Leverick Bay Resort & Marina

Every time we sail the North Sound of Virgin Gorda, we end up at the same place: Leverick Bay Resort & Marina. It's one of those stops on our island-hopping circuit that we genuinely look forward to every time. There's something about Leverick Bay that just works — the setting, the people, the food, and the entertainment. Once you've spent a few evenings here, it's hard to imagine a BVI trip without it.

Why North Sound?

North Sound is one of the most protected anchorages in the entire British Virgin Islands. Surrounded by Mosquito Island, Prickly Pear Island, and Eustatia Island, it's a natural harbor that sailors have been seeking out for centuries. The water is calm, the scenery is stunning, and the concentration of great destinations within a short dinghy ride makes it one of the best bases for exploring Virgin Gorda.

Leverick Bay sits on the western shore of North Sound, and its full-service marina makes it the natural hub. The resort has 36 moorings and slips, fuel, fresh water, showers, laundry, and free Wi-Fi — everything a boat crew needs to recharge before the next adventure. The dock crew monitors Channel 16 and is genuinely helpful. It's the kind of marina where you feel taken care of from the moment you pull in.

The Marina & Resort

Beyond the dock, Leverick Bay is a full resort. There's a freshwater pool, a white-sand beach, a spa, boutique shopping, and multiple places to eat and drink. The Chef's Pantry is open from 7am to 7pm daily and is excellent for provisioning — well-stocked with a surprisingly wide selection at reasonable prices for the BVI. The Upstairs Restaurant opens at 6pm Saturday through Thursday (it's closed on Fridays, which matters — plan accordingly), and the Jumbies Beach Bar and The Cove keep things going from 11am to 9pm most days.

The resort accommodations — hillside condos with sweeping views over North Sound — are worth considering if you want to spend a few nights ashore. Multiple reviewers have called the views "unreal" and the beds some of the most comfortable they've slept in. The wraparound porches on the condos are particularly special in the early morning, when you can sit with a coffee and watch the boats come and go below.

The Entertainment: Two Nights You Don't Want to Miss

Leverick Bay has two signature entertainment events that are genuinely worth planning your sailing schedule around.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 5pm, the legendary Michael Beans Pirate Show ("Happy Arrr") takes over the waterfront. Michael Beans is a one-man show — original musical pirate comedy, sea shanties, a conch-blowing contest, and enough audience participation to keep everyone involved. It's completely over-the-top in the best possible way. Reservations are strongly recommended because it fills up fast. Call (284) 542-7241 to claim your table.

Then there's Friday night. The Upstairs Restaurant may be closed, but the beach comes alive with one of the best shows in the BVI: a full beach BBQ with Moko Jumbies and fire dancers. Moko Jumbies are stilt walkers rooted in West African tradition — ancestral spirit figures believed to ward off evil, brought to the Caribbean through the slave trade and woven into island culture for centuries. Watching them perform on stilts against a Caribbean sunset, with fire dancers spinning nearby, is one of those experiences that's hard to put into words. It's become one of those nights on the water you genuinely don't want to end.

What's Nearby

Leverick Bay's location in North Sound puts you within easy reach of some of the best spots in the BVI. A short dinghy ride gets you to Saba Rock — a tiny island barely above sea level with a legendary bar and rum selection. It's one of those places that shouldn't exist but somehow does, and it's perfect for a sundowner. The Bitter End Yacht Club (BEYC) is also nearby — it was completely destroyed by Hurricane Irma in 2017 and rebuilt from scratch, reopening in 2021. The new BEYC is worth a visit.

For a longer excursion, The Baths on the southern end of Virgin Gorda are a must — a surreal landscape of massive granite boulders forming sea caves and grottos right at the waterline. Getting there from Leverick Bay requires a taxi ride across the island, but it's absolutely worth the trip. The resort can arrange taxis for you, and the staff is genuinely helpful about organizing excursions.

Where Everything Is

Here's a look at the key spots we're talking about — Leverick Bay, Saba Rock, Bitter End Yacht Club, The Baths, and Nanny Cay (where we pick up the boat). Everything in the North Sound is within a short dinghy ride of each other, which is exactly what makes this area so good.

What Other People Are Saying

Our Take

We've been coming back to Leverick Bay trip after trip, and it never disappoints. The marina is well-run, the food is genuinely good, and the Friday night show with the Moko Jumbies and fire dancers is one of the most memorable things we've done anywhere in the Caribbean. It's the kind of place where you arrive planning to stay one night and end up staying three.

If you're sailing the BVI and North Sound is on your itinerary — and it should be — make Leverick Bay your home base. You won't regret it.

Tips Before You Go

• The Upstairs Restaurant is closed on Fridays — this is easy to miss and worth knowing in advance. Plan your dinner reservation for another night.
• Reserve for the Michael Beans show — it fills up quickly on Mon, Tue, and Wed. Call (284) 542-7241 to claim a table before 5pm.
• Don't skip Friday night — even though the restaurant is closed, the beach BBQ with Moko Jumbies and fire dancers is one of the best shows in the BVI.
• Order the lobster quesadilla and pair it with the Lime in Coconut frozen drink. Multiple visitors have called this combination a highlight of their trip.
• Book moorings in advance via BoatyBall — North Sound is popular and moorings fill up, especially in high season. Mooring balls run $40/night.
• The Chef's Pantry is excellent for provisioning — open 7am to 7pm daily with a wide selection and reasonable prices for the BVI.
• Dock crew monitors Channel 16 — hail them on VHF for assistance when approaching the marina.
• Taxis to The Baths — the resort can arrange taxis to take you across the island to The Baths. It's a longer trip but absolutely worth it.