Read Family Travel Forum's useful tips on how to have a great vacation in the British Virgin Islands and the top family-friendly resorts.
An archipelago of 50 islands, cayes and rocks spread over 59-square-miles, the British Virgin Islands (BVIs to the cognoscenti) are known for calm, clear waters and steady breezes, and are perfect for boating adventures and underwater explorations.
The most well-known of the BVIs include Tortola, the largest island in the chain with the capital of Road Town, and Virgin Gorda which offers more in the way of fine hotels and amenities. The islands do not offer many cultural experiences, but if you enjoy outdoor activities, glorious beaches and peace and quiet, you are sure to find them there. Several small, private islands such as Peter, Necker and Guana Islands offer very deluxe, one-per-island resorts.
Family-Friendly BVI Accommodations
Many families prefer to stay at least one week in the BVI, and enjoy having their own villa or condo unit. The following list of accommodations on Tortola are in the higher-end price bracket, but they are either free-standing homes by themselves, or part of smaller, two to three unit apartment complexes that offer more privacy.
Mount Sage Villas
Road Town
Tortola, BVI
284/495-9567
Mountainside apartments, nearby Sage Mountain National Park and Rain Forest, two-bedroom, two-bath, two-floor apartments, full kitchen, living room, private balcony, car rental available, “convenience yet seclusion.”
Long Bay Beach Resort
Long Bay
Tortola, BVI
866/237-3491
Luxury resort offering shopping, horseback riding, diving, tennis, fine restaurants, beachfront and hillside apartments of various appointment.
Limeberry House
Road Town
Tortola, BVI
284/495-9227
“The most colorful villa in Tortola,” minutes from the beach, tree-filled garden, separate bedrooms, each with bath, off of courtyard.
DatePalm
Road Town
Tortola, BVI
284/494-5022
Two-bedroom apartments, full kitchen, full bath, living and dining rooms, accommodates family of four, balconies w/ sea views, car rentals and maid service available.
The Villas at Fort Recovery
Tortola
800/367-8455; 284/495-4354
One and two-bedroom villas and a large three to four-bedroom house on a private beach. Very luxurious property built around a 17th century Dutch fort, with view of six islands. Activities include swimming, boating, snorkeling, mountain biking and yoga.
To read more about Tortola, enjoy the Greenberg’s review of their Tortola BVI vacation. To read more about deluxe resorts on Virgin Gorda, including the Bitter End Yacht Club, Biras Creek Resort and Little Dix Bay, check out the first-hand reviews by FTF families.
Natural Attractions Abound
Of course, you’re not going to stay in your resort or private villa for the entire vacation. Virgin Gorda is known for its scenic beauty and, in addition to beaches, has The Baths — a very famous waterfront rock formation — and a copper mine. This account of a family vacation by chartered yacht around Virgin Gorda BVI describes some island highlights.
Tortola has the Sage Mountains Rain Forest and a botanical garden. Rum distilleries and diving wrecks are other attractions.
Mostly, it is avid swimmers, snorkelers, scuba divers, fishers and sailors who seek out the magnificent turquoise beaches, and even if your family just wants to rest and read, the beaches truly are quiet and very relaxing.
Sightseers will enjoy knowing that some inter-island travel is available, particularly to other islands such as St. Thomas and St. John (which are U.S. Virgin Islands), St. Bart’s and St. Martin.
Useful Facts for the BVI
Although these islands are part of the British Commonwealth, currency on the islands is the US dollar. English is the spoken language, and driving is on the left side of the road as in the U.K.
As far as climate is concerned, the weather is generally fair and breezy year-round with an average temperature of 90°F during the summer and 85°F during the winter. Winter holiday-goers should plan their vacation carefully as the passing fronts from mid-December through mid-January, known as the Christmas Winds, can cause windy and rainy weather.
More general information about the British Virgin Islands can be found on the following websites: www.bviguide.com, www.britishvirginislands.com and www.bviwelcome.com.
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Cute. Made me hungry. Have you gone back since?
WOW ITS REAL BEAUTIFUL..
Much better place in Palawan… like El Nido and Club Noah in taytay
Congratulations on your son's upcoming graduation!
For all the information you'll need to plan a houseswap, please search the familytravelforum.com site for "house swapping" or "home exchanges" and you'll find some recommended services that specialize in this.
Let us know how it goes! thanks
Angela, you can read more about the requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative at this link:
http://www.familytravelforum.com/how/vacation_deals/227-News-Families-Have-Cheaper-WHTI-Options-for-Kids-Land-and-Sea-Borders.html
According to the WHTI website, you are required to obtain parents' permission, and we quote from them:
Groups of Children:
Beginning June 1, 2009, U.S. and Canadian citizen children under age 19 arriving by land or sea from contiguous territory and traveling with a school group, religious group, social or cultural organization, or sports team, may also present an original or copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a Naturalization Certificate, or a Canadian Citizenship Card.
The group should be prepared to present a letter on organizational letterhead with the following information:
* The name of the group and supervising adult,
* A list of the children on the trip, and the primary address, phone number, date of birth, place of birth, and name of at least one parent or legal guardian for each child,
* A written and signed statement of the supervising adult certifying that he or she has obtained parental or legal guardian consent for each participating child.
