I am in LOVE with a Virgin. iamq's Virgin Gorda trip report.
Jun 23rd, 2009, 08:57 AM
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I am in LOVE with a Virgin. iamq's Virgin Gorda trip report.
Hello friends. As the title declares, I REALLY liked it here. It is the perfect combo of everything we look for in a "go beach" vacation: Friendly locals, laid back vibe, good eats, fine beaches, pretty views and satisfying snorkeling.
Here is a link to some photos:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLan...localeid=en_US
I will be back later with a few comments and stories.
bq
Here is a link to some photos:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLan...localeid=en_US
I will be back later with a few comments and stories.
bq
Jun 23rd, 2009, 10:15 AM
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Great pics, Bill. So glad you loved VG as much as I did! I'm looking forward to all of the details about beaches, food, and snorkeling. I have to ask where you got the food for your BBQ dinner at the villa--it looks great! Did you make it or get takeaway?
emily
emily
Jun 23rd, 2009, 10:57 AM
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Have you learnt nothing attention deficit boy?
If you heart Virgin Gorda send your friends to St Thomas . . shhheeeeesh!
Adore the pics and your husbands boyish smile, especially when he is chowing down!
If you heart Virgin Gorda send your friends to St Thomas . . shhheeeeesh!
Adore the pics and your husbands boyish smile, especially when he is chowing down!
Jun 23rd, 2009, 11:30 AM
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The story of the bbq:
We flew to VG from San Juan on Air Sunshine, sometimes called "Air Sometimes". True to type they did indeed cancel our 2:30 flight as we were the only ones booked on it and rebooked us on the 5:00, which actually left at 4:15. LOL! It was a bit irritating, but what can you do? We got there eventually, which is what counts. One of the passengers that was waiting with us said. "You're on island time now!" Yep...how true. Anyhow...one of persons waiting with us was an older Virgin Gordian who Martin and I struck up a conversation with. I forget her name now, but she was a lovely lady. I asked her what she did on the island. She said, "Oh I don't do anything now, except I do a little barbeque on Friday nights that keeps me busy." Martin's ears perked up, as when we go places, he is always on the lookout for homecooked food, especially barbecue. She went on to tell us that she sets up a tent on Fridays starting at 3pm at the intersection of North Sound road where it splits one way to Leverick Bay and the other to Gun Creek. She told us to come and get some food, we said we would and I made a mental note of it and that was it.
We arrived on Tuesday and proceeded to have a great time. Thursday rolls around and we start talking about what we might do the next day, and I remember the Friday bbq lady and decided to get some for dinner and bring it back to the villa. So we sort of planned our day around getting bbq from her. We spent the morning at Mahoe snorkeling and such, got cleaned up, drove up the North Sound Road to Gun Creek. Got on the ferry to Biras Creek and had lunch at the Fat Virgin Cafe. That was a fun little trip. The views from the road are breathtaking and it was fun being on the water for the short to trip to Biras. Anyhow, we timed the whole thing so we would be returning home by her spot after 3 pm. There she was! She had a barbecue set up that was smoking and steam tables all lined up with all sorts of goodies in them. She was surprised to see us, but remembered us. We chit-chatted a bit, she introduced us to her daughters and grandchildren and then we purchased a bunch of stuff to eat later. It was very good, but we bought enough for 20, so we were eating bbq for days afterwards. I'll write more about it when I do the eating section.
We flew to VG from San Juan on Air Sunshine, sometimes called "Air Sometimes". True to type they did indeed cancel our 2:30 flight as we were the only ones booked on it and rebooked us on the 5:00, which actually left at 4:15. LOL! It was a bit irritating, but what can you do? We got there eventually, which is what counts. One of the passengers that was waiting with us said. "You're on island time now!" Yep...how true. Anyhow...one of persons waiting with us was an older Virgin Gordian who Martin and I struck up a conversation with. I forget her name now, but she was a lovely lady. I asked her what she did on the island. She said, "Oh I don't do anything now, except I do a little barbeque on Friday nights that keeps me busy." Martin's ears perked up, as when we go places, he is always on the lookout for homecooked food, especially barbecue. She went on to tell us that she sets up a tent on Fridays starting at 3pm at the intersection of North Sound road where it splits one way to Leverick Bay and the other to Gun Creek. She told us to come and get some food, we said we would and I made a mental note of it and that was it.
