Brutforce

Part I - I have been slow to post this as we have been very busy since our return. But here goes...As is typical (& I should probably do a seperate post on this) our trip began w/a(nother) Win-Air debacle. In checking our reservations a week prior to departure, I discovered our flights returning from Montserrat no longer existed. After sending an e-mail & leaving numerous voice messages (to no avail) I determined that I would take this up w/Win-Air upon arrival in St. Maarten. Our flight there was uneventful, & we stayed at the Sonesta Maho (about as close as you can get to the Airport). A nice enough place, we used the pool & had a place to sleep, really all we were looking for during our 16 hour stay in St. Maarten. In dealing w/the Win-Air folks, they assuring me that everything had been taken care of, not to worry. I was firm in requesting something in writing, which I later needed, btw. A couple of things about Win-Air - their computer system went down a few months ago & they lost several months of reservations. If you made an online reservation, you better have something in writing, or you'll be out of luck. In addition, they have not paid their Airport taxes in Antiqua, so they are unable to land their planes there. They lease planes from another carrier to avoid paying the tax (nice outfit, huh ?). We finally got on our flights to Montserrat via Antigua, but our return was now @ 7am from Montserrat rather than the orignal Noon departure (so we could catch our 5pm departure from St. Maarten home). For those of you who have not followed my adventures in the past - our group is my wife & I, & a 4 1/2 yr old & a not quite 2 yr old. Part II to follow The Bunkum Beach Guesthouse & the discovery of new eateries.

JAGIRL

Welcome back SAnPa...er...I mean...Brutforce. Looking forward to reading part 2.

Is the volcano still acting up?


...Brutforce??????

Brutforce

JAgirl - It's a long story on the name..It's a name I use on ESPN & such, I lost the SAnParis as I forgot the password & since I am not currently working, I also lost the e-mail address to get it changed....so the story goes.

Brutforce

The Arrival - We arrived in Montserrat w/little incident. We were picked up at the Airport by taxi & shuttled to www.bunkumbeachguesthouse.com & were greeted by Sun. A great little two Bdrm/2Ba Villa w/our own pool, which worked out great w/the kids. Sun was gracious enough to leave us a couple of roti & a salad in the frig, so we didn't have to go out to the grocery right away. This trip may have been even more educational than the last...we learned that the fruit boat comes on Tuesday & the veggie boat on Friday (or vice versa), there was also some volcano activity and they actually moved the exclusion zone farther north. The Vue Pointe Hotel has been closed (due to the volcano) as has Jumpin' Jacks (although they do serve dinner on Friday evenings from their home which is worth the trip (get there early) The wahoo was wonderful. Other dining spots we tried this time (some new, some not)was the Attic (great for take-away), The Peoples place (also great for take-away) we probably had lunch there 3 or 4 times - John is great. He even remembered us from last year. Tina's - great pizza but better for take-away than dining in, as she tends to take care of them first. Bunkum Beach Bar is also good for fish or pizza + they have built a covered dining area over-looking the beach that is quite nice. Also over the Green Monkey dive shop they serve grilled Sunday brunch. It is pretty much a set menu w/ribs, chicken & perhaps fish but well worth the effort (again, go early). Next, friends & site seeing.

Statia

Welcome back SAnParis. I see you had a fine time with our illustrious local carrier once again.

Looking forward to hearing more of your report.

ejcrowe

Welcome back, and thanks for the great start on your trip report. I didn't realize quite how young your kids are during your last go-round. Can't wait to hear more about Montserrat!

soggydollar

looking forward to your report with interest towards the island. we had family who visited from STX, and when they flew back) from Vieques) they sat on the tarmac for a while due to the volcanic activity.

Brutforce

First off, we just missed msimm, they had come over for the day & we were sitting, visiting w/the Leas while they were out touring around the island w/Chris. I am hopeful that their wedding & honeymoon went well. We were able to spend much more time chatting w/folks this trip, including some folks who were displaced by the volcanic activity. The politics of Montserrat are much like anyplace else, & the proliferation of cell phones & satelite dishes have begun to appear. We still spent much of our time at Woodlands Beach & Bunkum Beach as our villa was situated right between them. JAGIRL, I'll shoot you some pics as well. Both Sun & the Leas are wonderful sources of information. Sun has lived on the island for most of her life & certainly brings a different perspective. The one thing we noticed more this time is that there is a chasm seperating the classes (or so it appears). Since we went out more, this became more readily apparent. However, a great place to visit are the take-aways & bakeries around breakfast & lunch if you wish to converse w/the locals. (Or the rum shops in the evening) So, coming from the US, I find it odd (in a good sort of way) that even though there is an obvious seperation of class, there is no animosity dislayed at all. (stepping off my soapbox now). Fun, & relaxation was the filler for most of our days. The children too full advanatge of the pool & my daughter probably drank 2 cases of Ting...The important thing is that as we continue to learn more about this lovely little island, the more we can't wait to go back. More to come...

