The Road Town Ferry Terminal at the end of a busy day
Amanda and I recently had the pleasure of visiting the British Virgin Islands after a relatively lengthy hiatus. Each time we return to the BVI’s, we are struck by the beauty of the islands, the water, the people, and the amazing sailing. However, if there is one adjective to describe the BVI’s, it must be the word fun. It is just such a fun spot with fun things to do every single day. On this trip we hosted three couples who had not visited the British Virgin Islands before. One of our pleasures is taking people to the obvious attractions (The Baths, Willy T., Soggy Dollar, etc.) and appreciating these places through the eyes of first timers. Of course, we also took them to some of our favorite spots as well (namely Anegada).
However, before you get to experience the greatness of the BVI’s, you have jump through a few hoops to get there. Not as fun, but still worth it to visit one of the best sailing grounds on the planet. As of this writing, 26 November 2021, the BVI’s have been slowly relaxing the rules for entry for those persons who are vaccinated. If you are not vaccinated, there are some additional quarantine requirements, etc. To see the latest, this is a link to the official government site: https://bvi.gov.vg/travel-protocols
We are going to break this down for the vaccinated traveler.
-Before you go, procure travel insurance that covers covid quarantine. Print out your certificate of insurance for your trip! Use this link to find what works best for you, but Amanda and I used Insubuy. https://www.bviaacloud.com/covid-19-protocol/covid-19-travel-insurance
-Get a PCR or Rapid Antigen test within 48 hours of arrival to the BVI. If you do this step, you will NOT need to take a covid test upon arrival. Trust us, just do this step and save yourself a load of aggravation!
-Once you arrive at the ferry terminal or airport, they will check your insurance and covid test and you will then be cleared to proceed to Immigration and then Customs. Be prepared to pay an environmental fee based on a per person amount. Yay! Now you can go and enjoy all that the islands have to offer!
Need to wait for friends or a boat? Enjoy Pusser's Directly Across the Street
Departing to the United States provided a couple of different challenges. You need to have a Rapid Antigen test within 3 days of departure to the US Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico. You are on vacation, and it dawns on you that you need to go home. Eventually. Bummer. What to do?
-Option 1. Plan your trip to go to the Health Clinic on Jost Van Dyke a day or two before you depart. It is approximately $70 per person. We recommend making an appointment before you come to the BVI, but in no case less than 48 hours in advance. Be sure to confirm the day before. 284-346-1709
-Option 2. What if you are relaxing at one of the outlying islands? No problem! We had Riiah Durante from British Traders Concierge arrange a doctor to come to the boat and test us all. All in, it was $185 per person. More expensive, but in this case it was worth it to keep our custom itinerary. Riiah is a problem solver in general and we highly recommend her. Her website is www.britishtradersconcierge.com
-Other options: If you are going to be in Road Town for a day or two before departing, make an appointment at the Dr. Orlando Hospital 284-852-7650. Also in Tortola is Penn Medical 284-495-3299.
Again, we recommend making covid test reservations before you depart for the BVI so that you can relax and just have fun on your vacation!
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