With something for everyone, Pusser’s Marina Cay offers water sports,an outstanding restaurant on the beach, and a nightly BBQ on theisland’s summit with its spectacular 360º view. The bar on the porch ofthe Robb White House features a daily Happy Hour and earlyentertainment. The main restaurant on the beach offers local cuisine andAmerican and Continental standards. Each dining location hasspectacular views of the sea and the anchorage. This is where you sipyour Pusser’s Painkiller in the gentle breeze of the evening, and relaxto the soft music and the lapping of water along the beach. And it isonly a 10-minute FREE ferry ride on the Pusser’s boat from near theairport to the island. Pusser’s Marina Cay is home to a Pusser’s CompanyStore that certainly has one of the prettiest locations in theCaribbean. It is chocked full of the entire line of Pusser’s proprietarytropical and nautical clothing, and also carries a good stock ofcondiments and snacks.
In-House Activities
We have a number of activities available to you at no extra cost. Please ask at Reception for details on how to get any necessary equipment.
Windsurfing
Our Water Sports partner, ‘Boardsailing BVI’, has been windsurfing here in the British Virgin Islands for 20 years. They offer a range of services for all levels of experience, from a beginner 2 hr “Guaranteed Success” lesson, through intermediate and advanced clinics. The guarantee of success is that if you are unable to do it, then the lesson is free of charge. Windsurfing is an innovative sport that is rapidly developing, and there are sizes available for all ages and ability.
Kayaking
The warm tropical waters of the BVI are perfect for the eco-friendly kayaks, which provide a quiet and unobtrusive way of exploring the many secret bays and inlets. Both doubles and singles are available for hire and will enable you to enjoy a marine nature scene rarely visited by other vacationers. Bring your snorkeling gear and discover mangroves, sea grass, manta rays, conch shells, coral reefs, tropical fish and turtles, then relax on a deserted tropical Island with a picnic lunch. Guided kayak tours are also available for groups of 4 or more and could consist of a real-life treasure hunt with a real treasure map or a desert island picnic.
Surfing
The North shore of Tortola offers some spectacular surfing beaches that are influenced by the low-pressure swells from the North in the months November through May. Surf and Boogie boards of every size are available for hire from $55. Please ask at reception if you would like us to arrange for the rental of surfboards. Return transportation can also be arranged.
Small Boat Sailing
Hobie Cats and Sunfish are available for qualified guests who wish the adrenaline rush of these challenging craft. Take snorkeling gear and head off to a nearby deserted beach for that ultimate tropical escape. Not qualified? No problem, just ask at reception about arranging lessons.
Power Boat Hire and Island Excursions
Tourists arrive in the British Virgin Islands every day of the year to enjoy their holiday in one of the most pleasant settings in the world. The BVI is unique in that no where else on this planet are there so many islands and cays so accessible and so close together. Typically, elsewhere in the world, islands close to each other are usually 20 to 50 miles apart. From the far west end of St. Thomas, USVI to the far east end of Virgin Gorda, BVI is only 40 miles. Within this expanse are some 80 – 90 islands and cays, each with its own character and charm. To visit the BVI and truly appreciate our country, one should visit some of the other islands, hopefully several.
Private Charters
Should you wish to do something a little different, or wish to enjoy the luxury of having the boat to yourselves for the day, King Charters’ flagship “Antillean” is available for private charter. Whatever the size of your party, we await your pleasure. With a cruising speed of between 20 and 22 knots, the Virgin Islands are your personal playground. For a fun-filled day, we offer a luxury motor yacht with all the amenities you would expect in an apartment, including fresh water showers, two toilets, stereo, ample seating in the shade, a sun deck and more. Your day includes lunch at a restaurant, an open bar aboard, and hors d’oeuvres during the early evening. All you need bring are swimsuits, sunscreen, swimming towels and smiles. While we consider our pre-planned tours to be the most comprehensive available, we would be happy to tailor the day to your requirements. Should you wish to travel outside the British Virgin Islands*, Charlotte Amalie is 1 hour & 15 minutes away, the eastern coast of Puerto Rico is 3 hours away.
