Virgin Gorda :: Part 2

Most of our time in Virgin Gorda was spent doing something that Sona and I don’t usually do on vacation: relaxing. Because our little villa–and the area it was in–had so much to offer, we spent a good portion of our time at either the pool or at Mahoe Bay, which was the beach we were on.

Because we were a little nervous about Finn spending too much time in the sun, it was really convenient to be on the beach, allowing us hour-long spurts in the water before heading back to the comfort and shade of our villa. And back to the blender. And back to the fruity drinks.

A typical day went like this: wake up, eat breakfast outside (with a view of the water, of course), throw on our swimsuits, spend a little time at the beach, come back and put Finn down for a nap, hang out at the pool and have some cocktails (hello, adult time), go explore the island a little after Finn’s nap, come back and swim some more, another nap, pick up something for dinner, having a leisurely meal outside, play in the jacuzzi, take showers, put Finn to sleep, unwind. In other words: BLISS.

We did get out a bit, though, and we explored the entire island. Sometimes, we took Finn with us. Sometimes, we left him at home with my parents.

One day, we decided to take a ferry to Bitter End Yacht Club, which is on a side of the island not accessible by car. Once we got to the ferry terminal and realized how strong and warm the sun was, we got a little nervous. We were going to be isolated from our home base, we’d have to rely on hourly ferries to return, we were going to take a hike in direct sunlight, and Finn would likely be missing a nap or two. I think Sona and I both felt like we’d made a mistake.

Nonetheless, we pushed on. Sona wore Finn in the Ergo for our hike, which only lasted 30 minutes or so. It was HOT, and the sun was blaring, but we did our best to keep him covered. At the end of our hike, we had a fantastic lunch at Fat Virgin’s before heading back to BEYC.

Finn actually really enjoyed that day, and he didn’t get cranky until the very end of it, as we were only a few minutes from our villa. He lasted a good 6 hours without much of a nap, aside from a quick sleep he stole during the walk. He even spent our entire lunch, flirting with the girls at the next table. Their family kept saying that Finn was “SUCH a good baby”–something we heard a lot during the week. We were impressed with our little man.

The views from the north end of the island are unparalleled, and we were all really happy to have taken a chance and moved forward with our plans. I’m imagining that Sona and I will experience a lot of that “should we/shouldn’t we?” confusion that comes with traveling with a baby, especially our first baby. So far, most always, we err on the side of adventure and decide that, yes, we should. And, so far, that’s always paid off.

An advantage of having my parents around was that Sona and I could also take off by ourselves, a bit. We left Finn at home while exploring Virgin Gorda’s most well-known attraction: The Baths.  Since we’d heard that the trek to and through The Baths involved quite a bit of crawling, squatting, climbing (up ladders and over boulders), and whatnot, we knew that we could only fully experience it without a baby. Once we got there, we realized we’d made the right decision.

This is the famous “cathedral” in The Baths. BEAUTIFUL.

We went early enough to miss the large cruise groups, which arrived about half an hour after we did.

Sona had a blast, climbing all of the boulders. I had a blast watching her.

We really enjoyed the 20-25 minute walk through the boulders, leading us from the beach at The Baths to Devil’s Bay. It’s a tricky little walk, as you have to meander through a maze of boulders, tidal pools, and narrow crevices, but it was, like most things, so worth it.

Spring Bay, which is right before The Baths, is a little easier to explore and is, mostly, free of touristy crowds. We really enjoyed an afternoon there, too.

Mostly, we enjoyed the view from our villa.

And Finn enjoyed the pool.

This is the view from Hog Heaven.

Finn wasn’t as impressed as the rest of us.

Savannah Bay, which had the most vividly blue water I’ve ever seen, was another favorite. Though, the current was a bit too rough to snorkel.

Finn enjoyed some exploring, too. Maybe a little too much.

Our last night, we went out to dinner at Coco Maya, an Asian-inspired tapas restaurant that rests on a little private beach, complete with a bonfire. It was the perfect way to punctuate our trip.

While our trip home was a bit of a trial–we had quite the fiasco at the St. Thomas airport, had to take a car ride, a ferry, two plane rides, and another car ride home, and nearly missed our connecting flight, causing us to forgo a real meal for most of the day–it was all still worth it. I joked with Sona, “Travel days are kind of like having a baby. The labor itself is pretty awful, but the aftermath is so wonderful that you forget how much you suffered. And, before long, you’re ready to do it all over, again.”

That is, we’ll be traveling again with Finn–and soon. Mostly, it was much easier than we’d anticipated, and we’ve already realized some things we would and wouldn’t do, again. (That’ll be another post, later.)

As for Virgin Gorda, it has bumped itself up to being one of our two favorite islands in the Caribbean, trailing very closely behind Anguilla.

If you are lucky enough to visit, here are some things we’d recommend:

Do:

Rent a villa, preferably on Mahoe Bay

Rent a car, using Mahogany Car Rental, allowing you to explore the beautiful island

Drive from The Baths to Gun Greek, stopping at all of the lookouts

Explore The Baths, following the yellow arrows through the caves, leading to Devil’s Bay

Snorkel at Mahoe Bay and Mountain Trunk

Spend the day at Bitter End Yacht Club, hiking to Fat Virgin’s for lunch

Scuba dive at the Rhone shipwreck (something my parents really enjoyed)

See:

Savannah Bay (very little shade available, come prepared)

Spring Bay (picnic tables and limited shade available)

The view from Hog Heaven, which you should enjoy while drinking a BBC

The murals in front of the island’s school, which you’ll pass on the way to The Baths

Eat:

Takeout BBQ from Island Pot (probably my favorite restaurant in VG)

CocoMaya (make a reservation and order the pork belly fried rice)

Top of the Baths (great gazpacho and the view is amazing)

Erika’s home-cooked Caribbean food (one of the island’s private chefs who made dinner for us twice–best food we ate all week)

Hog Heaven (BBQ isn’t as good as Island Pot, IMO, but it’s still worth a lunch trip)

What We Missed, This Time:

Gumption’s tour to Necker Island (we would LOVE to see the lemurs and the flamingos, but the 6-hour excursion was too much with Finn)

Hike the summit trail at BEYC

Spend an afternoon at Saba Rock (maybe a little touristy, but a lot of people recommended it)