BVI What to bring?

[Billy]

Chartering in BVI in November, is there anything that's especially expensive or hard to get that we should bring from home, such as food/drink items, medicine, suncreams etc........ any thoughs from previous charterers appreciated.

<hr width=100% size=1>Billy Keady

 

[tcm]

dose up on antihystamine cos of the midges. mosquito nets are a good idea cos the comfiest place with hot evening is up on deck. anchor backfrom the shoreline rather than tucked right in where the water is flatter -cos there are more midges. on the poxy flight over the drinks cost a fortune so you can get slaughtered with plastic bottles of coke laced with bacardi, seems to make the time go quicker. The boats are well equiped, handheld battery gps an idea for longer trips eg anegada. underwater camera a nice idea. cd's for the music player on board. cigar cutter but not in hand luggage. a hotmail account for emailing if you need contact. The transfer is lengthy from st john's keep track of bags. get a few US dollars for the bar near the transfer boat, and on the transfer boat, and/or normal bottles of water or fruit etc. If sunsail, on arrival at the charter place, dump stuff in boat and immdeiately proceed to the restaurant cos 50 other people will be behind you and have to wait an hour. outside on port side of transfer boat is a good spot for quick diemabarking queue. The sunsail marina itself is actually a good place for lunch midweek- swimming pool and nice enuf bar and free ice. Spanish town is a great name, an ok marina but a total dump - avoid. Otherwsie everywhere is fab. Ask for cocktails (ie painkiller) with no ice and you get double volume. Ask for another drink just icey water please. Slurp down the water and then mix up the ice and warmish cocktail = half price bar bills. Don't go on november cos the weather is risky with hurricanes, sorry. hope this helps



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[1stmate]

Check out www.traveltalkonline.com - forum specifically on the BVI with stacks of info - though not all of it useful - and mainly from US contributors. Usual advice is to lay out everything you plan to take including money - remove a third of the clothes and triple the money !

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[tonydyer]

We have been chartering in the BVI for many years, but thankfully not with Sunsail. It is relatively expensive to eat and drink ashore in the bars and restaurants, although supermarket prices particularly in Road Town are not OTT for prices. For booze go for the local rum at about US$5-6 per bottle and do your serious drinking on board before going ashore. Ashore in the bars, the local beer is US$3 a bottle (same as many waterfront bars in UK) and Painkillers / Rum Punches etc usually US$5.

The mozzies are not a great problem - we use burning coils at night in the cabin, which potects us well. We have never used nets.

It is unlikely that you will need long trousers during your stay - they are not needed in 95% of the bars and restaurants and the temperatures are always comfortable, even at night.

Recommended places:

Soggy Dollar Bar, Sydney's Bar and Foxy's on Jost Van Dyke.
Happy hour at the bar on the hill at Marina Key (especially Friday and Saturday night).
The beaches of Anegada.
Snorkelling at The Indians
Most bars in Gorda Sound (but the Bitter End Yacht Club is very expensive)
Sandy Cay
Norman Island
The USVIs - St Johns but not St Thomas.

Average:
Most 'Pussers' establishments, including at Marina Key, Leverick Bay, Sopers Hole, etc. (The one at Road Town is not too bad and has some great dishes on the menu).
Cane Garden Bay
Trellis Bay because of closeness to airport (although the restaurant is quite good)
Sopers Hole

Avoid:
Nanny Cay Marina
Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour (except for the supermarket)
Sunsail Flotillas and their base at Maya Cove.

Weather in November - you are almost at the end of the Hurricane season so you are unlikely to experience bad weather. See the best Caribbean Weahter site foir more details at: http://www.caribwx.com/

Travel to the BVI - we always fly to Antigua by BA, Virgin or BWI and then onto Beef Island (Tortola) by Caribbean Star or Liat. The total cost is usually about £500 return, including free drinks and food! Avoid the charter airlines as they can be quite unreliable and sometimes take a lot longer as they stage through St Lucia. They are also not much cheaper. We have not used the Sunsail Charter Flight (Air 2000) via the USVI, but when the runway is extended at Beef Island I guess they will fly direct, which would make them an attractive proposition.

Hope all this helps. If you have any questions, send me a pm.

Tony



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[ruthhobson]

Hi

Mozzie repellant essential.

Bread for lunch times- like most hot places it doesn't keep especially well - and when on holiday I don't want the hassle of shopping too often. So we threw in a few packs of wraps/tortillas for at lunch time, they saved on some bother.

Do a search, I seem to remember there are quite a few old BVI threads.

HTH

Ruth

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[tcm]

food drink items - the customs people are partic hot on the fact that you should not bring food. I spose packed lunch, spices herbs etc wd be ok.

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