Virgin Gorda trip report, villa review & photos
Jul 8th, 2008, 07:50 PM
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Virgin Gorda trip report, villa review & photos
It is a long trip to Virgin Gorda from Portland, Oregon . . . but definitely worth it! Traveling from the west coast it isn’t possible to get there in one day. We (a couple in our late-50’s) spent the first night in Puerto Rico. Since I didn’t have my heart set on a specific hotel in San Juan I booked our room using Priceline. We spent the night at the Marriott Stellaris Resort in the Condado area (about 15 minutes from the airport). It worked out well – we had a very nice beachfront room – it was small but perfect for one night. We had a great dinner at Miro’s directly across the street from the hotel.
The next morning we had breakfast at a little French restaurant a few blocks away (not particularly noteworthy) – then off to the airport for an 11:30 flight to Virgin Gorda on Air Sunshine. We enjoyed some nice views during the 50-minute flight.
When we arrived in Virgin Gorda a representative from Mahogany Car Rental was waiting for us with our car. And, a representative from the villa management company was there and happy to take our luggage to our rental villa. It doesn’t get any more convenient than that! I had visions of being in the pool within a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, I never thought about the fact that check-in wasn’t until 4:00. I’m an experience traveler and an obsessive travel planner – I can’t believe I overlooked such a basic detail. Oh well - I’m happy to say it was the only little glitch of the entire vacation. The woman from the management company was very nice and I’m sure would have let us check-in early but other guests had just checked out. So . . . we went out to lunch and picked up some groceries – and met up with her again in a couple of hours and followed her to the villa. Now . . . the real vacation begins . . .
Adagio Villa (Mahoe Bay)
I looked at the on-line photos of Adagio countless times before our trip so I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. But, when we entered the great room and saw the fabulous view – it was an even bigger wow than I had imagined. Mahoe Bay is beautiful and you can see across to the Dog Islands. There are nice views from every room – but we spent most of our time enjoying the expansive view from covered deck off of the great room.
Adagio is set at a slightly higher elevation than some of the other Mahoe villas – so you get nice breezes (lots of windows and sliding glass doors) and very few bugs. While the villa is large (5 bedrooms/5+ bathrooms) it is configured in a way that works just as well for two as it would for a large group. I was afraid we would feel lost in such a big villa – but that wasn’t the case.
The property contains two buildings – we lived in the main building with two bedrooms, kitchen and great room (a third bedroom is located on the lower level with private entrance). Two additional bedrooms are in a separate building on the other side of the swimming pool. Of course we checked out all or the rooms (each bedroom is a master bedroom – with private bath and deck) and all are very nice – but once we chose our bedroom in the main building we pretty much forgot about all of the other bedrooms.
The furniture throughout is attractive and very comfortable. And – there are plenty of ceiling fans so we were never really hot – although we did like knowing there was air conditioning in the bedroom.
The pool is a nice size and positioned to take advantage of the views. It was a treat to come home from a morning of snorkeling and jump in the pool. We also used the pool in the evenings – very private and very nice.
The kitchen is fully equipped – with enough dishware to have large dinner parties. There is also a large outdoor grill that we never used. We usually went out to eat for one meal a day and then prepared simple meals at the villa the rest of the time. It is amazing how great even the most basic meals taste when enjoyed out of the deck taking in the all the surrounding beauty.
The bathrooms have interesting indoor/outdoor showers. Actually – the large showers are on covered decks – enclosed by glass blocks walls for privacy. If you are tall enough you can see over the wall and enjoy a great view while showering.
I took lots of photos of the villa – some are included in the link below. This is my first attempt at posting photos so hopefully it works. If you have any questions about the property – just ask. We loved it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2809896...7605869744772/
FYI - we rented directly from the owner at (Brian) at www.adagiovilla.com. Brian participates on both fodors and traveltalkonline – you can rent from him with confidence.
The next morning we had breakfast at a little French restaurant a few blocks away (not particularly noteworthy) – then off to the airport for an 11:30 flight to Virgin Gorda on Air Sunshine. We enjoyed some nice views during the 50-minute flight.
When we arrived in Virgin Gorda a representative from Mahogany Car Rental was waiting for us with our car. And, a representative from the villa management company was there and happy to take our luggage to our rental villa. It doesn’t get any more convenient than that! I had visions of being in the pool within a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, I never thought about the fact that check-in wasn’t until 4:00. I’m an experience traveler and an obsessive travel planner – I can’t believe I overlooked such a basic detail. Oh well - I’m happy to say it was the only little glitch of the entire vacation. The woman from the management company was very nice and I’m sure would have let us check-in early but other guests had just checked out. So . . . we went out to lunch and picked up some groceries – and met up with her again in a couple of hours and followed her to the villa. Now . . . the real vacation begins . . .
