Frenchman's Cay June 2001 trip report <br><br>This was our 4th trip to Tortola, but the first since finding this<br>message board. We appreciate all the tips along the way, and the DIF <br>(dreaded island fever) is kept alive before and after traveling by <br>checking in with TTOL! If we can answer any questions for anyone else, <br>fire away. We stayed at Long Bay Beach Resort in '95 for our 25th <br>anniversary, and repeated there with our three young adult kids in '97. <br><br>Then decided to try Frenchman's Cay in '98, and liked it so much that <br>we repeated with them. We like Frenchman's Cay for lots of reasons: <br>it's small and more private, the cost is less than LBBR <br>(so we stayed longer), very friendly and helpful staff, gorgeous views <br>of Tortola, Sir Francis Drake Channel, Peter's Island, and St. John, <br>the grounds are lovely, nice pool, wonderful restaurant, and good <br>snorkeling without driving anywhere else. We found the sea breezes and<br>ceiling fans adequate for cooling, even in June, since FC does not offer<br>AC. It definitely makes a difference being on the "windward" side of the <br>island. We had a package that included a rental vehicle for five days, <br>breakfast every morning, and five dinners.<br><br>We didn't go to the BVI with the idea of seeing everything, since we've <br>seen plenty already. We wanted plenty of time for just relaxing, and <br>Frenchman's Cay Resort Hotel is perfect for that.<br><br>Left home Tuesday at 4:45 AM for 7:10 flight from Hartford/Springfield <br>to San Juan. Everything went smoothly until we spotted our luggage at <br>Beef Island. Both brand new 1200 denier bags had been ripped. Customs <br>was no problem; we were waved right through. We were advised by <br>Frenchman's to ask for Mr. Penn for the taxi, and he was helpful in <br>getting us to the AA rep right away to discuss the damaged bags without <br>waiting in line. She gave us a form to use after our trip, and said AA <br>would repair the bags and deliver them to our house. They were <br>serviceable for the rest of our trip. This ended up working out fine, <br>with only the small inconvenience of dropping off the damaged bags at<br>the airport at home after our trip. They were indeed delivered to our<br>house about 10 days later, in fine shape, repairs barely noticeable. <br>Thank you, American Airlines.<br><br>Mr. Penn, recommended by Frenchman's, gave us a nice calm ride to <br>Frenchman's Cay, pointing out sights along the way. $30 plus $10 tip <br>for the two of us. Arrived at FC approx. 3 PM and we were immediately <br>struck all over again by the awesome beauty...that turquoise water, <br>palm trees, flowering shrubs of all kinds, cactus, huge century plants, <br>and the main island with lovely homes perched on the hillsides with <br>their roofs of varying colors, some looking quite new, probably repaired <br>after the last bad hurricane which blew through in Aug. '98 and took out <br>the road leading to FC. Pam, one of the owners, said it was horrible <br>for 2-3 months waiting for the road to be rebuilt.<br><br>We checked in and got right into our swimsuits. Each villa has separate <br>walls...you are really in your own little house. Downstairs had a full <br>kitchen, dining area, large living room with stocked bookshelves, and <br>large balcony; upstairs was the bedroom and full bath with lots of <br>windows for wonderful breezes! Initially disappointed in Frenchman's <br>little beach. It is a manmade beach, protected by huge rock walls, <br>with an opening into the sea so you can swim around the point and into <br>the bay between the cay and the main island. In '98 the beach was <br>lovely sand...easy on the feet getting in. This time some of the sand <br>had been lost, so it was impossible to get in without water shoes or <br>fins. I guess the beaches are always changing. So we used the pool <br>more, which was fine...we were always the only ones in it. For <br>snorkeling, we put our fins on and backed in carefully. I have to say <br>the snorkeling there was awesome! Huge fire coral and vivid lavender <br>sea fan corals. A great variety of fish. An occasional barracuda. <br>Schools of blue tangs with a few trumpet fish joining them. Huge <br>schools (like clouds!) of silversides (anchovies). We would snorkel <br>around the point and into the bay where the water was calmer. We had <br>seen a sea turtle in this bay in previous years, but not this time.