We arrived on Tuesday and proceeded to have a great time. Thursday rolls around and we start talking about what we might do the next day, and I remember the Friday bbq lady and decided to get some for dinner and bring it back to the villa. So we sort of planned our day around getting bbq from her. We spent the morning at Mahoe snorkeling and such, got cleaned up, drove up the North Sound Road to Gun Creek. Got on the ferry to Biras Creek and had lunch at the Fat Virgin Cafe. That was a fun little trip. The views from the road are breathtaking and it was fun being on the water for the short to trip to Biras. Anyhow, we timed the whole thing so we would be returning home by her spot after 3 pm. There she was! She had a barbecue set up that was smoking and steam tables all lined up with all sorts of goodies in them. She was surprised to see us, but remembered us. We chit-chatted a bit, she introduced us to her daughters and grandchildren and then we purchased a bunch of stuff to eat later. It was very good, but we bought enough for 20, so we were eating bbq for days afterwards. I'll write more about it when I do the eating section.
Jun 23rd, 2009, 03:21 PM
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Love the pics! Your Air Sunshine pilot (to VG) was our pilot (leaving VG). I'll never forget him. It was windy that day. Hurricane Omar was coming. He told us he'd take half of us to Tortola and then come back to get the rest of the passengers. Why, we asked? He said with all the weight and the direction of the wind, he'd never clear that mountain. Oh lovely. 
Can't wait to read all about the trip!
Can't wait to read all about the trip!
Jun 23rd, 2009, 04:04 PM
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he-he-he gyppie. I thought about smuggling Mr. Rooster off island, but we have designs on staying here again, so I thought twice.
ct, the whole landing and taking off thing in small planes on small islands with dirt landing strips net to the water with big mountains at one end thing makes me a bit crazy, yet we keep going to places where that is what it is like. I consider it the price of admission. I can't imagine flying in and out of that place in a storm. I was very grateful that the two tropical waves we had came through while we were there we either far off or long gone when we had to fly.
As usual, I had done considerable research about where on the island to stay and ended up in Mahoe Bay at Adagio Villa. I came this close to choosing a place in Nail Bay and THIS close to choosing a place run by Guavaberry within walking distance of Spring Bay. I think we would have been happy at any of the places that made my short list, but in the end I think staying at Adagio really made the trip special for us. Being nearby good snorkeling is very important to us, and the snorkeling at Mahoe did not disappoint. The coral gardens all over the bay are lovely. So being so close to one of the lovliest beaches with some of the best snorkeling was just too good to be true. Adagio is located just off the beach on the hillside above Mahoe Bay. This gives it an amazing view of the beach, the bay and Dog Islands located just offshore. The location also helps it to catch the breezes. We spent countless hours on the various decks gazing at the lovely views. It was a great place to watch the sunsets and to star gaze, which we did every night. It was a two minute walk down the hill on a path to the beach. Like all houses on Mahoe Bay, Adgaio has a pool. Having the pool was really nice. All the particulars were top notch. Great beds. Great amenities. Fully supplied. My favorite part of the house was the deck with the water views. Fantastic. The house was on the upper end of what we normally spend, but the house ended up being a very good value with the $$ being well spent. If we return, it would be hard to find a better place.
ct, the whole landing and taking off thing in small planes on small islands with dirt landing strips net to the water with big mountains at one end thing makes me a bit crazy, yet we keep going to places where that is what it is like. I consider it the price of admission. I can't imagine flying in and out of that place in a storm. I was very grateful that the two tropical waves we had came through while we were there we either far off or long gone when we had to fly.
