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I had these thoughts while standing on the edge of a lovely terrace, part of Biras's landmark "stone castle" crowning the top of a peak - the centerpiece of the resort. We have visited many places in the Caribbean, but truly, Biras Creek has one of the most romantic, idealistic locations of any we have seen. It is situated on a slender isthmus connecting three land masses in the North Sound of Virgin Gorda. The steep hillsides separate three bays and are dotted with marked hiking trails for the sure-footed and more adventurous guests.  Colorful tropical plants line paths and walkways throughout the property.
Some Caribbean resorts are located on the "calm" side of an island and
have tranquil waters for swimming and snorkeling, while other hotels reside
on windward shorelines with surging waves for seaside walks. Biras uniquely
has both!
 Sweeping panoramic views show that to the south, a fresh water swimming
pool and seventeen lovely cottages line Berchers Bay which faces the breezy
Atlantic Ocean and has rolling waves and coral rock beaches. To the east,
wooded tropical forests surround a salt water pond and bird sanctuary which
lead to the palm lined and sparkling white beach of Deep Bay - a perfect
place for sunning, swimming, and watersports.
 To the west is a high hill holding a villa which separates oceanside cottages from placid waters of the North Sound and the resort's marina village, home of The Fat Virgin Gift Shop. A few steps down from the "castle" is a lounge pavilion, the Arawak Great-Room, with a wrap-around terrace overlooking the north side of Virgin Gorda and the main dock below.  This multi-purpose pavilion holds a wide screen television, guest computer with internet connection, fitness area as well as several groupings of tables, comfortable sofas and chairs for reading and relaxing. Those with laptops along can easily connect to the WIFI system.  Biras's watersports beach is a short way down a meandering road lined with colorful flowers. A waterside thatched pavilion has a bar and also turns into an open sided dining room for BBQ lunches. Shade kiosks and hammocks are scattered along the beach for relaxing and snoozing.  We reached Biras Creek by boat, the only method of arrival since a steep hill isolates it from the rest of Virgin Gorda. A "General Assistant" (called a G.A.) with a motorized golf cart met us at the pier and gave us an orientation tour of the 140 acre grounds before taking us to our cottage suite. Check-in amounted to filling out a card in our room which could be dropped by the office at our convenience. There are no keys (unless you request one), but rooms have a safe for valuables and plane tickets.  Most of Biras Creek's cottages overlook Berchers Bay on the Atlantic - a picture perfect, shell strewn shoreline which can provide hours of shelling and wonderful oceanside walks. Some suites are located nearby in gardens with peeks of the waves through tropical foliage. Oceanfront Cottages all have patios that face the sea.  Cottages are duplexes and contain two suites - each having a sitting room with an ottoman, two plush comfortable lounge chairs connecting to a bedroom with a pillow top king bed or twins, and large porch with two lounge chairs and a table. Each suite also has a private walkway and entry.  The sitting room had a small built-in bar containing a coffee pot, teapot, and under-counter refrigerator with two bottles of water. We were delighted to find our bed decorated with two cotton robes to wear during our stay and a beach bag to use and take home as a memento. Ceiling fans whirl overhead, plus windows and sliding glass doors allow the breeze to float through; bedrooms also have optional air-conditioning.
The bathroom in Ocean and Garden suites features a huge walk-in "garden" shower large enough for two; it has a flower bed on one side and is partially open to the skies above. Each morning we awoke to a glorious sunrise, watched waves splashing
the beach and pelicans diving for fish.
 Biras Creek also has two marvelous Grand Suites located at one end of
the shell strewn beach. Each has over 1300 of living space and recently
were completely redone with sophisticated furnishings and comfort in mind.
