Virgin Gorda

Virgin Gorda is the third-largest and second most populous of the British Virgin Islands. Located at approximately 18 degrees, 48 minutes North, and 64 degrees, 30 minutes West, it covers an area of about 8 square miles. Christopher Columbus is said to have named the island "The Fat Virgin", because the island's profile on the horizon looks like a fat woman lying on her side.

Since being "discovered" as a tourist destination in the 1970s, Virgin Gorda is still not over-commercialized. It is reminiscent of Saint John (Virgin Islands) before the designer shoe and handbag stores arrived. With only a few resorts and a sprinkling of villas, it has a pleasing intimacy. The passengers you meet on the nine-seat plane are likely to show up at the next table at dinner. The local people are well educated, friendly and caring, family oriented and remarkably aware of their place in the world. As elsewhere in the BVI, English is spoken, with a more or less strong accent. It is courteous to begin a conversation — even a brief question — with "Good Morning," or other salutation appropriate to the time of day.

Virgin Gorda is a small island, about eight square miles, only a few miles from Tortola and its airport on Beef Island. In 2001, the population was 3100. The southwestern part of the island is known as the Valley. In this area of low gentle hills will be found most of the population, businesses and services, mostly in and around Spanish Town, the capital. Below Spanish Town, the landscape and seascapes are strewn with granite boulders the size of houses; these provide dramatic settings for accommodations, restaurants and beaches. In the center of the island, a low mountain rises from the sea to about 1350 feet. This area is sparsely inhabited, except for small neighborhoods in the North Sound area on its northeastern edge. Extending northeast from there is a chain of wooded hills accessible only by boat. A convenient excursion to one of the nicest outer island areas in Virgin Gorda would require hopping on the local Resort Ferry in Gun Creek. This Ferry will take you on a short, but neat cruise into the heart of the North Sound area. Small islands in this area contribute to the very sheltered harbors in the sound.