As usual, I had done considerable research about where on the island to stay and ended up in Mahoe Bay at Adagio Villa. I came this close to choosing a place in Nail Bay and THIS close to choosing a place run by Guavaberry within walking distance of Spring Bay. I think we would have been happy at any of the places that made my short list, but in the end I think staying at Adagio really made the trip special for us. Being nearby good snorkeling is very important to us, and the snorkeling at Mahoe did not disappoint. The coral gardens all over the bay are lovely. So being so close to one of the lovliest beaches with some of the best snorkeling was just too good to be true. Adagio is located just off the beach on the hillside above Mahoe Bay. This gives it an amazing view of the beach, the bay and Dog Islands located just offshore. The location also helps it to catch the breezes. We spent countless hours on the various decks gazing at the lovely views. It was a great place to watch the sunsets and to star gaze, which we did every night. It was a two minute walk down the hill on a path to the beach. Like all houses on Mahoe Bay, Adgaio has a pool. Having the pool was really nice. All the particulars were top notch. Great beds. Great amenities. Fully supplied. My favorite part of the house was the deck with the water views. Fantastic. The house was on the upper end of what we normally spend, but the house ended up being a very good value with the $$ being well spent. If we return, it would be hard to find a better place.
Jun 23rd, 2009, 04:26 PM
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Bill -- your photos brought back wonderful memories of our time at Adagio. I knew you would love it! You & Martin look very happy & relaxed. At least a half dozen times over the past 10 days I woke up mentioning to DH that you and Martin were probably sitting out on the wonderful deck. I'll be eager to hear if you spent much time snorkeling at the beach near Nail Bay (our favorite - but I know conditions can change day to day not to mention a year later). Did you see any turtles? Also -- eager to know if you saw our adopted black kitty. Hopefully he found a permanent home.
Oh -- when you have time I'd like to hear your comparison between VG and St. John. Don't mean to give you homework your first week back -- but I've got lots of questions.
And . . . once we've exhausted this topic . . . we can start comparing notes and sharing "finds" for future trips. I know we are both committed to doing our part to keep the economy afloat
Welcome back. Glad you had a great time. Loved the photos.
Oh -- when you have time I'd like to hear your comparison between VG and St. John. Don't mean to give you homework your first week back -- but I've got lots of questions.
And . . . once we've exhausted this topic . . . we can start comparing notes and sharing "finds" for future trips. I know we are both committed to doing our part to keep the economy afloat
Welcome back. Glad you had a great time. Loved the photos.
Jun 23rd, 2009, 05:13 PM
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Love it! I wish we had known about the BBQ woman near Leverick Bay, but I'll make a note for next time. Adagio is just lovely, isn't it? Not so fussy that you feel uncomfortable staying there, but luxury in all the right places, especially the outdoor living spaces! Did you rent directly from the owner like we did? Or through a company?
Jun 23rd, 2009, 05:50 PM
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"Not so fussy that you feel uncomfortable staying there, but luxury in all the right places, especially the outdoor living spaces!"
Very well said! You know, I never did sit in one of the living room sofas, or chairs, or dining room chairs in the the 11 days we were there. They sure looked nice. LOL.
More tomorrow...
Very well said! You know, I never did sit in one of the living room sofas, or chairs, or dining room chairs in the the 11 days we were there. They sure looked nice. LOL.
More tomorrow...
Jun 24th, 2009, 07:04 AM
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Our daily routine went something like this:
If we were planning to visit a beach, we'd usually go in the morning for a few hours, then head home for lunch and then spend the afternoon at Mahoe and/or lounging around the pool. Sometimes we'd spend the morning down at Mahoe and then do a drive or beach visit. We gave some thought to taking the ferry out to Anegada for the day or perhaps doing a snorkeling boat trip, but we just didn't feel like leaving the island. If we return, we might get out and do a little exploring, then again...
As I mentiioned before, we really liked snorkeling Mahoe Bay. We explored much of the bay. The fish numbers were highest out towards the point to the right. I liked snorkeling around the outer reef the most here. The fish were larger and more plentiful. We saw turtles and a few barracuda here on top of lots of other types of fishies. I liked how the coral here was formed into "towers" that one could zig-zag through.
