Virgin Gorda trip 5/17-5/26

9 of us stayed at Villa Bellamare, Mahoe Bay

2nd trip to Bellamare and we were not disappointed.

Jet Blue to San Juan, to and from both arrived early. Air Sunshine, we love the puddle jumper flight into Virgin Gorda. On the trip down, we were supposed to have a 2 hour layover in San Juan. When we got there, Air Sunshine said our plane was ready, escorted us out a side door without having to go through security and off we went. I called Nick’s office from SJU to let them know we would be early and they were waiting when we arrived.

Dropped our bags and headed to Hog Heaven to get things started.

I had emailed Monica a grocery list ahead of time and she took care of having the Villa stocked. I would definitely do this for future trips. Everything was properly stocked and the porch refrigerator was filled with cold beers. I had told Monica that I wasn’t worried if the order was perfect, we just wanted to avoid the hassle of the first day shopping trip. I presume we got everything we ordered, but I didn’t take the time to check.

Bellamare is a very comfortable and well cared for villa. Outdoor area and pool are extremely comfortable. We never sat at the dining room table, much more inviting outdoors. One of the main reasons we chose to return to Mahoe is having snorkeling available right from our beach. We spent hours in the water. Not as many turtles as last trip.

Chartered a boat with captain out of Leverick for a day trip to Jost . Made some stops for snorkeling and went to Foxy’s and Soggy Dollar. We had never been to Jost before, so seeing the sights was great. The highlight of the day was meeting and conversing with Foxy. All in all, a fabulous day on the water.

We did the Necker Island tour with Gumption. Fun guy to spend some time with and enjoyed seeing how the other 0.5% live. If you like animals, the lemurs were great. They sat on your shoulder to eat out of your hand. Gumption dropped us off at Saba Rock after the tour and we spent happy hour having drinks and appetizers.

Spent a late afternoon at the Baths and Coppermine ruins, then stopped at the Mineshaft for drinks. I had no idea that the Mineshaft was that large. I had pictured in my mind a small local bar.

A morning hike to Gorda Peak was great. Not difficult, but enough to make you feel like you made an effort to get some exercise.

Big dinners out were at Coco Maya and the Jumbies. Great time at both. Coco Maya was fun with our large group. Had some drinks at the bar before we sat down. For dinner we just kept ordering tapas and everyone was sampling it all. Monica had reserved us the table next to the stage for the Jumbies. Food and entertainment can’t be beat.

Thanks to Nick & Monica and their staff for all their help. The only issue we had (which wasn’t their fault) was that we had no phone or internet service the whole time we were there. I took the opportunity to put my phone in the safe and I never touched base with home/work the entire trip. I should do that more often. The kids (all adults) used the free wifi when we went out, but I preferred going without.

My hope is that we can return for a week on the water followed by a week on land. While we spend a lot of time on the water at home, I’m not a sailor so we would need a captain. The larger boats can get a bit pricey. One way or another, we’ll get back.

Scott