Trip Report 4/23 - 5/3/09, Part 1
Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 2:28 pm
Trip Report 4/23 – 5/3/09, Part 1
Day 1 – Thurs, 4/23
Better late than never. Hope you will still enjoy tales of our travel – albeit MONTHS later.
To set the stage: as some of you, with LONG memories, might remember we decided to “stray” from our normal “tried & true” Virgin Islands for our April of 2008 vacation. We travelled to Barbados, instead. In truth, we saw one truly gorgeous beach (Bottom Bay), many beautiful old churches, interesting topography & landscapes, dined in fantastic waterfront restaurants & stayed at a couple of varied & wonderful accommodations. Do you hear a “but” coming on here? If so, you are right. BUT, it wasn’t the Virgin Islands.
We knew going in that we would be giving up our excellent snorkeling opportunities & also the splendid beaches of St. John. We just felt that we needed to “experience” something different. So, we did. But, needless to say – within days of our return – I was already planning our 2009 trip back to “our islands”.
We were able to carve out a few extra days for our trip. So, decided to spend our first 3 nights on Virgin Gorda, then 6 nights on St. John – then our last night on St. Thomas at Secret Harbour Beach Resort. As many of you know, the logistics of planning a stay that encompasses two islands, takes a bit of planning. The only way to get to Virgin Gorda is either by ferry from St. Thomas or Tortola OR by “puddle jumper” from St. Thomas or San Juan.
Up at 3:15AM for a 4:45 pick up. Our original plans were to fly to St. Thomas then take Air Sunshine to VG. But, due to flight changes – ended up flying into San Juan instead. Flew Non-Stop on Jet Blue from Logan to San Juan, landed at 12:00. Fantastic flight – no complaints.
Took this really cool photo of the TD Banknorth Garden (forever known as the Boston Garden) and the Zakim Bridge.
Also, kind of a neat shot of the Jet Blue logo. Yes, I am a freak.
We took the suggestion of other travelers and grabbed a porter to assist us in San Juan with our bags – but, more importantly to get us from Point A to Point B. It was a great suggestion. It would have been a little more stressful & time consuming to migrate our way from the baggage claim area to the check in at Air Sunshine on our own.
Arrived at the Air Sunshine counter. We were impressed with the representative manning the check in counter. Very professional & checked in with ease. Had plenty of time til our 2:30 departure, so grabbed a fantastic honey wheat turkey/cheese sub at some restaurant or kiosk. Delish!
Went downstairs to locate our Air Sunshine booth. Found the booth – no Air Sunshine personnel. Oh, well. Still plenty of time til our 2:30 departure. Whereas, the Cape Air booth was manned & many people being orderly & professionally called to their flights.
I struck up a conversation with a young woman sitting at Air Sunshine. She was on her way to Vieques & had found out that Air Sunshine cancelled her flight, as she was the only one on it. She seemed uncertain about what flight she would be put on next.
Well - here is when it got hairy. We soon found out why Air Sunshine has been coined “Air Sometimes”. It was just about 2:30 & I was not seeing anyone manning our check-in - so, I checked “the board” which informed me that our flight had “departed”. I started “freakin’ out”. Called the Air Sunshine number, who informed me that “no” our flight had NOT departed and that someone would be coming to collect us when it was ready to depart. Again, still NO ONE at the Air Sunshine check-in counter down at gate level, as the minutes tacked on. This was NOT a comforting feeling! Particularly since we were in SAN JUAN and not in as close proximity as St. Thomas. We knew that the only way there from here was by flight.
Eventually, a pilot came walking in saw us as we approached him, he signaled us & our new found friend going to Vieques. He escorted us to a 10 seater. Cute “little” plane. So, now we obviously were going to take a little “side trip” to Vieques on our way to Virgin Gorda. Just what we needed, one more landing & take off in a little plane. ARGH!!!
After a little bit of a “rocking” start, it was an awesome flight. Actually was fun stopping at the little airport in Vieques. It was nice to see that our new friend made it to her destination safely. This was a repeat visit for her to Vieques. She loves it there. It was also quite humorous seeing our pilot exit and enter the aircraft by hopping in and out of his window. He said that when he can’t do that anymore, then he would not be “fit” enough to fly. Too funny!
Enjoyed passing above St. Thomas & St. John and recognizing our favorite locations from the air. You forget how fragile you are when your thoughts are consumed with the beautiful sites below.
