Getting Here
You can fly to Tortola's Beef Island Airport located on the east side of the island, usually through Miami or San Juan.
There are direct flights from New York to St Thomas where you can catch the ferry to Tortola.
Ridgemont House is on the western end of Tortola so the travel time from Beef Island or St Thomas works out to be about the same.
In St Thomas, taxi vans run shuttle service to the ferry terminal from outside of the airport baggage pick up area ($10 pp). It is a 45 minute ferry ride ($35-$45 pp) from the main harbor in St Thomas, Charlotte Amalie, to Tortola's West End. Both Native Son Ferry and Smith's Ferry connect to the West End. While waiting to board the ferry, you can get a bite to eat or a drink at the ferry terminal in the Pump Room Restaurant where there is a nice view of the harbor and occasionally a sea plane coming or going.
The islands we now call the Virgin Islands were populated by the Carib people, who had displaced the Arawak people by the time Christopher Columbus made his second voyage to the New World in 1493. Struck by the number of isles and cays, Columbus named them Santa Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins, after the followers of Saint Ursula, who was martyred in the fourth century. In time, this was shortened to the Virgin Islands.
Columbus and the Spanish found no gold on the islands, so they sailed on to other places. Pirates, however, found the islands hidden coves, shallow waters and complex reef systems made them ideal hiding places for marauders intent on ravaging passing ships carrying bounty from the New World to Europe. Blackbeard, Bluebeard, Sir Francis Drake and other scoundrels dominated the seas for a time.
Luxury Vacation Rentals
Car Rentals
Car rentals can be reserved in advance at Beef Island Airport, in Road Town or at the West End. On the West End, the first choice is a local outfit called Jerry's Car Rental (1 284-495-4111). National Car Rental is also nearby and reliable. If ferrying over, call your rental agency from St Thomas when you know which ferry you will be on and ask them to meet you. Rent a four wheel drive vehicle to negotiate the steeper roads on Tortola comfortably. We find that the Suzuki Grand Vitara or Honda CRV (depending on the rental agency) are the right size for the island.
Driving Directions
Remember to drive on the left! To get to Ridgemont house, take the road that runs along the south side of the island (the Sir Francis Drake Highway) to Zion Hill Road. Zion Hill Road will take you to the north side of the island. At the north end of Zion Hill Road, make a left. After you go up and down over a hill, and have been awed by the sight of Long Bay Beach, you will drive under a footbridge while entering the Long Bay Hotel property. In about 150 yards make a left at a 5 MPH sign and, after turning, you will also see a Security Checkpoint sign. Follow the road up the hill (yes we know it looks like you are driving on the hotel pedestrian walk) back and forth past several switchbacks for about 1/2 mile until you reach the sign for Ridgemont House on the left. Welcome to Ridgemont House!
Location
Things remained little changed on the British Virgin Islands until the 1960s, when Laurance Rockefeller and Charlie Cary started the tourism industry. Recognizing the potential of the beautiful islands, Rockefeller developed the Little Dix resort on Virgin Gorda and Cary established a marina complex on Tortola. Thankfully, the islands remain a charming and quiet destination, unspoiled by the sort of overdevelopment that has occurred on other islands. Building codes stipulate that structures cannot rise higher than the islands tallest palm trees, hence two stories is the limit.
Also during the 1960s, the British Virgin Islands were given greater autonomy within the British Commonwealth. The islands have their own constitution and a local legislative council which handles island affairs. The governor, who is selected by the Queen, manages external affairs and island security.
A Brief History of the British Virgin Islands
During the 17th century, the Dutch and the British developed their interests in the Virgin Islands, with the British ultimately establishing control in 1672 and remaining in power for the next three centuries. They cultivated a profitable sugar industry with sprawling plantations supported by African slaves. With the abolishment of slavery in Great Britain in 1838, however, came the demise of the plantation economy and the departure of many Europeans.