Salt Water Fly Fishing
Caribbean Fly-Fishing Outfitters Is a newly formed company based on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, a British Territory comprised of some 50 islands and atolls. There is something exciting about salt-water fish. The will to survive gives them their ferocity and tenacity. A 16” bonefish has three times the strength and stamina of a 20” rainbow trout, and pike are like kittens when compared to tarpon. Catching them on the fly is one of the most rewarding fishing experiences imaginable, and the waters are pristine and completely untapped. It’s a fly fisherman’s dream! Caribbean Fly-Fishing Outfitters has the distinction of holding the exclusive rights for guided fly-fishing in the territory. We are working very closely with the Department of Fisheries and Conservation to develop fly-fishing as an active industry for the BVI. We are expecting great success as the BVI has numerous, un-fished flats and reefs teeming with Bonefish, Permit, and Tarpon. If you are interested in catching fish “on the fly”, you can be sure that the fish in the BVI have no idea what you are doing. Of course, it is a “Catch and Release” program. Transportation from either land, or your boat, is on a 28′ Bertram that is equipped with twin inboards, up to date instrumentation, bimini, outriggers, coolers, ice chests, electronic and human fish finders. You will be transferred to a 18′ custom build Bradley poling boat with a professional guide for your fly-fishing experience. The Bertram is also available for snorkeling or island tours should you or someone in your party decide not to fish.
Scuba Diving
Diving In The BVI The British Virgin Islands offers some of the most varied diving in the Caribbean, suitable for all from the newest diver to the saltiest sea dog ! From the gentle, healthy star coral reefs of Great Dog to the fish filled currents flowing around West Dog and Cockroach Islands, from the history of the wreck of the RMS Rhone (voted best wreck in the Caribbean by Skin Diver magazine) to the pelagic treats to be found at the Chikuzen. New divers can take comfort from the sandy seafloor surrounding our islands which limits the vast majority of our dive sites to a maximum depth of 80 feet whilst more experienced divers will be rejuvenated by watching huge schools of fish feeding on the nutrient rich currents at Dry Rocks East or the Visibles. We have rich coral reefs (Great Dog, Ginger Island), undersea pinnacles (Visibles, Invisibles), reefs built on huge undersea builders (Flintstones, Joe’s Cave), wash rocks (Dry Rocks East, Dolphin Rocks) and wrecks (Rhone, Chikuzen, Marie L / Pat, Inganess Bay).
Sage Mountain National Park & Rain Forest
At 1,716 ft, Sage Mountain is the highest peak in the BVI. From the parking area, a trail will lead you into a loop not only to the peak itself, (and extraordinary views), but also to the island’s small rain forest, sometimes shrouded in mist. Most of the forest was cut down over the centuries to clear land for sugarcane, cotton and other crops, as well as pastureland and stands of timber. In 1964 this park was established to preserve what rain forest remained.
Up here you can see mahogany trees, and giant bulletwoods, to say nothing of such birds as mountain doves and thrushes. Closer to the clouds than anywhere else in the B.V.I. and mostly undisturbed by human progress, Sage Mountain is a timeless place. Here, all senses can work to their fullest capacity rewarding those that take the time with smells and sounds unique to the area. Whatever the case might be, you will be rewarded by nature’s mystical beauty and the uniqueness of the sound of silence. Sage Mountain is small in size when compared to other National Parks around the world but its diversity is as important as any.
