If you want a small hotel, more of a romantic inn really, and it has to be on the BVI, then look no further than the Sandcastle Hotel which is beachfront on White Bay on Jost Van Dyke. To get here you obviously need to fly from your home, and then complete the journey by ferry from Tortola, which is a thirty minute journey. You won’t need much in the way of luggage because the Sandcastle Hotel is very much a barefoot place to unwind, and forget the cares of the world.

You are right beside the sea that is a colour you can hardly begin to describe, and the beach as the name might suggest is soft white sand, but best of all you will be greeted with that happy degree of intimacy that people on the island have, so you will be welcomed like an old friend.

It is fair to say right away, that if you are looking for luxury, then the Sandcastle Hotel is probably not your ideal destination, but if it is a romantic getaway then this is certainly the kind of romantic inn that you will love.

As well as being small and intimate with only seven rooms the Sandcastle Hotel is famous for the Soggy Dollar Bar, which is the birthplace of the Original Painkiller a popular rum drink fed to guests. The bar takes its name from the fact that many guests swim ashore to drink there, thus the name Soggy Dollar from the state of their cash when they pay.

The accommodation splits between four cottages and two rooms, with two of the cottages beachfront, two garden, and the cottages have air conditioning, with none of them more than 70 feet from the shore. They are all comfortably furnished and the showers in the cottages are outside but enclosed and the water is heated by the sun, so hot in the evening but not so in the morning!! The beds are comfortable, and there is a plentiful supply of towels and beach towels.

There are no real planned and laid out activities at the Sandcastle Hotel, this is very much a lie around in a hammock, relax, read, lie in the sun, and enjoy watching the yachts come in. You do need to book in for meals, in the case of breakfast the night before in the kitchen where the bulletin board shows the daily menus. For dinner you need to sign up by mid afternoon, and you can expect very good food, which is good value for money, and although the choice may be a bit limited, you will be delighted at the quality.

The Sandcastle Hotel may be a small beachfront hotel, but the whole ambience from the white sand beach, the Soggy Dollar Bar, the beautiful turquoise blue water, makes it the almost perfect romantic getaway destination. All you need to do is relax in a place where there are no telephones, and no televisions, and no 21^st Century hustle and bustle, just Jost Van Dyke BVI time, so lie back, close your eyes and forget about everything.