The Last Resort, a great little restaurant and bar on Bellamy Cay, a small island in Trellis Bay, Beef Island, has been serving up great entertainment along with tasty drinks and food since the ’70’s.
(Update: The Last Resort was destroyed by the hurricanes of 2017 and as of the date of this update, has not been re-built. We haven’t heard if the owner’s plan to re-build or not, but will be sure to update this post with any current information as we receive it.)
The Last Resort has quite an interesting past. Tony Snell was a British Flight Lieutenant who, in 1943 was shot down in his Spitfire and escaped a German firing squad. After the war, he worked as an actor, songwriter and musician. In 1969, Tony and his wife Jackie moved to the British Virgin Islands where they eventually opened the original “Last Resort” on Little Jost. After just one year, The Last Resort on Little Jost burned to the ground. Tony and Jackie decided to move The Last Resort to Bellamy Cay, which, in itself, had quite a history – of pirates! While living in a houseboat in Trellis Bay, they constructed a new restaurant on Bellamy Cay.
When The Last Resort opened, Tony was in his element providing all of the entertainment with piano, guitar, harmonica and original songs. Jackie, took the roll of main cook. There are stories – some of which are a bit unbelievable, but good stories nonetheless, of the many animals the Snell family kept on the little island, including parrots, a singing dog and wine and rum drinking donkeys! After a number of years, Tony and Jackie passed the reins to their children, Jessica and Jeremy.
The Last Resort in 2006 with a donkey named Chocolate
In past visits to The Last Resort we’ve had a blast.
Recently we enjoyed a great dinner with friends on the deck and then partook in some raucous entertainment with Al Broderick, aka, the Singing Chef, who successfully plied the audience with free shots to encourage participation. It worked.
Customers singing for shots at The Last Resort
We finished off the evening with a pretty intense Foosball competition.
Thankful we once again had a designated dinghy driver, we made our way back to our boat moored in Trellis Bay still singing and laughing after a great night of fun.
Apparently, The Last Resort has recently changed hands to a young couple by the name of Emily & Dylan Burill. They are hoping to make the resort a bit more family friendly and have changed the menu and decor a bit. We’ve not been there under the new ownership yet, but the recent Last Resort reviews seem to be positive! Have you been to the Last Resort and met Emily and Dylan?
Get to The Last Resort by dinghy if staying on a boat in Trellis Bay, or call for the ferry from Trellis Bay Dock opposite D’ Best Cup Cafe.
To see more posts on Tortola and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory.
All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.
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