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Bitter End Yacht Club

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Beautiful, peaceful and perfect are just a few adjectives previous guests used to describe the Bitter End Yacht Club. Located on the northern edge of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands , this resort caters to travelers looking for a vacation that's equal parts relaxing and fun. Guests have their choice of Reef Rooms, Horizon Rooms, Garden Rooms or the Owner's Compound, which can accommodate up to six guests. Reef Rooms are the closest to the beach and offer sea views; Horizon Rooms look like treehouses and are positioned along the upper boardwalk, providing more expansive views of the water and surrounding islands; and Garden Rooms are surrounded by verdant plants and trees. No matter which accommodation type you choose, you'll find all rooms come equipped with coffee makers, teak furniture, Wi-Fi access and wraparound verandas. Chances are you won't be spending a ton of time in your room, though. Bitter End Yacht Club provides a plethora of activities and water sports equipment. The resort has a daily activity schedule, which includes things like snorkeling tours, yoga classes, windsurfing lessons and excursions to top BVI sights like the Baths . When you get hungry, there are three on-site restaurants where you can sample everything from Caribbean cuisine and fresh seafood to casual bites like pizza and sandwiches. Note: The resort was impacted by the 2017 hurricanes and is expected to reopen again soon.

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Guest Reviews

A hotel's guest rating is calculated using data provided under license by Tripadvisor. A total of 476 have reviewed the Bitter End Yacht Club , giving it a rating of 4.5 , on a scale of 1-5.

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Bitter End Yacht Club

North Sound, Virgin Gorda

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• On several gorgeous, white-sand beaches with plenty of water sports
• All rooms have balconies where guests can enjoy the breezes and stunning views
• Spa, fitness center, and pool
• Restaurants are reasonably priced with solid (if not gourmet) meals
• Outdoor movie theater plays two movies every night (the first always has a G rating)
• Small kids' club
• Free snacks and drinks in the rooms
• Strong Wi-Fi connection at the clubhouse and the bar
• Some rooms are in need of renovations
• Pool is small
• Can be a steep walk to some rooms
• Not all rooms have air-conditioning (although with the excellent breezes, few guests use it)

Bottom Line

This property was tragically impacted by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria in September 2017 and is currently closed for repairs. Bitter End hopes to reopen in late 2018. The Bitter End Yacht Club, snuggled into a steep hill on the scenic North Sound, is a relaxed, family-friendly resort. The tech-free rooms (no TVs or Wi-Fi here) feature stunning views from the balconies, and the sliding doors allows breezes to sweep through; some rooms do not have air-conditioning but most guests find they don't miss it. While some rooms feel up-to-date (with bright comforters, sleek bathrooms, and comfy lounge chairs), others have dated furniture and are in need of renovations. The white-sand beaches at the hotel are narrow, but they are still the highlight here, offering plenty of water sports and relatively calm waters. The pool, however, is a disappointment: It is small and thus relatively unused. Families will likely enjoy the calm waters, the small kids' club, and the outdoor movie theater, while couples can enjoy the gorgeous views and the solid restaurant options. 

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Beachfront Cottage

North Sound King

North Sound Suite

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On a small white-sand beach on virgin gorda.

The Bitter End Yacht Club is tucked into the North Sound of Virgin Gorda, the British Virgin Islands' second largest island. Although Virgin Gorda does have a small airport (mostly used by chartered planes), the hotel is only accessible by boat.

Most guests fly into Beef Island Airport (adjacent to Tortola) and take the North Sound Express ferry straight to BEYC, which takes about 45 minutes. Those who fly into the Virgin Gorda Airport can take a short taxi ride (about $30 including tip) from Spanish Town (a tiny town with a grocery store and a restaurant) to Gun Creek jetty, from which the boat ride only takes about 15 minutes.

From the Bitter End, guests can nearly see mogul Richard Branson's private island, Necker Island, which is about a 15-minute boat ride away. The beaches at the hotel are small, but offer beautiful views of the surrounding archipelago, and the waters are host to the third largest Caribbean mega-yacht party, which takes place during the holidays every year.

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Air Conditioner

Airport transportation, babysitting services, balcony / terrace / patio, business center, kids allowed, meeting / conference rooms, poolside drink service, rental car service desk onsite, room service, separate bedroom / living room space, supervised kids activities, swim-up bar.

Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.

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Bitter End Yacht Club

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• Excellent 344
• Very Good 100
• Terrible 12
• All languages ( 513 )
• English ( 505 )
• German ( 5 )
• Spanish ( 3 )

" It's a little pricey but everything is immaculate and the people are very nice! "

" Book a slip if sailing. Great pizzas at the Buoy Room Stay 2 nights if you can. "

" When you arrive at BEYC, go to the main restaurant or coffee bar and ask for Saturn. He'll take it from there. "

" Get there for the start of happy hour "

" Expect fun island living! Chill and relax! "

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BITTER END YACHT CLUB - Updated 2024 Resort Reviews (Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands)

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The central Bitter End village along Marina Beach features a mix of new materials and those salvaged from the destruction inflicted by Hurricane Irma in September 2017. (PHOTO COURTESY OF BEYC)

Celebrating Fifty Years in 2023: The Bitter End Yacht Club Is Back!

