BVI Boat Tour Ideas - A BVI Boat Tour Beach Bar Crawl

So, what should you do with a day to spend in the Virgin Islands, if you’re not that into snorkeling or diving? Why not kick back on a BVI boat tour and soak up the scenery of the world’s best beaches...and beach bars?

There’s a lot of reasons why the beach bars in the British Virgin Islands are the best. One reason is their location--on the world’s most beautiful beaches. In addition to weathered bar stools, you’ll find hammocks, and cocktail service on the beach--even while you float in the water. Instead of a meat market or pick up joint, you’ll find a cool, relaxed vibe, where your income level and occupation just don’t matter. Instead of loud, thumping techno music that makes conversation impossible without screaming, you’ll hear steel drums with a cool breeze and lots of laughter. Sound great? It is. Here’s where to go.

Start the day at Foxy’s Bar on Jost Van Dyke in Great Harbour. You have to check in at customs anyway...you might as well stop in for a quick one. The bar opens at 9:30am, and the kitchen at 11:30am. If it’s a Friday or Saturday, you’re in luck, because Foxy fires up the "Grillzebo" and cooks a Caribbean style BBQ, featuring the world’s best ribs and mahi-mahi that melts in your mouth. Foxy’s brews its own beer and distills its own rum, known as "Foxy’s Firewater Rum." The drink menu is fantastic and the speciality of the house is the Sly Fox and Dread Fox. While the hours away in a hammock under a palm tree while listening to Foxy sing and tell jokes to the crowd.

Next, around the corner from Foxy’s on gorgeous White Bay is the Soggy Dollar. This is the birthplace of the original "Painkiller" and the world’s first real "swim up" bar--about the best way to get there is to swim in from your boat! After ordering a Painkiller, it’s time to play the Ring Game. It sounds simple enough--get the ring on the hook--but its a challenge, and its addicting! Soggy Dollar is small, friendly and laid back, and on the most beautiful stretch of beach in the Caribbean. The only thing they’re serious about here is relaxation.

Just down the bay is Ivan’s Stress Free Bar and Campground, where country singer Kenny Chesney shot the video "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem" after spending time here. From top to bottom, Ivan’s is covered with sea shells collected off the beach. Spend some time at the bar, and you’ll understand the need for the campground. Pull up a stretch of beach and enjoy a nap in the sun.

Finally, no BVI Bout Tour is complete without a visit to the Willy T, a three-storey floating restaurant and bar in Bight Harbour. "Willy T" is short for William Thornton, one of the islands’ most famous residents. William Thornton is the architect chosen to design the Capitol Building in Washington D.C., for which he was paid just $500.00 and given a parcel of land in D.C. The Willy T is a siren for sailors, and most afternoons, you’ll find boats tied up 5 and 6 deep., but during high season on a weekend night there could be 30 or more! The reason is the party. It’s a lively crowd that often turns wild, and no doubt you’ll see a few birthday suits as people plunge of the stern of the Willy T into the crystal blue waters below. Who knows...you just might be one of them!

Grey Beard runs 'Pirates Paradise Adventures,' a powerboat charter company specializing in taking families and friends on fun and exciting day trips to the best beaches, beach bars and snorkeling sites of the USVI and BVI. www.PiratesParadiseAdventures.com.

Seeing the virgin islands by boat is the absolutely best way to see them, especially if you only have a short time! For more information, photos and videos about the U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands, go to www.PiratesParadiseAdventures.com.