The Ultimate Beach Day at Long Bay was a bold claim on the menu of shore excursions for the day Celebrity Ascent docked in Tortola. Could it really be the ultimate stretch of sand in the Caribbean? It was a challenge I just had to take up
When my cruises in the past have visited the British Virgin Islands, I’ve generally opted to make the pilgrimage to The Baths, an incredibly photogenic coast lined with giant boulders on another island in the BVI chain, Virgin Gorda.
But since Ascent was docking in Tortola, a beach day on Virgin Gorda would have required a time-consuming long boat ride and then a bus ride to what I know from experience can be a crawl through tight crevices between rocks to reach its narrow and regularly crowded strip of sand.
So let’s check out Long Bay, which is actually on Beef Island, connected by a bridge to the road around the coast of Tortola. Our jovial driver Bryson greets our beachgoers at the pier and leads us to his Ford F-150 that’s been converted into a jitney with seating for up to 16 passengers.
Air conditioning is natural and free here. All the tour vehicles seem to feature open-air seating in vehicles created from pickups or slightly the worse-for-wear Land Rovers. There are side curtains you can roll down in case there’s a change in the weather, but today is brilliantly sunny, the way it is most of the year on this lush tropical island.
I’m glad I didn’t opt to rent a car here because not only are the roads not marked with directions, much of the driving is straight up and down steep hills on potholed cliffside roads with n0 guard rails. There’s got to be a good business in tire, brake and transmission repairs on Tortola.
There are a more than a few gasps as we meet ongoing traffic on hairpin turns, but even more awesome are the spectacular views of the sparkling ocean as we reach the summits. We’re headed east to Beef Island and cross the Queen Elizabeth Bridge, where soon the paved highway turns to a gravel trail.
Destination Long Bay Beach and–wonder of wonders– there’s hardly anyone here, despite the fact that there are two big cruise ships visiting Tortola today.
And what a beach it is. The two-mile long strip of incredibly comfortable golden sand is one of the most idyllic I’ve encountered in the Caribbean. One slight drawback that might be a factor detering the crowds is there are no palms or bushes to provide shade along the beach. A couple of concessions have set up to rent sets of beach loungers and big umbrellas for $25 for the day and that can be a good investment considering the glare of the mid-day sun reflecting from the gentle surf and golden sand.
For taking a splash, you have to scope out where the bottom is just sand because in stretches there are rocks that could make wading uncomfortable. But the water is clear and always at a beautiful temperature and there are only gentle waves.
Beachcombing is a treat on smooth sand you can sink ankle deep into at spots where the waves converge. Its soothing and almost meditative to reach the end of the beach and realize how long it really is.
The brave–and experienced– might also like to try their hand at kite surfing and there’s a concession that can set you up with the equipment. But it’s not for the beginners here.
Just strapping onto the surfboard that has a long steering fin beneath it requires a lot of practice in co-ordination, balance and control. You’re strapped into a harness connected to the cloth kite that pulls you along remarkably fast in the steady breeze in the bay. Steering is done with the kite’s ropes and fortunately there are few boats in the water that could snag them. It’s beautiful to watch a skilled kite surfer seemingly fly in the air above the water.
The Celebrity Cruises tour includes a ticket good for a tropical drink at the beach bar and there is a menu of barbecue and jerk specialties. A signpost on the bar reminds us that we’re thousands of miles away from places where it can snow.
So was it an ultimate beach day? There were cheers of agreement all around as we drove back to Celebrity Ascent that it had a right to claim the crown– at least on Tortola.
There are more popular beaches on Tortola that are more convenient to the cruise port, but Cane Garden Bay and Brewer’s Bay Beach to the north are notorious for being crowded when ships are in port. The next time a Caribbean cruise takes me to Tortola, I’ll opt for the ultimate the island has to offer: uncrowded and pristine Long Bay Beach.
Story by Wallace Immen, The Cruisington Times