<br><br>After our cooling off swim, we decided to walk down the road to the <br>little convenience store...5 minute walk...I think it is called <br>Kelly's Superette. We bought post cards, bottled water, Stone's ginger <br>wine, some Guiness stout, and Pringles. We frequented this little <br>store several times...nice variety of stuff, and quite adequate for <br>what little we needed for snacking and drinks.<br><br>Came back to our villa and changed for dinner. Excellent meals here, <br>and wonderful service. We highly recommend the escargot appetizer....<br>oh yum, they serve it with these little dinner roll, toasted, perfect <br>for mopping up the garlic butter. Swordfish was excellent, also filet <br>mignon, chocolate torte, mousse, and key lime pie. Some nights we were <br>the only diners at the time we went; other nights there were a few other <br>tables filled. After dinner, we frequently lay on the lounge chairs or <br>in the hammock on the beach and listened to the crashing waves and <br>watched the moonlit sky (or zonked briefly...that was me after 3 <br>painkillers plus dinner).<br><br>We had a few days without the vehicle and were quite content to sit on <br>our wonderful balcony and read or do absolutely nothing, in between <br>walking to Soper's Hole (10 minute walk) for shopping and Pusser's, or <br>swimming/snorkeling. We brought a small pair of binoculars that came <br>in handy for watching sailboats, pelicans, construction across the bay, <br>etc.<br><br>Friday...picked up our vehicle and I was thrilled to find it was an <br>automatic, even though I don't do the driving (not so nerve-wracking on <br>the switchbacks...I am a coward) and it had AC! My goal next trip is to <br>conquer my fear and do some of the driving. The passenger definitely <br>gets to enjoy more views. We headed in to Roadtown and just browsed in <br>many of the little shops. Bought spices at Caribee Spice Shoppe, found <br>a wonderful print for our sunroom at home, and checked out the Botanical <br>Gardens....beautiful as ever, and they have a new herb garden.<br><br>Around 4PM we headed to the Bat Cave which was cool and dark inside, and <br>ordered appetizers and drinks. Tried calamari ceviche...very good, and <br>hot wings. Spaghetti Junction's menu did not inspire us, since we have <br>so many Italian places in Connecticut. Decided to drive to Pusser's at <br>Soper's Hole for a light supper, since it was still on the early side. <br>Pusser's was pretty busy with lots of boaters unwinding. We had conch <br>fritters, and a burger...excellent coleslaw. Listened to Pan Vibes...a <br>steel drum band we've enjoyed before. Great!<br><br>Saturday we drove into Roadtown and went on a day sail with Bill on Dual <br>Bliss, a catamaran. The other couple who booked with him were no-shows, <br>and we weren't exactly sure if he still wanted to take just us. But off <br>we went, and he showed us a very nice, relaxing day...went to the caves <br>at Norman Island and another spot off Norman Island with these cool huge <br>crevasses. I think the caves area is not as good as it used to be....it <br>is a very popular spot. We saw a sea turtle and squid. I was lucky <br>enough to see a 4' long spotted moray eel...it was absolutely gorgeous..<br>sort of iridescent green on the top and bottom, and not too shy. Of <br>course I had left the underwater camera on the boat! Dual Bliss was <br>very comfortable...easy to get on and off with a ladder and little <br>stairs, and there was a warm fresh water shower for getting the salt <br>water off after snorkeling.<br><br>Sunday....could hear the singing from the church across the bay from our<br> villa. Lots of new churches since we were here last. <br><br>Breakfasts at FC were wonderful...I usually had French toast or a fruit <br>plate, and the eggs benedict were very good....everything was FINE! <br><br>We decided to drive over to Cane Garden Bay for the day, and stopped at <br>the North Shore Shell Museum on the way. Wow...that place is <br>interesting...tons of hand painted signs expressing all sorts of <br>philosophies and opinions. And of course, shells. Many hanging shell <br>things. We never saw Egbert...maybe he was at church? Of course we <br>were not hungry, so didn't have a chance to try his awesome breakfasts <br>that everyone raves about. Something to do next trip.