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BVI Trip Report - Part 5 Final

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 3:27 pm
by jmq
Day 8 dawned clear so took a ride part way up Gorda Peak, then more of the usual at GB beach, then the Saturday BBQ lunch at Top of the Baths with live entertainment - they are pretty good. I do get the BBQ here and it is mighty good.

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Virgin Gorda seems to really knows their 'cue (at least to this Jersey guy), not to mention the different versions of great potato salad and other sides you get everywhere. Back to the beach, I snorkel over to the Baths from GB, follow a school of blue tang around for awhile. Took this water level shot in the Cathedral with the underwater camera while lying flat on my back.

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For dinner, we want to hit one of the other North Sound resorts and decide on the Fat Virgin. We drive then ferry over. We thought we'd walk around the resort a bit (to see how the other half lives) and then enjoy dinner. The ferry drops us at the resort dock and we are following the signs to Fat Virgin down a dirt path away from the resort, thinking OK it will be right around the corner. Its a few hundred yards til you finally get there, just in time to see the same ferry we just got off pull up to the Fat Virgin dock. D'oh!

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The looks of this place is not overly impressive, but we are here, the sun is setting, and we are hungry so we don't even backtrack to walk around the resort but plop ourselves down at one of the picnic tables for eats. Speaking of the setting sun, why didn't the designers/architects of this place angle the buildings here so you could enjoy the sunset better? Isn't that Site Placement 101? Service is very friendly and drinks and food were very good - pasta with jerk chicken, very good BLT, and awesome flourless chocolate torte for desert.

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Day 9 departure 10:30 via Air Sunshine. Get the "how much do you weigh?" at check in so they confirm the plane wont be overloaded and so they know where to seat you on the plane to properly balance the load.

Then over to Flying Iguana next door. The owner "Puck" seems like one of those islanders you have to work a little at before they act like your best friend, but then he brings the birds out, and is laughing with you and the birds, and he made up some funky eggs and toast for us.

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The 10 seater ride to SJU is somewhat hazy combined with dodging some cloud banks, but the landing is oh so smooth. I get flagged at customs - my birth date doesn't match somewhere, so have to go up to the office to get cleared. Hope this is just a one time thing. AA agrees to put us on an earlier fight back to JFK so we actually get all the way home while there is still light.

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Here are some views from the same flight we took a couple of years ago:

JVD:
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STJ:
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Final thoughts: We were ANG virgins this trip. Anegada is more like an "optional go back" vs. the no-brainer "MUST go back" vibe we immediately got with St. John and Virgin Gorda. Great for a day trip or a couple days but I don't think we could do a week there.

Beautiful, wild beaches and fun beach bars and the friendliest people you'll ever find, but not much in terms of amenities (we do like a greater variety of dining options), plus with I think we would miss the views of terrain spilling down to the sea that the other islands give you. But, I can really see why the Anegada regulars on TTOL say things like its not about what we saw or what we did, it's who we saw/who we caught up with again.

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Recent photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/jmackq/0806BVIAnegadaVG

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 4:02 pm
by liamsaunt
I really enjoyed your report and photos. Virgin Gorda has really been calling my name lately. I think I need to book a stay.

Thanks for sharing!

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 4:13 pm
by chrisn
I got the funky eggs too! Beautiful shots from the plane! I think you're spot on about ANG and I agree that it's really all about the people there, well...with the exception of the Pina Coladas at the bar on Lloblolly that is! Thanks for sharing your trip!

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 4:34 pm
by DELETED
DELETED

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 4:48 pm
by RickG
Thanks for the ride!

Cheers, RickG

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 5:04 pm
by Lex
Thanks for the report and the pics. I particularly admire that water level shot in the caves. I don't recall seeing it shot from that angle. One more thing on the to-do list for our next trip.

Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 8:02 pm
by pjayer
Nice sunset and plane shots. The STJ shot is very pretty. Thanks for sharing.

Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 12:40 pm
by PA Girl
Again, thanks for taking the time to report on your trip. We are seven months (nearly to the day) away from our VG trip and your reports are getting me very excited to start planning.

We are going to fly to VG and I am anxious to see this airport!

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:09 am
by AnyTing
Good Stuff! Thanks for taking the time to share.

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:44 pm
by jmq
You are all welcome. I look at it as a way to give back for the info/tips we all get here, plus its nice to have a record of what you did and when. I print off a copy and tuck it into the photo book and years from now, it will provide a nice flashback.

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:58 am
by linne
What a nice trip you have had, thank you for the report. Yout pics from the caves are fantastic!

Linne

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:51 am
by CariBert
"The 10 seater ride to STJ is somewhat hazy combined with dodging some cloud banks, but the landing is oh so smooth."

Grerat report and pictures! Thanks for sharing a bit of the BVI's!! On question....where did you land on St. John? I didn't know you could do that....

Thanks again!

-Bert

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:55 am
by jmq
D'oh! thats a typo should be SJU. I'll go back and edit that.