J.R. O’Neal Botanic Gardens
For those that are intrigued by the islands tropical flora, a visit to the J.R. O’Neill Botanical Gardens is a must. This splendid, four-acre garden is situated in the center of Road Town and displays the last remaining remnants of the Government Agricultural Experimentation Facility established at the turn of the century. It offers a peaceful walk past pergolas covered with colorful vines, and along pathways that wind through a miniature rain forest and fern house. There are many types of cacti, and succulents, hothouses for orchids, gardens of medicinal herbs, and plants and trees indigenous to the seashore, along with 62 varieties of palms. Various interesting species of birds have made the gardens their home. Between the beauty of the flora, various birds and the slow moving red legged tortoise, we recommend you allow yourself ample time to appreciate the full beauty of the gardens. Your trip departs the Resort at 10.30am for Road Town and the Botanic Gardens. After an enjoyable tour of this fascinating facility, you will leave for the Road Town Pub, where lunch will be served. Following lunch, you will be transported to the highest point on the island and the Sage Mountain National Park. After savoring the spectacular views, the tour will continue to the rain forest and the abundance of plant and bird life that make their home there. The final leg is the journey back to the resort, following the spectacular rugged scenery of the North Coast of the island.
Shopping Visit to Road Town
The laid back capital of the BVI is on the south side of Tortola at the head of Road Harbor. It can take an hour or so for an interesting and leisurely stroll down Main Street and along the waterfront where there are still many of the traditional pastel painted West Indian buildings, with high-pitched corrugated-tin roofs, bright shutters, and delicate fretwork trim. Most of the local shops are clustered on and off Road Town’s Main Street, and offer a wide variety of Caribbean art, crafts, clothing, food, jewelry and gifts. Be prepared to explore and don’t be put off by an informal shop entrance as some of the best finds in the BVI lie behind non-traditional doors. A casual morning stroll will probably work up a good appetite for your lunch at the Pusser’s Road Town Pub, which is included in your package. This pub is one of the best known in the Caribbean to sailors and locals alike. The walls are covered with interesting pieces of flotsam and jetsam, much of it donated by passing yachtsmen and the crews of Royal Navy warships. The menu provides a tasty selection of pizzas & burgers (you will not have had better), along with pub favorites such as shepherd’s pie and old-fashioned English fish & chips – and the fish is cod! Then you must visit the adjoining Pusser’s Co. Store where you will find one of the best collections of tropical, travel, island and beachwear. After lunch, take a seat on the Pusser’s Pub porch and watch the people and the boats as they come and go from the ferry dock and customs across the street.
Tortola Island Tour
The British Virgin Islands consist of about 50 islands, islets and cays. Most are remarkably hilly and all but Anegada are volcanic, having exploded from the depths of the sea some 25 million years ago. The BVI are serene seductive and spectacularly beautiful.
In 1493 Christopher Columbus was the first European visitor. Impressed with the number of islands dotting the horizon, he named them Las Once Mil Virgines – the 11,000 Virgins- in honor of the 11,000 virgin-companions of St. Ursula, martyred in the 4th century. In the ensuing years, the Spaniards passed through these waters fruitlessly seeking gold. Then came the pirates, who found the islands’ hidden coves and treacherous reefs ideal bases from which to prey on passing galleons crammed with Mexican and Peruvian gold, silver and spices. Among the most notorious of these fellows were Blackbeard Teach, Bluebeard, Captain Kidd and Sir Francis Drake, who lent his name to the channel that sweeps through the 2 main clusters of the BVI.
In the 17th century, the colorful cutthroats were replaced by the Dutch who, in turn, were sent packing by the British. It was the British who established a plantation economy, and for the next 150 years developed the sugar industry through the labor of African slaves. When slavery was abolished in 1838, the plantation economy collapsed, and the majority of the settlers returned to Europe. The islands dozed, a forgotten corner of the British Empire, until the early 1966 when a new constitution granting the islands’ greater autonomy was approved.
Tortola is the largest and most populated of the islands and has the most hotels, restaurants and shops. Beaches are never far away, and the steeply sloping green hills that form Tortola’s spine are continuously fanned by gentle trade winds. The neighboring islands glimmer like emeralds in a sea of sapphire. It’s a world far removed from the hustle of modern life.
To reserve your rooms on Pusser’s Marina Cay ~ click here ~ or, for more information and to speak with our hotel manager:
Marina Cay Hotel (284) 541-8427
Email: mchmgr@www.bvisunshine.com