Having fun at the Virgin Islands

You may know that the Virgin Islands are divided between the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands… an 1 hour ferry separate them; however if you think right, you have two continents cultures within an hour distance.

The US Virgin Island – St. Thomas is absolutely stunning … more developed and americanised. Fast food chains, malls, resorts and a lot of shopping can be found in the Islands

The British Virgin Islands is as exuberant as the US side but a little bit bigger and although called British and very British in many aspects… It is very americanised too. The currency is the US dollar, the cars have the steering wheel in the left side like in the US but also drive in the left side of the road, like in the UK and the plugs are American rather than British…. A bit confusing I would say…

However no fast food, no branded resorts and no mass shopping…

The islands are about 2 1/2 hours from Miami and very close to Puerto Rico.

The place is a paradise and there is a lot to do!!! And not only at the sea…

On the US side, the biggest city and capital is Charlotte Amalie in St Thomas Island… St John is a smaller island but a preserved US reserve. Part of the US territory, it is ruled by Washington and currently the President is Donald Trump.

On the British side, it is an independent government part of the British monarchy. It has a governor and it is sovereign. The biggest Island is Tortola.

In this trip I had the chance to visit more of the British side… Tortola and Virgin Gorda.

I don’t  know what I expected of the British Virgin Islands… and honestly in the first day I encountered some bumps on my road… However as time passed I chilled to it and to its Caribbean vibe… Way less touristic than the other Caribbean Islands I have been… In the end I really enjoyed myself… I met amazing people and had too many pain killers…

Ah, let me tell you about the painkillers… it is a cocktail! famous in the Islands, made of a combination of coconut milk and rum… It is so sweet that you could call it a desert… The problem of it is that because of the sugar you don’t really feel the alcohol… Until it is toooo late and you are absolutely wasted!

A good place to have the painkillers is in a pub called Pussers… Typical British pub with Caribbean flavours… I had one of my favorite dishes … Cottage pie…

Tortola is full of various nice restaurants, although access is only by car… Public transport is nearly non existent and therefore you need taxis everywhere…

I tried a couple of very nice places, outside Road Town…

For a perfect sunset, you must go to Banana Keet… On the very top of the hill… Gorgeous views… I had a delicious Fetuccini Al frutti di mari… At the sea, I could not resist eating as much sea food as possible…

For a long and French Caribbean meal, you must visit the Brandywine Estate Restaurant… Run by a European couple with a French chef… The food is incredible… Loads of cheese…

The location is also on the top of hill… 360 degrees view of amazing white sanded beaches… Difficult to go back to work if you go on a working day!

Shopping can be interesting depending on where you go. Tortola is not a shopping hub but there are interesting shops in the new pier park. Built at the harbour that serves the cruise lines… you can find from expensive watches and jewelry to fridge magnets and other souvenirs. I was recommended to visit the boutique called Taino… (They are on Facebook). Lili, in the picture is the shop owner and a great host! Gave me a lot of tips!

Wow!! I loved everything and there I discovered this AMAZING designer from El Salvador called Luccas Beach and fun…. I will write a specific post about this brand.

http://www.luccasbeachandfun.com

The Beachwear is fantastic and the pieces make any women look fabulous… I could not resist and bought myself a few pieces…

I was lucky that due to the BVI summer sizzle I managed to meet the designer in person and admire her work… I encourage you to check her page and she distributes worldwide… Pieces that you will not find easily around and you will be the only star wearing it….

The summer sizzle is the BVI fashion week.. It was great that I happened to be there in the evening that it took place. First I would like to thank the organisers for inviting me to come and appreciate some of the best Caribbean designers… Below you will see some of my favourite pieces and the designer’s to names…

First two pictures: The Islander

Then: DC Collection

Then another one of my favorite: Lucas beach and fun.

There are a lot of places and beaches to visit… I was recommended loads of places… However one that is not to be missed is the Baths at Virgin Gorda. The Island is about 30 minutes by ferry from Tortola and it is stunning… A short ride from the pier, takes you to the Baths which is a sea area surrounded by enormous rocks which create tunnels and natural swimming pools (the baths). A spectacular place to visit… Of transparent water and tranquility! On the top of the hill there is a very nice restaurant called The top of the bath… I had a wonderful sushi watching the sunset!

If you feel like having a lot of sea, sun and painkillers… The Virgin Islands is a place to consider… I will definitely go back!

XX Valentina