Day 1, June 13th, from Hell to heaven
Flights were SFO to LAX, LAX to SJU, SJU to EIS. We left SFO at 6:45pm on Friday night and arrived on Tortola at 11:45am Saturday June 13th. Marq and Sarah slept pretty good on the long flight from LAX to SJU. Jaymie and I did not sleep at all. We were absolutely exhausted by the time we landed on Tortola. This was our first visit to the Caribbean so we were surprised at how hot and humid it was at the airport. We were dripping sweat carrying our bags and trying to get through customs. It took about a half hour. Not too bad. We got the rental car which was a Diahatsu Terios and headed for the villa at Brewers Bay. We put our bags in our rooms and headed straight out to the porch. The view of Brewers Bay from the villa was just surreal. So beautiful. I could not believe my eyes. Words and photos do not even describe this place! Marq took the girls down to the beach and I put our clothes away, took a shower, and a nap. Our villa manager arrived at 4:00 and prepared us dinner of a roast chicken, roasted potatoes, salad, and home made key lime pie. I was very good. He brought with him two massage therapists and Jaymie and I had full body massages on the patio overlooking the Caribbean water. It was the most amazing massage I have ever had. After dinner, Marq and Sarah went back to the beach and Jaymie and I went to lay down for a nap. Our nap lasted 10 hours! We did not wake up until 5 am the next morning!
Day 2, June 14th, Roosters, Dogs, and crazy birds
I woke this morning at 5am to some very loud roosters, dogs, and crazy sounding birds. I never been anywhere before where the birds do not stop chirping at night time. They chirp all night long on this island. It didn’t take long to get used to the sounds and then I slept like a baby. I decided to get up and have my coffee on the patio. Again, I could not believe my eyes. This was truly paradise. We went to Cane Garden Bay in the morning to check it out and then headed to Apple Bay for lunch at Sebastians. We spent some time at the beach and at noon went to eat. The food was very good. I had the dolphin fish sandwich, Marq had a reuben, and the girls had cheeseburgers. Next we headed to Smugglers Cove. This was one of my favorite beaches. The water here was very warm and clear and we enjoyed the snorkeling and beach. The girls rented a paddle boat and Marq and I sat on the beach and had our first painkillers of the trip. They were strong and good! Next we headed back to Brewers Bay and did some more snorkeling. We saw a lot of really cool fish. I don’t know the names of most of them but the parrot fish were abundant. Soon we were tired and hungry so we went up to the villa. I made dinner which was spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread. We still had key lime pie left so we ate that for dessert. The girls watched a movie and then we went to bed. The day was a bit overcast and cloudy but it was very warm.
Day 3, June 15th, To Jost Van Dyke
This was a LONG and wonderful day. I think it was one of the best we had but it is hard to choose because each day we had in the BVI was great. I woke up at 4:45am today to the roosters again. Though it was really early, I felt very well rested so I got out of bed at 5:30. I noticed this morning that I had quite a few mosquito bites. I think I got them last evening at the Brewers Bay beach after we snorkeled. I made breakfast of bagels, yogurt, and granola. I packed us a lunch of sandwiches, chips, dip, and fruit. We headed to Cane Garden Bay and rented a 24’ boat from Glenn and then headed to Jost Van Dyke. Our first stop was White Bay and the Soggy Dollar Bar. The first thing I noticed here was the color of the water. I think it was the most turquoise of any water we saw on this trip. It was unbelievable. Marq anchored the boat and just as we were gathering our wallets and camera to put in our dry bag, it started to pour buckets of rain! It was a surreal moment seeing that beautiful beach from the boat through the pouring rain. We jumped in the water and swam to the Soggy Dollar. We went up under the bar and waited a bit. It stopped raining about 15 minutes later and the sun came out. It was a beautiful day. We ordered painkillers for the four of us (2 virgin painkillers) and sat at the table and relaxed. Then we took a walk down the beach and visited the shops for souveneirs. Nest we swam back to the boat and ate our lunch. We then headed over to Great Harbor. Once Marq anchored the boat, we jumped out and swam to Foxy’s. We ordered drinks and I asked for Paul. Paul came and got us to show the girls his donkey. Sarah got to ride him for a few minutes but it started to pour again! We met Foxy and took pictures with him and then walked down the beach to check out the shops. Next we took the boat over to Sandy Spit. The color of the water here was just like White Bay. This was an amazing little island with a white sand beach, one palm tree, and some sea grapes. Stunningly beautiful. It was starting to get late so we headed back to Cane Garden Bay slowly. We trolled so Marq could fish. I drove the boat with a Carib in my hand and the wind in my hair. It felt great. Next we returned the boat and the girls played on the water trampoline in Cane Garden Bay for at least 2hours while we had drinks and relaxed and talked with the locals there. We went back to the villa and grilled cheeseburgers. The girls worked on a jig saw puzzle of the Caribbean and then we went to bed.
