Having Visitors in the BVI: Where to Go, What to Do? [PICTURES]

By Dan O’Connor

This morning I was thinking about all of the great memories I’ve accumulated with the friends and family who have visited me in the BVI. To their surprise, I do actually work down here, and am often too caught up with the daily grind to partake in all the fun that surrounds us. So, when I have visitors, it allows me to once again be a newbie, exploring the islands as if it was the first time all over again. And many times it has been. I hadn’t trekked the intricate trails of Sage Mountain until my cousin and his wife visited me last year;  I went SCUBA diving for the first time with my father over Thanksgiving; I found myself paint-spattered and up at 4am for J’Ouvert with another cousin in 2009. The list goes on.

Reminiscing led me through old facebook albums. Scenes from the epic vantage point from the now-extinct yellow bench on Ridge Road; Dolphin belly rides at Dolphin Discovery; sunrays shining through crack in the cavernous Baths; and general serenity at sea. I cherish all these moments and the special times with friends and family.

Sometimes I set an itinerary for guests; other times, I wing it. But I can’t pinpoint one “bad” experience my guests or I have had together. What sort of adventures do you have with your visitors? Do you send them to Virgin Gorda for a daytrip while you’re in the office? Do you trust them with your car and send them on their way to make up their own adventures? Do you plop them on the beach at Cane Garden Bay? What would you suggest for newbies looking to entertain guests during a busy workweek?

Help a NEWBIE out: Leave your comments and suggestions below.

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