Hi Folks -

We're back from an 11 day land-based visit. It was great.

Rather than a daily blow by blow, here’s a highlights oriented report.

TRAVEL: - Flew down on CONT via SJU to STT. Tina rode shotgun in the Cessna 402 but my camera was stowed. Missed a shot of a lifetime. All flights and airports worked like swiss timepieces.

The 4:00 Tortola Fast Ferry lived up to it’s billing and we caught the 5:15 Speedy’s to Spanish Town with no trouble.

Sean from African Pride drove us around VG. Good guy and I recommend him. Last day on VG rented from Mahogany. They delivered it and we just left the car at the ferry dock on our way out. Very convenient.

On Tortola we rented a Jeep Wrangler 6 cyl automatic from Jerry’s. What a beast! It handled the hills, ruts and switchbacks like child’s play. Jerry’s the best!


BEACHES: Our entire stay was dominated by a substantial swell. Spring Bay, The Baths, Devil’s, Trunk and Savannah on VG and all of the north shore beaches on Tortola had 4 - 6 ft breakers.

Needless to say, snorkeling from shore was not worth the trouble so we mostly just soaked-up the scenery, read and occasionally bounced around in the surf.

Two notable exceptions were our days at Long Bay, Beef Is and White Bay on JVD. Both were fairly protected from the swell and, while not exactly placid, they were far calmer than all others.

I would consider both of these to be on your Don’t Miss list, regardless of the conditions.


FOOD: If I could eat every meal for the rest of my life at Palm’s Delight, Coco Plum’s, the JR and Bananakeet, I could die in peace.

No offense to my friend Kimmers and all other VG fans but Tortola most assuredly has the better food. By “better” I mean tasty, local West Indian cuisine. We ate well on VG but dinners were mostly the same fare I get back home.

Favorites – Butternut Squash Soup at Chez Bamboo; Bakery from M&M; Shrimp Salad Sammich at Mad Dog’s; Ribs at The Mine Shaft; Flying Fish Sandwich at The Islands; Skillet Mushrooms at Coco Plums; Mango Pancakes at North Shore Shell Museum; Crabcake Eggs Benedict at Bananakeet; Flying Fish Sammich at the Soggy Dollar; Conch Chowder at Pusser’s Pub; Seafood Roti at the Willy T



ACCOMMODATIONS: Our first four days were at Guavaberry Spring Bay on VG. We stayed at Tamarind which is hillside, furthest from Spring Bay. While the walk to & fro the beach got tedious after 3 days, the trade-off for the view and breeze was worth it. Very clean and equipped. As much kitchen as you’ll ever need. Extremely friendly and helpful. Tina’s a wonder. Loved it! I’ll certainly stay here again!

Our last 7 days were at a Beach Cabana at Long Bay on Tortola. This was a nostalgic choice prompted primarily by the $150/night rate I found in Aug. The Cabanas were being painted while we were there and ours was freshly done. Very clean, bright, functional. A mudslide had taken out their pool so we missed the “view and swim-up bar & sandwiches thing” this time. We didn’t use any of the resort’s amenities so I can’t comment on them. Walker & Nancy’s unit is perfectly situated. Way to go fella!

I really don’t understand why the staff refuses to simply tell their guests not to swim in front of the resort, but to do so further down the beach. Watched several folks work to negotiate the rocks, many in vain.


MISC: Our Day Sail with Patouche was great. They now have a trip to Norman Is that includes lunch at the Willy T . This is great ‘cause lots of land-based visitors never get a chance to see the Willy T (or jump for that T-Shirt). We were hit with rain squalls while we were in the water. You could see the raindrops hitting the surface and feel them on your back but all was unchanged below. After the squalls it was dead calm, like a pond. There was a heavy mist/fog and slowly appearing from it came, yes…the Black Pearl! Well, maybe it was a container ship but it was pretty eerie just the same.


Got over to JVD and spent the day chatting with KC at the Soggy Dollar and floating around in the bay. Planned on doing it again on our last full day but those plans got scuttled. That was the only disappointment of the trip! I had originally debated between Sandcastle and Guavaberry for the “second island” stay. I think that I’ll scratch Tortola next time and split the visit between these two. White Bay and Sandcastle/Soggy Dollar are stupendous. Limin extrordinaire!!


Drove to Nail Bay to check out the villas. After traversing that wretched excuse for a goat trail, decided that I wouldn’t seriously consider staying there until they do put in an actual road.

Attempted the descent to Little Bay on Tortola. Just too rough a drive to justify it and quit halfway down.


Set up a rendezvous with our kids via the webcam at Pusser’s Pub, Road Town . At the appointed hour we were tipping a painkiller and they had visual evidence that Mom & Dad were still alive and well. They were focused on this all the first week and it helped them stay connected. Very worthwhile.

Quito’s Gazebo renovation/expansion is progressing but if they’re open by Christmas, I’ll be amazed.

Manpot will need to change the name from Chateau Relaxeau Caribe to Fortress Relaxeau Caribe. It looks like it will withstand anything with a very solid looking masonry frame. This will be impressive when finished.


As we planned our vacation for 2004, we were looking for something different. Roatan was selected but we cancelled at the last minute. Circumstances prompted us to reload for a Fall trip and the “comfort food” nature of the BVIs was just what the doctor ordered. We had a lot of stress to shed and the familiarity and essence of the BVIs was perfect.

Our goal on this visit was total R&R with no real itinerary other than 4 days on VG and 7 on Tortola. Everything else was ala carte & on a whim. There was lots of reading on the beach with a bit of “off-island” to spice it up. Missing that last week in Ohio before the presidential election worked real well, too!

Our expectations were exceeded and we were ready to come home and resume our lives by the end of our visit. For us, that is the true sign of a quality vacation.

On our visits, the BVIs have provided us with adventures, varied experiences, thrills, comfort, decompression and a good many other qualities. The very BEST thing that the BVIs provide, without fail, is whatever degree of these qualities you need for each visit. If there is a truer paradise on earth, I’ll never find it because I’m done searching.