Our B.V.I. Adventure

One of our favorite islands in the British Virgin Islands is Peter Island.  It's directly across the Sir Francis Drake Channel from our house on Tortola.  All that's there is a stunning resort.  We'd taken Liz and Jeff there on their previous visit to the BVI and it was on the list of things to do again.  That's when you know it's a must-see!  The ferry ride from Tortola is $20 per person, but the babies ride for free.

Once we arrived on the island, we took a collective deep breath.  There's something so calming about Peter Island - the surroundings instantly relax you.  A nice gentleman from the resort took us for a ride in his golf cart and dropped us off at Dead Man's Beach.  We set up under some palm trees and enjoyed the cool breezes.

Since at least one of the babies decided to take a nap upon our arrival, we put Liz to work modeling some clothes for Michael's company, HIHO.  This is the St. Barth's dress.  Doesn't she look stunning?


Before we knew it, it was lunchtime.  And off to Deadman's Beach Bar & Grill we went!  The staff was so accommodating, as they rounded up not one, not two, but three high chairs!  While Michael and Jeff had big, juicy burgers, Liz had the jerk chicken wrap.  I had the blackened mahi mahi sandwich, and Alison had a yummy salad.

Michael had a few more products to shoot, but I got behind the camera to snap this sweet sibling pair.  (They too are wearing HIHO, Jeff in a long-sleeve suntek shirt and Alison in a lycra perfect for the water.)


We headed to The Dove for dinner that night!

After two fun-filled days, we opted for a low-key day on Wednesday.  We ran some errands in town, took the girls to the park, and relaxed at the house.

Later on, we headed out for an "adults only" evening on Virgin Gorda.  The ferry companies run a late ferry on Wednesday nights, so we caught the 6:45pm boat (which was really more like 7:30pm - gotta love 'island time.')  Our destination?  The new restaurant, CocoMaya!  And when I say "new" I mean new!  As in only open for 4 days!!!


The restaurant was on the cover of the Property and Yacht magazine this month, so we knew what to expect from the photos, but the beauty of the restaurant took our breath away.  It's essentially a massive, upscale cabana on the beach.  The ambiance is warm and intimate despite the cavernous feeling of the restaurant.  Love the juxtaposition!  


The staff could not have been more helpful with their cocktail recommendations and personal anecdotes about the menu.  You could tell the owners made a genuine effort to train their staff, which was predominantly made up of local Virgin Gorda islanders.

I tried the champagne cocktail that had hints of ginger and peach, and it was very refreshing and not too sweet.  When it came to ordering dinner, we had been warned that the portion sizes were small, almost tapas-like.  So between the four of us, we ordered seven or eight dishes.  Some of our favorites were the soft-shell crab sushi roll, the duck nachos, the snapper curry, and the beef short rib empanadas.  The food arrived in two rounds which was perfect.


We enjoyed a bottle of sauvignon blanc and topped off the meal with a walk around the property that included a view from the "VIP lounge," a turn on the bar/porch swing and shuffle in the sand around the fire pit.
It was a lovely evening!  And before we knew it, our taxi driver was there to take us back to the ferry dock to catch the 10:30pm ferry home...
We will definitely be going back!  Soon!

On Tuesday, we headed out with the Campagna clan to the beautiful Jost van Dyke.  We took the Mystique day sail again...I cannot speak highly enough of this boat!  It is in the Voyage Charter fleet out of Soper's Hole.


(Funny side note:  Once we had boarded, and we were awaiting the safety briefing, one of our fellow passengers looked over at me and said - "Do you have a blog?  I googled the Mystique boat this morning looking for their phone number and your blog popped up.  That must be Anna Drake!" While this isn't the first time I've been recognized from the blog, it's the first time in a long time.  So, thanks for reading nice lady from South Carolina!)

Soggy Dollar Bar may have the best painkillers, but One Love makes the best bushwhacker!
We also ate lunch at One Love and it was delicious.  We shared a few savory lobster quesadillas.  How sweet are little Charlotte and Vivian???  They adopted the chill vibe of Jost van Dyke and acted as if this was something they do every day.


We also introduced Liz to the dark and stormy drink.  Have you had one?  It's made with three simple ingredients:  1 part Gosling's Rum (that's the dark) 1 part Ginger Beer (that's the stormy) and then a squeeze of fresh lime.  Here's the finished product:
It was another gorgeous day in the BVI and another splendid day sail on the Mystique.  Thanks to our captain, Nico and hostess, Celia for making it so wonderful!
Don't you just want to dive in and take a swim?  Aunt Alison did - here she is enjoying the cool waters.

On Liz and Jeff's first full day, we headed to Smuggler's Cove on the west end of Tortola.  (No big surprise there!  It is, after all, our favorite beach!)

Some of our friends on island, who also have babies, met us there for a picnic!  See our fancy blue tarp?  That was the boy's attempt to provide some additional shade for the babies.  Aside from scaring Anna Drake, as it loudly flapped in the wind, it worked pretty well!



We all brought something to share and it turned out to be quite a spread!  Crisp apple chicken salad, shrimp risotto, pesto pasta (with fresh-from-the-garden basil, picked that morning!  Yum, yum Lisa!), mustard seed green beans, and so on...  All of it was delicious!  Since the beach bars closed there a few months ago, we had to improvise!

