If you have been to Guana Island in the BVI's
Jan 28th, 2006, 06:00 PM
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If you have been to Guana Island in the BVI's
We are thinking about spending three nights in the BVI's in December after our stay in St. John. Are the rooms at Guana airconditioned? If they aren't, did you find it to be a problem? How does the snorkeling here compare to Peter Island? We are considering Guana, Peter Island (went there last year and loved it), or Little Dix. Thanks so much for your help!
Jan 29th, 2006, 06:32 AM
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i have snorkeled monkey point on guana island and it was pretty good. right off the boat we saw a big school of blue tangs. as we headed in towards shore we entered an enormous school of tiny silver fish. lurking underneath them were dozens of tarpon that were easily my size. a tad startling at first but then really cool to watch them. corals and fans in pretty good condition. there is a cave you can go in but i didn't. don't know if little dix, peter island and biras creek are in same price range but have heard wonderful things about biras. they give you small boats to go off and explore in which sounds like a heck of a good perk to me.
Jan 29th, 2006, 08:22 AM
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If you haven't seen it already, check out ScubaMom's review on Guana Island. Lots of good information and photos:
http://www.scubamom.com/bvi-resorts/guana-island/
http://www.scubamom.com/bvi-resorts/guana-island/
Jan 29th, 2006, 03:59 PM
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We went there almost 20 years ago on our honeymoon! It was the first week of August and there was no air conditioning. However, we were not uncomfortable in our cottage. I'm looking for a spot for our 20th anniversary and would certainly consider going back, especially since I just looked at the web site. I'm also looking at Peter Island and Biras Creek.
Jan 30th, 2006, 05:56 AM
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My husband and I honeymooned at Guana in June 2003 and we generally consider it the experience against which all other vacations are measured. I've not stayed at the other places you're considering, but ScubaMom does a good job giving a pro/con list for the places you're considering.
I'd say Guana is more for an independent traveler compared to PI or LD. While the place is fully staffed and each person was unfailingly helpful, it's not so much a place where you'll be waited on. If that's what you're looking for, try one of the other places. If, however, you prefer to be active and independent, the staff there will bend over backwards arranging whatever it is you come up with doing--whether it's a castaway picnic, a special dinner trip to another island, scuba diving, couples massage on the beach, whatever.
We stayed in Anegada Cottage #1 during our visit, which was one of few attached cottages. Nobody was staying in the other Anegada rooms, however. We had a lovely view of the main beach & bay and of Tortola from our patio. The room was spacious and comfortable. Not having a/c was never a problem, and in fact one night we got chilly enough that we pulled up the comforter on the bed and turned the ceiling fan down. There was one couple from San Francisco when we were there staying in Fallen Jerusalem, and they said they got hot a couple of nights, despite being higher up on the hillside.
I thought the snorkeling at Guana was wonderful right off the main beach and around Monkey POint as Virginia mentioned. It was far better than anything I saw on Tortola last summer. The corals and sea fans were colorful and healthy looking, despite our being told that they were still recovering from a hurricane several years ago.
IN addition to the usual smaller fry, we saw many sea turtles, some barracuda, some beautiful moon jellyfish, and some tarpon. I didn't see any rays during my visit. Guana also has some beaches and snorkel spots that are only accessible by boat or by hiking across the island--I imagine these would be even more pristine than the snorkeling areas off the main beach.
In short, GUana is mostly a DIY vacation. GO there to meet other laid back folks who put a priority on privacy, eco-tourism, and not being one iota interested in trying to impress other guests. Please let me know if you have additional questions.
I'd say Guana is more for an independent traveler compared to PI or LD. While the place is fully staffed and each person was unfailingly helpful, it's not so much a place where you'll be waited on. If that's what you're looking for, try one of the other places. If, however, you prefer to be active and independent, the staff there will bend over backwards arranging whatever it is you come up with doing--whether it's a castaway picnic, a special dinner trip to another island, scuba diving, couples massage on the beach, whatever.
We stayed in Anegada Cottage #1 during our visit, which was one of few attached cottages. Nobody was staying in the other Anegada rooms, however. We had a lovely view of the main beach & bay and of Tortola from our patio. The room was spacious and comfortable. Not having a/c was never a problem, and in fact one night we got chilly enough that we pulled up the comforter on the bed and turned the ceiling fan down. There was one couple from San Francisco when we were there staying in Fallen Jerusalem, and they said they got hot a couple of nights, despite being higher up on the hillside.
