To end our trip report, we’ll highlight some observations that might be of interest to others considering a return to Guavaberry.

We did not see Valerie as she was on vacation. Even though we didn’t get to visit with Valerie personally this trip, she was her usual helpful self as we exchanged emails prior to our arrival.

Ian is doing a nice job of coordinating construction while dealing with every day crises. He now has his own building – a large storage shed to the left of Valerie’s house. It was ordered pre-Irma, fortunately delayed in arriving until after Irma and proving extremely useful for storage.

The commissary is unchanged and should have all your favorites.

No landline phone service at Guavaberry as of our trip. Wi-Fi and office computers available with no problem.

We were lucky to catch the night blooming cactus at their prime.

Much windier this trip. Several people commented on this but offered no explanation. It made for some comfortable beach and deck time.

The beach chair shed is gone but the chairs are neatly stacked on the old shed floor. The jelly fish signs remain but were not in use during our stay.
We swear the picnic benches on the beach are the same, but Tina said most had to be replaced. Shade could be a bit of a premium with more guests.

We had the beach to ourselves most of the time. There were at least five other couples staying at Guavaberry but their time on the beach was limited, a couple hours here and there. Two couples were rock climbers and they seemed to be out and about most days. Guavaberry seems to be becoming a mecca for rock climbers based on this and previous visits. There is a rock-climbing book that lists Guavaberry as a prime destination. There are also “crash pads” available for their use which makes coming more enticing,

The only day the beach was crowded was the Monday after “Christmas in July”. There must have been a 100 people in the water and on the beach. Looked like the Jersey shore. At least 6 dinghies and one boat tied up to the swimming buoys. They might have come together.

The path up to the mango grove from the beach is grown over and it looks like no attempt has been made to clear it. We didn’t see any mangos growing.
Boaters continue coming up to the beach asking how to get to the Baths.

The island experienced three power outages when we were there. The last one on our second Sunday lasted from 5:30 in the morning until 3:30 in the afternoon. With Guavaberry’s generator it was no problem. It was a hot day and it was a different story in the Valley with lots of complaints from people we talked to. We were told these power outages were an exception and had not been a problem of late.

Grocery stores and selection about the same as pre-Irma. Much depends on when you go in. Prices struck as about the same. Local pineapple still available at the stand (his name might be Laurence) near Scotia Bank and we always buy some. He was also selling avocados - much bigger than we find back home.

No problems in finding restaurants. The only two still closed that we like were Mineshaft and the Rock. Construction on the Rock started the day before we left.

Chez Bamboo’s kitchen was severely damaged, so Rose is only operating Bath and Turtle. Leonard, Sharon, and Janice remain as does the veteran kitchen crew. Probably with a bit of arm twisting and some advanced notice it might be possible to order old Chez’s favorites.

Several people mentioned concern over the closing of Scotia Bank. It’s expected to present a real hardship.

Rumor only – a wealthy Czechoslovakian who has a house on Mahoe/Nail Bay has purchased Saba Rock and plans to reopen it.

The Guavaberry Facebook blog is constantly updating info and contains photos of reconstruction. You can probably find out about your favorite house there.

As expected, Tina is Tina and is doing an amazing job putting all the pieces back together. Bless her!!!

Progress is taking place quickly, more so on the tourist side. It could easily be 3 to 5 years before VG is back to pre-Irma. While people are indeed very resilient and have a positive outlook, a lot of stress and apprehension remains. 3 to 5 years is a long time to deal with this situation and we pray they can remain strong and endure. We are not sure how the recovery of Texas and Florida compare. Puerto Rico is still suffering.

We plan on keeping in closer phone contact with our VG friends this coming year. As you return to Guavaberry you might want to consider adopting someone, if for no other reason than to provide ongoing encouragement and a listening ear. The only thing we knew to do was return at our normal vacation time and thank people for their efforts in the recovery. Their appreciation was overwhelming.

Thank you for taking the time to post your detailed trip reports. Wow - 21 consecutive visits. We really appreciate hearing an "on the ground" report - the good parts and the sad parts. It sounds like you had a nice vacation, in spite of the missing pieces of the puzzle. I love your idea of adopting someone (if they want to be adopted, of course). I can't imagine going through what they have and still are going through. We've enjoyed several visits to VG, including one stay at Guavaberry, and will return in the future.

Thank you so much for the detailed update on this most special place in so many of our hearts. HIbiscus is my "house" and I am hoping to get back there before too much longer....