Road Town on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands

Ferry Dock

(Paradise Vacations)
Off the port side of the harbour is the heart of Road Town.The ferry dock (see schedule), with customs, is a bustling scene of travelers, some from foreign island nations. Exotic yachts from around the world are anchored out below the ferry dock.

To
"The Valley"
Soper's Hole
U.S.V.I.

Touring
Wickham's Cay
Turn toward the harbour at the intown "round-a bout" to reach Wickham's Cay. Turn again toward the water where buildings extend out to the street, into a small parking lot at the Village Cay Marina. This is a good spot to disembark to explore this area by foot.

Cruise ship visitors, who want to stretch their "shopping" legs on land, can browse on the cay at the shops on Wickham's Cay.

The best location for shopping is across at quaint Main Street. Head toward the nearest hillsides across Waterfront Drive.

Main Street. Ashore is Main Street, Road Town's most important area for visitors. Opposite the ferry, Sir Olva Georges Plaza interconnects Main Street across Waterfront Drive. The Post Office, the Registrar's Office for weddings and the Virgin Island Folk Museum are here.

Shops

Simply cross Waterfront Drive at many points, or go through the Plaza across from the ferry, and begin a charming shopping tour of Main Street.

Touring by Water
Boaters can mark a course about 292º from Burt Point's green buoy toward the ferry docks (on a line with the "purple palace" of the Bougainvillea Clinic in the hills above). Anchor off with the other boats here and dinghy in to the town dock. Watch the surge and boat traffic.		Another anchoring area is off Wickham's Cay II at its water entrance. Dinghy into its sheltered waters: for provisioning to The Moorings on the starboard side and for touring to the Village Cay restaurant on the port side.

Wickham's Cay and Main Street area near the ferry dock is the center of an authentic Caribbean town with an attractive area of shops (some old West Indian style with red tin roofs) and restaurants amid various other establishments.

The Main Street area, laid out like a "reverse L" with Main Street on the left and the harbour on the right, stretches from just below the ferry dock up to the round-a-bout. Its shops and restaurants spill over its cross streets to Waterfront Drive (click to go there).

Wickham's Cay is the other main area, encompassing anything on the harbour side of Waterfront Drive, the location of a wide variety of activities.

The Cruise ship dock is on the other side of the cay with these giant gleaming ships at the center of the majestic Road Town amphitheater.

Administration Building. Here also is the large white BVI Government's new Administration Building, with many offices including the Attorney General's Office and the Registrar's Office for weddings.

Village Cay Center. A popular and well designed center of activity, Village Cay Marina (494-2771) has daily, weekly and monthly slips, ice, water, electricity, cable TV, spa, garbage and oil disposal, and all the yachtman's needs.

The White Squall II, an 80' schooner offering daysails, is located here. On one dock is the Inner Harbour Marina with BVI Yacht Charters, Ltd. and The Ample Hamper Too.

BotanicGardensIcon(DanBurch).jpg (3848 bytes) J.R.O'Neal Botanic Garden is a quarter mile north of the Main Street shops, near the police station. Continue on past the high school and look on the left.

Wickham's Cay

Shops.
While the greatest number of shops are the Main Street Area (click to go there), other shops are on Wickman's Cay.

Crafts Alive Village

Seen here at its opening, the Crafts Alive Village, at the lower end of Wickham's Cay toward the ferry dock, offers a great collection of small shops for local crafts and a wide variety of products (picture from BVI Review).

The Farmers' Market (located just above Wickham's Cay at the round-a-bout), is open on Saturdays with locally grown farm products.

Violet's (Wickham's Cay 494-6398) sells elegant lingerie as well as luggage, if you happen to have lost yours on the flight.

Sea Urchin

SeaUrchinOldMillIcon.jpg (9675 bytes)

The Wickham's Cay branch (494-4108) is housed in an old mill. Specializing in island and beach wear from sandals and sun dresses to island-print shirts and swimsuits, the Sea Urchin also has a branch in the Main Street Area (494-2044) as well

Facing Waterfront Drive, Colombian Emeralds, is a jewelry chain with many locations worldwide.

At the intown round-a-about, or traffic circle, Bolo's (494-2867) is a popular variety store.

Also at the round-a-about, Bobby's Market Place (email) is a supermarket and the favorite provisioner of many with a huge selection of fresh produce, meats, baked goods, wines and liquors, decent prices and free delivery.

M ore shops, with more restaurants, are in the Main Street area, just a few minutes walk across Waterfront Drive.