JAGIRL

<font color="green"><i>&quot;my daughter probably drank 2 cases of Ting&quot;</i></font>

You can get Ting on Montserrat but not on Air Jamaica. What's up with that?

<font color="green"><i>This trip may have been even more educational than the last</i></font>

So are you guys still thinking of purchasing a home there?

MACO Destinations had a feature on Montserrat the other day and the diving looked really amazing. Did you guys get to do any scuba or snorkeling?

Brutforce

With the kids we did not attempt any snorkeling. Jagirl, I'm hoping you got the pics I sent. The story of our trip was pretty much relaxation (which was our primary goal). We got to visit some friends, &amp; hopefully made a few new ones. We are already making arrangements to return next year for their big St. Pattys Day fete. If anyone has any new questions, I'll do my best to answer. As far as home ownership, I don't really think I could spend enough time there (right now) to make it a positive (from a $$$ stand point). My last day working was Jan. 15th &amp; I've just started looking for a new job + we still have two homes. Once that all gets straightened around, we are well past due for a trip to Europe + we have a wedding to attend in Aruba in November, so I'll be seeking some info there as well. Montserrat is what you make of it, &amp; not for everyone. But it is the closest thing that I've come across as a reasonably priced escape. Happy travels.

Surie

Hi SAnParis! I just joined this forum because I was so excited to read your posts on Montserrat. My husband and I honeymooned at the Vue Pointe in 1979 and finally got back there last year! We took our kids, who were 20 and 22 at the time, and they loved it too. I had just heard from a friend that the V.P. has temporarily closed which really made us all sad to hear. The family who owns it is wonderful and they have had a tough time, as has everyone on the island. Montserrat is a special place and it seems so rare these days to find a place like this. We want to go back too!

SAnParis

They actually were moving the 'exclusion zone' north when we were there in February. I don't expect that to change until the current dome 'blows' however. We're returning next year for the St. Paricks fete.

Surie

Thanks for your response. I looked at the MVO website-- it looks like quite a lot has been blocked off now. I have so much respect for the spirit of the people living with that.
We were there for St. Patrick's Day last year-- it was great! Our kids are on different schedules now and it is hard to make plans, but we all want to go back.
I'll look forward to reading about your adventures!

SAnParis

We had the chance to actually talk to a lot more locals this time around &amp; probably found out more than we needed to (politics &amp; the like). My spouse is a teacher &amp; although my oldest will enter K next year &amp; we will become our schools' biggest nightmare, taking our children out of school to travel. lol Everyone has to have priorities...Where did you stay &amp; for how long ?

Surie

Sorry I've taken so long to answer. We spent a week both times, and stayed both times at the Vue Pointe. We spent our honeymoon there and then when we could go back, we didn't think of anywhere else. We loved staying there, although since it had been 26 years, a lot had changed on the island but we are different too! Our kids loved Montserrat and appreciated how wonderful it is. My son recently sent me a link to a real estate company on the island! I have to say it was fun to look at and fantasize about! From your earlier posts, I guess you all had thought about that too.
Our daughter is teaching English in Austria this year and our son is still in college so we haven't been able to travel together this year. Last year their colleges had the same spring vacation week which was nice. You are lucky to be finding a place like that when your kids can grow up with those memories, and you can plan the trips. You might as well take them out of school when they are so little; you won't be able to much longer!
Your Bunkum Beach place sounds really nice. I would want to go back to the Vue Pointe if they were open, but it's good to know there are other great choices. When we were there last year I had arrived with a stomach bug and I had to lie low for most of the week. It was disappointing for me, although my husband and the kids snorkelled and hiked some, and I did go with them to the observatory and a tour of the exclusion zone with Thomas Lee, or maybe it was Lea? It was shocking to see it, esp since we remembered Plymouth as it had been. A lot of the time we chilled by the pool which was very relaxing! We didn't go out exploring as much as I had thought we would because I wasn't feeling great. The first time we were there we had rented a jeep and went all over the island to different beaches, etc. This time we went to the big St Patrick's party which was really fun, and we went out to eat a couple of times, but didn't really get to see as much as we would like. I hope we will be able to go back soon and do more.
I didn't realize I would write so much-- sorry! It's so great to find someone who's been there and loves it!!

SAnParis

We do love it &amp; will continue to visit as often as feasibly possible. Buying there does not seem reasonable at this point, simnply because we don't have anyone to take care of a property down there so we will continue doing what we are doing for now. There are also a couple of places on vrbo &amp; I had spoken to one of those owners when they were moving the exclusion zone to insure they were still in the safe zone. We also took a look at those properties for future reference. We've never been hotel kind of travelers anyway. Since the kids, it has always been self-catering apartments or cottages. Prior, it was the same or B &amp; B's. Hope you have the chance to amke it back very soon.

SAnParis

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WannabeinaMontserrat

debrad

SAnParis2

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