Our Day in Tortola - Brewer's Bay

After a great breakfast in Blu we walked off the ship and followed the crowd out to the information booth where there were both regular and safari taxis waiting.

We were the only ship in port and apparently not a lot of people were looking to go to Brewer's Bay. The woman I spoke to said they would need to have 4 for the $8 per person one way rate and said it most likely would not be a problem getting more if we wanted to wait but that we would also need to coordinate our return time with the others. We decided we did not want to be dependent on what others wanted to do so were dispatched to a taxi for the two of us at the $12 per person per way rate. And we started our trip up the very, very steep and winding roads and down the other side to Brewer's.

And were rewarded with an absolutely beautiful, uncrowded beach!

Nicole's was already open when we got there around 10. Chairs were $5 each to rent. Even though there were no umbrellas for rent the beach was not crowded and there was plenty of shade available under the trees.

I asked about snorkel equipment for those who wanted to know and masks and fins were available to rent for $10 for the set. He did not have child sizes available but may add them in the future. There were quite a few people snorkeling over to the left as you faced the water. We just wanted to relax so can't comment on how the snorkeling was.

I thought the food was reasonably priced. Cheeseburger and fries for $10, Hot dog and fries $7, Chicken Nuggets and fries $8, etc ... $3 less without fries. Didn't order food so not sure how it was. We did have a couple drinks though...lol. Corona was $4 and a very potent gin and tonic was $7. I could have used more tonic which is something I never thought I'd say...lol

There is a small bathroom with a toilet and sink but it is rather, ummmm, rustic. It most likely is for customers of Nicole's only and was fine. But some may find it not quite up to par.

We had arranged for our driver to come back for us around 2:30 and he arrived around 1:30 just as we were heading up for another drink because it looked like it was going to storm. He said to take our time and that he just wanted to make sure he was on time. We sipped our drinks and waited out the rain under cover in the bar area.

When the rain subsided we hopped in the taxi and headed back up and then down the very steep and winding roads. We arrived back in port around 3:00.

All in all a lovely beach day in Tortola!

After a great breakfast in Blu we walked off the ship and followed the crowd out to the information booth where there were both regular and safari taxis waiting.

 

We were the only ship in port and apparently not a lot of people were looking to go to Brewer's Bay. The woman I spoke to said they would need to have 4 for the $8 per person one way rate and said it most likely would not be a problem getting more if we wanted to wait but that we would also need to coordinate our return time with the others. We decided we did not want to be dependent on what others wanted to do so were dispatched to a taxi for the two of us at the $12 per person per way rate. And we started our trip up the very, very steep and winding roads and down the other side to Brewer's.

 

And were rewarded with an absolutely beautiful, uncrowded beach!

 

Nicole's was already open when we got there around 10. Chairs were $5 each to rent. Even though there were no umbrellas for rent the beach was not crowded and there was plenty of shade available under the trees.

 

I asked about snorkel equipment for those who wanted to know and masks and fins were available to rent for $10 for the set. He did not have child sizes available but may add them in the future. There were quite a few people snorkeling over to the left as you faced the water. We just wanted to relax so can't comment on how the snorkeling was.

 

I thought the food was reasonably priced. Cheeseburger and fries for $10, Hot dog and fries $7, Chicken Nuggets and fries $8, etc ... $3 less without fries. Didn't order food so not sure how it was. We did have a couple drinks though...lol. Corona was $4 and a very potent gin and tonic was $7. I could have used more tonic which is something I never thought I'd say...lol

 

There is a small bathroom with a toilet and sink but it is rather, ummmm, rustic. It most likely is for customers of Nicole's only and was fine. But some may find it not quite up to par.

 

We had arranged for our driver to come back for us around 2:30 and he arrived around 1:30 just as we were heading up for another drink because it looked like it was going to storm. He said to take our time and that he just wanted to make sure he was on time. We sipped our drinks and waited out the rain under cover in the bar area.

 

When the rain subsided we hopped in the taxi and headed back up and then down the very steep and winding roads. We arrived back in port around 3:00.

 

All in all a lovely beach day in Tortola!

This is fantastic! Thank you! Appreciate you looking into the snorkel rentals!

