TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands North Sound Planning

It's been 9 years since our last bareboat. I know a lot has changed, especially since Irma, so I'm looking for suggestions as to how to spend the day at North Sound.

We were there last November having been away about as long as you have. Stayed in NS for a couple of days before sailing to Anegada. BEYC pretty much rebuilt - nice, but different. Certainly miss the original buildings. Saba Rock restaurant was exceptional (albeit expensive) - again I miss the old Pirates Pub and Bert Kilbride. Tried the North Side Bistro over near Leverick Bay - disappointing. Rented a car and drove to the Baths (lunch at Top of The Baths). VGYH was still under construction. Life seemed pretty much the same. Everyone had an Irma story to tell. Some were horrific. Hard to imagine how awful it must have been.

We visited on our hurricane season trip down to Grenada. Saba Rock is pretty swank and very expensive. There is a happy hour upstairs, but not downstairs. As jmon said, Bitter End is still rebuilding their cottages. Good pizza and a nice spots for drinks on the water at the boat bar. Leverick is pretty much the same and a good value.

It is still nice protected waters with no rolling. Prickly Pear Island is still undeveloped except for the closed SandBox.

Cheers, RickG

Thanks guys for your comments, and feedback.
Jeff, though I'm looking forward to seeing how it's been rebuilt, I agree that it's hard to imagine what they went through!

All the Best.

Skip

They have a nice setup at the Bitter End but it’s a shadow of what they once had. There are a few rental cabana’s but nothing compared to the 30 plus units they had. They have not replaced the pool and the Carvery never reopened. The dive shop is operating but out of a shipping container. The beach bar is nice but can’t compare to the old bar. Still it’s a nice place now and the food is decent and service good. It’s just nothing like the old BEYC.

If I had only one day in N. Sound I'd probably spend the morning snorkeling the reef (try to find the cannons) then I'd check out Saba for a drink. I haven't been impressed there (and not even with the bar drinks) but I feel like you should at least pull up for a drink and a round of pool. It's not anything like it was but one can still appreciate the location. From there I'd jump to BEYC for lunch. Happy hour if Saturn is on is quite fun. Starts at 3pm. I would then do Leverick Upstairs for dinner. Or if you plan it on a Fri, do the beach BBQ/Jumbies. Fun night with good food for only 40/pp.
Depending on the day you are there you could also start your day with the oil nut brunch, then snorkel out there and then hit the other spots as mentioned.

Sort of an unknown in the North Sound but you could also try something totally different and they have a pool! https://www.blunderbaymarina.com/

jmon mentioned the North Sound Bistro. Folks we met at BEYC mentioned enjoying that spot. They were also offering $30 moorings and $30 slips; electric was an up charge. We did not visit.

Cheers, RickG

We intended to dock at the North Sound Bistro last January. If the prevailing winds are a bit high depending on the slip you might find it a very noisy night. With the wind E to ENE it’s a long fetch across the sound. ESE is much better if you plan on docking there.

Rick - To be fair, I believe the North Sound Bistro had just opened. The owner came around to our boat and suggested we try it so we did. Seemed like they were experiencing growing pains that night with new help and all.

any review for nroth sound bistro?

We ate there in November 2022. I believe they had just opened. The owner came by our boat and suggested we try it, so we did. It was somewhat disappointing but probably due to growing pains. The food was decent and the view was great. Service not so much. Again - growing pains. I would hope by now they have ironed things out and made the necessary changes.

We went to the Halloween Party last October at the North Sound Bistro. The staff and Capt. Tom were very welcoming. They had a buffet that night that we really enjoyed! Great party!

I have been there twice. The first time was fabulous. Tom was the chef and you could tell he put everything into what he was doing. He accommodated special requests and the food was some of the best on our trip.
Unfortunately, our last experience didn't live up to the first. I don't think Tom was cooking and the food was off the mark from our first visit. I got the feeling there was a break-in period going on for a new chef (this was January). Recent reviews seem good and we will definitely give it another try. I would really love to see them succeed as they definitely care and are just genuinely lovely people-unlike the folks at Saba who really seem to not give a crap.

Just do a search.