By Michelle Slade

We approached the Bitter End Yacht Club by water and the scene that opened up before us hummed with early morning activity — boats tying up at the docks, the open-air reception area a dynamic pass-through for guests coming and going, and playful kids leaping off a floating pontoon into the warm turquoise water just off the beach. Those first impressions captured the essence of something that was different to what had been before, yet in many ways, was just the same as it always had been. 

The world-renowned and beloved resort, which has existed in some iteration since the ‘60s, is open again for business after a devastating loss in the wake of Hurricane Irma in September 2017. The resort lost some one hundred structures; just one original cottage was spared. When disaster strikes, there is nothing more to do than to gather the pieces and start the next chapter, which is precisely what the folks at the Bitter End Yacht Club have been doing these past six years. Rebuilding the resort in the British Virgin Islands’ North Sound has been as much of a spiritual endeavor as a physical task of reconstruction; it needed to be purposeful, as Kerri Jaffe, President, BEYC International, noted.

“We looked to our history because it was so important to us that people felt that legacy and sense of place when they arrived at the new BEYC,” she said. “We had to find ways to reinvent that so it existed in every element of what we did.”$0

Over 50 years, based on the needs of the clientele and the owner’s vision, the original BEYC had become a rambling nautical village, and the tactical design goal was to preserve that feeling. Recreating the original BEYC perfectly would have been inauthentic, so while inspiration has been lifted from the past, it is noticeable that each structure has a different look and feel through the use of contrasting wood species, color, and mixed materials — old and new — which have succeeded in recapturing that quintessential village feeling and the resort’s salty past. 

The new build is hurricane-proof to modern standards and flood-friendly, and the overall layout is compact, which draws people together around cocktails and a multi-dimensional dining experience: grab coffee and pastries (all handcrafted onsite) to go at the Bitter End Barista or enjoy casual dining inside at The Buoy Room. The Reef Sampler brings together boats, beaches, and bars … right on the beach. A boat-turned-bar constructed from a salvaged hull raised from the North Sound following Irma, The Reef Sampler is just one of many recycled details incorporated into the reconstruction.

Likewise, décor in The Clubhouse Restaurant, which offers open-air dining and incredible views of the North Sound, has been recovered from hurricane debris adding to its rustic-with-a-touch-of-nautical elegance in keeping with its origins; The Clubhouse was possibly the earliest bar in the North Sound, built by Bitter End’s first proprietor as a spot for yachties to stop by for cocktails and a meal.

“Everything hanging on the gallery wall in The Clubhouse survived the storm,” Jaffe said. “As a steward of the seas and the community that surrounds the resort through the Bitter End Foundation, it was mission critical to the owners that we kept the environmental footprint as small as possible. We really foraged, we upcycled and recycled every scrap of material we could including timber, large-scale beams, we crushed all of the concrete for reuse. Among the debris, we found pieces of BEYC history — room signage, directional signage, photography, portholes, which was so special and we knew these elements would connect the old with the new.” 

Presently, the resort has just two stunning Marina Lofts — the first over-the-water bungalows in the BVI — available for overnight stays on the island. The rebuild plan intended first to establish dining and recreation amenities to host the boating community, many of whom stay aboard private vessels. The long-term plan, says Jaffe, is a 22-room boutique hotel, six Marina Lofts, hillside cottages, duplex cottages for large groups, and, for the first time, six beach “shacks,” which will be located to the north of the watersports center.

Boating guests are enjoying the new marina with its wider slips and dockage layout customized to accommodate boats of all sizes and shapes, including multihulls, and the anchorage option via any one of 72 mooring balls. The BVI has long been recognized as the watersport playground of the Caribbean and nowhere better than from the Bitter End is it possible to sail, kiteboard, wingfoil, windsurf, SUP, or fish. The BEYC’s watersports center offers rental gear, and instructors are at hand. Bonus: boaters are welcome to use the club showers; charge is $3 for those who aren’t club guests. Anyone taking a lesson at the watersports center can shower for free.

Many of the staff at BEYC have been part of the fabric of BEYC history for years through their parents and their grandparents, notes marketing manager Ellinor Walters Donlan, who resides part-time at BEYC. She attributes much of the success of the rejuvenation of the BEYC to its team.

“These are the people that brought the spirit back to the property for us, not how the buildings looked but how the resort felt. We want people to feel that spirit and feel like part of our family because that’s part of the magic that brings people back. We have an absolutely gorgeous location and one of the best places to play on the water in the world but the way BEYC makes people feel is unique.”

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