Hi all...

So we are looking for a rapid antigen test ... is there anywhere on anegada or close to beef island where we can get a rapid antigen test done?

This will be in November so we are hoping that rules continue to evolve and loosen up so that maybe fully vaccinated folks might not need any testing to return to the us or usvi...we can dream, cant we?

Thanks!

FRIDAY
Before we left home, we had made a reservation at Medwork in Simpson Bay for our Covid tests to return to the states. You make a reservation for a specific time and pay online. I wasn't real happy about paying ahead of time, but I guess if something happens, you can get your money back. The location is in the building with Avantika, which we have never been to before, and which we THOUGHT we knew where it was. Wrong. Anyway, we went all the way through Simpson Bay and came back and found it. It is directly across the street from the OLD Toppers location, which possibly is still open, I couldn't really tell.

We arrived at 8:45 for our 8:50 appointment. The email said to bring ID, we decided to bring our passports, which actually is what she asked for. I assume without knowing they would take your driver's license, although with the passport, they put the passport number on your results, so that is best. We were out of there by no later than 9 o'clock. I'm not really sure you needed an appointment, as someone walked in without an appointment when we came in. You do need a mask, of course.

We weren't confident about getting our results printed out from an email, so we asked to come back to pick them up, which was no problem. While waiting for the results, we headed out to a new place for us, Réveil Matin. The location is right next to the Simpson Bay Yacht Club (NOT the Yacht Club right by the bridge.) It's not the best location, being right on the street and no view, but the menu is quite varied and interesting. Most of the meals are quite large and we found it a tad expensive for breakfast, at $40, without any alcohol.

I had a crepe, filled with ham and cheese and scrambled eggs.

Eric had a ham and cheese omelette.


Both were excellent, along with some coffee, and they served tap water. In future, I would probably order one meal and split it, but we both wanted different things this time. I would definitely go back, for either breakfast or brunch.

After breakfast, we went back and picked up our printed out results, but they were also emailed to us, before we got back to BSV. Over all, I would highly recommend Medwork, if you're staying on the Dutch side.

After we finished getting our test results, I had somewhat of a bad idea, as I wanted to head to Club O beach. We came back and packed up and headed out. Unfortunately the wind was howling over on Orient and the seaweed was thick in the water. After a couple of hours, it clouded up and started to sprinkle and looked like it was in for a long haul of rain, so we packed up and headed back "home" to BSV.

We got rained on a couple of times heading home, but it cleared up somewhat. We had some leftovers for lunch, and hung out for the afternoon. The winds had calmed down to almost nothing here, and the waves were dead flat calm.


Dinner was steaks on the grill and another lovely day in paradise, notched on the belt.

SATURDAY
The weather was pretty iffy first thing on Saturday, so we had our scrambled eggs, toast and mimosa inside. The sacrifices one makes!!



We had hamburgers on the grill for lunch again, and then I proceeded to watch the passing show at the airport! We already knew before we left home, that it would be a busy day at PJIA on Saturday. At the busy time, from around 1 to 3 PM, I spent most of the time on the viewing platform here at Beachside. At one point, there were FOUR American planes on the ground at the same time, and I watched two take off over the mountain, and one over the water, within about 10 minutes. What a cool photo op!!











Saturday evening we decided we had a hankering for Mexican and decided to check out Banditos, which is where Bavaria used to be. We headed out around 6:30, and were able to find a place to park out front, which was good. When we walked in, there was only the bartender serving and things were pretty slow. A male waiter came in, and after that, service improved vastly. They serve free chips and salsa, and both were pretty decent. I ordered a stuffed poblano, which actually wasn't at all the same preparation as I get in the states, but it was good.

Eric ordered a burrito, which again he thought the preparation was a little unusual, but the taste was very good.



Our 'bar' for Mexican is pretty low, but to me, I thought it was pretty good, and once the male waiter showed up, the service was good. I would go back again.


As we were heading back around 8 or so, it started raining. We noted that the guy manning the new security gate heading into Beacon Hill had left the gate up and were hiding inside their booth... Had to laugh at that..
Thus endeth another day in paradise.

My age-riddled brain seems to recall that Brother Steve Cropper has some kind of connection with the BVI. Many of you probably know the connection. Some of you may know Steve. I only know him through his music.

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal (pg. C6) had an article about Steve, his history, his music, and his new album. I wasn't sure how to upload a PDF of the article, so I simply cut-and-pasted the contents into a TXT file and thence to here. MODS: Bash me if I done wrong, but be kind.

The halfway point is nigh.

(This text seems awfully small to me, though I did nothing different than the last 2 postings Isn't there a reformat option for postings?)

