Ode to Caribbean Travel: A Prelude

The signature softdrink of the Caribbean

O, the Caribbean, how I love thee. But let's be frank: I love some parts more than others. I'd been seeing one island for so long that I almost forgot about the other islands I'd loved before.  Let me start from the beginning, though.

Back in July, I was sitting at home on my computer, just returned from 16 days in Anguilla and feeling morose because western Massachusetts most patently was not Anguilla. Anybody who has ever suffered from DIF (Dreaded Island Fever) knows what I mean. Really, the only thing that cures it is planning another trip, so that's exactly what I did.  My husband and I usually go away for a long weekend in the Caribbean in October over his fall break (he teaches at a local college), and for the last few years it has been our pattern to travel with family and/or friends during that period.

Beautiful Long Bay on Anguilla

I started researching places to go.  I knew Anguilla would probably be off the menu for this trip, because we wanted to invite a larger party of family & friends to celebrate with us for our joint birthdays, but in particular my 40th birthday. Anguilla is many things, but a budget destination it is not. What we could afford to pay in Anguilla for just 2-3 days in October would get us an entire week on other islands.  Besides which, Anguilla had just re-opened its dolphin prison, which rather filled me with disgust, so it was time to start seeing other islands.

Lovely Nevis (image found here.)

Nevis made it to the short list because of the attractive accommodation rates (4 bedroom villas with beautiful view AND pool for only $1200-1500/week, and some villa owners were willing to negotiate downward from there), and if airfare to either Nevis or St. Kitts had been less than $800 per person back in July, I'm sure we would have ended up on that magical little island. Then we thought about Vieques, which is nice enough in itself but not over-the-top fabulous until you take into account the bioluminescent bay, which should be on anybody's bucket list. St. John came into the equation when we found amazing airfares into St. Thomas, but my husband didn't really want to go back there this year.

The Baths of Virgin Gorda

Then I remembered Virgin Gorda. We'd visited thrice before; twice on a daysail from neighboring islands and once for a proper visit, renting a villa and seeing the entire island. I contacted a few villa owners directly and they were open to some gentle rate negotiation since we were traveling in October, the height of hurricane season. (Hint: if you're willing to gamble at all, book a vacation to the Caribbean in the off-off-season. If there's not an immediate depression or storm in the area, the weather is glorious and the beaches are empty. And always, always ask for a modest discount on the published rates for the off-season, especially if you're traveling in September or October.)

View from Top of the Baths

Anyway, booking our airfare clinched Virgin Gorda for us, as we were able to book first class for less than $50 more per person than economy class.  Might have been a glitch in the system, but on one leg of the flight, it was actually less expensive to book first than coach, so who were we to argue with that logic?

Stay tuned for all Virgin Gorda, all the time as we re-learn this island and fall in love with it all over again. We had a long travel day to get here, but a relatively easy one for all that. We left our hotel at 4:30 am, and by 2:00 pm we'd landed in St. Thomas. Three hours later we were on Speedy's ferry to Virgin Gorda, and by 8:00 pm we were unpacking at Euphoria Villa, as lovely a place as I've ever stayed.

It will be difficult adjusting to this view each morning. A real hardship.