Touring
Close to the marinas on the Inner Harbour on Wickham's Cay is the focal point Village Cay complex, with restaurants including its own Village Cay and the nearby Captain's Table, Spaghetti Junction and Fish Trap.

A nice stroll here is on the marina docks as well as along the sidewalk on the Inner Harbour seawall.

Continuing on leads to a large flat space that comprises the off-loading area for the cruise ships, with an area for vendors as well.

These magnificent, sometimes gleaming white ships dominate their immediate area, but appear as mere toys sitting in Road Town's vast "amphitheatre."

The way these small mountains surround this huge harbour creates an almost circular panorama.

It is exhilerating to experience this incredible landscape from the center of this open expanse at ground level. Perhaps it's the way the cruise ship, so overpowering in size itself, is in turn so overwhelmed by nature's majestic work.

Further over is the Sea Urchin in an colorful old mill.

The Main Street area with more shops and restaurants is just a few minutes walk across Waterfront Drive.

Up near the round-a-bout is Bolo's variety store and Zodiac's restaurant. A short walk down the interior mall takes you back to Wickham's Cay near the Cable & Wireless telephone company, now further down and across the street.

Continue this tour by going to the Main Street Shops. Simply head to Waterfront Drive and turn left, taking the first right after the ferry.

Dining.
The Wickham's Cay and Main Street area of Road Town has the greatest selection of dining choices in one vicinity in the islands.

Village Cay Dockside Dining

BoatShow88VillageCayMarinaNite.jpg (13204 bytes)

Right on the water, it's dinghy dock pictured here, the Village Cay restaurant (494-2771) serves local fish such a Mahi-Mahi and Wahoo and other items from its outdoor grilling station. The Tuesday and Thursday buffets feature hot and cold West Indian fare. Village Cay is a meeting point for boaters, locals and business and leisure guests.

Dinghy dock. In the foreground is the dinghy dock which can be used when visiting this side of town.

Captin's Table. Also overlooking the harbour further around on the point, the Captin's Table (494-3885) restaurant has an extensive menu and wine list. its excellent food has a French flavor including Herbed Rack of Lamb.

Spaghetti Junction (494-4880 email) has a great new place on the point. Still a cozy pasta place popular with residents and boaters who can dinghy right up, the menu includes old favorites such as Osso Bucco or Beef Tenderloin (stuffed with lobster and shrimp and topped with a creamy macadamia nut sauce) as well as many Italian dishes such as Pollo di Bollentini, an outstanding Cioppino (lobster, shrimp and mussels in a delicious, spicy seafood broth, served over a bed of fettuccini) and spicy Jambalaya Pasta with blackened shrimp.

The "Bat Cave" still has a darkened interior, but is upstairs now with the same great music with a dance floor, smoke-free with a/c and a happy hour 5-7 pm--a nice little spot for drinks, especially on the outdoor second story deck overlooking the inner harbour.

Cafesito (494-7412), with a romantic atrium, has excellent food and Spainish tapas.

More restaurants, with many more shops, are in the Main Street area, just a few minutes walk across Waterfront Drive.

Lodging. The largest selection of hotels, inns and resorts for every budget are available in Road Town. Most are close to the harbour. See Hotels, Inns and Resorts at Road Town for more information. Pictured here is the Village Cay Hotel, right on the docks of Wickham's Cay and a favorite of boaters. Here also is Marie's By The Sea.

Touring Wickham's Cay II

Coming into Road Town from the airport, you will be pleasantly surprised by the modern four lane divided highway. On the inland side is a modern supermarket, the Riteway, BVI's best.

On the harbour side is the entrance to Wickham Cay II. Take its namesake road and you will come to The Moorings, a chance to tour its docks and dine at its outdoor cafe.

Contining on the four lane, on the inland side is the Treasure Isle hotel. At least give its circular entry loop a spin. Note also the possibility of a very fine experience inside.

For boaters, the first "A" dock at The Moorings is available for transients (VHF 12)-- a great place to stop for serious provisioning (10 minute walk to Riteway).

The Main Street stores and restaurants of the "downtown" Wickham's Cay I area is but a nice short dingy ride by water across the marina. A good dinghy dock is at the Village Cay dockside restaurant at the opposite seaward corner. By land, the trip is longer but a long walk or a short cab ride.

Treasure Isle
	The Lime and Mango's verandah overlooking the harbour is great for cocktails at sunset.
Treasure Isle has a pool alongside the Spy Glass Bar, whose open air lounge offers great views of the harbour.