Day 4, June 16th, The Storm and the dolphins
First let me say, there is nothing better than waking up in Brewers Bay and having your coffee on the patio overlooking the bay while the rest of my family slept in. I was in heaven. Last night I woke up at 3am to the worst rain storm I have ever seen. It was pouring buckets of rain and the wind was just howling. There was also thunder. I was thinking it might be a hurricane! I went out on the patio and just stood there watching it rain sideways! It was so cool. And it was very warm out. Weird. I finally went back to bed and woke about 8am. We decided that we would take the girls to Dolphin Discovery and then just do whatever we felt like doing for the rest of the day. It poured the whole time we were at Dolphin Discovery but the girls had a blast with the dolphins. Since it was pouring, we decided it was not a good beach day. We headed back to Brewers Bay for lunch at Nicoles. I had the shrimp and fries with a pina colada and the rest of the family had cheeseburgers and fries. The lunch was very good and the pina colada was excellent! We went back up to the villa and the girls played games and we just relaxed on the patio. I made chicken enchiladas for dinner and we all went to bed early and slept great. The rain this day was not even a bummer. It just made a relaxing day! There was another big storm in the middle of the night but not as strong as last nights storm.
Day 5, June 17th, SO ITCHY!!!
I woke up at 6:45am this morning and realized I have a lot of mosquito bites! I am very itchy!! I have been using repellent but it isn’t really working. Jaymie also has a lot of bites. Sarah has a few and Marq has maybe TWO. Marq insists you have to drink a lot of alcohol to make them not bite you. I am starting to think that is true! The weather looked much better. The sun was out and the water looked very calm. We needed to get up and out of here because the maid was due at 11:00. We decided to head to the east end of the island to check out the beaches. We stopped at Josiahs Bay first. This was a very pretty beach and there were actually just a little bit of waves for the girls to play in. We hung out here for a couple of hours and then headed for Trellis Bay. We ate lunch at Trellis Kitchen. The food was awesome. Jaymie had the mahi mahi sandwich on this very thick fresh baked bread. Sarah has a chicken salad, Marq had a grilled ham and cheese and I had the lobster salad. We checked out all the shops and the art studio. Next we headed for Long Bay east and hung out at this beach as well. It of course was very nice as was every beach we saw in the BVI. They are all unique and have their own character. We stopped at Rite Way on the way back to Brewers Bay to get some groceries and then went back to the villa and put the food away. Then headed back down to Brewers Bay to snorkel again. The snorkeling was excellent again. I marinated chicken on skewers in pineapple and fresh passion fruit juice. We grilled then for dinner and I served them with rice and veggies. Earlier in the day a local came by the villa and gave me some of the passion fruit he picked at the villa property and told me how to make the juice. The juice is absolutely delicious! There were also bananas growing on the property and they became ripe while we were here. Best bananas ever. They are more firm and tangy then what we have in the US. I like the one’s here on Tortola much better!
Day 6, June 18th, Fishing and Rest…..