We finally spotted Virgin Gorda. Had another interesting approach as we passed some cliffs, hit this little runway that stopped at the waters edge. Love that almost all airport runways stop at the water’s edge.
Luggage & customs were all in one. Next thing you knew, we were in the parking lot looking for our Jeep from Mahogany Rentals. It was there – but, no one from the rental agency. As we were storing our luggage, he arrived. Paperwork done in minutes. Directions given to Mango Bay Resort – we were “good-to-go”.
When choosing our accommodations for Virgin Gorda, we had originally tried to secure a unit at Guavaberry Spring Bay – but, they were unable to match up with the 3 nights that we had chosen to stay on the island. We narrowed it down to Nail Bay or Mango Bay. We chose Mango Bay as we were able to get a Beachfront Studio unit at a reasonable price & be virtually ‘foot steps” to the beach and great snorkeling.
Driving on Virgin Gorda is SUPER easy. Just a couple of main roads. Virtually impossible to get lost. (Except easy to make some wrong turns in the North Sound.) But, the area of main beaches & The Baths is super easy to navigate.
Our stay at Mango Bay FAR exceeded our expectations. We expected simple, yet clean accommodations. They were actually quite lovely. Gino, the property manager, was amazing through our whole reservation process & throughout our stay. Very patient & very informative. Our unit was spectacular. Comfortable/roomy. Quiet!! Large well-kept bedroom. Good sized bathroom. Nice sitting room. Flower petals throughout were a nice touch. Gorgeous porch with nice chairs, table & lattice walls with cut-out “windows’ for the ocean view. And “yes’ mere seconds to the beach. PERFECT!
After getting settled in, we went to Buck’s Supermarket for supplies. Great store, lovely location at the marina.
We then went to Mine Shaft for supper. Again, great location. Would have been lovelier if the weather had cooperated for a nicer sunset. But, after a long day of travel, no complaints as we both enjoyed a couple of excellent painkillers and great food. Jim loved the ribs – very good & tender. I loved the marinated mango chicken – excellent. The only thing that we found “lacking” was the service. Oh, well. We are on VaCa – so, time to start getting on “island time”.
Back to “our place’ to crash…. In bed by 9:00.
Day 1 – Thurs, 4/23
Better late than never. Hope you will still enjoy tales of our travel – albeit MONTHS later.
To set the stage: as some of you, with LONG memories, might remember we decided to “stray” from our normal “tried & true” Virgin Islands for our April of 2008 vacation. We travelled to Barbados, instead. In truth, we saw one truly gorgeous beach (Bottom Bay), many beautiful old churches, interesting topography & landscapes, dined in fantastic waterfront restaurants & stayed at a couple of varied & wonderful accommodations. Do you hear a “but” coming on here? If so, you are right. BUT, it wasn’t the Virgin Islands.
We knew going in that we would be giving up our excellent snorkeling opportunities & also the splendid beaches of St. John. We just felt that we needed to “experience” something different. So, we did. But, needless to say – within days of our return – I was already planning our 2009 trip back to “our islands”.
We were able to carve out a few extra days for our trip. So, decided to spend our first 3 nights on Virgin Gorda, then 6 nights on St. John – then our last night on St. Thomas at Secret Harbour Beach Resort. As many of you know, the logistics of planning a stay that encompasses two islands, takes a bit of planning. The only way to get to Virgin Gorda is either by ferry from St. Thomas or Tortola OR by “puddle jumper” from St. Thomas or San Juan.
Up at 3:15AM for a 4:45 pick up. Our original plans were to fly to St. Thomas then take Air Sunshine to VG. But, due to flight changes – ended up flying into San Juan instead. Flew Non-Stop on Jet Blue from Logan to San Juan, landed at 12:00. Fantastic flight – no complaints.
Took this really cool photo of the TD Banknorth Garden (forever known as the Boston Garden) and the Zakim Bridge.
Also, kind of a neat shot of the Jet Blue logo. Yes, I am a freak.
We took the suggestion of other travelers and grabbed a porter to assist us in San Juan with our bags – but, more importantly to get us from Point A to Point B. It was a great suggestion. It would have been a little more stressful & time consuming to migrate our way from the baggage claim area to the check in at Air Sunshine on our own.
