Here's a thrown together trip report … My friend Robin and I went to Tortola Oct. 28, my Daughter Laura joined us the next evening. We stayed at Agape Cottages at Cane Garden Bay a few nights, then went to Virgin Gorda for a week. The girls flew out, and my Husband flew in for the last few nights on Tortola.
Agape cottages were very nice, really well stocked. Obviously nice, thoughtful people run it, and the apartments are filled with nice, thoughtful touches. Nice picking up stuff from Bobby's at the foot of the Hill. Pregnant goat hung out every day on the driveway. The hill is a killer, at least for the very-out-of-shape me. Walking up that hill, in the heat, and going into a non-air conditioned room, wasn't the best. Unfortunately, the nice people who run the place were called away on an emergency, and when my daughter didn't show up as scheduled, there was no place to make a call, and no way my family could reach me to explain the situation.
Luckily the folks at Myett's are great … they called the airlines for me and we sorted it out. Then we sat and ate dynomite barbecue chicken.
We spent some days hanging at CGB with the cruise crowd, watching people change into their bathing suits under their clothes. How come they don't wear them suits under their clothes to start with? We ate more barbecue. Love the sauce at the Big Banana, and love their cat Cleo. Ate burgers with a side of their barbecue sauce. Mmmmmm.
We drank virgin painkillers. We had breakfast one morning at Sebastian's and spent a great day at Smugglers. We went shopping at Sopher's Hole and visited our favorite little shops. I love the BVI's -- the lady in the Jewelry store we liked remembered us from March, as soon as my daughter walked in the store the lady says to her, "You changed your hair!" (It was pink then … blond now!)
We rented our car from D&D Rental - nice folks!
On Wednesday the D&D guy dropped us off at the ferry dock in Roadtown for our ride to Virgin Gorda. Another new, easy experience. Met our mahogany rental car people at the Virgin Gorda dock, and we were off to Guavaberry.
Guavaberry everything everyone said it is. Really nice. Huge gorgeous deck. Two big bedrooms and two nice baths. Neat design, very comfortable. Tina and Valerie superb. Spring Bay Beach like a movie set. Great little commissary on the honor system. Everything you need. And the location is outstanding. We had a great week there. Hung at the beach. Wandered from one gorgeous, practically-empty beach to the next.
We went to the Baths in the morning and went through the trail, played at Devil's Bay, and came back without seeing another person.
We drove over the hill for lunch at Leverick Bay, good pizza!
We ate good meals at the Rock Café and Chez Bamboo and the Mine Shaft. We waited for a delayed plane at the Flying Iguana and played with Chester the Parrot. Then flew for a day at Loblolly Bay.
I treated the girls to a "spa sampler" at Little Dix Spa … what a great time! That place is beautiful! We went an hour before our times, and we basically stayed there all afternoon. The pool is great, the people were great, the treatments were great. We had so much fun we went back a couple of days later for more treatments. It was really a wonderful experience. If you like a massage … and you're in the area … don't miss it! It doesn't cost much more than getting a massage at any of the places down there … but the setting is out of this world.
We LOVED the animals. A bird came to our deck every morning and every evening to get fed. And the great dogs! Humpy is one of the nicest, coolest dogs in the universe. He spent a night in our place, and followed us to the beach and then back again. And then there was Peppi, and some other nice pups, and Jacob and Edward, a pair of pug brothers that swam in the ocean in the morning and afternoon at Spring Bay.
With that week gone, Laura and Robin flew home, and my husband flew in, for a few more days on Tortola. Before she left, Robin and I hung out at Trellis Bay Cyber Café; it was the day after the election and I was stoked about the results … felt like a celebration at Trellis Bay that morning!
Tom and I spent four nights at the Sugar Mill. They gave us a sweet upgrade to a big big big beautiful suite and we loved it. Tom's first experience of Tortola. He adored Smugglers Cove; we spent two nice days there. We ate at the Sugar Mill mostly, but I took him to Myetts (they were sooo nice to me there) for lobster on Saturday Night. Fun night, really good band with good singers, and more dogs to pet. We went up and listened to Quito for a while. Sugar Mill did us up a great picnic in a cooler -- we enjoyed that at Smugglers Cove. On Friday after dinner we walked up to Bomba Shack, and as we got closer, I could hear the musician they had in there singing "Imagine." What a sweet little dreamy moment, hearing island-toned Imagine in the sand at the Bomba Shack, just a handful of chilled-out people in there. It was all good.
I had 15 glorious days down there. I read four books, got tan, and didn't burn. And I want to go back!
This time I learned:
Driving gets easier and easier. And driving on Virgin Gorda is a cinch.
Virgin Gorda is awesome. Savannah Bay … Spring Bay Beach … Humpy the Dog. Unbelievable. Oh and breakfast at Fischer's is sweet.
People are even nicer than I thought the first time. When I couldn't reach my daughter and was in a panic, the man at Myett's was great. He said, "Whatever you need, we're here to fill the gap."
Little Dix Spa is da best.
Cigarettes and nutmeg are really cheap down there!
Lots of bug spray and lots of suncreen are good things.
Pack clothes that fit. Dern it, I found out that I grew out of my summer clothes. Had to buy cheap sundresses to be comfortable! Luckily, my heroes at Myett's sold me three of them at a steep steep discount! I think I need to actually stay there one of these days … they are super.
Go to the Airport early, check your bags, and hang out at Trellis Bay. It's way cool. Great bread, great vibe, and more friendly dogs and cats.
I'm leaving out so much good stuff. I'll just say we had a wonderful time, and the BVI's are sure a relaxing, beautiful place to be. I'm grateful I had the chance to stay for two weeks, and really soak it all in. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/thanks.gif" alt="" />
