Trip Report July 30 - Aug. 4

Flights. We flew Delta from Nashville to Atlanta to St. Thomas. The Delta plane had much less leg and arm room than the American flight we took in April.

Lodging.
Elm Beach Suites. This was my second stay at the Elm, although my first one was just for one night at the end of a charter. I love the location on the bay and the staff is attentive. The rooms are definitely “no frills”, yet they are kept immaculately clean and the bed is very comfortable. I had requested the Sugar Apple room, located above the office, as its deck offers a bit more privacy than the other rooms. Our unit included three large spacious rooms containing a living area, kitchen with small fridge, two gas eyes, coffee maker and microwave (we only used the fridge), roomy bathroom (no tub), and a large bedroom with a king-sized bed. A window air conditioning unit kept all cool. Vaulted ceilings and ceiling fans throughout. The maid came daily and did a great job. Lori and I spent quite a lot of time on the deck drinking, reading, limin’, and people watching. From our location, most people did not even see us, including a man who bared all for his friends one morning before the bar opened.

Dining.
Quito's. Our first night on island we had their Fish Fry. Lori had the fish and chicken, I had just the fish. Food and service was very good.
The Elm. We at twice here. One afternoon we had cheeseburgers. They were okay; I have had much better elsewhere. We had the Sunday night buffet, Lori had the fish, chicken, and ribs and her fish was not good. I had the ribs, and they were very good. Service was always good.
Brandywine. Brandywine is everything and more that has been written here about it. The restaurant has a beautiful view overlooking Sir Francis Drake’s Channel. Our cab was late picking us up, so we sadly missed the opportunity to have cocktails on the terrace. We had Ginger Daiquiris at our table before dinner, which were an excellent start. Lori had a salad and filet, and I had (I let Davide choose for me) mussels and grouper. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meal. The service was excellent. Cele and Davide have combined their talents to create an elegant and unpretentious atmosphere.
Big Banana. We walked over here late Saturday night and just ordered a light dinner. Lori had the pizza and it was pretty good, I had the conch fritters and did not care for them.
Rhymers. We had breakfast here almost every morning. I cannot imagine a better spot on island to enjoy the morning. The Rhymers Special cannot be beat……two eggs, bacon, toast, a slice of watermelon, juice and coffee for $6. Service and food were always excellent. On Sunday morning we enjoyed the gospel music they had playing.
de loose Mongoose. We stopped here for a late lunch/early dinner with the TTOL day sail crew. I thought the service was excellent considering we were such a large group. Lori and I had fish and chips, and they were very good.

Drinking <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />
Quito's. We visited Quito’s four times. For dinner, as previously noted and the other times for the music, dancing and company. We were fortunate enough to be able to hear Quito play twice…..solo and with his band. The TTOL group ended up here after leaving Malcolm’s and we all had a great time drinking and dancing. I don’t remember which other night we stopped in but it was karaoke night and the young girls that were singing were so bad we promptly left.
The Elm. We ordered drinks often from the bar to take to our room and the beach. They make a mean bushwhacker and a bottle of beer is only $2. In addition, we enjoyed hanging out during the day and after closing in the hammock chairs, probably the most comfortable spot in CGB.
Bomba's. As we were finishing up dinner at the Elm, our last evening on island, Charmaine, Brenda, and Malcolm joined our table and invited us to go to Bomba’s with them for the evening. Never having been to Bomba’s we couldn’t refuse. It appeared to be a rather slow evening and after a couple of rum punches Malcolm graciously took us back. Bomba’s is in an excellent location right on the beach and I hope to go back.

Taxi. We grossly underestimated the amount of money we would need to spend for taxi fare. A cab ride from CGB to the east end of the island runs around $75 round trip…..we went twice. Next time I will rent a car for the days I plan on leaving the west end area. A waitress at Brandywine hooked us up with a driver, Tobin. I have looked everywhere for his card so that I could post his number here as he was wonderful. Very reliable, on time, and he took great care of Lori and I, I cannot recommend him enough.

Beaches. Unfortunately, our trip was not long enough to enjoy any of the other beaches Tortola has to offer. And CGB can be difficult to leave. We did rent a kayak one day and very much enjoyed paddling around the bay.

MISC.
Malcolm’s Party – What a fun night!! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Banana.gif" alt="" /> I was a little tentative and apprehensive about going to a party primarily to meet people I only knew from a message board on the internet. My instinct said to go and I was glad I listened to it. (I also believed it would be an excellent opportunity to meet the group of men we were scheduled to day sail with the next day and make sure they weren’t…………well…………odd.) The Chateau Relaxeau Caribe was a great place to have a party, and would be an ideal place to stay in Apple Bay. Hopefully, next year the party can start a little earlier giving everyone time to swim and enjoy the private beach in front of the villa.

Pre-Day Sail. Upon arriving at the party Friday night, our fair leader and day sail organizer informed us she was NOT going sailing with us the next day. A few minutes later, she changed her mind AND the day sail’s predetermined itinerary. Later in the evening as we waited on a cab, she and her crew changed their minds again …….they were not going on the day sail after all……..leaving us all to figure it out on our own. Fortunately, we did. I never did hear if anyone on Virgin Gorda looked for us at the Baths or if Harbour View Restaurant was inconvenienced by expecting a large party that never appeared. I felt badly for the crew of the Crown Royal who had generously altered their vacation itinerary (they spent their last two nights aboard in Fat Hog’s Bay) to allow us landlubbers the opportunity to spend a day sailing. Had they known all of this ahead of time they might have chosen to anchor in CGB or elsewhere Friday night.

Day Sail. This was the highlight of our trip! I enjoy my stays on land but being on the water is incomparable, it is the best. The McBride’s met us at Tradewinds dock early Saturday morning. I was nursing a good hangover, in retrospect, I probably should have had a beer as soon as I got aboard. We motor/sailed to Monkey Point, with spray coming over the bow! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> After a bit of good snorkeling we headed off to de loose Mongoose for a late lunch. The McBride’s were great hosts and good sports to have allowed a couple of nutty broads to invade their annual ‘guy’s only’ trip. Thank you all.

The Car Ride. On Sunday evening Malcolm drove Brenda, Lori, and I to Bomba’s. From the moment we left the Elm to our arrival at Bomba’s Malcolm and Brenda kept Lori and I doubled over crying with laughter. (Malcolm’s driving skills didn’t help much either.) It had been well over a year since I had laughed that hard. I would love to share with you all what was so funny, however, Brenda threatened to hire Johnny Cochran and sue Malcolm should he write a word about her……….I won’t tempt my luck. I just wanted to thank Malcolm for the laughs and Brenda for being such a great sport. It is a special person and a true gift to be able to laugh at oneself.