I thought the snorkeling at Guana was wonderful right off the main beach and around Monkey POint as Virginia mentioned. It was far better than anything I saw on Tortola last summer. The corals and sea fans were colorful and healthy looking, despite our being told that they were still recovering from a hurricane several years ago.
IN addition to the usual smaller fry, we saw many sea turtles, some barracuda, some beautiful moon jellyfish, and some tarpon. I didn't see any rays during my visit. Guana also has some beaches and snorkel spots that are only accessible by boat or by hiking across the island--I imagine these would be even more pristine than the snorkeling areas off the main beach.
In short, GUana is mostly a DIY vacation. GO there to meet other laid back folks who put a priority on privacy, eco-tourism, and not being one iota interested in trying to impress other guests. Please let me know if you have additional questions.
Jan 30th, 2006, 08:23 AM
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The food was very good and among the freshest I've ever had--they grow nearly all of their own produce organically on the island and bake their own bread & pastries (like breakfast croissants) daily. Any fish that is served was caught that day. I'm not sure what their source is for chicken or other meat.
That being said, it is generally very simply prepared food that is quite tasty but it is not at all gourmet. You won't find coriander-spiced prosciuto (sp?) wrapped around free range chicken breast with a blueberry-jalapeno reduction, if you know what I mean. I guess I should specify that it was neither gourmet nor nouvelle.
Breakfast featured a cold buffet of breads, pastries, fruits, yogurts, and cereals with hot entrees cooked to order, such as eggs, French toast, or pancakes.
Lunch was a variety of hot and cold dishes, with vegetables always being featured prominently. Dessert was also available.
They requested that guests select their dinner choices by lunchtime. As I recall there was a soup, a salad or other appetizer, an entree, and dessert. There was one main choice for each course, and if you didn't want that, you could make other selections. I don't think I'm explaining it very well. Say that a seafood chowder was the main choice for soup. If you wanted a lighter option you could get a boullion instead, but you had to let them know by lunchtime. Red and white wines were provided for lunch & dinner. Additionally, lemonade and iced tea were complimentary.
There was also the option for joining other guests at larger tables or requesting a table for two. There were only about 10-16 guests when I was there, and we all seemed to be honeymooning, so we were all given tables for two. Sometimes we ate out on the sunset patio, which was gorgeous and facing out towards the Atlantic, and other times we were seated on the side patio that overlooks Tortola.
I've read some reviews where folks were disappointed with Guana's food, but the week we were there (June) everything was fresh, simple, and tasty. Walking the line between spa food and comfort food--nothing overly heavy most meals, with fresh & healthy options, but still not skimping on flavor. The house wines were usually okay--not what I would necessarily order for myself, but usually falling within the drinkable category. I prefer cocktails to wine anyway and probably had at most 2 glasses at any given meal.
That being said, it is generally very simply prepared food that is quite tasty but it is not at all gourmet. You won't find coriander-spiced prosciuto (sp?) wrapped around free range chicken breast with a blueberry-jalapeno reduction, if you know what I mean. I guess I should specify that it was neither gourmet nor nouvelle.
Breakfast featured a cold buffet of breads, pastries, fruits, yogurts, and cereals with hot entrees cooked to order, such as eggs, French toast, or pancakes.
Lunch was a variety of hot and cold dishes, with vegetables always being featured prominently. Dessert was also available.
They requested that guests select their dinner choices by lunchtime. As I recall there was a soup, a salad or other appetizer, an entree, and dessert. There was one main choice for each course, and if you didn't want that, you could make other selections. I don't think I'm explaining it very well. Say that a seafood chowder was the main choice for soup. If you wanted a lighter option you could get a boullion instead, but you had to let them know by lunchtime. Red and white wines were provided for lunch & dinner. Additionally, lemonade and iced tea were complimentary.
There was also the option for joining other guests at larger tables or requesting a table for two. There were only about 10-16 guests when I was there, and we all seemed to be honeymooning, so we were all given tables for two. Sometimes we ate out on the sunset patio, which was gorgeous and facing out towards the Atlantic, and other times we were seated on the side patio that overlooks Tortola.
I've read some reviews where folks were disappointed with Guana's food, but the week we were there (June) everything was fresh, simple, and tasty. Walking the line between spa food and comfort food--nothing overly heavy most meals, with fresh & healthy options, but still not skimping on flavor. The house wines were usually okay--not what I would necessarily order for myself, but usually falling within the drinkable category. I prefer cocktails to wine anyway and probably had at most 2 glasses at any given meal.
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