Today Marq went on a fishing charter and the girls and I slept in and watched movies for most of the morning and afternoon. We walked to the beach later in the day and I have to say it was the best snorkeling we have done so far in Brewers Bay. The water was very clear and it was a bright, sunny day. Marq came home with a tuna! It wasn’t a big one but it was enough to get four big fillets from. We put the fillets in the freezer and just had leftovers for dinner. Marq did have a 3 foot tuna on but a 6 foot long shark actually bit going after the big tuna he had on the line. He then had a 6 foot shark on for a while but it eventually bit through his line and stole his tuna and nice lure! He had a great time fishing but really wished he was able to get the tuna! We relaxed the rest of the evening and went to bed early. We had to get up early to board the Sophisticated Lady and sail to Virgin Gorda for the night!
Day 7, June 19th, Sophisticated Lady and Virgin Gorda
Captain Rick and Kim picked us up at the Trellis Bay dock at 8:00am and we sailed over to The Baths on Virgin Gorda. The girls really enjoyed the sail over! The baths were just gorgeous. We spent a couple of hours exploring and snorkeling. The water was very clear and the snorkeling was excellent up against the walls of the boulders. Next we sailed over to Saba Rock for lunch. Marq trolled on the way and had a small fish on the line. He begain to reel it in and suddenly we all saw a BIG tuna jump up out of the water and grab the small fish off his line! Poor guy keeps getting his fish stolen…….The lunch at Saba Rock was great and so was the location! After lunch we sailed over to the Leverick Bay Resort and relaxed by the pool. We had the beach BBQ for dinner and watched the Jumbies show. We slept aboard the Sophisticated Lady that night. It was a bit warm but we did eventually get some good sleep. We had a wonderful day with Rick and Kim. I can’t thank them enough for their hospitality. It was a wonderful day.
Day 8, June 20th, Back to Tortola
Today we woke up on the Sophisticated Lady and were sad that it was time to leave. We would have liked to stay longer and see more of Virgin Gorda and do some more sailing. But we paid for a villa and it was there waiting so we had to go. We got some breakfast sandwiches at the store and then went to the spa. Jaymie got her eyebrows done and Sarah got a few braids in her hair. Then we relaxed by the pool until it was time for us to board the ferry back to Trellis Bay. Once we were back at the villa, we made hot dogs and baked beans for lunch. Then I gathered up the laundry and Marq and the girls dropped me off at the laundry mat in Cane Garden Bay and they went to the beach. I met a really nice and interesting local lady at the laundry mat. She kept me entertained while I washed out clothes. I then threw all our clothes in a bag and walked down the road to find my family at the beach. I walked up and down the beach and they were nowhere to be found! Finally I heard shouts coming from the ocean and there they were, out in a powerboat! Glenn let Marq use the powerboat for an hour for free, he just asked us to put some gas in it. We had heard some negative things about him on this forum but none of it was true. Glenn turned out to be a really nice guy and we talked with him a lot while we visited Cane Garden Bay this trip. And we were there a lot. It seemed to be one of the places we enjoyed the most and it was not crowded at all due to the fact that we visited in June! In fact, we did not see a crowd on any beach this trip except for the one day a cruise ship came in. And even that day, it was no more crowded than a normal day on the beaches back home! So anyways, they picked me up at the dock and we went trolling for an hour. Marq caught a small kingfish. After fishing, we talked with Glenn about getting a guided tour of a few of the islands buy boat. He arranged a guide for us to go out on Monday to see Guana, Peter, Cooper, and Norman Islands. We went back to the villa and grilled steaks and made baked potatoes, salad, and fruit salad. I also found a great way to use leftover Coco Lopez. It is delicious tossed with fruit. Makes a fantastic dressing for fruit salad.
Day 9, June 21st, Long Bay and Sopers Hole
Today everyone but me slept in so I had my coffee and then straightened and tidied up the villa while I was waiting for the sleepyheads to wake up. We drove to Sopers Hole and checked out all the shops. The girls found some things they wanted to we bought them and then headed to Long Bay beach. This is just a picturesque beach and had some pretty good waves. We stopped at Nature Boys beach bar and had drinks and our picnic lunch. What a great little spot! The water was really warm here and the girls swam and played in the waves a long while. Next we headed to Cane Garden Bay again. We seem to be spending our late afternoons here a lot. We like the vibe here. I had a VERY STRONG painkiller at the Big Banana and then went and got some braids put it my hair and bought a necklace and bracelets for the girls at one of the shops. Marq talked with Glenn and Sherman (his new buddies) while I relaxed and the girls swam and jumped on the water trampoline. We then headed back to the villa and I cooked the tuna that Marq caught in the oven with butter, lemon, onions, and Caribbean seasonings. It came out SO GOOD! Evenings as usual were spent relaxing and staring at the amazing view from the villa.