Is Nicole's cash only?

We are also planning to go to Brewer's in Feb. Do you have any pics of the beach/facilities? Was the entry into the water fairly gradual or was there a drop off? We will be bringing our own snorkel gear...hopefully there'll be more people at the pier wanting to go there so we can split the cost of the cabs. Glad you had a good time and thank you for reporting back!

Cathy

Winston Wolf,

We paid cash so not sure if credit was accepted but it is a pretty basic place so it would not surprise me if it was cash only. The person we paid for the chairs was on the steps leading to the beach and not in the restaurant so cash for sure was easiest there.

Barwick Cruiser,

I don't recall there being any kind of steep drop off but will check with my husband to see if he remembers it differently. I did take pictures but have not yet had time to dump them off my camera. Will try to remember to post some when we get them onto the computer.

Edited to add: This link here http://www.bareboatsbvi.com/tortola/nicoles-beach-bar.php that I posted in my original thread is actually a fairly accurate view of what Nicole's looks like. It is a very small covered bar area with a bigger, uncovered patio. The menu shown is still correct with the exception that a couple of the seafood items I think were a couple dollars higher. In the first picture, if you went straight ahead you would find the person renting the chairs.

Thanks for the tips!! My husband and I are going here for our honeymoon and were looking for a low key beach to start off our trip!

How long did it take to get over to Brewers Bay? Also the website made it seem like the roads could be bad to get over there. How bad was it??

Thanks in advance for the help!

Nice report Seaside!:)

PA the taxi ride is 20 - 25 minutes, the roads are in good condition but winding in some areas and because you are crossing over the spine of the island there are steep inclines with switchbacks. You will be in an open-sided safari taxi unless you choose a van taxi. Brewers is the second most popular beach and may be a little crowded depending on the day.

Thanks blue_water!

I did a lot of researching on the various islands before our cruise and probably 90% of my notes on Tortola and St Thomas were taken from information in your posts! Working on posting a review of what we did at each port as an attempt in some small way to pay it forward.

Pa_beachbunny,

20-25 minutes is correct to get to Brewer's. I wouldn't describe the roads as bad getting there. They were paved and all but are very narrow and unbelievably steep with lots of switchbacks to counter the steepness. The drivers are used to the roads and drive accordingly (at least ours did). On especially sharp turns they will give a beep of their horn to warn oncoming drivers that they are coming around the curve.

We took a private taxi so were in an enclosed van. It had rained and the roads were wet. The van we were in seemed to struggle some going up the hills and at one point we got stuck where the tires were just spinning! Being from the north and used to slipping in snow we figured it was because all the weight (us) was toward the front. We moved to the back of the van over the wheels and off we went...lol!

It poured toward the end of our beach visit and the water gushing down off the hills on the way back to the ship was impressive but at no time on the way to or from Brewer's did we feel unsafe!

Hope this info helps!

Thanks blue_water!

 

I did a lot of researching on the various islands before our cruise and probably 90% of my notes on Tortola and St Thomas were taken from information in your posts! Working on posting a review of what we did at each port as an attempt in some small way to pay it forward.

 

Pa_beachbunny,

 

20-25 minutes is correct to get to Brewer's. I wouldn't describe the roads as bad getting there. They were paved and all but are very narrow and unbelievably steep with lots of switchbacks to counter the steepness. The drivers are used to the roads and drive accordingly (at least ours did). On especially sharp turns they will give a beep of their horn to warn oncoming drivers that they are coming around the curve.

 

We took a private taxi so were in an enclosed van. It had rained and the roads were wet. The van we were in seemed to struggle some going up the hills and at one point we got stuck where the tires were just spinning! Being from the north and used to slipping in snow we figured it was because all the weight (us) was toward the front. We moved to the back of the van over the wheels and off we went...lol!

 

It poured toward the end of our beach visit and the water gushing down off the hills on the way back to the ship was impressive but at no time on the way to or from Brewer's did we feel unsafe!

 

Hope this info helps!

Yes thanks Seaside, and your info is very helpful to others for sure! Your description the drive over the mountains of Tortola makes me homesick for the island!