Saba Trip Report - January '09

Great report, caribtraveler! And, I love your format. Pics were great too.

I'm so glad you stayed the jacuzzi suite at Queen's Garden. Isn't that just a fabulous room?

Sorry to hear about your snorkel experience. Unfortunately, the waters around Saba are pretty deep in most places. But it sounds like you made up for it in other ways.

Thanks for posting your report. And, you're welcome for the help. Glad you had a nice time.

Nice report and pictures as always. Glad you had a little time to yourself!

great report. way to go on the hike. glad you persevered. one of these days i will get up the nerve to travle solo.

Thanks for that great little report with photos!

Saba has appeared on my radar as a possibility one of these days. This may be a Saba 101 question -- but did you seen any wildlife? From the photos, it looks SO lush and rainforesty. Just curious if there were monkey or other mammal sightings.

Thanks for the report and you've given me food for thought (literally and figuratively).
Saba was going to be our destination in June but I couldn't sell it to the kids (no beaches!) so we'll go to Anguilla instead. Maybe I'll have to take a solo trip to Saba!

I can't get the page to open!

Thanks everyone.

Plumboy: It's all goats and chickens. Seriously.

Emily: Did you try typing just my home page and then going from there? www.nbptravel.com?

That's a really nice report -- great format. I visited Saba and Statia last February, and really enjoyed both -- they really are different from St. Maarten and the larger, more heavily touristed islands.

This year, I will be visiting Montserrat in April and Grand Turk in July, hopefully both will offer similar, laid-back experiences.

Okay, I tried loading your trip report today and it worked just fine. (And yes, I had tried opening just the home page and that didn't load either. Not sure why...)

Lovely little trip report, as usual. I know you enjoyed Saba, but how did you feel about your solo travels? It's been a couple of years since I've done anything like that and reading your TR made me nostalgic.

The view from your private jacuzzi is amazing! I'd spend all of my time there!

I loved being on my own. Between being a wife/mom and work, I don't get that chance at all these days. I did miss the boys but I wasn't gone long enough to truly miss them (if that makes sense). I had a great book and downloaded some movies on my iPod to deal with the long layovers. That really helped. My biggest concern when planning this trip was finding a place where I would feel comfortable as a solo female traveler. I did not once feel uncomfortable while in Saba. I'd love to take a solo trip once a year. We'll see...

Great report. I loved the pictures. I need to get in shape to hike because Saba is on my short list.

Thanks for the trip report and wonderful pictures! I just have a few thoughts to supplement what you included on your web site:

1. Queen's Garden is a nice place to stay, but it is about the only place what is somewhat isolated from any of Saba's villages. I think the best thing about a visit to Saba is a chance to interact with the people who live there. Staying at Queen's Garden does not eliminate the chance to do this, but makes it a bit more of an effort.

2. Nothing wrong with hiring a guide to take you up to the top of Mt. Scenery, but a guide is not needed.

3. If you are into hiking, there are a bunch of trails to walk on. The hike up Mt. Scenery is the most well known. The tourist office can supply a map. Also, walking along "The Road" is a great hike.

4. If staying more than a couple of days, there is no need to take an island tour, as you can see everything on your own.

Howie: I 99% agree with all your points. My slight disagreement will be about the guide. If you're a non-hiker like me and you started where I did, I think a guide is best. There were a couple of spots where I thought the trail was not obvious. I agree with everything else.

Wonderful report as always. You've made me curious about Saba and it'll be on my radar now for a 'different kind of experience'.