cawhite

Hello again everyone,

Our family of 4 (2 kids... 16 ans 12) will be on Tortola for 4 nights in June (and another 12 nights in St. Thomas).

For those of you that have stayed at the Lighthouse Villas in Cane Garden Bay, can you tell me your experiences in the different villas?

The 2nd and 3rd floor villas, with the nice views (from what I've read), are more expensive than the ground floor villas. How would you compare the various floors? Are there particular units that are nicer than others within the various categories?

The ground floor villa is more in the price range we were hoping to pay... but we don't want to skimp too much if the upper floor units are really "must haves".

Also, are the stairs a pain?

Thanks for any input!

Carole

ejcrowe

Carole, I've never stayed at any of these places, but you might also want to look into www.canegardenbaycottages.com, which might be closer to your price range and maybe give you just a little more room.

There are also places like Myett's, which is low on ameneties, but at its price point you'd save a *lot* of money!

cawhite

Thanks ej - I actually looked at the CGB cottages, but can't tell how far from the ocean they are. Anyone know?

Also, their website says they have A/C in the bedroom... but is that enough in June? We are from California and not used to humidity! And, with the kids, would they be sleeping on a pull out sofa bed in the living room? If so, they would be sleeping with no A/C.

Other than those questions, the cottages look very nice!

Carole

marbleheadguy

Hi!

I have stayed at Lighthouse and think the 16 and 12 year olds owuld have a great time going across street to Cane Beach.. 50 feet. Wate.............................................. .................................................

cawhite

Thanks marbleheadguy - do you know if the Cane Garden Bay Cottages are a lot further from Cane beach than the Lighthouse Villas?

marbleheadguy

sorry--computer crash..wow!

Anyway-
Stay at Lighthouse. I've been there.
you kids will love it...beach 50 feet away.
Two bedrooms very private for mom and dad

Watersports at beach too---great beach bar at Myettes.

Cane Bay Cottages across from cemetary.

Adults go to Quitos for fun---teens can be nearby on beach---again very safe...poloce station in town.

Great supemarket at Bobby's---

Use Jerry's Car rental.
www.herrysrental.com

You can also stay at Myettes-great spot for couples......but not as private as Lighthouse...

Diana

We stayed at Lighthouse Villas and enjoyed it very much. We ended up staying on two different floors because the room (on ground floor) had been rented for part of our stay, so we then moved to the third floor.

imho, the extra to stay on the 3rd floor was not worth it, and I'd probably not spend much more to stay on the upper floors having been there. In summary, I don't think the extra cost of the upper floors over the ground floor would be worth it.

We were so rarely in the rooms because the beach beckons!

cawhite

Argh.... I just looked again at the Lighthouse Villas website, and now see that the Terrace (ground) level units are only for 2 people... not 4. There are other "deluxe" Terrace level units, but they are more than the Penthouse.

So I think my question is actually N/A if there are no ground villas we're interested in! Sorry!

The price for the Penthouse isn't too terribly bad, but still a little more than we were hoping to pay.

Still, I'd like to still consider other, lower priced options, before booking the Lighthouse Villas.

But it really does sound like the place we want to be!!

Thanks.

Carole

jgarvey

My husband and I go to Tortola frequently as our boat is permanently anchored there. We always like to spend a couple of days ashore at the end of a sailing trip to enjoy the luxury of bath, bed, and A/C. The Lighthouse Villas are my first choice, and we find the view from the terrace on the 2nd level to be just perfect. We have also stayed at the cottages, but they are across the road from a cemetery, next door to a pretty loud church on Sunday morning, and a bit of a walk to the main beach area. Although we did find a short-cut through the fence near the cemetery.
Hope you have strong legs; it's quite a steep uphill stretch from the road to the Lighthouse. Cottages are on ground level, if this is any concern.
Kids should really like the beach at Cane Garden Bay. Go into Road Town for more restaurant choices and great local crafts shopping. Enjoy!

cawhite

jgarvey - After considering Lighthouse Villas, and Cane Garden Bay Cottages, and even Myett's Cottages (which I'm told IS on the beach... not across the street), we're actually considering (again, and we seem to go back and forth almost daily!) staying on Virgin Gorda instead.

Our main activity for the 4 nights in the BVIs is to dive / snorkel. We will be diving with Dive BVI, and they are out of VG. They tell me VG is really outstanding and that we should actually stay there. If we were to do this, we'd probably stay at the Mango Bay Resort.

