Spring Bay Beach - Virgin Gorda

It has been too long since our last Beach Snob post and too long since we set foot on a warm sandy beach. We finally broke our long period of too much work and too much cold weather with a trip to one of our favorite islands. We really hesitated to post this one because this is our secret place, the one you hope not too many people find out about.

If you can imagine a a perfect beach with no crowds then you can imagine Spring Bay on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. Virgin Gorda and Spring Bay is not an easy place to get to and maybe that is why you will not find rows of high rise hotels lining the beaches. Actually you will find no high rise hotels and no crowds on this island. Well.. with the exception of one famous beach area known as The Baths, which can be crowded during the mid morning tourist ferried from the cruise ships and mega hotels in the US Virgins. To solve that problem we just don't go to The Baths during the crowded times.

Spring Bay Beach which also connects to Little Trunk Beach and Valley Trunk Beach is never crowded and the beaches are perhaps the best you will find anywhere. The beaches are surrounded by giant granite boulders plenty of  palm and shade trees.

The connecting beaches offer a lot of variety, at Spring Bay your can swim in a unique area that is known as "the crawl". This swimming hole is hidden from the ocean by the surrounding boulders that protect it from the ocean swells. This is a one of kind spot with jaw dropping scenery all around you.

If you like long secluded beaches, then take a hike over the rocks and along the path to Valley Trunk Beach. This one is our favorite for walking, it is at long stretch of perfect beach accented with large boulders and palm trees. Best of all you can usually have this beach all to yourself! No hotels, no vendors the only sign of civilization is one large private estate that is tucked away in far from the beach.

You may be wondering where we stay if there are no large hotels? Actually there are hotels on Virgin Gorda that range from 5 star small ultra luxury to our favorite and the only hotel on Spring Bay. Guavaberry Spring Bay is the only "hotel" on Spring Bay and the only one where you have private access to their awesome beach. Guavaberry Spring Bay is not actually a hotel, it is a collection of private secluded cottages all with unbelievable views of the Virgin Islands. Forget cramped little hotel rooms and tiny balconies, these cottages have extra large covered decks where you can stretch out and enjoy the awesome view. Each cottage has it's own kitchen so you can stock up your own food or if you want go out you can choose from several great restaurants on the island.

Guavaberry Spring Bay is not for the traveler that demands all the trappings of a 5 star resort. However, it delivers comfortable clean cottages with unbelievable views of the Virgin Islands. The prices are very reasonable and Tina and her staff will make sure you enjoy your stay.

So now you have it.. the Beach Snobs #1 pick for beach getaways. Spring Bay Beach is A+ and Gauvaberry is an A+ for value.

This is our secret place... so don't tell anyone.

Great Greek Beach

On our recent trip to Athens, Greece and the Greek isles we stayed at the Westin Astir Palace. This is a really nice resort located on a private peninsula about 15 miles from the center of Athens and worlds away from the traffic and crowds of downtown Athens. This is a great place to stay if you want to enjoy the beach and still be close enough to see the sites in Athens.

The hotel is very nice, the rooms are huge, the views are awesome and the setting is private. All this comes with a price... take your money! This place is not cheap so be prepared to pay for the atmosphere and the food. However, putting the cost aside (hard to do) this is a place worth the splurge. Particularly if you plan on spending time in Athens, this hotel is a great way to escape the traffic of Athens.



Photo from Arion website



The beach is short walk along the water front to the sister property Arion hotel. The beach in the private cove at the Arion is a small but really nice beach. We pleasantly surprised that the water was as clear and clean as it was. The beach was so nice here that we spent an entire day just sitting on the beach and swimming the the calm, clear water.

If you don't want to spend you entire day at the beach and want to take a relaxing break by the pool, this hotel has a great pool that overlooks the Saronic Gulf. So if you want beach, you got it, if you want a great pool, you got it.

Photo from Westin website

We really enjoyed this hotel and would return again. The rooms are big and roomy, the balconies are big enough to have dinner under the stars (we did this) and it is a great escape from the city. So if you are in Athens, bring your wallet and check out the Westin Astir Palace.

This hotel and beach is

BEACH SNOB APPROVED

White Bay, Jost Van Dyke BVI

White Bay, Jost Van Dyke BVI

White Bay on Jost Van Dyke (pronounced Yost) is one of our favorite beaches. Actually we debated if we wanted to let our "secret" out about this beach.

When we sail in the British Virgin Islands we usually spend at least a couple of days or more anchored off this beautiful white beach. The sand on the beach is sugar white and the water is clear as a swimming pool. This is a beach we can spend the entire day just laying under our favorite palm trees enjoying the view of the islands. From the beach you can see St. John, St. Thomas in the USVI and Tortola in the BVI. You just can't beat the view from the beach!

