 6 of us out on the Sea Bandit, a 32' World Cat. https://divebvi.com/fleet/ We did multiple islands, multiple snorkeling spots, and multiple bars. So much fun! $1300 and you have the boat all day and can go anywhere you want. They will help you with an itinerary too. The day we spent island hopping was the best day of the trip! Enjoy!!

Do NOT miss going to Hog Heaven. Great views, very good food, very good drinks.

Are you boaters? To go to the nearby surrounding islands you will need to rent a boat, which if you are boaters I recommend doing through Bradley Powerboats located in Leverick Bay.

Snorkeling spots on Virgin Gorda:

1.) The Baths (obviously)
2.) Off the beach at Nail Bay beach - head to the rocks off to the right
3.) Off the beach at Mahoe Bay

Hiking:

Gorda Peak was mentioned but you should also check out the 99 Steps Hike. It is located at the far right end of Long Bay Beach (between SugarCane and Hog Heaven). Park at Long Bay, walk out to the beach, head as far right as you can, and you will find the trail head.

Here is a video of my fiance and I hiking it!

https://youtu.be/uKpY6UdLBQQ

Just be aware of snorkeling Nail Bay- agree that the best area is to the right but be careful. It gets shallow in spots and it's easy to "run out of water" and find yourself on top of the coral. My son got stung by fire coral there which is not something I would wish on anyone. Great beach, just be careful.

Re: The Baths - go early (or late afternoon I guess would work) - someone on this forum recommended doing this and it did not disappoint, we arrived just after sunup and the whole place to ourselves for an hour and half or so, then came the crowds.

Might be worth making sure you don’t go the day a cruise ship is in town too.

Hog Heaven is awesome!

You’ll be driving on roads with what I consider significant elevation changes - but I was born in Texas….

Just a post-honeymoon action report for you folks:

I greatly appreciate all of the advice and recommendations we received. My wife and I had an incredible time on Virgin Gorda. Weather was perfect and the beaches were nearly deserted during our time there. We went to the Baths, Savannah Bay, Spring Bay, and Devils Bay a few times each. We were apparently there during the off season so we mostly had the run of these beaches to ourselves.

Unfortunately, we most of the resort restaurants were closed for the season and we had trouble renting a dingy, but we were otherwise able to fully explore the island. Coco Maya, Leverick, and North Sound Bistro were all open and were very nice. The cocktails at Coco Maya are a must for any future visitors. We rented a car with L&S, which was a necessity to get around.

All in all, we had a great honeymoon. I appreciate all of the travel advice and each of you who weighed in. The only thing I would do differently is fly into Tortola instead of St. Thomas. St. Thomas to Virgin Gorda is a long day of travel.

Nice...and its always good to leave something on the table to come back to. Off season (sept) isnt all that bad as you get a quiet trip so you can focus on your bride. 25 years of island trips and almost 30 years of marriage and always something new to explore in both

Coco Maya is the best of the best

Wish you all the best