Anyway, if you have any comments at all on Tortola vs. Virgin Gorda, with kids, that information would be GREATLY appreciated. I'm just a bit concerned (which is why we decided on Tortola in the first place) that there won't be enough "going on" on Virgin Gorda, for the kids.

Thanks.

Carole

jgarvey

Carole, we have never stayed on land in Virgin Gorda, just have gone to anchor a short while (there's a limit to how long you can anchor offshore), explore The Baths, swim and snorkel. I have often wanted to go, since the places to stay do look so beautiful in the pictures. Mango Bay has always tempted me too, I must confess. But we have always stayed on Tortola mainly because that's where the boat is, and we also have made many friends there. If you were not with the two teens, I might see that as a great choice for you and your husband. It's just that Tortola is so much larger, has ferries back and forth to other islands, and also has the benefit of the capital of Road Town for more exploration, sightseeing and shopping. Once you decide, let me know so that I can get more specific and detailed with my advice and tips. As we often say down there, "No matter where you go, you are still in Paradise." Enjoy!

ejcrowe

If you're just going to stay put on Virgin Gorda and not use it as a base for further exploration, you should be fine there. It's only for four nights, and if your kids enjoy the beach, snorkeling, and natural beauty they shouldn't get bored for that little time. You know your kids best, however, so if you feel that they'll need more stimulation, stay elsewhere.

Mango Bay Resort villas have shore access to some of the best snorkeling on the island, if that makes a difference in your stay.

Would you still put the BVI at the end of your vacation if you stay on VG?

cawhite

Thanks jgarvey and ej-

I think we would still prefer Tortola overall for all the activities, shopping, restaurants, etc... but if we go to VG here is how the days would go:

Wed - arrive via ferry, rent car, check in to villa, head to the Baths

Thurs - trip to Jost Van Dyke or Tortola (I assume we can't do both?)

Fri - snorkel excursion / lunch to Aneganda OR diving trip to local islands (Dogs, Cooper, etc.) - both options through Dive BVI (they are located on VG and supposedly the best dive operator in the BVIs).

Sat - dive the Rhone (Dive BVI).

Sun a.m. - depart from Beef Island (Dive BVI has offered to drop us off at Beef Island on our departure day as they have a boat going that way anyway).

If we stay on Tortola, we'd still end up going over to VG for 3 days (2 days with Dive BVI, plus our visit to the Baths)... so I'm wondering if it's worth staying on Tortola? We'd have much easier access to our dive / snorkel excursions if we stay on VG. But I really don't want us to miss the other activities in Cane Garden Bay!

I thought I had it all figured out (going to Cane Garden Bay)... but now I'm undecided again!

Since we're staying on a busy island (St. Thomas) for 8 days prior, maybe we'd like to see the opposite while in the BVIs? I'm just afraid the family will be bored in VG in the late afternoons / evenings after our excursions.

What do you folks think? Maybe we should add another day to the BVIs and take a day from the USVIs (hate giving up our free (points) days at the Marriott, however!). This is supposed to be a somewhat "low cost" vacation.

Carole

ejcrowe

That's a tough one. Of the options you listed, I really like your VG itinerary. And since you're spending so much time over there anyway and can get a ride back to Tortola with Dive BVI for your departure, it seems like a reasonable choice to make.

Consider this: your kids will be at the end of a long vacation. They'll have had lots of chances for shopping and what passes for nightlife in the Virgin Islands. Isn't is just possible that they might welcome four low-key evenings to wrap up their stay? Sunshine and salt water can wreak havok on even the most energetic of folks--perhaps dinner and some card games wouldn't seem so boring.

Then again, maybe I'm projecting myself too much into the situation.

cawhite

Thanks ej - I think we'd be OK with VG if we knew there were some places we could drive to for a nice dinner or to listen to music, etc. in the evenings.

I read that Mango Bay Resort is really isolated. I do like the card game idea, however... that would take up the time for 1 night! I think I read Mango Bay has no TVs, no phones, etc.

Looks like more research is in order!

Carole

jgarvey

Cawhite, if I may be so bold as to ask--why are you spending 12 days and nights in St. Thomas?? Why not more time in the BVI? Maybe it's just a matter of personal preference, but my husband and I both find St. Thomas way too crowded with tourists from the huge cruise liners that dock there, getting off the ships en masse and heading into the town. Oh, I know, I'll probably get a bunch of complaints from cruisers, but honestly--one day of shopping for jewelry and watches and seeing the main drag is enough for us. (Although I did come home once with a beautiful tanzanite ring.) But what do you plan to do there for 12 days? Where are you staying and what are the advantages? If you want the true rustic and unspoiled experience of the islands, I suggest that you spend more time in the BVI, on a few of the islands. Please talk to me again if you are wondering why I ask these questions, and about what I might have to suggest.

cawhite

Hi jgarvey - perfectly good questions!

