Virgin Gorda

I must preface this review by stating that we only spent one day on Virgin Gorda, so we did not get a chance to fully immerse ourselves in the culture; however, that one day was pretty special. My husband and I stayed on the neighboring island of Tortola and took a day excursion to Virgin Gorda to visit the famous Baths. Speedy's (ferry service) offers multiple trips per day from Road Town and Trellis Bay (by the airport). It takes a quick 30-40 minutes and delivers you to the Virgin Gorda harbor where there are a plethora of taxis waiting to shuttle you to The Baths (approx. $10US each way). Once at The Baths, you will find two restaurants and a couple of nice gift shops. We arrived around noon and had lunch at the open-air restaurant, Top of The Baths (which also has a small pool to cool off in). The food was nothing particularly special, but it was good (I recommend the tuna ceviche and the Painkillers!). When you're ready to enter The Baths, purchase a ticket at the kiosk ($3 pp) and start your way down the path. What I didn't realize is that the path is longer than expected (maybe .4 mile) and has many uneven surfaces and steps. I had visited The Baths once before, but by boat not by land, so I was unaware of the terrain. I tell you this, not because it was a problem for us, but because it may be a problem for others. If you or someone in your party has any type of walking issue/disability, I would not recommend visiting The Baths in any capacity. Having said that, once you arrive at the first beach, you will be overwhelmed by its pristine beauty -- sugar white sands, turquoise water, and sailboats bobbing in the near distance. Take some time to enjoy this beach before continuing down the path to The Baths and "the cathedral." While the signage is a little obtuse, you can't miss The Baths when you find them -- the massive pile-up of volcanic boulders gives it away. Don't be confused, as other reviewers have, into thinking that this is some kind of spa treatment -- there are no mud baths or whirlpools. You can soak amongst the warm, protected rock "baths" for as long as you like, but don't miss the opportunity to enter the rock dwellings on land and do some spelunking around the caves and inlets. They have provided some ropes and ladders to aid your exploration, but I would still recommend some type of water shoe for grip. And if you have a fear of enclosed spaces, this part may not be for you. If you continue far enough into the caves, you will eventually find the ideal photo opportunity -- the sunlight illuminating "the cathedral." Pretty awesome. (You might want to protect your phone in a waterproof pouch, if you fear you may drop it - several spots require two hands to negotiate.) After you have soaked and spelunked, you can return to The Top of the Baths for a swim and/or a cocktail -- and maybe a little shopping in the boutiques (which are better than anything we found on Tortola). We had made advanced arrangements with our taxi driver, Clinton, to return and pick us up at a designated time, which he did. In fact, he was early. He returned us to the ferry dock and we were on our way back to Tortola. Entire trip: approx. 5 hours. And well worth it!

Beautiful Island that I will always consider my second home. My son lives on Virgin Gorda, so there is that BUT other than that, it is literally paradise!!!! Best for traveling with friends and family!! So much to see, experience and do!! I never do excursions so I wouldn't really know about that topic but even just touring around on your own, Google search will give you all you need to know!!! You have to go and experience it

The baths/caves are really cool. Didn't see much else here.

This place is absolutely beautiful 😍 A must see if you're able to! The Baths were gorgeous and beyond words!

This was one of the ports on our cruise in April. We had so much fun exploring the different caves and climbing the rock formations at the Baths. It was sad when we got to the tender docks though. There was so much devastation from the hurricanes. I will say, that you can hire a cab to take you to the baths rather than paying for an excursion from the cruise ship.

This place is such a paradise where there is a good for snorkeling with fantastic sea. Although it is a little difficult to get to the island, it is well worth it

Beautiful Island. They are in the process of rebuilding from the Hurricane and it's all starting to come back together. The people are very friendly.

Great day trip experience and overall very beautiful. I didn't find it as enjoyable as St John USVI, but it was still worth the trip. Pro tip: Don't forget your passport if you're visiting from one of the U.S. Islands, because Gorda is a UK territory.