Loblolly Bay on Anegada
Loblolly Bay is the beach people cross Anegada for: a long reach of north-shore sand with Horseshoe Reef close enough to swim to, Big Bamboo's lobster at the western end and Flash of Beauty's reef at the eastern. It suits snorkelers above all. The catch is getting here, on a ferry with its own calendar and a road of sand.
Conditions: Calm inside Horseshoe Reef on most days. The beach faces north, and a winter north swell breaks on the reef before it reaches the sand, by our read of the map. Some days bring a current along the reef. No lifeguard.
Loblolly Bay at a glance
| Entry | Free; no authority posts a fee or manages the beach, as of October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hours | None posted for the beach; Big Bamboo, the bar on the sand, opens daily 10 am to 6 pm as of October 2026 |
| Parking | At the end of Loblolly Bay Road, where it meets the sand beside Big Bamboo; no lot is mapped, so park along the road end |
| Restrooms | Seasonal or limited |
| Shade | Some |
| Snorkeling | 4 of 5, Very good |
| Crowds | Quiet |
| Drive from The Settlement | about 8 minutes by car |
| Lifeguard | No |
Facts checked Oct 18, 2026.
Conditions today at Loblolly Bay
As of 7:00 AM on Oct 22, 2026, island time. Read each morning from Open-Meteo at the pin, the one feed that covers the British Virgin Islands; the bay opens north, by our read from the map.
- Sea state
- Exposed. The swell is from the north-northeast at 1.0 m, period 9 seconds; Loblolly Bay opens north, straight into it, so expect surf on the sand and stirred-up water.
Open-Meteo wave model at the nearest ocean cell; the bay's opening is our read from the map.
- Surf and water test
- No forecast office writes a surf zone forecast for these beaches and the British Virgin Islands publish no weekly water test we can read, so the sea state above is our read from the wave model at the pin, and this page carries no water-quality line.
Open-Meteo wave model at the pin; no BVI agency publishes a beach advisory.
- Rain
- Dry through the day; the chance of rain peaks at 4%.
Open-Meteo hourly forecast at the pin.
- The day
- UV index up to 8; sunset 5:49 pm; sea 30 °C, 86 °F.
Open-Meteo.
Routes to Loblolly Bay
About 8 minutes by car from The Settlement. How to reach the British Virgin Islands: British Virgin Islands map, British Virgin Islands weather, month by month, Ferries between the British Virgin Islands, Getting to the British Virgin Islands, Things to do in Tortola and the British Virgin Islands.
Getting to Loblolly Bay from the Setting Point ferry
First the ferry. Smith's Ferry sails from Road Town to Setting Point on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in alternate fortnights on its 2026 calendar, and Loblolly Bay lies on the far side of the island and toward the east, 22 minutes from the dock by car. Loblolly Bay Road runs out at the sand beside Big Bamboo.
There are two ways across. Taxis usually wait at Setting Point; no fare is posted, so settle it and the pickup time before you leave, because nobody at the beach will call one for you. For a stay of a few days, rent a jeep: Out & About Rentals works through the Anegada Reef Hotel and DW Jeep Rental through D&H Sunshine Villas, neither with a rate online. The island is flat, but the roads past The Settlement are sand. Traffic keeps left.
Lobster at Big Bamboo, and an empty beach beyond
A long curve of pale sand facing north, with Horseshoe Reef offshore holding the water flat on most days. Big Bamboo keeps the western end, where the road arrives: a beach bar with a lobster lunch and cottages behind it, open daily from 10 am to 6 pm as of October 2026, by its own page. There are loungers and palapas on the sand there. Walk a few minutes east and the beach empties.
The sand itself is free and managed by nobody, with no posted fee, hours or rules. Lunch is the event, and lobster is the order. For dinner, Big Bamboo cooks only by arrangement, by phone or on VHF channel 16, and drives you there and back; the kitchens at Setting Point want the booking by afternoon, the Anegada Reef Hotel by 4 pm.
The tradeoff: the reef is the reason to come and the reason to plan. A ferry that sails on its own calendar, a drive on sand and a bar that closes at six leave a day trip from Road Town with no slack between the 7 am boat out and the 5 pm boat home.
Snorkeling Loblolly Bay and Flash of Beauty
The reef is close enough to swim to from the sand, which is why we rate the snorkeling 4 of 5: parrotfish, rays and turtles over coral in clear water, from an entry easy enough for a beginner. The drawback is a current that runs along the reef on some days. No authority lists a lifeguard, so swim with someone.
Flash of Beauty, the eastern end of the bay and about a kilometer along the shore by our read of the map, is where the stronger swimmers go; its reef is the best on the island by our read, and the water there gets wild on a rough day. Bring your own mask. The bay faces north, and a winter north swell breaks on Horseshoe Reef before it reaches the beach: the sand stays swimmable, but the outer reef is no place for a snorkel that day. Loblolly Bay suits a snorkeler who has come a long way to put a face in the water, and a family happy with a lunch table and a shallow swim.
Questions people ask about Loblolly Bay
Where is Loblolly Bay on Anegada?
22 minutes by car from the Setting Point ferry dock, by our measurement, on Anegada's north shore east of the middle of the island. Loblolly Bay Road ends at the sand at the western end of the bay, beside Big Bamboo; Flash of Beauty is the eastern end of the same beach.
Is the snorkeling good at Loblolly Bay?
Yes: we rate it 4 of 5. Horseshoe Reef is a short swim from the sand, and visitors report parrotfish, rays and turtles in clear water. The drawback is a current along the reef on some days. Flash of Beauty, at the east end, has the best reef, by our read. Bring your own mask.
How far is Loblolly Bay from Cow Wreck Beach?
12 and 24 minutes by car from the middle of the island, Loblolly Bay east of it and Cow Wreck Beach west; no leg between the two beaches was measured, so allow both. Cow Wreck is the nearer of the two to the Setting Point ferry dock, 15 minutes against Loblolly's 22, so by our read a day trip works best starting at Loblolly Bay and ending at Cow Wreck, close to the boat home.
Written by Virgin Islands Villas. Facts checked Oct 18, 2026. Updated Oct 22, 2026.
No villa listed with us is within ten minutes of Loblolly Bay yet. See every villa in the BVI, with its rates and dates.