Day 10, June 22nd, All around the island……one big circle……
We met our guide Sherman at the dock in Cane Garden Bay at 9:00am and headed for Guana Island. We stopped at Monkey Point for snorkeling. The snorkeling was great but I scraped my leg and butt on some fire coral. Ouch! Next we stopped at Cooper Island Resort. Our guide Sherman has a friend that owns a place there so we used his table for our picnic lunch and did some more snorkeling. Then we headed to the Caves at Norman Island for more snorkeling which was also great but maybe a little over-rated?? Or maybe we just didn’t see all the caves??? After snorkeling we headed to the Willy T for drinks. Unfortunately while we were there we witnessed an accident. A very large man jumped off the Willy T and landed on another man’s head. VISAR had to be called and he was rushed to the hospital with head and neck injuries. That sort of ruined the mood. We did see Rick and Kim on the Willy T and it was nice to see them again and be able to say hello. We were supposed to go to the Indians for more snorkeling but we were just not in the mood after what we witnessed so we headed back to Tortola going around Soper’s Hole and back up to Cane Garden Bay. It was a great day and we got to see a lot! Sherman was a great guide and also very funny. The girls just loved him and he even sang songs to them on the way back! We will miss him. What a day! We went back to the villa and made roasted chicken. Marq went back to Cane Garden Bay after dinner to fish from the dock and the girls and I read books and went to bed.
Day 11, June 23rd, Our last day
We got up early and Marq dropped Jaymie and I off at Sopers Hole to go to the spa and then he took Sarah with him to Nanny Cay to return some fishing equipment he rented. The facials were the best ever. Not only was it a facial, but it also included hand and foot massages, a head and scalp massage and reflexology! And a very reasonable price of $70. After the facials, Marq picked us up and we went back to the villa and packed our bags. After packing, we went to Carrot Bay and had lunch at Cruizin. This was the best food we had on the trip. Marq and I shared a pizza which was half sausage and half shrimp. It was made on the grill and it was awesome. Sarah had a cheeseburger and fries and she said it was better than In N Out Burger back home! Jaymie had a chicken ceasar salad and loved it. Truly great food. I actually ordered a regular coke but the waitress thought I asked for a rum and coke! It was so strong I could drink it until after I ate. And then had to pour some of it in Marq glass of regular coke! After lunch we headed to Cane Garden Bay to hang out and Try one of Glenn’s pina coladas. He said his place had the best and he was right. They were very smooth and creamy. Delicious. Next we headed back to the villa to nap and clean up for dinner out at Myetts. After napping and showers we went back to Cane Garden Bay for sinner at Myetts. I had the snapper and it was wonderful. It was cooked in a lime sauce with green peppers and onions and served with rice and fried plantains. Marq had ribs and said they were ok. The girls had chicken strips. After dinner went to the dock to fish for tarpon. Boy did I feel weird fishing in a dress! After fishing we headed back to the villa and went to bed. We were sad that this was our last day and really did not want to leave. We fell in love with Tortola and did not get to see some places we wanted to see such as Anegada, Peter Island, and more of Virgin Gorda. We must come back. The locals on Tortola were the friendliest people ever and were so nice and welcoming to us. We really got to know the island through the people we met and talked to there. Just hearing about their lives and the stories they told made us fall in love with Tortola. It was starting to feel like home. We will miss all the people we met, the beautiful aqua blue warm water, the white sand, and the awesome weather! The link to our pictures is below. We created an album for each day to correspond with the trip report. Hope you like it!
http://community.webshots.com/user/Dotlewis74?vhost=community