 The Grand Suite has a large front entry room with a 1/2 bath tucked into one corner and opens through an arched doorway into a vast living room. Oversized comfortable chairs and sofas provide a wonderful place to relax. A satalite television centers on one wall. The living room faces a wide sun deck at oceans edge with a lounge chairs - perfect for sunning in the mornings. We loved to sit in the living room and savor the gorgeous view through the wide glass doors.  An arched door leads from the living room to an enormous bedroom with a pillow-top 4-poster king bed. The bedroom has a large private shaded terrace which became our favorite place to relax each morning to watch the sun rise. 
Six ceiling fans cool the Grand Suite units, plus the entire unit has an air conditioner to supplement nature a bit.  A Premium two-bedroom suite is located next to the Grand Suites and has a spacious living room with covered deck separating two large bedrooms each with a dressing area, bathroom, and big showers featuring two shower heads, one for her and one for him.  One bedroom has a four poster king bed; the other has a caned headboard. Both have sun decks and separate entries in addition to connecting to the central living room.  All of Biras's suites are air conditioned and have umbrellas, a concealed bar with refrigerator, tea maker, and coffee pot, large closet, iron & ironing board. Bathrooms have hair dryers, shampoo, hair rinse, soap, and other essentials. Two bicycles are parked in front of each suite and can be used for peddling to Deep Bay, about 3/4 mile away or for cycling the resort pathways. We found a wonderful little "shortcut" trail below the "Stone Castle" and next to the main dock which leads to the marina and gift shop - this route is handy for those in suites 11 through 16 wanting a quick way to walk or bike from the dock or take the "low road" to Deep Bay beach without going over a hill. We couldn't resist taking the photo below....notice the little goat standing on the wall behind the bikes. Once in a while we'd see goats wandering up and down the step hills, but they were very shy and usually ran away when they saw us.  Those who might prefer to ride to the beach can call reception and a cart will arrive to transport them there. Rides are also available from the beach back to their cottage.  After watching the sunrise each morning, we had breakfast in the castle restaurant which is 60 winding steps above the cottage paths. We loved sitting and enjoying the view over the North Sound during breakfast. A buffet of cereal, fresh fruit, juices, croissants and danish pastry awaited us, followed by a full menu of eggs, omelets, hot cereal, and bacon.  On some days, a fun barbecued lunch was served from 1 to 2 p.m. at the beachside pavilion/bar on Deep Bay and offered a delightful selection of salads, cheeses, fruit, plus grilled chicken, fish, pork, lamb, and hamburgers, followed by lots of home-baked cookies. On other days, a light lunch of salads, entrees, and sandwiches was served in the main restaurant in the section overlooking the Atlantic Ocean - more wonderful views during dining!  We visited The Fat Virgin Cafe one day for an afternoon snack to enjoy some West Indian specialties - it is located at Biras Creek's marina and only a short bike ride from our cottage.  It also has a gift shop that is full of Caribbean artwork, hand-crafted ceramics, pretty resort wear, and fun Biras Creek T-shirts - some of the best selections of tropical goodies on Virgin Gorda.  Every evening, we enjoyed tropical drinks in the bar and watched the
sun slowly set over the North Sounds glittering waters. As dusk arrived,
the castle transformed into a romantic setting of candle-lit tables and
soft lighting.
 Dinner began at 7 p.m. and consisted of three courses starting with a choice of soup or salad such as Tian of crab and avocado or Biras Mesclun Salad. The main entree offered such delicacies as Oven roasted pigeon, grilled filet of mahi-mahi, or Filet of Beef. The sumptuous menu changed each night, but a meatless entree was always listed and Caribbean lobster was often featured. In addition to cheeses and port wine, several dessert choices and a selection of sorbets and ice creams were offered each evening. The wine list was quite extensive. Dinner was often accompanied by live music, except for the night that the wonderful steel band came and the fun evening of dancing ended far too soon! Biras Creek now has an air-conditioned private dining room located where the library used to be next to the main dining area. Groups can reserve the room at extra cost. The photo below was taken after the sun went down, but believe me, the large windows also have a gorgeous view of the sea and sunset at dusk.  |