Discovering that Yvette’s doesn’t serve dinner during this pandemic and is only open Noon to 2:30 , closed Wednesdays, necessitated a rework of this week’s meal plan. We decided today was a Philipsburg trip, so that meant either Caribbean Blend (grilled grouper filet, slathered in butter and nicely spiced, perhaps with magic spice) or Ital’s. I mistakenly thought CB was closed so off to Ital’s. Ital’s is a vegetarian, maybe even vegan, restaurant on the outskirts of town that we go to to “cleanse” the excesses of the previous meals. It’s always a pleasure to see Bushman and his wife. There is a daily plate consisting of some 5 or 6 items, today’s being quinoa, green banana, sorrel and a few other tasty (no sarcasm here) treats. There’s a $9 or $12 plate, but damned if I can tell the difference in food quantity.. We had a passion fruit drink

Now cleansed enough for future meals of foie gras and Ti Punches, we proceeded the few klicks to town. BTW, the traffic light is back. We came in from the school side of town, where most shops were shuttered or closed. As is our habit, we stopped in the African shop across from the school and talked to the owners there. They seem to be doing well physically, hoping for the return of business.
On our way to Guavaberry, I noticed the ladies enticing you to enter their jewelry stores weren’t as aggressive or enthusiastic as before, not that they don’t have a good reason. While they’ve always been a minor annoyance, they were always part of the activities on Front Street that gave it some of it’s flavor. I also noticed that no one was carrying a Guavaberry Colada cup as we were wondering if they still had those gawdy Bourbon Street appropriate cups they had last time. Mystery solved. The store is closed. Bummer. From the sign on the door, they still do business, just not at the store. Given the sparse traffic, I can see why.

I was getting thirsty, and what better to get than a “free” beer, so we head to Royal Jewelers to visit with Vince and company. Vince looks up, smiles and waves, and continues with the customer he is already working over, er, servicing. Harry immediately comes over and we begin chit-chatting, and offers up some refreshment. Accepted. Shirley starts looking at the rings, asking the price of one. Harry responds that Vince can give her the prices. And at that point I realize Shirley is only Vince’s customer. No problem with that as Shirley trusts Vince’s knowledge, professionalism and judgement. We also engage in a little good-natured kidding, like when he asks me a question, I respond that he’s only doing that because he knows I have the credit card in my pocket, and he responds “Of course”. Two more couples walk in, so he calls his wife, Rahkee (sp?) to come in. All while we’re talking about life these days, and how both Vince and Rahkee had covid, Shirley finally fids something that appeals to her, assisting the funding of their children’s college fund. Vince just emailed us a nice thank you note of appreciation for our continued business, and especially this trips’. Hah, the Bastard knows we’re in town for another 10 days, planning another trip to Philipsburg, and to just keep him in mind for our visit. Probably this time, the beer will really be free.

Since we had business to transact in Marigot the next day, we thought we’d eat at Tropicana. I really wanted to try out Be Kool, but they aren’t open during our stay. I noticed the chalkboard had a salad with shredded duck leg ravioli (the owner said it was Duck Confit, but maybe that’s because I asked if they had that specific meal) and some sliced smoked duck breast. Only 3 raviolis and 3 slices of breast, but, hey, it’ a salad dish not a meat dish. Shirley had the smoked salmon plate with a side of fries. The fries came out piping hot and crisp, just how we like them. Problem was, they came directly from the fryer and put in a cup, so shortly the condensation made them soggy. Not so much a complaint as an observation and lesson. Shirley decided she wanted a Kir Royale to drink, and after ordering a second wondered what they cost. I guessed around 8-10 Euros, as that seems to be the going rate in nicer restaurants. Nope, 14 Euros. I read somewhere that drinks are considered the 3rd guest cost-wise in a nice meal for 2. With Shirley, it likes like the meal is the 3rd guest in a drinking session.
For the second straight evening, we decided to eat in. I’m now tired of some of our Super U deli purchases, so will be sourcing from Bacchus from now on.

Wednesday is Hercules day. When I was putting together my hit list at home, I couldn’t find out if this place was open or not. Last Facebook posting was in Jan and nothing since. I did stop by on our way back from Ma Dou Dou and found they were indeed up and running. I ordered griot, a marinated, boiled and then fried pork dish that’s very popular in Haiti, with Pikliz and Banan peze( fried, smashed plantain). Pikliz is (normally) a pickled assortment of julienned veggies with scotch bonnets included for heat and flavor). It takes a few days to meld the flavors in the recipe I use. Nowadays Hercules makes to pikliz to order, so they don’t need all that vinegar, instead using a bit of fresh lime juice. I heartily endorse the change. Shirley had a very tasty stew that we also had again with Friday night leftovers.
I used to always order accras there, as they make the batter from tania, one of the local ground provisions, instead of all flour. It makes them denser and more filling, and thus the enemy of finishing the main course on site, so I passed in order to enjoy my main course.

