This was trip # 8 for us….we've been coming to the BVI since '95 when we chose this wonderful place to celebrate our 25th anniversary. There is always something new to explore, and plenty of old favorites to revisit. We really get into island mode, and don’t feel any need to be driving around to every beach; in fact, this time we didn’t even bother going into Roadtown. I hesitate to do ANOTHER trip report, but hey, I know how much I enjoy reading everyone’s, so here goes:

Getting there - Up at 3:45 for our 7:35 flight on US Air from Hartford to Philadelphia to St. Thomas. No problems. We have also done the San Juan connection to Beef Island, but we find we enjoy the ferry ride from STT, and getting in to West End is more convenient for meeting the water taxi from Sandcastle. And more importantly, the airfare and ferry always is more cost effective than AA through San Juan. Love to sit on the upper deck of the ferry and enjoy the wind and sun and gorgeous views. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" />

FIRST WEEK – Sandcastle. Our third time here and we loved it just as much as the first time. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" /> Great staff, very friendly and welcoming, absolutely wonderful dinners by Oliver, <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />and we love the Soggy Dollar Bar, the hammocks, and the absolute beauty of White Bay. Jim met us at the ferry and helped us get our luggage down to the Jolly Roger where "Off Island" was docked. We were joined by another couple, Tami and Pete, who were arriving from Colorado for their first stay in the BVI. Alison met us at the ferry dock and drove us over the hill from Great Harbour to White Bay, as Jim returned to White Bay in the boat.

We had one of the "garden" rooms, which have AC. There are 4 lovely little" rondeles" which are very charming but don't have AC. On our first night, we were driven by Alison over to Foxy’s with the rest of the Sandcastle guests and had their buffet, which was very good. Foxy's had a good crowd. Good bushwhackers too! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/drinking.gif" alt="" />

We had some fun times with other guests at the Sandcastle, and enjoyed a few meals with tables pushed together so we could all converse, laugh, :laughing: and be silly together. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />

We spent our days lolling in the hammocks or lounge chairs reading, people/boat watching, or just staring out into the incredible blueness of the bay. When we finally needed to move around a little, we snorkeled or walked down the beach to some of the other establishments. Sandcastle and JVD is the perfect spot for R&R…..not too many choices or places to go, things to do.

Snorkeling was very good. Tami, my new friend from Colorado, was looking for a snorkeling buddy, which worked out perfectly for me, as I always seem to want to do more snorkeling than Lance, and it’s nice to have a partner. There were huge schools of silversides and an occasional big tarpon cruising through. We saw a nice big Hawksbill turtle a couple of times. And a couple of washed-up-on-the-beach Portuguese men-of-war (did I say that right?). They are such an incredible color (fuchsia) that it is hard to believe they are real (not artificial plastic).

Also had a close encounter with a baby octopus living inside a shell I picked up. I was quite surprised when I held the shell up out of the water, and a leg came out!<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" /> Peering inside the opening of the shell, I could see the little octopus head and eyes. I experimented by putting small pieces of coral or rocks in the shell and each time the leg would come out and grab them! This was just tooooo cool, and I showed it to another beachgoer who unfortunately, held it above the water for toooo long, and the poor octopus got really nervous and jumped completely out of the shell into the water, and swam immediately toward my bathing suit and grabbed on. Ohhhhhh what to do, what to do. I didn’t think it was cool that it had become part of my suit. So I tried to gently nudge it off with one hand, and YIKES, it did this really quick jump off my suit onto my other hand!!! It was completely attached like Velcro! Now I was really freaking out, like an idiot, but I wasn’t sure if it might bite! So I was shaking my hand vigorously trying to persuade it to detach itself, and it eventually let go and swam away, leaving behind several squirts of black ink. Wow…very cool, but I felt kind of stupid, and hoped it did not meet its demise due to my being partly responsible for it jumping out of its “home.”

