Tim & Anne’s Virgin Gorda Tour (March 2014)

Virgin Gorda Tour
March 2014
by Tim Larison, CLIA Certified Master Cruise Counselor (MCC)
with contributions from Travel Agent Anne Larison

On our March 2014 Azamara cruise one of our best shore excursions was our Deluxe Tour of Virgin Gorda (British Virgin Islands) arranged through Shore Trips.  We have used Shore Trips for independent shore excursions at cruise ports for our clients and for our own travel with good results, and this day in Virgin Gorda was no exception.

We were greeted by our tour guide, Andy, who escorted us around the island in his truck.  Anne and I and two other couples sat in the open air in the back of the truck.  At first I wasn’t sure about this arrangement, but it worked out great.  The smaller number of people on the excursion allowed us to interact with Andy more easily and with the other couples.

Anne says:
In addition to taking us around the beautiful coast, our guide took us up through the hills; home to many luxury villas.  We were in awe of the beautiful scenes and curious about the native cactus plants on the island.

Andy took us to a number of scenic overlooks on the island.  There was plenty of time for picture taking (and Andy was more than happy to take pictures of us with our camera like the one above).  As we toured the island Andy also told us of the history of the island and what it was like to live there today.

Anne says:
One of the views we enjoyed on our tour of this British Virgin Island was of a private island off the coast that is owned by Sir Richard Branson- Necker Island.  The view of this island and all the British Virgin Islands is amazingly beautiful.

One highlight for me was a stop at the Rosewood Little Dix Bay resort.  It was a beautiful property with a nice beach.  We would love to stay here on a future visit!

Anne says:
As you can see from the picture above the water was clear and the long sandy beach made us want to pull up a lounge chair and stay for a while – maybe someday!

We were to discover Andy was one of the more prominent citizens on the island – he owned his own resort and restaurant!  Part of the tour cost included a delicious lunch at Andy’s Fischer’s Cove Beach Hotel. We were seated at a table with a wonderful view of the bay – we could see our ship in the distance.

Anne says:
The food was very good.  I had a very fresh fish entrée and we all toasted to our host and his hospitality with a delicious rum punch.

The tour concluded with time at Virgin Gorda’s most popular attraction – the Baths.  The Baths is an area littered with huge granite boulders forming scenic grottos that are open to the sea. It was a bit of a challenge to get to the beach on a rocky path – no problem for us but not suggested for people with limited mobility.

Anne says:
I was planning to snorkel when at The Baths National Park, however, when we arrived we heard from a few people that the snorkeling in the main area was not great.  Instead I decided to explore the Devil’s Bay.  As you can see from the photo above, it is a challenge to get to from the main area of The Baths beach.  The hike involves climbing rocks, wading through water, stairs, squeezing through tight openings and more.  But the challenging trek was worth it in the end.  There is much more to see and a more calm beach for snorkeling.  I do recommend wearing a backpack if you want to carry a camera or other equipment.  I needed both hands to maneuver through (up and down and around) the rocks.

Overall this was an excellent tour and a good value.  We talked to other passengers on our cruise who had done a ship tour of the island – they paid a higher price and did not get the personalized service or as extensive a tour as we did.

Anne says:
We were blessed with beautiful warm weather on this day and the amazing island of Virgin Gorda is one I will long remember.  Even though the island is only about 8 square miles, it is packed with beaches, mountains, unforgettable views, and unique national parks.

If you would like to visit Virgin Gorda on a cruise or a resort stay, we can help!  Contact us for more information.