Virgin Gorda Is A Magnet For Seniors

Virgin Gorda is part of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea. Tourism may be Virgin Gorda’s main industry, but with a population of just over 3,000, seniors find the way of life is still old-time Caribbean.

This breathtakingly beautiful island is home to a unique formation of rocks and caves.  It means “Fat Virgin” in Spanish due to the islands profile that appears to look like a huge lady lying on her side.

Many yachts line up along her side. Travelers are inticed with its yacht clubs, quiet coves, safe anchorages and luxury resorts and villas. Sail on in if you happen to have a yacht. Virgin Gorda was revealed in Travel & Leisure as the “Best Island” in the Caribbean.

Beach-blessed Virgin Gorda is, in many eyes, the jewel in the crown of the Virgin Islands. Since being “discovered” as a tourist destination in the early 1960′s, Virgin Gorda is still not over-commercialized.

On the North Sound and accessible only by water, the exclusive Bitter End Yacht Club offers a premier resort and barefoot elegance.

Gorda is 12 miles from the main BVI of Tortala and west of Anguilla. Virgin Gorda is approximately ten square miles in a long narrow shape featuring uninhabited beaches and a mountainous interior. It is generally considered to be the most scenic of the British Virgin Islands and less developed than Tortola.

Senior visitors will discover several indigenous plant-lined trails, nature sanctuaries and natural protected national parks. Yes, folks…the atmosphere is “Laid Back” and the laid-back pace of the island is the perfect excuse to take your time, whether you’re wading along the granite grottoes of The Baths, doing some casual snorkeling in Devil’s Bay or Nail Bay, or exploring the stone ruins of a 19th century Copper Mine.

The Baths, Rugged Trails and Beaches Delight Seniors

Explore Virgin G orda on the rugged trails that run throughout the island. At the nature sanctuary at Little Fort National Park, marvel at the exotic birds as they swoop over the hills and ocean.

For you adventurous senior visitors, hike a trail at Peak National Park and you will find yourself at the highest point, the “belly” of the island at 1,359 feet.

Some 20 sandy beaches line the island, but the stretch of shore at the southern end, including The Baths, is in a class of its own. The “Baths” are a collection of giant boulders which form spectacular pools and grottos which flood with sea water at high tide.

The name “baths” comes from the warm sheltered pools of water in and around the rocks. The Baths of Virgin Gorda are such a spectacular natural feature that they warrant their own section.

I discovered that there are three speeds available on this relaxed island – slow, slower and dead stop. So come, visit Virgin Gorda, where you can have nothing to do and all day to do it in. jeb