Any place with a cat gets an automatic half star upgrade from us because of that, so Hercules is no exception. I asked the server if it was ok to give the cat some food, and she said yes, but only a little as the food is spicey. Instead, I whipped out a bag of kibble, which kind of surprised her. Hey, just a bunch of crazy Americans we are. The cat, Bella, loves me.

I was getting a little hungry in the evening, but in no mood for our Super U purchases, didn’t want to go to town, when we realized we had an on-site restaurant. While the first meal we had there was good, good just isn’t good enough on this island. Fortunately I ordered a dish that satisfied my small appetite, and culinary desires, now forgetting exactly what it was, but some raw fish medley. I think Shirley had a Caesar Salad. It is nice to have an on-site option.

In all probability, Wednesday’s dinner kept me filled through the next morning, so for the first time in 9 mornings this trip, we didn’t have croissants and a baguette for breakfast That also saves room for our upcoming lunch at Yvettes. We arrived right at Noon, and saw no cars in the parking lot. Uh oh. Entered the dining room, and no diners or staff. Please, no. I called out, and Felix, the Chef, came in offering us to sit at any table. I was worried for a moment as Yvettes is a mandatory stop, as well as on our repeat list during the trip.

There’s really no reason for us to see the menu, as our choices are set in stone. I have the pan fried red snapper filet, creole style, and Shirley has the conch and dumplings. As I did at Hercules, I was going to pass on their version of accras, called fish cakes, but figured I could always lighten up on the fries, if potential fullness became an issue. Not to worry, Shirley assisted by eating 2 of the 5 fish cakes and I managed to clean my plate. My meal was accompanied by johnny cakes, fries, a salad and fried plantain. Until I had Yvettes, I’d never had snapper that really excited me, and was ready to drop that fish from my play list.
While Yvettes has a lot of local clientele, their inability to open for dinner has been difficult, even affecting their lunch business. Only 3 others came in to eat while we were there, although there might have been some take-away business done in the other room.

We weren’t all that hungry for dinner, but decided to return to Villa Royale and share the mahi mahi tartare, upgrading the fries to sweet potato fries for 4 bucks and worth every penny. Shirley wanted a Kir Royale, but opted for a Bellini instead. That cost $12, so maybe Tropicana’s wasn’t all the bad after all. Another very satisfying meal on the cheap.

I’ll break off here. Maybe I should mention that the weather has been partly-to-mostly cloudy with an occasional brief shower. I try to get in the water at least twice a day, but probably averaging 1 ½ times, for, call it, for 1 ½ hours a day on average. Taking life easy, as we have a lot ahead of us when we return home, still 9 days away.
Upcoming reports. Friday our best meal of the trip so far—Bouchot mussels at Le Champagne, Saturday’s return to Rosemary’s and Miss Ebby selections, and today’s Trip to Oasis to visit with Carole, bum my once a year smoke if she still smokes (I hope she’s quit), and probably Nice for dinner. One advantage of doing these reports is that it focusses my mind, which left to its own devices on this vacation wanders all over the place, seemingly acting random at times.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday is our anniversary, and we didn't have anything planned, except an evening meal out.

Breakfast was ham slices, eggs and strawberries, along with coffee and my usual mimosa. I used some of the morning to upload some pictures and trip report to TTOL. Somehow our computer AND our SXM phone did some kind of an update and both are now defaulting to Dutch . He got the phone fixed, but Eric can't figure out how to fix Edge, so we have to manually type in addresses on the browser. First world problems..

I spent some time at one of my favorite places on earth, by the pool, reading my book.

After a bit, I was able to get some liquid refreshment from the Cabana Boy!!



I had a lovely time, reading, watching the waves, and the planes.





Until in no time, it's time for a burger on the grill for lunch, which hit the spot.



About that time, some folks showed up in Number 14, which had been empty for a few days. Since they have no car, I suspect they are newbies? It's now Sunday, as I write this, and we still haven't seen them.. Whatever.. After lunch, a little shower chases me inside and I work on trying to finish my book. Life is rough...


For dinner, we headed out to Astra. It is directly across the street from Captain D's, and right next to Skipjacks. It is a HUGE restaurant, by SXM standards. We arrived around 6:45 and there were only a couple of tables occupied, but they were probably about half full by the time we left, around 8:15. I had what they called lamb medallions, but what I would call lamb loin chops.



They were a tad overcooked for my taste, but I had ordered medium, so that was probably my fault. They were quite good.
Eric had yellow fin tuna, which he enjoyed.



For some reason, Astra does not have any desserts listed on their web page and none on their regular menu. It is a separate list, which I managed somehow to take a photo of, EXCEPT for the top item, the amaretto cheesecake, which is what we had.


I tell you, that amaretto cheesecake was the BEST single thing we have had all week, by far. Along with some coffee, it was the BOMB.



It was a huge piece, more than enough for the two of us.