Adagio Villa (Mahoe Bay)
I looked at the on-line photos of Adagio countless times before our trip so I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. But, when we entered the great room and saw the fabulous view – it was an even bigger wow than I had imagined. Mahoe Bay is beautiful and you can see across to the Dog Islands. There are nice views from every room – but we spent most of our time enjoying the expansive view from covered deck off of the great room.
Adagio is set at a slightly higher elevation than some of the other Mahoe villas – so you get nice breezes (lots of windows and sliding glass doors) and very few bugs. While the villa is large (5 bedrooms/5+ bathrooms) it is configured in a way that works just as well for two as it would for a large group. I was afraid we would feel lost in such a big villa – but that wasn’t the case.
The property contains two buildings – we lived in the main building with two bedrooms, kitchen and great room (a third bedroom is located on the lower level with private entrance). Two additional bedrooms are in a separate building on the other side of the swimming pool. Of course we checked out all or the rooms (each bedroom is a master bedroom – with private bath and deck) and all are very nice – but once we chose our bedroom in the main building we pretty much forgot about all of the other bedrooms.
The furniture throughout is attractive and very comfortable. And – there are plenty of ceiling fans so we were never really hot – although we did like knowing there was air conditioning in the bedroom.
The pool is a nice size and positioned to take advantage of the views. It was a treat to come home from a morning of snorkeling and jump in the pool. We also used the pool in the evenings – very private and very nice.
The kitchen is fully equipped – with enough dishware to have large dinner parties. There is also a large outdoor grill that we never used. We usually went out to eat for one meal a day and then prepared simple meals at the villa the rest of the time. It is amazing how great even the most basic meals taste when enjoyed out of the deck taking in the all the surrounding beauty.
The bathrooms have interesting indoor/outdoor showers. Actually – the large showers are on covered decks – enclosed by glass blocks walls for privacy. If you are tall enough you can see over the wall and enjoy a great view while showering.
I took lots of photos of the villa – some are included in the link below. This is my first attempt at posting photos so hopefully it works. If you have any questions about the property – just ask. We loved it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2809896...7605869744772/
FYI - we rented directly from the owner at (Brian) at www.adagiovilla.com. Brian participates on both fodors and traveltalkonline – you can rent from him with confidence.
Jul 9th, 2008, 07:14 AM
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Adagio looks wonderful! Enjoyed the pictures. The setup sounds good for two couples traveling together so each couple has their private space.
Hope you continue your report with info on restaurants and other activities. Thanks for posting.
Hope you continue your report with info on restaurants and other activities. Thanks for posting.
Jul 9th, 2008, 11:16 AM
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Wow,
I was very impressed with the villa. I'm looking for a place to suggest to my parents for our every five year family vacation. It looks like a great spot-but are there good restaurants there-and how much is there to do? I personally am happy with nice digs and the beach, but my parents and brother need more activity. Also, I couldn't tell from the pictures, but could you walk to the beach from your villa?
I was very impressed with the villa. I'm looking for a place to suggest to my parents for our every five year family vacation. It looks like a great spot-but are there good restaurants there-and how much is there to do? I personally am happy with nice digs and the beach, but my parents and brother need more activity. Also, I couldn't tell from the pictures, but could you walk to the beach from your villa?
Jul 9th, 2008, 01:28 PM
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Anguillagirl -
Adagio is ideal for a family vacation -- everyone gets a master bedroom and can enjoy some privacy. Virgin Gorda is a quiet island (I remember Anguilla that way as well) -- but there are good restaurants and boat trip options. Your parents could also take a day trip to Tortola if they want to do some shopping.
It is a short walk to the beach at Mahoe Bay from the villa. The photo of the path between the hedges shows the entrance to the beach from the villa.
Mahoe Bay is a good central location on the island.
Adagio is ideal for a family vacation -- everyone gets a master bedroom and can enjoy some privacy. Virgin Gorda is a quiet island (I remember Anguilla that way as well) -- but there are good restaurants and boat trip options. Your parents could also take a day trip to Tortola if they want to do some shopping.
It is a short walk to the beach at Mahoe Bay from the villa. The photo of the path between the hedges shows the entrance to the beach from the villa.
Mahoe Bay is a good central location on the island.
Jul 9th, 2008, 03:35 PM
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THanks for the trip report. We stayed at Adagio Villa last July, renting directly through Brian, and loved every minute of it.
What else did you do on Virgin Gorda? Did you take any daytrips?