Anchorage at White Bay

This beach is not a secret anymore because it was made famous by the country singer, Kenny Chesney who frequents this beach when he is spending time in the Virgin Islands. Kenny Chesney mentions Jost Van Dyke and some of the beach bars such as the Soggy Dollar and Ivans. He even did one of his music videos on this beach around the Soggy Dollar and "inside" Ivans. We use the term "inside" loosely because nothing really has and "inside" on this beach.

Our favorite place is the Sand Castle and the well known Soggy Dollar Bar. The Beach Snobs are not drinkers so we really can not give a review of the Pain Killers served at the bar. But judging by the crowds and the number of Pain Killers they sell each day they must be good. We may not be into the Pain Killers, but we are into the food they serve at the Soggy Dollar. They make a pretty good cheeseburger that you can enjoy while sitting under the shade of the Sea Grape trees. After all, you have to follow the advise of Jimmy Buffet and have your "Cheeseburger in Paradise".

Our favorite time to eat at the Sand Castle / Soggy Dollar is dinner. They serve a four course gourmet style meal complete with linen table clothes, candlelight and a great view of the beach. We never make a trip to Jost Van Dyke with doing dinner at the Sand Castle / Soggy Dollar. To get a table you need to make reservations during the day at the Soggy Dollar. When you make your reservation you will also select your main course from the menu board posted at the Soggy Dollar. You may be wondering why they call it the Soggy Dollar? It is because they get more than their share of wet money. On White Bay there is not a dock to tie up to, so the only way to get ashore is to swim from your boat or land a dingy on the beach. Either way, you and your money are going to get wet.

Morning at White Bay

The morning on White Bay is great time to walk the beach. Often we have the beach all to ourself in the morning before 10:00 am. However, the beach has a dramatic changeover that starts about 11:00 a.m. each day when the day trip boats begin bringing people from the hotels in the USVI's and at times cruise ship passengers. Between the hours of 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. White Bay is a really busy place. The beach at White Bay provides some of the best people watching anywhere in the Caribbean and that's one of the things we like about it. People from all over North America, Europe and beyond, come to this beach to enjoy the day. The variety of people provides great entertainment during the busy beach times, especially after they have had one, two or more of the Pain Killers.

White Bay is a great place to drop anchor and spend a few days. This is a popular anchorage so finding a spot to anchor can be difficult. The anchorage has only about ten mooring balls in about 12 foot of water and if you are staying for the night it is best to pick up one of the moorings. It is a pretty tight bay so anchoring between the mooring balls can be difficult, because there is really not enough room. At night the wind tends to shift from the shore so be aware your boat will swing toward the reef, so make sure you anchor with enough room for the boat to swing at night.

White Bay is a great place to spend a day or several days... we prefer several. The beach is white and the view of the Virgin Islands is great. White Bay is Beach Snob Approved!

The Beach Snobs prefer to visit White Bay by sailboat. Here is a link to our favorite charter company

http://www.horizonyachtcharters.com/

Here are some good links for more information about White Bay

 http://www.soggydollar.com/

 http://www.jostvandyke.com/

Pictures of White Bay

Swim With The Sharks in Bora Bora

View of Bora Bora from Motu Piti Anau

Bora Bora Lagoonarium

Located near Motu Piti Anau

Typically our goal is to NOT swim with sharks or rays. However; there is something about being anchored in the shadow of the mountains of Bora Bora that makes you feel a bit more adventurous and brave or a little stupid. During our travels in French Polynesia we heard there was place in Bora Bora where you could actually swim with sharks and rays. The Beach Snobs are not your typically sailors in that we had not been drinking... so we can't blame our quest to intentionally swim with sharks and rays on being drunk.

Making Friends with a Sea Turtle

After two days of sailing we were ready for a good swim and a day on the beach.  We were anchored between the Le Meriden and St. Regis Hotels in the Bora Bora Lagoon. Both hotels had great beaches... for the guest, so that left us without a beach. Desperate to find a beach, I grabbed the binoculars and searched the Motu's (small islands). One one of them we noticed a good looking beach, checking our charts we thought it might be the Bora Bora Lagoonarium. We climbed into our dingy and headed toward the Motu to get a closer look. 

The closer we got to the Motu, the nicer it looked. The turquoise water around the Motu is crystal clear and bottom is white sand. Arriving at the Motu we saw the sign, Bora Bora Lagoonarium, Open 8:00 - 3:00 pm, closed on Saturday. Fortunately we arrived during the week so it looked like we might be in luck and on the trail of another unique beach destination.

