“Virgin Gorda is the most laid back place I have ever been. Sunset Watch Villa even more so. The villa delivers so much more than the website promises.” Fred Salinas, Gulf Port MS
by Ray Larson
Daydreaming about a getaway vacation and booking your island retreat at Sunset Watch Villa is the easy part, now it’s time to set up travel plans and we’re here to help. One of the more unique ways to travel to Virgin Gorda are the inter-island ferries between the US Virgin Islands and the BVIs. Before anything else, you’ll need to book a flight from any major destination to St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands – check sites like Kayak or Expedia for top rates.
Once you find your trip to St. Thomas, you’re ready to browse through the variety of ferry options taking you from the Charlotte Amalie dock in St. Thomas directly to Virgin Gorda, or making a brief stop in Road Town, Tortola before reaching the final destination. The BestofBVI.com offers an informative FAQ section breaking down all of the inter-island travel schedules here. Below we’ll provide a more in-depth look at your ferry options from St. Thomas to Virgin Gorda.
Option 1: Direct ferry from St. Thomas to Virgin Gorda
This is the fastest way to travel from St. Thomas to Virgin Gorda without making any stops along the way. Two ferry services provide a direct ferry from the Charlotte Amalie dock steps away from the St. Thomas airport to Spanish Town in Virgin Gorda – Speedy’s and Interisland Boat Services.
Speedy’s offers direct ferries to Virgin Gorda on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and afternoons along with a Saturday morning ferry. Speedy’s also offers nonstop ferries from Virgin Gorda to St. Thomas on the same days – morning ferries leave at 8:45 a.m. and afternoon ferries leave at 5:00 p.m. for Virgin Gorda. The Saturday ferry leaves at 4:00 p.m. Ferries leaving from Virgin Gorda to St. Thomas depart on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. and on Saturdays at 8:30 a.m.
Interisland Boat Services offers Thursday and Sunday morning ferries to Virgin Gorda with afternoon departure trips from Virgin Gorda to St. Thomas on the same days – morning ferries leave at 8:00 a.m. and the afternoon ferries leave at 3:00 p.m.
Option 2: St. Thomas to Tortola to Virgin Gorda
If you’re scheduled to arrive in St. Thomas on a day when a direct ferry service to Virgin Gorda isn’t offered, you still have multiple options. Even if you do arrive on a day with direct ferry service but miss the available times, you’re still in luck. You can depart straight from St. Thomas’ Charlotte Amalie dock to Road Town, Tortola and then catch a short ferry straight to Spanish Town in Virgin Gorda.
Three ferry services provide daily ferries from St. Thomas to Road Town, Tortola – Road Town Fast Ferry, Smith’s Ferry Services and Native Son. All three service providers have multiple ferries leaving for Virgin Gorda Monday through Sunday.
After arriving in Road Town all you’ll have to do is clear customs before locating the next ferry leaving for Virgin Gorda. Two ferry providers offer trips from Road Town to Virgin Gorda – Speedy’s and Smith’s Ferry Service. They both offer multiple trips daily – Monday through Sunday – and no reservation is required.
If you missed your ferry from the Charlotte Amalie dock in St. Thomas to Road Town, Tortola, you can still catch a ferry from another St. Thomas dock just a short 20-minute cab ride away in Red Hook. Native Son ferry service offers multiple daily trips from Red Hook to Tortola’s West End where you can catch a short cab ride to Road Town before departing for Virgin Gorda. Road Town Fast Ferry also provides ferries from Red Hook to Tortola on Saturday and Sunday.
Use this guide to book your travel plans to our beautiful Sunset Watch Villa and your unforgettable island retreat vacation. At our Sunset Watch Villa you can wake up each morning and decide what type of island activity you want to try – explore the luscious island, dive into the rich blue waters or snorkel and discover the beauty below sea level all on this magnificent private island.
