TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Restaurant dining in anchorages

The following is quoted from the July 16 statement by the Health Minister regarding the Cabinet's Decision extending the Covid restrictions:

"In my last report I would have informed of the decision to close restaurants and food establishments for in-house sitting and dining settings. We recognise that several hotels and resorts would have been affected by this decision, further impacting our guests’ experience even during this COVID period. It is on this premise that Cabinet decided that allowances be made for meals to be served in hotels and resorts dining areas to overnight guests and visitors only, provided that all prescribed public health measures are strictly observed.
Please note, the restrictions to all restaurants to take-out services only for the period of the renewed Curfew Order, will remain in place as is!"

How does this apply for sit-down dining at restaurants in anchorages across the BVI?

It sounds like you can’t eat out from a boat unless you know someone staying at a hotel serving food and can be their guest. I can tell you that food is available at some places if you are willing to eat outside on the beach at picnic or other tables. Soggy and Myetts are examples.

I am guessing that this only applies to overnight guests at places like Scrub Island and Maria's by the Sea. Would not apply to, say, folks on a boat in front of Soggy Dollar.

What is the difference between "overnight guests" and "visitors", both included in the statement by the Minister?

If "visitors" meant tourists, then restaurants would not be closed for dine-in. It's pretty clear that restaurants are closed due to the pandemic. An exception was made so that folks staying at, say, Guana Island, who don't have cooking facilities, could enjoy their vacation. If you're on a boat or staying in a house, you either cook at home or get take-away.

If one paid for an overnight mooring ball at, for example, Leverick Bay Resort & Marina, would the persons on the yacht be legally eligible to sit and eat in the restaurant? To me that would be distinguishable from a place like the Soggy Dollar.

I would assume it would be for guests staying at hotels and resorts not mooring balls and certainly not anchoring. Just my take.

I inquired about this very subject to both Scrub and Oil Nut Bay. Both said that if you reserve a slip then you are a "resort guest" and are eligible to dine indoors with them. I'm not sure about if you get a mooring ball if the same applies.

That's pretty interesting. Did they say anything about the timing? I wonder if the curfew hours apply to resort properties?

In the past, we have always been allowed to use our full property during quarantine or curfew.

They did say the latest reservation for dinner was 5:00....presumably to allow the staff to get home by curfew. I'd rather eat early on those days than take every single meal back to the boat or eat on the beach. I also called Leverick but they are pretty much a no go for now. Upstairs restaurant is closed, no laundry, pool closed. We will do one day there but just because we have a couple of kids that would like to SNUBA and maybe some jetskis (watersports portion is open). You bring up a great point, and I did not inquire. I wonder if you are a resort guest does that mean you can use pool after curfew hours, etc. I did read on Scrub website that guests could order room service until 10pm or so. That means some staff must stay behind.