Further around to the starboard (right) back side of the Road Town Harbour is the Moorings Marina with The Moorings, the famous chartering company, its subsidiary Footloose Charters, Underwater Safari (email 494-3235) a dive company, and various stores.

Groceries & Provisions. This is the area for serious grocery shopping and provisioning with the largest Riteway Supermarket branch (8AM-10PM Mon-Sat & 8AM-8PM Sun)(similar to an American supermarket with great air-conditioning), K-Mark's Gourmet Galley, and Tico Importing Co. (at the entrance to Wickham's Cay II, 494-2211), with a large variety of discounted and wholesale fine wines and spirits. Across the side street from Riteway is their Cash & Carry Wholesale outlet for volume purchase discounts. See Groceries & Provisions.

Dining.
The C & F Restaurant (494-4941), run by Clarence, a talented local chef and his wife Florence, is very popular with good food at reasonable prices, such as local seafood cooked any style you want (try the grilled swordfish), barbequed fare, and West Indian dishes.

The Lime and Mango (494-2501)(see picture), another popular spot at the Treasure Isle Hotel has Caribbean and Mexican dishes.

The Moorings Mariner Inn restaurant offers sailors and others great burgers and rotis for lunch as well as dinners such as rack of lamb.

Lodging. The largest selection of hotels, inns and resorts for every budget are available in Road Town. Most are close to the harbour. See Hotels, Inns and Resorts at Road Town for more information. The Treasure Isle Hotel and the Moorings/Mariner Inn are in this part of Road Town.

Fort Burt

Fort Burt Hotel has rooms partly built on the remains of a 17th Century Dutch Fort. Originally built on a hill with commanding views overlooking the harbour to defend Road Town, the fort was rebuilt by the English in 1776, and named after William Burt, Governor of the Leeward Islands. Free and open daily from dawn to dusk, the foundations and mazazine remain of this historic ruin. Now run by Pusser's, food and beverage is available at the onsite restaurant.

Don't miss Prospect Reef, a little further on to the water side leaving Road Town.

Road Reef, protecting the harbour at its port entrance, is an extensive reef reaching around Burt Point from the Fort Burt and Road Reef marinas on the inside to Prospect Reef Resort on the outside facing the Sir Francis Drake Channel.

Touring
Continuing on Waterfront Drive, look on the inland side up a steep hill for the big attraction in this area, Fort Burt--Tortola's most intact historic ruin.

Inside the harbour, a buoyed channel reaches the Fort Burt Marina, with transient slips, fuel, water, ice).

This area is the home of Conch Charters, Paradise Pub, Island Marine Supply Store, an excellent marine chandlery, a dinghy engine repair shop, and Elm Sail Makers. Across the street is the Ft. Burt Hotel.

Ft. Burt Roof

For sailors approaching this side of the Road Town Harbour, Road Reef is marked by the gold roof of the fine restaurant at Ft. Burt Hotel

A channel leads further on to Road Reef Marina, home of TMM Bareboat Vacations. Nearby is a small convenience Riteway Market.

Prospect Reef Resort is fully on the Sir Francis Drake Channel with its own navigable harbour, on whose shores are found boat tours, Rainbow Visions photography, and many excellent services

Swimming with Dolphins!
Dolphin Discovery is found at Prospect Reef' with its unique lagoons rich in sea life.

Dining Tour
For sailors, there is the Mariner's Inn at the Moorings complex and, overlooking the Road Town's Inner Harbour Marina is Village Cay dockside dining, the Captain's Table and the Spaghetti Junction. Also, the Paradise Pub has drinks and dinner on a veranda overlooking the harbour in the Ft. Burt area.

For romantics, Brandywine Bay is an elegant restaurant in a great setting.

Tips on Dining in or near Road Town

Skyworld. Many travelers, especially first timers, like to visit SkyWorld (494-3567), a taxi drive trip into the clouds above Road Town. See a review of Skyworld at Life on Ridge Road.

Brandywine Bay. A lovely romantic hillside country inn, Brandywine Bay (for dinner only) offers an acclaimed Florentine cuisine by chef Davide Pugliese at Brandywine Bay, a taxi ride toward the East End Airport.

BVI Yacht Charters, Ltd.

Charter Boats at or near Road Town

Most BVI boat chartering companies are here in Road Harbour and nearby locations on the inland (Sir Francis Drake Channel) side of Tortola. For the location of charter boats, see Charter in the BVIs for more information.