Almost nobody steps off a plane and onto a charter boat the same hour. You arrive a day early so a delayed flight cannot cost you the first night aboard, and you often need a bed on the way home, because boats are due back on the dock by 10 or 11 in the morning and the good flights leave in the afternoon.
Here is where we would sleep, by area, with the cheapest nightly rate we could find for two people. Pick the area first: the right hotel is the one nearest your base or your ferry, not the one with the best photos.
Tortola: Road Town and Nanny Cay
Most charter bases are here or within fifteen minutes of here, and it is the obvious choice if you fly into Beef Island or take the ferry into Road Town. Taxis are per person and the roads are slow, so staying in the right town is worth more than staying in the nicest room.
| Hotel | From | Why this one |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Burt Hotel | $102 | The cheapest bed in Road Town, on the hill at the west end of the harbor. Five minutes down to the waterfront. |
| Village Cay Hotel and Marina | $179 | On the dock at Wickhams Cay. You can walk to the Moorings and Sunsail bases with your bags. |
| Maria’s By the Sea | $212 | The best reviewed of the Road Town hotels, on the harbor and a short walk to the ferry dock and provisioning. |
| The Moorings Yacht Club Hotel | $254 | Inside the Moorings base itself. If you are chartering with them, you cannot stay closer. |
| Nanny Cay Resort and Marina | $225 | At the Nanny Cay base, fifteen minutes west of Road Town. The only sensible choice if you board here. |
Tortola: East End and Beef Island
Closest to the airport, and right for Hodges Creek, Fat Hogs Bay and Scrub Island. If your flight lands late and you board at the east end in the morning, do not drive across the island twice.
| Hotel | From | Why this one |
|---|---|---|
| Wyndham Tortola BVI Lambert Beach Resort | $226 | A proper beach resort about ten minutes from the airport, on the north shore at Lambert Bay. |
| Scrub Island Resort, Spa and Marina | $570 | Its own island and its own launch from Trellis Bay. Expensive, but you are already at the Scrub Island base. |
| Hodge’s Creek Marina Hotel | Ask | Rooms at the Hodges Creek base. Plain, but you walk from your bed to the briefing. |
Tortola: West End and the north shore
For a Soper’s Hole departure, or if you would rather spend the extra night on a beach than in a working harbor. An hour from the airport, so weigh the taxi against the view.
| Hotel | From | Why this one |
|---|---|---|
| The Heritage Inn | $181 | Up above Cane Garden Bay with the best value view on the island. |
| Sebastian’s on the Beach | $183 | On the sand at Little Apple Bay, twenty minutes from Soper’s Hole. |
| Sugar Mill Hotel | $520 | A small, old hotel at Apple Bay with the best restaurant of the three. |
St Thomas: Charlotte Amalie and the airport
If you fly into St Thomas, this is the side you want for the Road Town ferry, which leaves from the Charlotte Amalie waterfront. Land after about three in the afternoon and you will miss the last boat, so plan on a night here.
| Hotel | From | Why this one |
|---|---|---|
| Windward Passage Hotel | $110 | Walk out of the lobby and onto the Road Town ferry. Nothing else on St Thomas is this convenient for a BVI charter. |
| Emerald Beach Resort | $166 | On the sand directly across from the airport runway. Ten minutes from your bag to your room. |
| The Mafolie Hotel | $260 | Up the hill above town, with the harbor view and a good kitchen, ten minutes down to the ferry. |
St Thomas: Red Hook
Red Hook is the other ferry, the one to West End on Tortola. It is thirty to forty minutes by taxi from the airport, so only stay here if your charter starts at Soper’s Hole.
| Hotel | From | Why this one |
|---|---|---|
| Secret Harbor Beach Resort | $481 | The closest bed to the Red Hook ferry dock, about ten minutes on foot, on its own small beach. |
| Hampton by Hilton St Thomas | $335 | Predictable, newer and about fifteen minutes from the dock if you would rather know exactly what you are getting. |
Before you book any of these, price the sleep-aboard. Most charter companies sell the night before your charter on the boat itself, usually from about five or six in the evening. It is often cheaper than a hotel room for a crew of six, you provision that evening instead of burning the first morning, and you wake up where you need to be. A hotel makes more sense when you arrive two days early, when the crew wants one more shower and a pool, or on the way home.
Common questions
Should we arrive the day before our charter?
Yes. A missed connection is the difference between a seven night charter and a six night one, and no charter company refunds the first night because your plane was late. Fly in the day before and either take the sleep-aboard or book one of the hotels above.
Do we need a hotel on the last night?
Usually not, if you are flying from Beef Island. Boats are due back by ten or eleven and there are afternoon flights. From St Thomas it is tighter, because you have a ferry, United States customs and another taxi after you hand the boat back, so a last night ashore is the safer plan.
Is it cheaper to stay on St Thomas or Tortola?
St Thomas, usually, and by a clear margin at the budget end. The catch is the ferry, the second border and about three hours door to dock. If the saving is a hundred dollars and the cost is half a day of your charter, stay on Tortola.
Rates checked November 2026. They are the lowest nightly price we could find for two people, and they move a long way between high and low season. Treat them as a ranking rather than a quote, and confirm with the hotel. We do not sell rooms and we take nothing if you book one.
Still working out which airport, which base or which boat? See flights and ferries, or ask us.