Thank you for your post. We are looking for a family vacation in France for my son's senior graduation and this sounds just perfect! I've never thought about house swapping or how that is done. Could you please give me more information on how one would go about doing that. I am very interested. I'm glad your family had so much fun.
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This sounds great! I’ve always wanted to go to New Orleans.
Wow, I didn’t know that the disabled were shunned in Jamaica. This was informative and heartwarming!
“I was served a sublime slice of humble pie.” I liked that a lot. You have a bunch of great one-liners in here. Really well written!
Backpacking’ll do it. Great title!
I highly recommend another excelent option to do bike tours in buenos Aires, Buenos Aires City Tours on Bike | Urban Biking.
Thank you very much,
Regards,
Guille
Nepal is good destination for adventure lover. We can announce proudly we have more then 13 highest mountain among the world. Nepal is not famous just for mountain it is famous other adventure activities too. Like river, natural beauty and different culture, society, and many religion too. Nepal have very good destination for trekking, hiking, peak climbing, paragliding, bungee jumping, and other more we offer all above activities at suitable price for you .we would like to be your family member, and Thing positive be positive Nepal will be your's Home and I will be your family member if you choose me .hope see you at my place with your sweat smile.
Sandesh Sharma
http://www.nepalvillagetrek.com
nepalviewtrek@hotmail.com
+9779841397842
Really a fabulous article……………
<a href="http://www.ibowsolutions.com">It Solution</a>
I like the bit about the B- movie vampire. Interesting!
Wow. I can’t imagine doing anything like this! Have you climbed more since?
Funny. Cool story!
good afternoon
wowww beautiful… nice place
thanks for sharing this camp, i think i should visit it with my family.
good read, thanks for this article
We have eaten at the restaurant and had drinks at the bar at this Ritz. Both times we left saying they need better customer service. Not up to Ritz standards in our opinion
Would visiting this resort cost me a lot?
Hi, we have been in Athens last summer with our 2 children. It was great!if you are traveling to Athens, there are many attractions for families e.g> Copa copana Park, Allou fun park,Hellenic Cosmos, the cultural center which is a child-oriented museum with exhibition halls, its really great! and many other things for family, try this> http://www.facebook.com/cityofathens?ref=ts,
our senior group from penn estates would like info on a day trip to your facility as we have in the past. please forward info price etc for us to plan and open dates
We love KBH. We have returned many times and are always treated great and have a wonderful time. Price is great too.
This is definitely the wave of the future and will be a demand for traveling business people. I think it has a great design and works well for its intended purpose.
This is devastating. Well-written and insightful, though. Nicely done.
Wow, amazing. It’s interesting that this stuck out in your mind so well even after travelling to so many different locations. Well done!
This IS really good. You have a very captivating writing style; it brought be in at the very beginning. The rose thing was amazing. Well done!
what a joyful clever piece
i can see myself there
i think i dream when i see this beach
but i live in egypt
i love it so much. it's my dream. but now i dont have any money:-(
Please confirm my reservation for Aug 23 in the name of Hansford and Bortels. My question is: is the dining casual as in shorts and sandals? Thank you, and again please confirm my reservation.
Thanks yahoo.
Sounds like fantastic, chaotic fun! Take us along next time!
Hilarious review. I'm not sure I would go but your honest review makes it almost tempting.
This place sounds just great. We had a similarly cultural and fun weekend at Kutscher's in the Catskills and perhaps some of their guests go to the Doral Arrowwood on alternate weekends!
Thanks for sharing what sounds like a great cheap family vacation.
i hope travel to uroup but i am poor i dont have more money ,
Nice article…I appreciate the effort for posting this…
In my experience, babies usually like the sound and smell of someone they miss, and may stop crying.
maybe your partner can make a tape/phone message of their voice, and leave behind some clothes, like pajamas, that they might feed the baby in. Having that to offer the baby might comfort her.
Another option is giving baby something warm and moving, like the feeling of being rocked in someone's arms. our son loved being wrapped in a blanket and held on top of the clothes dryer (turned on low), which moved a bit, made some sounds, and seemed to help him stop crying.
Otherwise, just wait. It is sure to pass.
wah it is v amazing and wonderful resort
Nepal is a very popular destination for trekking and expedition. The range of treks in Nepal varies from a short gentle hike through terraced foothills to lengthy expeditions to Mount Everest’s summit. Depending on your level of fitness, stamina or experience, you’ll find an adventure of your lifetime. The Himalayan regions of Nepal contain some of the best places in the world to go trekking. You can choose from treks like Everest base camp, Annapurna or Langtang to less popular trekking options including Mustang or Kanchenjunga Base Camp.Trekking is the gift of Nepal to the world in adventure tourism. To be one with Nature, to regenerate one's own confidence, to relive oneself, to appreciate Nepal's exquisiteness, to interact with its generous and responsive peoples are some of the places of interest of trekking in Nepal. Trekking is one long-lasting activities that draws reiterate visitors to the country. Consequently, Nepal is the definitive objective for the trekking supporter. for more information log on to nepal travel information website: http://www.nepalvisitors.com
no!!! the best beach in world is boracay!!!! ^_______________-
thanks n v informative
i'like porto saint georgo in italy why not in your list?
Funny. I enjoyed the bit about Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, etc.
This gave a wonderful picture of Dublin in my mind. I went to Ireland eight years ago; his brought me back.
I am also curious: what writing program were you on?