<br><br>We passed a herd (30?)of lovely brown cows and calves walking down the <br>road. We arrived at Cane Garden Bay and found a couple of beach chairs <br>under a sea grape tree, and just parked ourselves there for most of the <br>day. We swam and people-watched. It was very quiet...just some native <br>families enjoying themselves...adorable kids. A funny thing we saw was <br>a 60ish woman (white tourist) power walking and looking extremely <br>serious and grim about it and one of the little kids actually ran from <br>her, terrified!<br><br>Not sure where the reef is for snorkeling at CGB. Very happy to just <br>veg, and happy it wasn't crowded at all...the swimming was fine. <br>Finally around 5ish we went to Myett's for happy hour and stayed for <br>dinner. Their rum punch was really potent. I also had a "Myett's <br>delight"...sort of a strawberry colada thing...yummy. For dinner we <br>had the 28 oz. t-bone steak and a Caribbean grilled lobster and shared. <br>Both were awesome! This was our "splurge" dinner as far as price, and <br>we preferred the informality of Myett's over the Sugar Mill or <br>Brandywine Bay. Came with baked potatoes and skewers of grilled <br>veggies. The "Jump Up Lover Boys" band played...very good and fun. <br>The place was hopping with boat people. <br><br>Monday...Smuggler's Cove...snorkeled for a looooonnnnngggg time. There <br>were about 10 people there. We were surprised to see the drink guy with <br>his inflatable Carib bottle....definitely new since our last trip. We <br>went to the honor bar and visited with Bob Denniston for a while....what <br>a wonderful man.<br><br>Ate dinner at the Jolly Roger...first time there and we loved it. <br>Excellent tuna steak with a spicy plum sauce, and swordfish. It is <br>certainly convenient to Frenchman's Cay.<br><br>Tuesday...Off to Roadtown again to check out the tent market place on <br>the water. I bought a pretty cool Christmas ornament of a "Tortolan <br>angel", carrying bananas and hot peppers. The fun part of this little <br>shopping trip was the sudden downpour that arrived surprising everyone. <br>Some of the salesladies had gone to the bank, so they were understaffed <br>for rescuing all their merchandise from the downpour. They had to grab <br>armfulls of garments and bring them under the tents, cover everything <br>on the tables with plastic, and then use brooms to raise the plastic on <br>the tent roofs so the tents wouldn't collapse. Meanwhile the chickens <br>and roosters are running around under the tables trying to stay dry! <br>It poured for a good 15-20 minutes, which was the most rain we saw <br>during our 10 days. <br><br>Later we learned that Frenchman's Cay and Cane Garden Bay got no rain at <br>all from that storm. Rainfall is a big concern of everyone due to the <br>cisterns used for household water. I think if they run low on rain <br>accumulation, they have to get water trucked in to fill their cisterns, <br>unless they are on a part of the island that has water lines from the <br>desalinization plant. This whole water scarcity and how it is managed is <br>somewhat of a mystery to me, but we were very careful to take quick <br>showers, and not flush all the time. With the new airport building and <br>runway expansion, one wonders if there is a plan for the water to keep up.<br><br>Did some more shops in Roadtown...a great tiny little bookstore where I <br>finally got a good book for identifying all the fish we're seeing, the <br>Courtyard Coffeehouse for wonderful "Oregon chai" iced tea and a cold <br>coffee mocha latte. They weren't technically opening till 4 days later,<br>but served us cheerfully. The gentleman who is running it is from <br>Grenada, but has been living in Tortola for 29 years. He said that <br>Tortola is becoming too "Americanized," and to get a true Carribean <br>experience, he recommended Dominique, St. Vincent, Martinique, or St. <br>Lucia. Hmmmmm.