Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda BVI - 2024

The Skinny

Sunday, April 28

• Arrive Tortola from Miami

• Private boat ferry to Little Dix Bay Resort

• Swim/relax

• Dinner - The Sugar Mill at LDB

Monday, April 29

• Pickleball

• Day on beach, swimming, snorkeling, kayaking

• Indian Dinner by Tewaris

Tuesday, April 30

• Boat day

• Peter Island - snorkel

• Cooper Island - lunch and rum bar

• Oil Nut Bay - tasty drinks

• Dinner - Spiny Lobster by Chef Tucker

Wednesday, May 1

• Tennis clinic and Pickleball in morning

• Lunch at Sugar Mill

• Dinner at Coco Maya in Spanish Town

Thursday, May 2

• Tennis and Pickleball in the morning

• Breakfast buffet at the Pavillion

• "Beach drop" - Great Dog Island - snorkeling

• Dinner with Chef Tucker

Friday, May 3

• Visit to the Baths for snorkeling

• Lunch at the villa

• Afternoon "beach drop" boat tour to WWII ship wreck

• Dinner at Sugar Cane at Nail Bay

Saturday, May 4

• Pavillion breakfast

• Private ferry back to Tortola

• And on to RDU

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The Meat on the Bones

Sunday, April 28

Long but on-time air travel day, but 5 minute taxi ride from airport to water taxi for the 15 minute ride from Tortolla to Little Dix Bay.  A large but protected bay with huge sandy beach, LDB is encased by and nestled within the mountains with villas subtlety dotting the landscape.

The Shustermans, one travel buddy couple, are members of Exclusive Resorts travel club so everything is concierged for you. As a result, not exactly sure how LDB operates for their clients in general. Regardless, everyone enjoys the numerous on property restaurants, limitless towels and sunscreen, beach waitstaff with the push of a button by your towel lined lounge chair and umbrella, kayaks, sailboats, SUP boards and rafts at the ready, snorkel gear, and boat shuttles to other areas nearby the resort. Also, excellent fitness facilities, pickleball, tennis, and game room and all capped off with a gorgeous spa up high on the mountain.

Golf carts were assigned and we were escorted to our lovely 4 bedroom villa high above the bay with an amazing view over the bay. Off to claim snorkel gear and go for a swim around the reef and shallow grass to see fish, rays and turtles followed by a swim in the delightfully heated pool. Dinner was on campus in the Sugar Mill open air restaurant.

Monday, April 29

Windy but sunny, we have a round of pickleball followed by a day on the beach. Lunch was ordered beachside. The Tewaris, our other travel pal couple, prepared a traditional Indian meal of shrimp curry. It was remarkable made only better by lively conversation.

Tuesday, April 30

Boating Day!  We chartered a 44 foot day boat to cruise the BVIs. Still windy, the captain took us to Peter Island to find a sheltered bay that also had good snorkeling. Then over to Cooper Island but punted on rough snorkeling in favor of the Cooper Island Beach Club for lunch and a flight in the very cool rum bar housing over 350 rums from around the world.

Continued over to Oil Nut Bay to check out the houses and resort passing Saba Rock restaurant and the Bitter End still being rebuilt.

Dinner at home was prepared by Chef Tucker, who cooks for the stars including Richard Branson and The Rolling Stones. Just like us. And it was a meal for the stars with grilled spiny lobster, roasted veggies, mango salad, cooked greens followed by hot brownie and ice cream. it was fantastic.

Wednesday, May 1

Tennis clinics for the Tewaris and numerous pickleball games for Shustermans and Monks. More lounging by the beach, but chose lunch back in the Sugar Mill.

Dinner was out on the town in nearby Spanish Town at Coco Maya. A buzzy and BVI upscale al fresco restaurant literally beachside right up on the water. Go early for sunset views. It is multi leveled and has various areas for games and a DJ. The food is “Island Asian” tapas style and it is delicious. Very fun outing. Highly recommend.

Thursday, May 2

The winds have dropped significantly which is good, but with it comes the heat and humidity as well as random showers. Tennis clinic and pickleball started the morning early followed the fantastic breakfast buffet in the Pavilion which is the primary building where we stuffed ourselves in prep for a “beach drop.” That proved unnecessary as we had ordered lunch picnics that were quite lovely and civililized in tote coolers with real plates, silverware, and glass jars of beautiful sandwiches, fruits, green salads, dessert and a cooler of Prosecco and drinks. The beach drop is a service the resort provides to take guests to other beaches nearby. Savannah Beach, Spring Beach, Pol Beach. We went to Great Dog Island (Gilligan’s Island given the beached boat) for requested excellent snorkeling and it did not disappoint. Wonderful reef formations were the highlight. But then the rains came and we requested a pickup. So we picnicked poolside at the Villa and spent the afternoon enjoying the views and villa.

The spa came in to play for several as part of the day’s schedule. A gorgeous location and the infinity pool for spa guests is alone worth going. A later afternoon kayak and island drink capped off another great day.

Chef Tucker wined and dined us again with surf and turf and mountains of veggies. A great meal for great conversation.

Friday, May 3

A visit to the Baths today. We taxied over to The Baths and Devil’s Bay National Park around 10 am and “hiked” down to the huge boulder area where we snorkeled all around the massive rocks which are deceiving from the surface as a rocky shallow coastline, but underwater, it is magical - part reef, huge rocks down deep in the water with crevices and cave like cracks that housed a wealth of sea life. Really stunning. Then you do the Baths which is a shoreline trail through the large boulders up ladders, through crevices - it is Caribbean slot canyons of sort. Unique and a fun natural wonder.  Keep in mind, it is a National Park and quite popular with tourists, so go early as there are shops and restaurants as well as plenty of boats moored outside the Baths area. A highlight for sure.

Back by 12:30 for villa lunch leftovers followed by a beach afternoon. An unexpected surprise was a boating trip around the nearby beaches instead of an actual beach drop. A quick hop into the water by Nail Bay to see the sunken WW2 freighter about 40 feet down. Marked by buoys, it is quite the sight via snorkeling mask.

Back for some late afternoon SUP before the rains settled in for the evening. Our final night, dinner is off sight in Nail Bay at Sugar Cane restaurant. Bummed that it is raining because the cliffside drive over to Nail Bay crisscrossing the island would be gorgeous and a sunset pre-dinner cocktail would have capped off a great week. Next time though! Dinner is not disturbed by the rain even though it is basically an open air, sandy bottom spot; very fun and festive with a wide range of items on the menu that was good.

Home for a nightcap and games. Another great day in paradise.

Saturday, May 4

Morning exercise before bellying up to the fabulous Pavilion buffet for our swan song. Back to pack and gaze upon our view one more time. It never gets old…..

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