SECOND WEEK – Cane Garden Bay. We stayed at Myett's in the beachfront room. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" /> Lovely room with vaulted ceiling and palladian windows, very spacious. Nice seating area with a table and 4 chairs and a loveseat. The room also had a mini fridge, coffeemaker, and wetbar (but no cooktop, microwave or toaster). French doors opened to a large private deck, which was partially shaded by huge trees. We were perfectly comfortable and would recommend staying here to anyone who wants to be close to the beach and all the “action.” We could occasionally hear noise from the kitchen below us, but it was never a problem. The delicious smells wafting up from Myett’s and Stanley’s could definitely increase one’s appetite, however!

Our 24-year old son and his girlfriend met us for a few days on Tortola and we had a wonderful time with them. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" /> We did a wonderful catamaran daysail with Patouche on Monday….went to the Baths and Cooper Island. That was a fabulous day. Clive took our whole group on a guided snorkel tour where he pointed out a school of squid and a large octopus. Then we all hiked the “boulder trail.” Just awesome. We hadn’t been to the Baths in several years and were very glad to revisit this magical place. My only regret is that I didn’t bring a camera for some nice shots of the Baths.

A delicious lunch was served as we got underway headed to Cooper Island and Cistern Point. Really enjoyed the chance to get a glimpse of Cooper Island, and the snorkeling here was great, too. We saw several huge starfish and a few rays, as well as a school of juvenile barracuda.

On Tuesday we spent some time exploring “the neighborhood.” Stopped in at Mongoose Apartments to say hello to Sandra. Popo’s Gallery was open, so we browsed at the offerings and bought nutmegs. Checked out Callwood’s Distillery and watched sugar cane being pressed. Of course bought some rum to bring home. Then we had to check out the new Bobby’s. Wow…what a selection for a small place. We did some “research” for our next trip, which is coming up in November, when we plan to do some cooking instead of eating out all the time.

The day was still young, so we decided to hike some of the trails at Sage Mountain National Forest. Even though it was late morning by the time we got there, it was relatively cool on the shady trails. The only disappointment was that some vegetation that needed trimming blocked some of the views at the outlook points. After our hike, we took the Ridge Road over to Brewer’s Bay for snorkeling, which was excellent. Some cruise people (maybe 15-20) were being picked up and after that, there were about five people on the beach! Then back to CGB to relax before dinner at Bananakeet Café.

On Wednesday we spent some time browsing the shops at Soper’s Hole, had lunch at Pusser’s, and then spent the afternoon at CGB. We had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed Clem’s Tropical Steel Vibes at Myett’s for our son’s girlfriend’s 21st birthday. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />

Thursday was a late morning lunch at the Jolly Roger (great burgers) and then we dropped off the young people to catch their ferry. The rest of our stay is a blur, because I stopped writing it all down…but I know we enjoyed Quito solo Thursday night, and mostly stayed at CGB, reading or snorkeling for the most part. My idea of heaven.

Went to Quito’s Saturday night too, and ran into Carolyn (Cattitude) and Paul from Long Island and their daughter, Ashley. Had a nice chat with them, and we hope to see them at the next NY TTOL party.

DINING

Sandcastle - every dinner was just awesome. Every night featured a different, absolutely luscious soup, some kind of innovative salad, and a choice of 3 entrees (red meat, poultry and fish), which were all wonderful….breast of duck with apricot-ginger sauce, Chateaubriand with béarnaise sauce, herb-crusted rack of lamb, swordfish with capers and lemon. Soups were minestrone, chilled fruit soup with apricot brandy, chilled mussel soup, pumpkin soup, and cream of broccoli. Desserts we tried were chocolate mousse pie, vanilla flan with caramel sauce, key lime pie, and pina colada bread pudding with rum sauce. Hats off to Oliver <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/chef.gif" alt="" />and the kitchen staff!

Corsair's in Great Harbour, JVD was excellent. Good service and wonderful lobster. We split the large lobster ($55) and the chef put it on separate plates with the side dishes divvied up so we each had a complete plate. We went over with Tami and Pete from Sandcastle, and Tami and I tried the voodoo punch.wow, what a drink. Yummy, and potent. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/drinking.gif" alt="" /> Lots of laughs. And it turned out that the owner of Corsair’s happened to be from Tami and Pete’s hometown in Colorado!