Arrived at the Air Sunshine counter. We were impressed with the representative manning the check in counter. Very professional & checked in with ease. Had plenty of time til our 2:30 departure, so grabbed a fantastic honey wheat turkey/cheese sub at some restaurant or kiosk. Delish!
Went downstairs to locate our Air Sunshine booth. Found the booth – no Air Sunshine personnel. Oh, well. Still plenty of time til our 2:30 departure. Whereas, the Cape Air booth was manned & many people being orderly & professionally called to their flights.
I struck up a conversation with a young woman sitting at Air Sunshine. She was on her way to Vieques & had found out that Air Sunshine cancelled her flight, as she was the only one on it. She seemed uncertain about what flight she would be put on next.
Well - here is when it got hairy. We soon found out why Air Sunshine has been coined “Air Sometimes”. It was just about 2:30 & I was not seeing anyone manning our check-in - so, I checked “the board” which informed me that our flight had “departed”. I started “freakin’ out”. Called the Air Sunshine number, who informed me that “no” our flight had NOT departed and that someone would be coming to collect us when it was ready to depart. Again, still NO ONE at the Air Sunshine check-in counter down at gate level, as the minutes tacked on. This was NOT a comforting feeling! Particularly since we were in SAN JUAN and not in as close proximity as St. Thomas. We knew that the only way there from here was by flight.
Eventually, a pilot came walking in saw us as we approached him, he signaled us & our new found friend going to Vieques. He escorted us to a 10 seater. Cute “little” plane. So, now we obviously were going to take a little “side trip” to Vieques on our way to Virgin Gorda. Just what we needed, one more landing & take off in a little plane. ARGH!!!
After a little bit of a “rocking” start, it was an awesome flight. Actually was fun stopping at the little airport in Vieques. It was nice to see that our new friend made it to her destination safely. This was a repeat visit for her to Vieques. She loves it there. It was also quite humorous seeing our pilot exit and enter the aircraft by hopping in and out of his window. He said that when he can’t do that anymore, then he would not be “fit” enough to fly. Too funny!
Enjoyed passing above St. Thomas & St. John and recognizing our favorite locations from the air. You forget how fragile you are when your thoughts are consumed with the beautiful sites below.
We finally spotted Virgin Gorda. Had another interesting approach as we passed some cliffs, hit this little runway that stopped at the waters edge. Love that almost all airport runways stop at the water’s edge.
Luggage & customs were all in one. Next thing you knew, we were in the parking lot looking for our Jeep from Mahogany Rentals. It was there – but, no one from the rental agency. As we were storing our luggage, he arrived. Paperwork done in minutes. Directions given to Mango Bay Resort – we were “good-to-go”.
When choosing our accommodations for Virgin Gorda, we had originally tried to secure a unit at Guavaberry Spring Bay – but, they were unable to match up with the 3 nights that we had chosen to stay on the island. We narrowed it down to Nail Bay or Mango Bay. We chose Mango Bay as we were able to get a Beachfront Studio unit at a reasonable price & be virtually ‘foot steps” to the beach and great snorkeling.
Driving on Virgin Gorda is SUPER easy. Just a couple of main roads. Virtually impossible to get lost. (Except easy to make some wrong turns in the North Sound.) But, the area of main beaches & The Baths is super easy to navigate.
Our stay at Mango Bay FAR exceeded our expectations. We expected simple, yet clean accommodations. They were actually quite lovely. Gino, the property manager, was amazing through our whole reservation process & throughout our stay. Very patient & very informative. Our unit was spectacular. Comfortable/roomy. Quiet!! Large well-kept bedroom. Good sized bathroom. Nice sitting room. Flower petals throughout were a nice touch. Gorgeous porch with nice chairs, table & lattice walls with cut-out “windows’ for the ocean view. And “yes’ mere seconds to the beach. PERFECT!
After getting settled in, we went to Buck’s Supermarket for supplies. Great store, lovely location at the marina.
We then went to Mine Shaft for supper. Again, great location. Would have been lovelier if the weather had cooperated for a nicer sunset. But, after a long day of travel, no complaints as we both enjoyed a couple of excellent painkillers and great food. Jim loved the ribs – very good & tender. I loved the marinated mango chicken – excellent. The only thing that we found “lacking” was the service. Oh, well. We are on VaCa – so, time to start getting on “island time”.
Back to “our place’ to crash…. In bed by 9:00.
