We went to Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gorda for our honeymoon after a Puerto Rico wedding, and were not sure what to expect. People had strongly recommended the island and we had seen good reviews for this property on TripAdvisor, but we had no real way to gauge the quality. If you are hoping for a romantic getaway and have saved up some money for a nice trip, we highly recommend this place. The property is beautiful, the sand and water are pristine, the food is great (pricey, but it was the edge of the Virgin Islands in high season!), the service excellent, the bed comfortable, and the scuba diving amazing (highly recommend Ben and Kay from Kilbrides' Sunchaser Scuba, whom we'll review separately, too!). The resort offers many day trips and activities, and you should consider doing a package with your room and the activities you will probably do the most, as you may be able to save money this way.
Great:
Mo, the general manager of Bitter End, was very professional, friendly, welcoming, and impressive, and really made us feel at home. Walking or taking the complimentary golf cart shuttle between our cabana and the restaurants at night was very romantic, passing gorgeous yacht and sailboats under stars and palm trees. Hammocks and lounge chairs, balcony views worth every penny of the trip, and spacious, air-conditioned rooms with plenty of storage and a mini-bar really completed the experience for us. The Pub is very cool for sports fans, and the beautiful views from the beaches and restaurants are as good as anything you'll find in the Seychelles or Kauai. Again, the availability of water-based activities (sailing, snorkeling, diving, etc) and organized trips (i.e. to the Baths, which we LOVED), makes this place worth the price alone!
Not-so-great:
We wish there had been a bit more selection for food (i.e. the mini-mart had very limited and expensive selection, and there really are few alternatives for dining besides the couple good but expensive restaurants on site), but realize that it's hard to be in a remote place and still keep prices low. Movie nights and some other things were geared more toward kids and families than couples, and ferry service between the resort and Tortola was VERY expensive (over $140 roundtrip for the two of us), a surprise to us on the final bill. We went scuba diving with Kilbrides at 8am two mornings, effectively missing out on the included Bitter End breakfast that is not served until 8am, unfortunately. Mo tried to help us with this, but the restaurant resisted providing us with a pre-8am breakfast box, which would have been nice, since we did pre-pay for the breakfasts. Ultimately, despite these minor complaints/inconveniences, we'd still go back to this wonderful place again, perhaps a bit more prepared (maybe bringing some food to avoid eating out every meal), perhaps paying for a scuba or sailing package.
- Bitter End Yacht Hotel
- Bitter End Yacht Resort