<br><br>Back to Smuggler's Cove again for more snorkeling. Great snorkeling...<br>now with my book I can tell you what we saw: a large school of blue <br>tangs, lots of parrotfish, a school of French grunts, a few pairs of <br>trumpetfish, sand divers, squirrelfish, tobaccofish, fairy basslets, <br>yellow goatfish, cherubfish, a queen angelfish, foureye butterfly fish,<br> bluehead wrasse, and a huge lobster hiding in a rock crevass. Also <br>saw a nurse shark (at least 5-6 feet long) out past the end of the reef. <br>Fortunately it was swimming away from me when I turned and saw it for <br>the first time. I think if it had been coming towards me I would have <br>had heart failure. Everyone says they are harmless....but it was a <br>little unnerving seeing something that big in the water nearby. That <br>was the most exciting moment of the 10 days for me!<br><br>Didn't see Bob this time, but he drove past us as we were leaving, and <br>gave us a cheery grin and wave.<br><br>Went to Sebastian's for dinner. It was OK.... wouldn't bother going <br>back for dinner. Shrimp didn't taste fresh, black bean soup had no <br>flavor. Waitress was either very reserved or having a bad day....never <br>smiled. After dinner, we drove over the hill to Long Bay and sat and <br>listened to Pan Vibes again. LBBR seems more upscale than when we were <br>there last in '97.<br><br>Wednesday...returned our vehicle to the rental place at Long Bay...<br>National. Once again, happy to sit around the whole day. Drank the <br>welcome bottle of champagne (finally) and got silly. Dinner at FC...<br>more escargot, and seafood crepes. YUM.<br><br>Thursday...walked to Soper's Hole again. Spent $$ on larimar jewelry, <br>and a few other unnecessary items (Kenyan hand-carved salad utensils...<br>maybe a wedding gift?). I think I was taking "Searose's" advice from <br>one of her postings re: taking plenty of $$ and spending freely! We <br>were also pretty generous about tipping this time, and found it was <br>appreciated and enhanced our experience.<br><br>More snorkeling at FC. Saw a school of squid. Another wonderful dinner <br>at FC. Our last one. Where did the breeze go? The air is completely <br>still. Very unusual.<br><br>Friday....up at 6:15 to snorkel one more time. Awesome. I just can't <br>seem to get enough snorkeling. Then back to the villa to pack. Luggage <br>is stuffed. We brought about 1/3 more clothes than we needed. Gifts <br>fill the room left from the snacks we had brought with us. Next time <br>we will pack lighter! Down to the restaurant for our last breakfast...<br>the staff all want us to stay. FC very nicely gave us a late checkout <br>time since we didn't have to be at the airport till 3 PM.<br><br>Our flight left Beef Island a few minutes early, and we connected in San <br>Juan fine. No hassles with customs. We sat on the ground in San Juan <br>for quite a while....there was a discrepancy with the numbers of people <br>and luggage, so they have to clear that up before the plane can depart. <br>The pilot says it is 87 degrees and humid in CT. The only reason I want <br>to go home is for a slightly cooler temperature!<br><br>Things we didn't do, mainly because of laziness (or you could call it <br>contentment): Didn't do a day trip to Jost Van Dyke...next time. <br>Didn't do Marina Cay. Couldn't find C&F's Restaurant, but didn't try <br>very hard....next time. Didn't hear Quito's music....next time. Didn't <br>do the Baths...have been there twice before...maybe next time.<br><br>We both felt transported to heaven each and every day of our trip. The <br>natural beauty all around us and in the water (snorkeling), the <br>creature comforts, the friendliness of the people, the lack of crowds, <br>and being OUT of the U.S. and on island time...it all makes for a perfect <br>vacation. We're already planning next year's trip.<br><br>If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to send me a private message <br>or on the message board, and I'll do my best to answer ASAP.<br><br>Regards, Periwinkle<br><br><br><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Administrator on 7/16/01 03:51 PM.</EM></FONT></P>
