Hey kids…got back on Saturday after a week in the BVI. It was our first trip there, and by far, the best vacation I've ever had. I have never been so relaxed for such a long period of time! Since none of us had been, I decided that I would do as much research as possible. My 2 best sources were this message board and the book "The Best of the British Virgin Islands" by Pamela Acheson. I checked this board often and jotted down so many notes. Things like grocery stores, day sails, great beaches, etc. We would have had no idea, so thanks to everyone! Even the most random notes are helpful. The book was a great source as well, and I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who's going for the first time. <br><br>Here's the report. I am embarrassed at the length!!! <br><br>Friday, May 18th<br><br>4 of us left Atlanta at 2PM on American, stopped in Miami, and arrived in St. Thomas at 8PM. Flights went well & were on time. All of our luggage arrived with us & we grabbed a taxi to the Holiday Inn for the night. The taxi was $6/person & the hotel was $95/night. The location of the hotel was perfect for us - 2 blocks from shopping & right across the street from the ferry. <br><br>Saturday, May 19th<br><br>Took our bags to the ferry dock for them to hold while we ate breakfast and shopped a bit. It was hotter than blazes & the humidity was higher than I've ever been in, so it was a short morning of shopping. Took the 1:30 Native Son Ferry to West End. Took a taxi to Denzil's Car Rental ($2/person). They didn't have our reservation, but it wasn't a problem. We were in and out of there in 10 minutes. Rented a 4 x 4 for $360/week (included taxes & insurance). It was big enough for 4 girls and LOTS of luggage. Got to the villa, and we were very pleasantly surprised. Villa Laguna is in Little Apple Bay (about 200 yards from The Sugar Mill), and has incredible views of Jost Van Dyke as well as Long Bay. We threw our stuff down, and headed to Stanley's in CGB. Probably the best hamburger I've ever had!!! $40 for 4 people with Cokes. Went on to Road Town for grocery shopping (we saw almost all of the island our first day thanks to a few wrong turns!!!). Total was $111 which included a few bottles of rum!<br><br>Sunday, May 20th <br><br>Lounged by the pool at the villa most of the day. We lubed up with sunscreen, and everyone fared well. Lunch was at home, and dinner was at The Sugar Mill. I can't imagine you'd find a place with better atmosphere or food. The service was fabulous. Bill was right around $160 for 4 people with drinks. Not too bad. <br><br>Monday, May 21st <br><br>Planned to go to Long Bay Beach, and decided to see what the road to Smuggler's Cove was all about. Wasn't that bad, but I wouldn't want to do it in the rain or without a 4 x 4. We got there, and decided to stay. It was a perfect day, and I would say there were only about 15 people on the whole beach. Rented rafts, and floated in the water most of the afternoon. Not realizing what it was, we saw the honor bar, and didn't dream of going in it. Ate a late lunch at Sebastian's. Service was a little slow, but who cares when you're looking out at that water! Bill was $60 for 4 hamburgers with cokes & bottled water to drink. Dinner was at home by the pool since it had been a late lunch.<br><br>Tuesday, May 22nd <br><br>Sailed on Dual Bliss today. Such a great day. Wasn't sure the weather would cooperate, but it turned out to be a nice day with only one shower that didn't last long. It was just the 4 of us on the boat, and Bill is a great host. One in our group has BIG problems with motion sickness, and she was fine. Never had a minute where she didn't feel well. We sailed out to Norman Island and snorkeled The Caves & The Bight. Saw Sea Turtles which was definitely the highlight! Had a great lunch of Chicken Marsala, pasta salad, bean salad & homemade bread. Bill made sure we had plenty of rum punch & Heineken as well. The cost was $90/person. It was a wonderful sail. Had dinner at Pusser's in Road Town just to see what it was all about. Good food, but I can't remember what the bill was - not too bad, I don't think.<br><br>Wednesday, May 23rd <br><br>Ferried to Jost Van Dyke for the day. Ended up at White Bay which was positively beautiful. I could spend a week there without a problem! Ferried back to Tortola in the afternoon, and did some shopping in Soper's Hole. Had appetizers & painkillers on the water at Pusser's. Petted the mini-horses right there by Soper's Hole as well. They were really only interested in our straw bags.<br><br>Thursday, May 24th <br><br>Back to Smuggler's Cove today. The rafts were calling our name. This time, we knew about the honor bar, so of course, we checked it out! It was really windy, so you almost had to stay in the water unless you wanted a sand exfoliation. Again, not too many people, and just another great day. Went to Quito's for a late lunch. <br><br>Friday, May 25th <br><br>Went to Brewer's Bay. The road there is unbelievable. I'm not sure there could be better views. We liked Brewer's, but probably not as much as Smuggler's. Had lunch at Sky World. Again, fabulous views. Dinner was at The Sugar Mill again. <br><br>Saturday, May 26th<br><br>We took the 10AM Native Son Ferry back to St. Thomas. It was a beautiful day, so that made it even more difficult to leave. Our flight left St. Thomas at 2:30, and we were back in Atlanta at 9:30 after a stop in Miami. One piece of my luggage didn't make it back with me, but I got it Sunday evening.<br><br><br>Overall, it was the perfect trip. There were several power outages, but it didn't matter. We were too relaxed to care! The one negative is that once you get there, you find that there are a gazillion more places you want to see. There was so much that we didn't do! We've already started planning our return trip. I'm working on convincing the group to do a sailing vacation next time!<br><br>For anyone who's going back before me…I AM BITTER.<br><br><br>