They did serve tap water, which I usually ask for, and normally cannot get here. Service was good and prompt. What appeared to be the owner was walking around, making sure everyone was happy

When the check came was the only bad moment of the night. The menu online and in the restaurant is very clear that they add 15% service charge. Since most of the places in Simpson Bay do it, I can't be too bothered with that, except for the fact that we normally tip more than that. However, the server brought the bill and said "We have added 15% onto the bill. Half of it is for TAX and the other half is a shared gratuity among the servers. If you want to give something to me, you need to add it on the bill. Would you like to do that?" No, and h*ll no. There is no TAX that is supposed to be passed on to the consumer in SXM and even if you're going to claim it's turnover tax, that is not 7.5%. That left a bad taste.

All in all, the meal was very good, but not sure I would return, because of that one thing.


THURSDAY

For breakfast, we enjoyed a ham and cheese omelette. I then sent Eric over to Carrefour for some supplies and I posted some more of my trip report. . The wind was FIERCE and the waves were CRASHING on the shore here, by far the biggest waves of the trip so far.



We watched them splash up OVER Da Boat and pour out through the holes in the hull.

She appears to be totally firmly wedged in there, as the pounding waves did not move her at all.

We had made plans to meet Jazzgal (Linda) for lunch at Da Watering Hole. We were surprised to see very little wave action at either Maho or at Mullet, based on what we had here.



I was excited when I learned, a while ago, that they had built a real restaurant on Mullet, one with a bathroom. The place is set up to deal with heavy winds, I guess, as the chairs are wooden and incredibly heavy. The menus are really heavy cardboard. What I didn't like is that the roof keeps out the rain, but not the sun, as it is basically clear, so it gets really hot in there. For Pat, I noted that the chairs were spaced very nicely, all up and down the beach.




The biggest problem we had with the place was that the service as ABSYMAL. We arrived before Linda, and it took a long time to get our drinks. Other than being fascinated by my camera at one point, the waiter basically ignored us. We tracked down a fellow who I guess was the manager and asked him to find the waiter so we could place our order. He said that he would take it himself. Then at that point, he told us that we couldn't have separate bills, which is what we had already set up, and said he would figure it out at the end. They brought the food eventually, which was extremely blah. It was the sampler appetizer platter, with a side of fries and none of it was particularly good.



I do not ever do frozen drinks, but I ordered a strawberry margarita, for some reason. It was OK, but it was $9. Seems kinda high??




They had a POS hand held device, which apparently they can't figure out how to use, as he wanted to charge us for a ceviche, I think, which I didn't even remember them having on the menu. They tried to charge Linda for a drink that she originally ordered, and then the waiter said they didn't have. It was just a clusterf*ck all the way around. It was good seeing Linda again, but I will not be back anytime soon.


For dinner, we enjoyed a kind of tradition for us here, garlic shrimp, baked camembert, fruit and baguette.



Thus endeth another successful day.

Hello All! Love reading everybody’s trip reports, so I’ll do my best to share as well. We were up early, 2am to leave house by 3am to get to JFK for 4am for a 6:30 flight. Ugh! Delayed till 6:50, not so bad. Made up time in the air and made the connecting flight in Miami with some time to spare. We could have walked to the arrival area but the shuttle had to drive us. LOL! The line for Pre-Approval with documentation was extremely long but went by really fast. SAX was there to meet us, back to their place to pick up car. Off to Divi! Haven’t been in SXM for at least 10 years (sad, I know), but we remembered the roads and got to the Divi without a hitch. Picked up a 6 pack of Carib and a few odds and ends and headed to the room. Bldg 10, 3rd floor. Bad on the knees, but what a view of Great Bay!! Made it to Gizmos for dinner. Time for sleep! Till tomorrow….

So many of us have been concerned about covid testing in the BVI but the mask requirement has not really been discussed. We arrived on Thursday and it’s disappointing to see the number of visitors that ignore the posted signs to wear masks indoors. I’m vaccinated and not thrilled about wearing a mask but I do it because it’s a matter of respect.

Good afternoon. In my past research I came across hotels that offered packages that would be for hotel stay with boat stay. Something like 3 nights hotel. 3 nights boat. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thank you!

Our party of 5 that are arriving on 06/30 decided to get the antibody test in order to save the required return test to the USVI. Two out of the five of us (Pfizer vaccinated in March and J&J in April) tested negative for antibodies so we'll need to schedule the PCR test 5 days before our return by water taxi to the USVI. The other 3 (Moderna in January, J&J in April and Pfizer in April) tested positive for antibodies so at least that is some time and expense saved. I guess the moral of the story is don't count on antibody testing to save that return test.

Based on user feedback we'll aim for being at Jost when time to get tested.

Thinking about trying this place in Simpson Bay tonight. Anyone here been there?