Michael snapped some sweet photos of the Campagna girls...

 This next one is my absolute favorite.  Miss Vivian on the left was having fun splashing in the sea!

It was a fantastic afternoon!  And tomorrow?  We'll be visiting that island off the in distance...Jost van Dyke!

If you've been reading Our BVI Adventure since the beginning, then you may remember one of our first sets of visitors...Liz and Jeff!  Liz and I were sorority sisters together.

Well, since they were here in March of 2010, they've expanded their family by two!  Twins, Charlotte and Vivian joined the Campagna clan in February of last year!  All four of them, plus Jeff's sister, Alison made the trip from New Jersey to the BVI, by way of St. Thomas.

Here's Liz holding dear Charlotte as their ferry docked in Road Town.

Thanks to Liz and Jeff for making it down for a weekend of fun in the sun!  We enjoyed your trip immensely and hope you make it back very soon. 

We've changed up some of the questions in this latest exit survey.  Hope you enjoy! 

Of the five Pusser's locations, which ones did you make it to on your visit? (Road Town Pub, Pusser's East, Pusser's at Soper's Hole, Marina Cay and Leverick Bay)

Answer(s):
Road Town Pub, Marina Cay and Pusser's East (in that order!)
Favorite dining experience on the island?
Answer(s):
Jeff: The Last Resort (other than the "J" is for gay comment, but now that I'm typing this I realize the word gay starts with "G" - take that, Geoff!)
Liz: The Dove - I love the romantic, island, rustic vibe, the chandeliers (so unexpected) and the amazing food! How can you not fall in love with a place that serves grouper WITH a giant braised beef ravioli?!? YUM!
What's the most bizarre thing you saw on the trip?
Answer(s):
Jeff: a dingy with wheels
Liz: Michael Beans
                                                       {Michael Beans, Marina Cay's pirate}

Charles Tobias, the owner of Pusser's, presented you with a limited edition bottle of rum. On what occasion, did he suggest you open the bottle and toast one another?
A) The 4th of July
B) Lord Nelson's Birthday
C) The birth of your first child
D) The night the aforementioned child is conceived
E) Whoops, we already opened the bottle of Pusser's!
Answer: Thanks to the Naked Lorna drinks at the Pub on Friday night, we're not quite sure what occasion Charles suggested (other than it clearly had something to do with our offspring) but we're going with C!

This next one is for Jeff!
True or False: Driving on the left side of the road feels as weird as I thought it would.
Answer:  True! Driving on the left side of the road is not that bad, unless the car you're driving stalls going up an incline on a blind curve.

What was your favorite drink of the trip?
Answer(s):
Jeff: Soggy Dollar's Painkiller (or anything with nutmeg...wink, wink)
Liz: To my surprise, Andre's frozen margarita!

How would you best describe Michael's boating skills?
A) Expert
B) Good
C) Safe (He even encouraged use of life jackets when such activity is prohibited per BVI code annotated 49-6582)
D) Novice
E) Michael? You mean, Captain Drinky Pants???
Answer(s):
10:00 a.m. at the marina = B
12:00 p.m. arriving at Ivan's on Jost Van Dyke = C
4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. returning to Nanny Cay = E


When are you coming back to visit us again?
Answer:
How does next week look for you guys?

Our Irish friends {as they love for us to refer to them}, Felicity and Gerry joined us for this trip as well.
Along the way, we picked up our friends Adam and Matt.  They both live near Cane Garden Bay, so it was pretty convenient to meet them at the dock there.

The ride over to Jost Van Dyke, and more specifically White Bay takes about 30 minutes or so.  I scored the mooring and we swam to shore.  {Thanks to Catharyn for teaching me how to do this back in February!}

This is how the Soggy Dollar Bar got its name.  There aren't any docks at White Bay, so you either drop anchor or secure the boat to one of the bouys and swim in, which means your dollars get soggy!  Unfortunately this also means our non-water-proof camera stays on the boat.  So, no photos of all of the fantastic places at White Bay.  But here's a quick run-down....


After a delicious lunch of fish sandwiches, we walked over to Soggy Dollar Bar for their signature painkillers made with Pusser's rum, then hit Jewel's Snack Shop and One Love.  Everyone had a great time! 

The first of the Pi's in the BVIs!!!  {Liz and I were Alpha Delta Pi's together at the University of Florida} All the way from Marlton, New Jersey, Liz and Jeff arrived on Friday afternoon!  That's me in the reflection on the right snapping their photo!

Within minutes of their arrival, I took Liz and Jeff to the nearby Loose Mongoose at Trellis Bay for their first taste of the Caribbean, and by taste I mean for a bushwhacker...It was a great start to an incredible trip!

You've got to see what they brought for Miss Milly...an easter basket, complete with bunny ears! 
We only let them rest for an hour or so before it was time to get ready for dinner, at where else?  The Dove!  It was a beautiful night! 

Dinner as always, was amazing and we had such fun catching up with Liz and Jeff!  (We last saw each other in October for the Florida-LSU game in New Orleans.)

We stopped in for a few drinks at the pub of course, so we could introduce them to Charles and Joanna.  {More on that meeting later!}

And our last stop for the night was the chicken truck!  Michael and I hadn't been here for months, but Jeff had read about it on the blog and just HAD to go! 
I think it lived up to the hype...