As an addendum to my long winded trip report, I thought of a few points that I had missed. This will mostly deal with things that had noticably changed on Tortola between the time of our previous visit in November 2003.

Long Bay Beach Resort:

Long Bay is under new management, and it appears that they are pouring money into the place, changing many things and making renovations and reconfigurations. Thankfully most of the staff appears to have been kept on, which is great news. Cheryl is still at the pool bar, most of the waitstaff for breakfast is the same, Carlotta is still at reception, etc.

The beach cafe' has undergone an extensive reconfiguration, and more work is ongoing. The beachside pool is no longer. There is now a very large wooden deck where the beachside pool used to be. They have moved the tables onto this deck as they make changes to the existing patio and old tennis court. Not sure what will become of that area, or what the new use will be. Inside the old building there are now permanent countertops and a food bar area for the breakfast buffet. The beachside shop is closed for renovation.

There is now a sign out front to actually denote that you've reached Long Bay Resort! This was always interesting to me, since our friends got lost their first time down, since they were looking for the nonexistent sign to point them toward the resort. There's also a sign at the beach cafe. The signs are tasteful wooden designs that complement the design of the place.

The biggest concern I have is that the new management company is promoting the place as "All Inclusive". I fear that they will raise the room-only rates or eliminate them altogether. Time will tell. Also, the BVI is not a great choice for an all-inclusive resort. There is just too much beauty throughout the islands to be missed if you're holed up at one resort and never leave the grounds.

Smugglers Cove:

The old Smugglers Cove honor bar has been cleaned up. Unfortunately Bob's old Lincoln was pushed out of the bar and into the underbrush to further rot away. Also, the racks along the back with the wooden barrels are gone, as is the wooden deck that was out front. The place was definitely much cleaner, but most of the charm was cleaned out along with the junk.

Also, a daysail boat decided to come a calling in Smugglers one day. Just as is always the case, another boat spotted this one and decided to follow him in and anchor as well. At peak, there were on the order of 65 people on the beach and in the water. So much for off limit anchorages and deserted beaches.

Cane Garden Bay:

The new Bobbys is AWESOME! What a great addition, much needed. As mentioned in the trip report, a single cruise ship in port was a manageable amount of daytrippers.

Otherwise, things were just about the same. The changes at Long Bay worry me, since that is our home base for all our stays. Otherwise, I guess it's just incremental change happening at "Island Time" pace.

Shannon