What a really pretty place this is, that was my reaction to Tortola. The sky was a little overcast but it still was very humid and you could just see the sun trying to escape through the clouds.

Today we would embark on the Best of Tortola excursion and I couldn’t wait, I had been desperate to see Cane Garden Bay with my own eyes since I first came across pictures of it on the internet.

We had originally booked our trip for the morning but it was changed to the afternoon once we boarded the ship so we decided whilst we waited for 1.30pm to come around we would head off into town and see what was there. It was a pleasant walk, quite a long one compared to some ports but nice none the less. There were small huts just to the left when you exited the port and these were full of your typical souvenir type goodies, we had a quick look and made our way further up the road. Once we decided we had seen the best of it we turned and made our way down the back streets and they were little gems. Hidden away were some lovely little buildings. Some were shops some were residential but it was worth the detour just to get a feel for Road Town, they brought you back out opposite the port too so it was impossible to get lost. On our route we passed a Pussers Bar so noted that for the evening as tonight we would not leave Tortola until 11pm.

The time came for our trip so we made our way back towards the cruise ship, met our guide and waited in line until we were told which small coach to board. We left the port and it wasn’t long before the roads became almost vertical! To get to Cane Garden Bay we literally had to climb the mountain and go down the other side. When we reached the top the views were fabulous! To be honest the views in Tortola from every mountain we stunning. You could see for miles and glimpse at other islands like Jost Van Dyke, Necker Island, which is owned by Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Gorda.

Cane Garden Bay did not disappoint it was breath taking! The lush green hills on either side really made it feel like you were being lovingly held whilst you enjoyed this beautiful bay. In fact once I got here I actually wished I had just stayed here for the day and forgot about the rest of the excursion. Our driver as a guide was pretty poor, we could barely hear a word he was saying so that spoiled it a little bit but eventually I just blocked out his tone and paid attention to what I was looking at.

Next we made our way to Pussers Landing, we were given more time here than we were at Cane Garden Bay and I really didn’t see the point. It was nice but I think there was far more for us to appreciate at Cane Garden then there was here, they really should have done it the other way around. The trip overall was nice as we did get to see a lot of the island and again the views were superb, next time though I would jump in a cab to Cane Garden Bay and that my friends would be where I stayed up until the very last moment.

As we were here until 11pm we decided once having returned from the trip that we would head back to the ship, shower, throw on some fresh clothes then head back into Road Town to the Pussers Bar we passed and grab some food. It was a nice warm evening and the locals by this point we’re starting to come out to play too. The atmosphere was wonderful, there were a lot of people off the ship relaxing including crew and it seemed like it was going to be a good night.

We finished our food and decided to try another bar; we ended up literally next door at Le Grand Café which was a nice outdoor, park type bar. We stayed here for the rest of the evening until it was time once again to board our ship.

Tortola was a lovely island, the people again were very friendly and helpful and the views you got at certain points were nothing short of extraordinary!

We would sail from Tortola heading to our last Caribbean port of call, St Maarten.

Author: Danielle