Anguilagirl, Virgin Gorda is very low key but there are always some activities--we were there for five nights and rented a car so that we could go all around the island. We took a snorkel tour with Double D (best snorkeling that we've done in the Caribbean), explored various beaches, hiked Gorda Peak, explored around the North Sound and back south to the copper mine ruins.
Whie we never had a bad meal, I wouldn't say there were many fine dining opportunities on the island. (But we didn't eat at any resorts, either, so perhaps Biras and Little Dix have better offerings.)
What else did you do on Virgin Gorda? Did you take any daytrips?
Anguilagirl, Virgin Gorda is very low key but there are always some activities--we were there for five nights and rented a car so that we could go all around the island. We took a snorkel tour with Double D (best snorkeling that we've done in the Caribbean), explored various beaches, hiked Gorda Peak, explored around the North Sound and back south to the copper mine ruins.
Whie we never had a bad meal, I wouldn't say there were many fine dining opportunities on the island. (But we didn't eat at any resorts, either, so perhaps Biras and Little Dix have better offerings.)
Jul 9th, 2008, 07:05 PM
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Bill - The hanging bed is right on the beach at Mahoe Bay. I loved that setting! It belongs to the new Aquamare complex - http://www.villaaquamare.com/html/index.php
Aquamare is a major Architectural Digest WOW kind of place. Not necessarily my taste - but very nice. It is right next to the Mango Bay units -- owned by a company from Puerto Rico but managed by the Mango Bay folks. I tried to take a tour of the units while I was there but they were all occupied. There are only three rentals -- each one 5 bedrooms. One unit is right on the beach - the other two (if I remember correctly) are set slightly further back.
One of the things I liked about Adagio was being at a slightly higher elevation. The only time I got bug bites was the evening I spent taking photos of the hanging sunbed on the beach.
Aquamare is a major Architectural Digest WOW kind of place. Not necessarily my taste - but very nice. It is right next to the Mango Bay units -- owned by a company from Puerto Rico but managed by the Mango Bay folks. I tried to take a tour of the units while I was there but they were all occupied. There are only three rentals -- each one 5 bedrooms. One unit is right on the beach - the other two (if I remember correctly) are set slightly further back.
One of the things I liked about Adagio was being at a slightly higher elevation. The only time I got bug bites was the evening I spent taking photos of the hanging sunbed on the beach.
Jul 11th, 2008, 03:37 PM
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I am seriously considering Virgin Gorda for a trip this winter. Aquamare is definitely not in the budget and I'm not even sure Adagio is in the budget. You mentioned that Aquamare was right next to Mango Bay. I know that is much lower budget option but I assume it is on a great stretch of beach - right? Did you take a look at any of the mango bay rentals?
Jul 12th, 2008, 07:42 AM
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simbam -
Mango Bay is on a beautiful stretch of beach -- and the rates are great for such a lovely location. The units themselves are probably pretty basic - but what a setting! I would try to get a beach front unit (others are set further back). Search Mango Bay here -- I believe others that have stayed there can provide more detailed info.
I hope to continue my trip report with some info on restaurants & activities. We really enjoyed Virgin Gorda.
Mango Bay is on a beautiful stretch of beach -- and the rates are great for such a lovely location. The units themselves are probably pretty basic - but what a setting! I would try to get a beach front unit (others are set further back). Search Mango Bay here -- I believe others that have stayed there can provide more detailed info.
I hope to continue my trip report with some info on restaurants & activities. We really enjoyed Virgin Gorda.
Jul 12th, 2008, 01:55 PM
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I agree that the Mango Bay cottages are a good way to go. Excellent location and beautiful beach. And even if you can't afford their beachfront rentals, the garden view ones are just a few yards farther from the beach. Not a big deal at all.
Elsewhere on the island I can recommend the Guavaberry Spring Bay cottages. They're farther south, just one beach up from the Baths, and they're probably my second favorite location on VG. Spring Bay was definitely my favorite beach for photos and snorkelilng! They're very reasonable in price and have a small but full kitchen.
Elsewhere on the island I can recommend the Guavaberry Spring Bay cottages. They're farther south, just one beach up from the Baths, and they're probably my second favorite location on VG. Spring Bay was definitely my favorite beach for photos and snorkelilng! They're very reasonable in price and have a small but full kitchen.
Looking forward to hearing more about the island.
Jul 19th, 2008, 07:56 AM
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I saw someone mention something about the food at Biras Creek and Little Dix. Having been to both in the oast 2 years I can tell you the dinners at Biras Creek are very good, almost gourmet, though the lunches are mostly at the beach and are at best average.The dinners at LDB are good but not nearly as good as Biras Creek but the breakfasts and lunches are far better at LDB.