Nice Beach Area

Ashore we discovered a well kept beach area with picnic tables, shade and lounge chairs. The lagoon and beach area was your ideal South Pacific setting with an unbelievable view of Bora Bora. This was going to be a no brainier decision, great beach, good facilities and great view... we were staying. We wandered toward a small building near the beach where we found a pleasant lady who was cooking chicken and fish on an open grill. Talking to her we found out that we could use the beach all day and have lunch all for a "reasonable" charge. Remember we were in Bora Bora, so nothing is really reasonable as compared to the US; but considering the scenery the beach and how good the food on the grill looked we were sold.

After paying the lady a Polynesian man escorted us to the beach area for a brief orientation. Now I have to admit, I had never been to a beach that required an orientation but we soon discovered why it was needed. He explained the Bora Bora Lagoonarium was unique in that the lagoon was populated by sharks and various types of rays. To my surprise the sharks were in the lagoon we were going to swim in and not behind a protective fence. Immediately I thought REFUND, but then I noticed a man wearing a bathing suit that looked more like a pair of his wife's underwear than a man's swimsuit. He was swimming in the lagoon with his wife, two children and the sharks. Now if the guy swimming in his wife's panties could swim with the sharks, then I was not about to give up my man card and chicken out.

Black Tip Reef Shark

Our Polynesian host went on to explain that these were Blacktip Reef Sharks and they would not hurt you. Here is what Wikipedia says about the Blacktip Reef Shark, "Timid and skittish, the blacktip reef shark is difficult to approach and seldom poses a danger to humans unless roused by food. However, people wading through shallow water are at risk of having their legs mistakenly bitten". I did not get an opportunity to read this information until latter, so I made my decision to swim with the sharks based information from a Polynesian guy and a man card challenge from a man swimming in his wife's panties. While not the best sources and reasons to make the decision it turned out to be the right decision.

The sharks.... yes they did swim in the same area we were in: however, they appeared timid (for sharks) and stayed at a "comfortable" distance. Soon we became enough at ease to float in the lagoon and actually enjoyed watching the sharks and rays swim in the lagoon. And what a great lagoon to float in... floating around on our swim noodles enjoying the view of Bora Bora... not a bad way to spend the day. 

After a nice swim, it was lunch time! (For us not the sharks). Our island hosts set up a very nice private lunch in the shade of one of the beach cabanas. The grilled chicken and fish were very good and complimented by rice and a raw fish salad. The chicken, fish and rice were all very good, and the raw fish salad a local delicacy while good is just not my deal. I prefer my fish cooked. Of course the man in his panty style swimsuit was wolfing his raw fish salad down like a hungry hound; however, I did not feel a direct challenge to my manhood, so I passed on the raw fish. The lunch accompanied with Polynesian music was GREAT and get's thumbs up from the Beach Snobs.

Sting Ray

After lunch our Polynesian host escorted us to the separate lagoon and let us pose for a picture with a sea turtle. Then to top off the show he swam out in the lagoon and captured a large sting ray and put the ray's tail in his mouth so the ray could not barb him. This was a really large ray and our host told us that the ray could not barb him while the tail was held in his mouth. It must do something, we all survived... however; I declined to put the ray tail in my mouth.

Holding an Eagle Ray

Our experience with ray's continued with the opportunity to hold an Eagle Ray and pose for our picture. I must admit I was not too excited about holding the Eagle Ray. But after a young woman rushed at the opportunity to hold it and pet it, I definitely felt a challenge to my man hood. So here is our picture with the "friendly Eagle Ray".

Our day at the Bora Bora Lagoonarium was a really unique day at the beach. While the Beach Snobs rarely pay admission to a beach area this one is worth the price of admission.

When you go to Bora Bora be sure to take a trip here it is well worth your time and it is BEACH SNOB APPROVED.

http://www.boraboraisland.com/lagoonarium/

Welcome to Our New Blog

Beach Snobs Holding an Eagle Ray in Bora Bora

We Are Beach Snobs

Not just any beach will do for us!

Okay... we admit it we are spoiled. After enjoying the sugar white beaches of remote Caribbean islands we are snobs when it comes to our beaches.

We love to sail and have sailed throughout the Caribbean and even places like Bora Bora in the South Pacific in search of the best beaches. While on our sailing trips we have anchored in some of the most beautiful bays and walked on fantastic beaches! On this blog we will share with you our updates and stories about some of the great beaches and island destinations.

RELAX and enjoy reading about great beaches and island destinations. In upcoming blogs we will give the details on beaches through out the Caribbean, South Pacific and Mediterranean. Post your comments and ask questions and ENJOY as you plan your trip to one of the great destinations.

Cane Garden Bay, British Virgin Islands

So sail with us... forget about work, enjoy your trip with the Beach Snobs!