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Les Sources de Caudalie
If you’ve declared war on cellulite, this fall why not try the grape cure: grapes, and nothing but grapes, for 3 to 6 days in the Burgundy Region to give you healthier skin and a clearer complexion while detoxifying your body.
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Visit British Virgin Islands > Tortola, British Beauty
The British Virgin Islands consists of more than 36 islands, including more than 20 that are uninhabited. Tortola is the largest offering Some of the best yachting and Sailing opportunities in the Caribbean.
Powdery white-sand beaches, lush green mountains, and a sheltered yacht-filled harbour characterize the island of Tortola, where the past of the West Indies meets the present of the BVI. The largest island in the chain, Tortola offers a variety of exciting vacation possibilities.
Main Street in Road Town, the capital city, has an array of shops and restaurants; offering everything from local spices, jams, rums, and soaps to handcrafted jewellery, silk-screened fabrics, and local art.
The cuisine of Tortola reflects the island's rich cultural mix, whether it's a four-star dinner at a converted sugar mill or a delicious West Indian roti at a pastel-painted cottage. Local delicacies such as fresh lobster, conch, spicy goat, curries and Johnny Cakes make each meal memorable.
Escape to the cool slopes of Sage Mountain National Park, where traces of a primeval rain forest can still be seen at higher elevations. On the mountain ridge that runs through the island, observe local Caribbean life with its gentle rhythms, farms, settlements and churches. Outcroppings and vertical ghuts, or dry steam valleys, expose the deep, rich earth of this volcanic island. In Road Town, the J.R. O'Neal Botanic Gardens offers peaceful walks through pergolas and pathways covered with colourful vines, as well as a miniature rain forest and a fern house.
The people of Tortola are friendly and known for their warmth and hospitality. There are a wide variety of places to stay, ranging from campgrounds to luxury resorts and private villas. Tortola is also an ideal point from which to explore the other British Virgin Islands. Regular ferries, private and crewed yachts, and planes travel daily to the other islands of the BVI.
PLACES OF INTEREST
In Road Town, the British territory's capital, the Virgin Islands Folk Museum showcases artifacts from the days of plantations and slavery, as well as relics from the wreck of the British ship, Rhone, which sank in 1867.
Mount Sage National Park surrounds the island's highest point, Mount Sage. The park consists of elephant-ear vines, mahogany trees, philodendrons, and ferns. The Henry Adams walking trail leads past some of the Caribbean's oldest trees and offers splendid bird-watching opportunities.
Afterwards, relax with a fruity rum drink. Rum his been manufactured on the island for decades anc is used to liven up all sorts of concoctions.
FAST FACTS
Climate: Temperatures range between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Currency: U.S. dollar
Language: English.
The protected anchorages at Brandywine Bay, Cane Garden Bay, Hodge's Creek Marina Cay, Soper's Hole and Trellis Bay are ideal for boaters. Secluded palm-shaded beaches at Apple Bay, Brewer's Bay, Elizabeth Beach, Josiah's Bay Beach, Long Bay Beach and Smuggler's Cove make for excellent swimming and snorkelling. There are also many well-equipped facilities for fishing, snorkelling, scuba diving and more.
DID YOU KNOW?
Tortola derives from the Spanish word for "turtle dove."
At the site of a century old Agriculture Experiment Station, The Botanic Gardens are a beautiful oasis in the center of Road Town. The park is named after Mr Joseph Reynold O'Neal who was a leading figure in the formation of the National Parks Trust and establishing the BVI's first national park named Mt. Sage National Park. The botanic collections represent the different habitats across the British Virgin Islands. A gazebo of orchids both native and exotic can be discovered by the pond, where lilies float and tortoises swim.
Wander through centuries-old ruins such as Fort Burt, Fort Recovery, and Callwood's Rum Distillery, which is still in operation, and explore Tortola's history at the BVI Folk Museum in Road Town.
Mount Healthy National Park
An 18th century windmill that was once used for grinding the sugarcane, farmed from the steep slopes of the north shore of Tortola. This was once part of a thriving 250 acre plantation where enslaved Africans cultivated the sugarcane on the terraced slopes and processed it into sugar which was then shipped to Britian for sale. Across the road from the the windmill lie the ruins of the mill round, which was powered by animals, the factory with boiling house, the distiller, hospital and living quarters.
Mount Healthy windmill is the last remaining windmill in the BVI and was constructed from field rubble. The large arched apertures are accented by cut stone blocks. These functional openings were used for carrying the sugar cane in stone blocks. These functional openings were used for carrying the sugar cane into the mill for grinding and crushed can (bagasse) out. The ciruclar walls of the windmill were often six or more feet at the base, tapering up to three feet at the top to a truncated cone. Following the abolition of enslavement in 1834, workers from the Mt.Healthy estate could buy land to cultivate for themselves. However the sugar industry deteriorated after a series of disastrous hurricanes in the 1830's and drought in the 1850s, resulting in the windmill becoming a relic.
The tortola airport is on Beef Island, linked to the main island by a small bridge.
There is no public transportation on BVI. You need to take a cab or rent a 4x4.
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