An alternative to Abaco: BVI

[DrRalph]

People occasionally remark that although they enjoy Abaco, they are interested in visiting another area of the tropics that is "like Abaco." The most common suggestion is the British Virgin Islands (BVI). We visited BVI in January, and thus present this BVI Trip Report. (http://www.drralph.net/BVI_trip.html) BVI is very interesting, we had a great time, but it doesn't really compare with or could ever replace Abaco.

[Abacoparrott]

I gotta ask......how much is fuel in the BVI's and, if you know...the USVI?

[DrRalph]

$3.35 for 87 octane at auto gas stations, about $4 at the marina; don't know about USVI.

[Eva]

Great report. Glad you had a good trip.

As a confirmed Abaholic, but with a half dozen BVI trips under my belt, I can tell you that the one KEY difference between the BVI and the Abacos is that the BVI have courted cruise ship traffic. Since my first visit there in 1993, when the cruise ship visits were negligible, things have changed dramatically -- when on some days you can expect 4 or more ships calling. The islands are more crowded and congested, the residents less friendly, there is more trash about, and there is a lot more vendor activity in the cheap t-shirt category. It has gotten to point that if I visit the BVI again, it will be in the risky off-season, just to avoid all those extra bodies.

You can get away from the crowds, but you really have to work at it (e.g. as Dr. Ralph did, by foregoing a visit to the Baths altogether). I kind of resent that.

Nevertheless, with some planning and management of expectations, the BVI are a great sailing destination. But give me the Abacos ANY DAY!

[Abacoparrott]

About the only time I can take a satisfying vacation anywhere other than Abaco is when the price is a lot cheaper and therefore, the expectations.....or, another "type" of vacation altogether.......ken

[SusieAndAl]

Hi Everyone,

We decided to go to New Providence for the weekend just for a change. Our impressions were mixed indeed, some good -- some bad. Here's what we experienced:

1) Airport. It's in OK shape, much to our surprise. Clean, typical small vendor shops and everyone was courteous.

2) Taxis. We were very pleasantly surprised: every one (and we took a lot) was clean, the drivers were extremely interested in learning about Abaco (!) and no one tried to gouge us.

3) Bay Street. Pretty sad. It seemed like every third store or restaurant was closed, those that were open were second rate and obviously were catering to the cruise ship folks. At night very few places were open and lots of bums on the street.

4) Shopping Malls. The biggest one is Marathon Mall, and it reminded us of 70's style strip malls in the States -- don't bother. The second biggest is Town Centre: avoid at all cost! It's in a bad neighborhood, very few stores and the prices were outrageous.

5) Gated communities and the proposed BahaMar development. This was almost heartbreaking. Virtually every beach on the island is now or soon will be closed to the locals. The developments are quite nice if you like that sort of thing, but a massive stratification is taking place -- and fast.

The proposed Baha Mar development is unbelievable in size and if completed will mean that every piece of beach on the north will be gated.

6) N.P. proper. There are beautiful neighborhoods like Lyford Cay and Sandy Port, but they're private. Middle class neighborhoods are around, with obvious pride in ownership. But low income neighborhoods are sprawling, and this is a small island.

7) Conversations with locals. We were stunned by the unanimity of unsolicited comments from the locals. Every one voiced tremendous concern about the gated communities and the lack of business these places generate.

We're glad we went to see for ourselves, but happier to come back home to Abaco!

[Megalops]

Interesting read for me as we are going the other way...I've been to the BVI (all on bareboat charters) 13 or 14 times since the mid 80's, but this spring (on our own trawler) will be our first trip to abaco.

I agree with the comment about the cruise ships. I also agree that the last remaining place where the locals have not been somewhat affected by the growth is Anegada, my favorite of all the islands.

I will also say that by far the best way to see the BVI is by boat, specifically on a sailing charter. The wind there is great and the navigation is easy. Just out of curiosity I checked out bareboat charters in Abaco and found that unless you are foolish enough to book with the moorings or sunsail in the BVI a charter in the abacos is nearly twice as expensive.

Anyway, thanks for the info Dr. Ralph. I'm looking forward to our trip more than ever.

[DaGoose]

Great report Dr Ralph! Rick & I joined my parents and brothers on a 10 day USVI/BVI bareboat charter to celebrate the folks' 50th anniversary in 2000. My Mom, Dad and brothers had been there numerous times (they actually owned a charter boat in St Thomas) but it was our first (and only) trip. We loved it although it drove Rick a bit crazy because the fishing wasn't great and being on a sailboat, a bit of a hassle. (He did hook a 4 foot long barracuda while under sail-it was a bit tricky getting it off the line!) He and I wanted to check out Anegada but were overuled, maybe next time it looks beautiful. We were able to experience the Baths with no one around, got there around 8:30 in the morning! And Sandy Spit, which we call my Mom's private island, was incredible and the snorkeling was great. It looks like you might have a photo of Da Loose Mongoose restaurant bar on Tortola. Am I right? We just LOVED that place, had such a great time dancing to the one man band there! Anyhow, thanks so much for the report, sounds like you had a great time.

[Chuck M.]

Nice report Doc. I'll have to hold off on my comparison until our first Abaco trip scheduled for this May, but we have done 5 bareboat ch[COLOR=black]arters in the BVI, and we have loved every one of them. The last one in May 2006 included some

[DrRalph]

If you've ever been to BVI, you've no doubt experienced a "painkiller." This is the local drink, it's a mix of dark rum, coconut syrup, pineapple juice, and scraped nutmeg. Pusser's now sells Painkiller mix (http://store.pussersstore.com/pupacomix.html), you can indeed order it online, I just received a nice three-pack. I prefer Myer's rum, it's not quire as heavy as Pusser's, and I add two ounces of water to dilute the syrupy mix, it's pretty thick otherwise. Makes you think you're back at Smuggler's Cove.:p