Best Areas to Buy in the BVI:
Tortola, Virgin Gorda and the Smaller Islands

The BVI's property market centres on two islands, Tortola and Virgin Gorda, with a few smaller ones at the edges. The choice between them is mostly about convenience against seclusion.

Tortola: Road Town and the south coast

Tortola is the largest island, at 21 square miles, with the capital Road Town and the international airport. Road Town is the business hub and the most walkable part of the island, close to offices, shops and schools, and it suits people who work there. Along the south coast, residential areas include Nanny Cay on the waterfront, Havers, McNamara above Road Town, Brandywine Bay and Hodges Creek, all a short drive from town. Nanny Cay and Tobacco Wharf are named by one agency as the places for boating owners who want a marina close by.

The north coast beaches

On the north side, Cane Garden Bay is the best-known beach, with restaurants, live music and beachfront homes, and agencies cite strong rental potential because of its popularity with visitors. Long Bay is described as quieter and more private, with upscale resorts and beachfront homes, and Apple Bay is known for cliffside properties. Hilltop villas above Cane Garden Bay and Brewers Bay, and in Belmont and Little Bay, are the island's luxury end. One agency puts them at about US$2 million for a smaller three-bedroom up to well above US$4 million for estate homes, an asking-side range. Brokers describe inventory in prime markets such as West End and Cane Garden Bay as limited.

West End

The West End, around Soper's Hole, offers marina-front living and easy ferry access to the US Virgin Islands, with a quieter, more laid-back character than Road Town.

Virgin Gorda

Virgin Gorda is quieter and more resort-oriented than Tortola, with beaches, fewer services and more reliance on ferries for errands. Most residents live in the flat southern area around Spanish Town, while holiday homes cluster along the coast, including Mahoe Bay and Nail Bay on the west side, and around North Sound at Oil Nut Bay, Blunder Bay and Leverick Bay. Oil Nut Bay describes itself as a 400-acre private community reached only by boat or helicopter, a developer's claim. The island suits buyers who want privacy and a slower pace.

The smaller islands

Great Camanoe is promoted for luxury waterfront living, and Anegada and Jost Van Dyke for privacy and seclusion. Each has far less infrastructure, so living on them year-round takes more preparation, and the island spotlight article earlier in this series covers what each is like.

Choosing between them

Road Town and the south coast suit year-round residents. Cane Garden Bay and the north-coast hills suit buyers who want views and rental potential. The West End suits boaters. Virgin Gorda suits those who want seclusion and can accept the ferries. Every purchase by a non-Belonger carries the 12% stamp duty and the Non-Belonger Land Holding Licence covered in our guide to the cost of owning property in the BVI, so the area decision sits on top of a cost that is the same everywhere.