Here's the background: Our family of 4 went to Europe this past summer ('06) for nearly 1 month. We spent a small fortune on that trip! Because of this, and the fact that we are going on 2 vacations in '07, this trip is *supposed* to be a "lower cost" vacation.... one using frequent flier airline tickets and Marriott points.

We chose the Virgin Islands because (a) there is a Marriott there, and (b) there are a lot of different islands to explore. The main reason for the trip is so that DH and DD can go scuba diving.

We originally were going to spend all 12 nights at the Marriott on STT, hopping to other islands, with plans to spend A LOT of time on St. John. Then, when I started to look at diving in the BVIs, I realized we could not easily get to the BVIs early enough in the morning for the dive excursions, and that we'd need to stay there over night. Then I decided we might as well stay a few nights. Still trying to make this a low cost vacation, that put us in the "let's find a place an inexpensive place in the BVIs where we can stay a few nights" camp. And that's where we are now.

I may be back to the idea of staying on Tortola (Cane Garden Bay), as maybe we can do the Baths as part of one of the other 2 VG days. That might make it still "doable" to stay on Tortola. But I also really like the idea of walking out at Mango Bay and snorkeling right from our villa. But I don't really think the kids will really appreciate the "peacefulness" and "serenity" of Mango Bay.

So, that's it. Any additional advice would be sincerely appreciated!

Thanks.

Carole

cawhite

Oh, jgarvey - I now see a mistake in my original post to this thread.

It's 12 nights TOTAL... 8 on St. Thomas and 4 somewhere in the BVIs.... not 12 on STT! Actually, there's a 13th night... but that's on the red eye flight to the Caribbean, LOL - we're West Coasters.

Carole

jgarvey

Carole, sorry I came down so hard on you about St. Thomas. It's just that I was a little nervous that you and family might really get bored being there so long and miss an opportunity to see more of the islands, including some of the BVI--which are more rustic and less touristy. So, thanks for clearing up the misunderstanding. Again, I can only speak directly to what I have personal experience with, and that would be Tortola, specifically Cane Garden Bay. Even though the cottages are not directly on the beach, one thing nice about them is that each separate cottage consists of two separate "mini-apartments" connected by a shared porch with shuttered doors that open up to become one porch. You and DH could be on one side and the kids on the other and then open up the porch between the two for shared time. That would also mean that the whole family would be in little private cottage all your own. Even though the cottages are right across the road from a cemetery (which is very picturesque by the way), they are set off the main road, surrounded by lovely vegetation (bread-fruit tree right in front). I also like the visitors who come for handouts--mom and baby chicks and little kitties who might just step right inside if you welcome them. Most importantly, they are much less costly than the Lighthouse. One A/C in the bedroom was enough for us, since we were gone for most of the mid-day heat, and the little porch was cool and lovely in the afternoon and evenings. We just walked across the road to the beach and down the road (or the beach) to Myett's or Quito's for dinner. Both Myett's and Quito's have live music at night, and Quito is a great singer and a wonderful person.

I don't have the specifics at hand right now, but I do know that there are reputable dive guides and excursions out of Tortola as well as Virgin Gorda. Try looking into that as well; it might help you with simplifying your decision.

If you rent a car on Tortola, as another post suggested, you will get a real thrill out of driving around the island--maybe more thrill than a roller coaster! Believe me, you and the kids will both be screaming as DH tackles those curves on the left side of the road! If you have a car, you could also take kids to the nature trail on top of the mountain (Sage Mountain National Park) to see some true rain-forest nature, not to mention the view! Another half-day of fun is to go to Soper's Hole for some shopping and enjoying a burger and the best "Pain Killer" on the island at Pusser's (Why the best?--Pusser's Rum, of course!) Conch fritters are pretty good everywhere.

Well, there I go again with too much information. Hope you make a decision that all will be happy with. Get back to me if you have more questions. As you can see, I am a big fan of Tortola.

cawhite

Oh, it's never too much information, jgarvey! I'll have to ask about the 2 adjoining "mini-apartments"!

In the mean time, I also found the Agape Cottages that look REALLY nice as well (www.agapecottages.com) - they are also on Cane Garden Bay and get rave reviews on tripadvisor.com. They have 2 BR units for a litle more than the Cane Garden Bay Cottages and still less than Lighthouse Villas ($180 vs. $229 vs. $276).

Carole