Mountain Trunk, which is the first beach in the Nail Bay complex that one comes to was another favorite. The beach here is very wide and very long. It reminded me most of beaches we like in Hawaii. Nail Bay has set up little beach palapas with loungers along the beach and there is a pavillion too. These are for anyone to use and it was nice to stretch out on the lounge chairs. This was by far the busiet beach with the most people on it other than the Baths. We spent the better part of a morning here and liked it a lot. The coral here was the best that we saw on the island. There were more fish here than at Mahoe too. We snorkeled out around the rocks to the rights and thought that was really great. We saw a couple of turtles here. I went in to take a snooze and M stayed out and snorkeled out around the side of the beach to the left where he saw a few more turtles and three medium sized rays. Like I said, it was busy here with boats coming and going. When a large group showed up and started waterskiing, we decided to head back to our quiet little corner of the island.
One of my favorite snorkels was at Devil's Bay, which is the sweet little bay just to the left of the Bahts. I loved snorkeling around the boulders to the left of the beach. I was amazed at the number of large fish and the large schools of many types here. Floating and swimming in and out of the nooks and crannies was a lot of fun. We were there in the afternoon and it was HOT! The boulders radiate the heat and it felt like we were in an oven when we weren't in the water.
We spent a couple of mornings exploring the Baths, Spring Bay, and "The Crawl". Go early! We would arrive by 8:00 am and leave around 10:30 just has the hoards would show up. Snorkeling around the Baths was surprisingly good. There were big schools of really BIG parrot fish. This is were we also saw groups of squid. I love watching them! Snorkeling the boulders around Spring Bay and Little Trunk was a lot of fun too. Lots of parrot fish!
I think my favorite beach we visited was Savannah Bay. Lovely and deserted. This is a favorite mooring spot for sailboats. There were never less than 3 or 4 anchored offshore. There are several little thatched roof cabanas dotting the beach. There are a couple of large patches of coral that provided pretty good snorkeling. This a great beach for strolling and beach combing.
The only other Caribbean Island I have visited is St. John, so it was hard for me not compare the two islands. The beaches in St. John are fabulous, lovely, and most of them are part of a National Park and the snorkeling was better than in Virgin Gorda, BUT I think I would return to VG before St. John primarily because the island is less built up, the vibe is mellower, there are fewer people and the Virgin Gordians were so friendly.
More later...
If we were planning to visit a beach, we'd usually go in the morning for a few hours, then head home for lunch and then spend the afternoon at Mahoe and/or lounging around the pool. Sometimes we'd spend the morning down at Mahoe and then do a drive or beach visit. We gave some thought to taking the ferry out to Anegada for the day or perhaps doing a snorkeling boat trip, but we just didn't feel like leaving the island. If we return, we might get out and do a little exploring, then again...
As I mentiioned before, we really liked snorkeling Mahoe Bay. We explored much of the bay. The fish numbers were highest out towards the point to the right. I liked snorkeling around the outer reef the most here. The fish were larger and more plentiful. We saw turtles and a few barracuda here on top of lots of other types of fishies. I liked how the coral here was formed into "towers" that one could zig-zag through.
Mountain Trunk, which is the first beach in the Nail Bay complex that one comes to was another favorite. The beach here is very wide and very long. It reminded me most of beaches we like in Hawaii. Nail Bay has set up little beach palapas with loungers along the beach and there is a pavillion too. These are for anyone to use and it was nice to stretch out on the lounge chairs. This was by far the busiet beach with the most people on it other than the Baths. We spent the better part of a morning here and liked it a lot. The coral here was the best that we saw on the island. There were more fish here than at Mahoe too. We snorkeled out around the rocks to the rights and thought that was really great. We saw a couple of turtles here. I went in to take a snooze and M stayed out and snorkeled out around the side of the beach to the left where he saw a few more turtles and three medium sized rays. Like I said, it was busy here with boats coming and going. When a large group showed up and started waterskiing, we decided to head back to our quiet little corner of the island.