Bananakeet Cafe on Windy Hill (the former BVI Steak, Pasta, and Chop House)….had some wonderful food here and enjoyed the sunset and awesome view of Long Bay, Carrot Bay, and across to Jost. The tables and chairs have been upgraded and everything seems to be spruced up. The new chef is from Boston and has some very innovative choices on the menu. We enjoyed seared tuna with wasabi aioli and steak with “candied” garlic. Blended mango drinks were yummmmmy. Our waitress was charming and gracious…excellent service here.

Elm Beach Bar & Grill (CGB) on their barbeque night..a great place for TTOL gatherings. Tony does a great job cooking. Great value, with pork ribs, fish, chicken, corn, beans and rice, and coleslaw for $15.

Big Banana Club Paradise (CGB) – had a light dinner here our first night…a Caribbean shrimp pizza and rum punches…very good. Nice comfy chairs, and MJ Blues playing…perfect.

Myett's (CGB) - we love the atmosphere here….like eating in a jungle….food is excellent, Lance had a Caesar salad with lobster ($15). I splurged and got the whole lobster dinner ($44). Steel Vibes (with Clem) played…they were very good. There were several guests celebrating birthdays, and one of the waitresses does this incredible dancing with the customers while balancing a candle on her head (the netted glass jar kind with plenty of molten wax inside).

Pisces (Soper's Hole) - we had lunch here…..great Caesar salad and local fish. It was quite busy and one poor woman was doing everything…cooking, taking our order, serving everything. Of course it took a while, and she was apologetic about the wait, but I had to hand it to her...the food was excellent, and she was doing a great job juggling everything.

Pussers (Soper's Hole) –Food was good but service was slooooooow…we must have waited a half hour for them to bring one piece of key lime pie. It’s a lovely place to wait around, however.

Palm's Delight (Carrot Bay) – Lovely view here, right on the water. It’s sooo cool the way the waves come in from two directions and cross each other. We both had the honeystung chicken ($9). Their key lime pie is the best I’ve had anywhere.

CocoPlum’s (Apple Bay) – they were almost ready to close for the season, but were offering a limited menu of the most popular items. We had the sauteed mushrooms…really good. I had a very good filet and Lance had a pasta thing. We enjoyed it. Wonderfully friendly waitress, Jessica.

Quito’s – really enjoyed our meal here. First time eating here, although we’ve been to the bar many times. The Quito’s Legend drinks are great! Glad the recipe is in the Drinking Man’s Guide so we can try them at home! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> We love listening to Quito when he plays solo.

BEACHES - White Bay, JVD is the best. Absolutely stunning. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" /><img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" /><img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" /> Especially nice in the AM before a lot of boats arrive, and in the late afternoons, after many of them are gone. And fun people-watching/eye candy when it’s busy.

Very good snorkeling along the west end of Cane Garden Bay. Our son liked it so much he kept going and going until he was running out of daylight….he actually went “around the corner” past Ballast Bay and into Carrot Bay….could see Heritage Inn up on the hill! and insisted he could snorkel to Long Bay. Crazy, crazy. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Crazy.gif" alt="" />

Also gorgeous coral and plenty of fish at Brewer’s.

I see something new and different every trip…this time it was a school of barracuda, not just one. An intermediate French angelfish…gorgeous black with vertical yellow stripes….a large balloonfish, all puffed up with eyes like saucers….very threatening-looking, but staying under his little overhang of coral….and a scrawled filefish with beautiful iridescent lavender stripes along it’s body. We spotted numerous turtles…at the Baths, at Cistern Point, at White Bay, and at Cane Garden Bay.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS – hmmmmmm…I have to say the people we spent time with…the guests at Sandcastle, the BVIer’s we met or renewed acquaintances with, and spending time with our son and his girlfriend (her first time in the Caribbean). And, well, that octopus encounter was definitely special! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/thanks.gif" alt="" />Thanks to all at TTOL for sharing your experiences, which always helps us get more enjoyment out of our time in the BVI. And helps us manage our DIF between trips!

Connie (periwinkle) and Lance
counting down to 10/30/04 <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" />