One of my favorite snorkels was at Devil's Bay, which is the sweet little bay just to the left of the Bahts. I loved snorkeling around the boulders to the left of the beach. I was amazed at the number of large fish and the large schools of many types here. Floating and swimming in and out of the nooks and crannies was a lot of fun. We were there in the afternoon and it was HOT! The boulders radiate the heat and it felt like we were in an oven when we weren't in the water.
We spent a couple of mornings exploring the Baths, Spring Bay, and "The Crawl". Go early! We would arrive by 8:00 am and leave around 10:30 just has the hoards would show up. Snorkeling around the Baths was surprisingly good. There were big schools of really BIG parrot fish. This is were we also saw groups of squid. I love watching them! Snorkeling the boulders around Spring Bay and Little Trunk was a lot of fun too. Lots of parrot fish!
I think my favorite beach we visited was Savannah Bay. Lovely and deserted. This is a favorite mooring spot for sailboats. There were never less than 3 or 4 anchored offshore. There are several little thatched roof cabanas dotting the beach. There are a couple of large patches of coral that provided pretty good snorkeling. This a great beach for strolling and beach combing.
The only other Caribbean Island I have visited is St. John, so it was hard for me not compare the two islands. The beaches in St. John are fabulous, lovely, and most of them are part of a National Park and the snorkeling was better than in Virgin Gorda, BUT I think I would return to VG before St. John primarily because the island is less built up, the vibe is mellower, there are fewer people and the Virgin Gordians were so friendly.
More later...
Jun 24th, 2009, 07:26 AM
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Love it! We sadly never snorkeled at Nail Bay, though we did make the drive there from Adagio one day. Has the construction been completed on that road yet? I never got tired of the beaches and snorkeling on VG and reading about it in your TR makes me want to forget Anguilla and head back to VG instead. <sigh> i'm so fickle. every island that i'm reading about at the moment seems to be my favorite island. but i really would love to go back to VG with just my husband to delve into its charms even more than we did with our granddaughter.
Jun 24th, 2009, 07:27 AM
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I have a question Mr Iamq. (she says in her cindylouwho voice while raising her hand higher than the rest of the who's) Did you visit Little Dix? And does anyone else find it a funny name for a premiere resort on an island named Fat Virgin?
Love the swimming with the fishies tales! Thanks for bringing us all into your grande adventures~
Love the swimming with the fishies tales! Thanks for bringing us all into your grande adventures~
Jun 24th, 2009, 07:42 AM
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gyppie...even a virgin needs a little dix once in a while. No, we did not get to LD. We were going to go there for dinner one night, but the dress code was a bit restrictive (long pants and closed toe shoes!?). The closest thing I had to pants was my sulu, and I don't think what would have gone over very well. No great loss.
Emily, the road through Nail Bay is great now and is better in some places than the road before it gets to Adagio. You know what I've been doing since being back, don't you? "Where should we go next summer?" Before VG, we were headed back to Kauaihellhole, but now I am just not sure! It is a good problem to have!
Emily, the road through Nail Bay is great now and is better in some places than the road before it gets to Adagio. You know what I've been doing since being back, don't you? "Where should we go next summer?" Before VG, we were headed back to Kauaihellhole, but now I am just not sure! It is a good problem to have!
Jun 24th, 2009, 07:49 AM
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So? Little Dix Petered Island out and she became A Fat Virgin that would visit jost van Dyke during hurricane season?
I too think I will revisit the BVI. I just don't know if we will bareboat again or hang out in a grande villa - tough decisions! But one thing is certain, when we return we will not leave british waters, although St John is lovely in its own right.
More tales pleeze! And I will stop making tasteless jokes that only crack myself up.
I too think I will revisit the BVI. I just don't know if we will bareboat again or hang out in a grande villa - tough decisions! But one thing is certain, when we return we will not leave british waters, although St John is lovely in its own right.
More tales pleeze! And I will stop making tasteless jokes that only crack myself up.
Jun 24th, 2009, 10:37 AM
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Oh, darn it, IAMQ, your pix and description of Virgin Gorda has further complicated my search for a 2010 trip for our 40th. Fiji and Australia? Patagonia? St. John and VG? So many choices and so few $$. Wish we could do it all!
Sally in Seattle
Sally in Seattle
