Cocoa Beach House and family November 2016

How time escapes us!  As this blog site was fairly new, I realised that too busy a life and an accident last year, leaving me in a wheel chair with a broken leg had left me neglecting this blog!  I apologise to all the travelers and guests that love to read and see new pictures of our beautiful island Virgin Gorda and our magic little corner in paradise!

Loads of things happened last year!  After recuperating from the accident, I spent some months in my home in Australia and then headed off to my beloved island home in the Caribbean!  The BIG news is that Cocoa Beach House is now available for vacation rentals!  (Since December 2016) so only recently.
Cocoa Beach House is on the same property as Coffee & Tea Beachfront Cottages - only separated by a coconut grove.  The property actually hugs half the cove with each villa actually sitting along the beachfront!!

Cocoa Beach House right on the beach within Little Leverick Bay, North Sound, Virgin Gorda. British Virgin Islands - Caribbean!

Every room is HUGE and faces the water including both bathrooms, the two huge bedrooms (the villa sleeps 8 people altogether) and the Great Room with it's expansive vaulted ceiling and large kitchen!  Watch the yachts and boats sail by as you cook your island dinner!

Here you see the whole property!  It's three-quarters of an acre hugging the cove!  On the LEFT you see Coffee & Tea Beachfront cottages - the coconut grove of some 25 palms and then Cocoa Beach House on the right!!  You can "just" see half of it, right there.... all ON the beach!  It's kind of hard getting all 3 villas in one photo!

If you are interesting in booking either Coffee & Tea Beachfront Cottages - or Cocoa Beach House, please check our website - www.beachvillasbvi.com

You can also read reviews on TripAdvisor!  The cottages have approx 51 reviews from past guests and I believe Cocoa Beach House only has 2 as it was only available for renting since mid December 2016.... some weeks ago!

So the other big news for me was my 60th birthday! Egad!!  I celebrated it on island with my gorgeous family and dear friend who came to visit and a fabulous cocktail party with my island friends!  About 35 guests ate, drank and made merry under the Caribbean stars on my large terrace in front of Cocoa Beach House!  It's was a magic perfect night!

That's my gorgeous grandson sitting under the beach palapa in between the cottages and Cocoa Beach House.  That's also him being cheeky with my birthday balloons!

Some of the stunning food for the cocktail party supplied by my friend Rose from Chez Bamboo!  Chez Bamboo is a fabulous restaurant with elegant decor, candles, live music some nights, and a stunning menu with highly recommended dishes such as their lobster curry;  their Asian influenced choices; and a decadent chocolate heaven dessert!  A must to enjoy when you visit Virgin Gorda!

Looking out onto the tranquil North Sound and the terrace where we celebrated my 60th!

That's me cutting up Rose's divine chocolate cake!

The whole property taken from another angle!  Cottages on the left and Cocoa Beach House on the beach to the right!!!!  Lovely lovely lovely.......Add us to your vacation bucket list!!.............Or better still, just come!!

                                              

Hope you enjoyed my blog catch up!

More next month!!!!  Warmest wishes Bianca

Remembering "my" lobsters!

This year has really flown!  My thoughts wander to our magic little corner of paradise in Virgin Gorda and I count the days until I return to that divine warmth that envelopes your body as soon as you arrive!
I am still in Australia and the winter downunder here in Melbourne has become quite harsh.  Unusual for us, even down south, but we are currently experiencing an "antarctic frozen vortex" - very descriptive I thought but it IS really quite icy. The coldest winter in 15 or so years with snow down to 600 metres.  The central heating is constantly on and keeps my home snuggly warm.............only a few weeks and I will be floating in those azure blue waters, snorkeling and exploring the pristine waters of the Baths and checking on my favourite lobster family.  I hope they are still there!

Here are some wonderful photos of last year's visit!!

 Thats me in search of lobsters...............woo hooo!!

That's me holding my breath till I burst, my hand holding a huge lobster's feeler........he just rests it in my hand!!  Then he lets me stroke it.  Awesome!  Especially when he is looking straight at my face...........so much trust!

This photo is under water IN a cave where I have stuck my head in upside down snorkeling.......the lobster is looking out the front and doesn't realise I am RIGHT BEHIND HIM........I can rub his backside........how clear is this water!!!!

Another angle of this same very large lobster.............how gorgeous is his rounded bottom and the silly duffer doesn't know I am there!!  He is looking out the front!

 Two other lobsters in another coral cave..........I was hanging upside down and just put my camera inside the entrance of the cave and there they were!!  Bit crowded in that place with fish and all!

This is the front view of the large lobster with the huge bottom tail.  Look at his claws and feelers!!

Onwards to the next snorkeling spot................ at a different beach further down the island!

Further up around the coast, a baby lobster looks out but is protected by his mummy!  They are so curious and will actually walk out of their caves when they see you there.  It constantly takes my breath away...........magic beyond magic!!!

I love Virgin Gorda!  It truly is a magical place with history and stunning experiences!!
 

After the cottage painting and decorating!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Photos of Coffee & Tea Beachfront Cottages

It took some time to set up some nice photo shoots of the cottages this morning, including setting the deck tables with "coconut" drinks and flowers and wading into the water to get the right angle. You REALLY can drink out of a cut coconut, very delicious too!  It's kinda cool to have your own coconut trees!

These are the photos I will use on vacation rental websites for travelers to find accommodation in the British Virgin Islands. There was only a bit of sun which was perfect. Think they have come out quite beautifully. I hope these pictures give you a feel of how fabulous this place is!

Now in 2015 the cottages still look like this.  I have painted again since, and the upkeep is a constant annual job!  Every year I am there for 3 months working on the property and replacing items like the towels, linens and the gas BBQ etc.  The interior has changed a bit...........new long floaty curtains, furniture, updates in the kitchens and new deck furniture but the "feel" is the same!  It's really a work in progress and guests just love them.  There are many fabulous reviews on Tripadvisor now! 

 Look up Coffee & Tea Absolutely Beachfront Cottages under the Vacation Rentals tab in Tripadvisor or click on the cottage link!

The cottage renovations!

Friday, July 17, 2009

We have FINISHED and performed a miracle

After my parents left the island I started the renovations on the cottages.  They badly needed painting!  We were getting up at 6am and painting by 7am, working in searing heat all day with hardly a lunch break and finally collapsing around 7pm, we have finished performing the miracle of renovating the cottages in such a short time. I have to say I have never met a tradesman with such a fabulous work ethic and professional standards.

This young man and I worked 9 days straight for very long hours. Without him I would have been totally stranded. I will be recommending him to everyone I know here on the island. For me it has been almost a month from the start of the whole idea. I have crawled under, over and into spaces I thought I could never fit in. I have scraped, brushed and stretched until I thought I would burst. It has been like working in a sauna for 12 hours a day! I have given up saving my tea shirt and favourite sarong; the paint won't come off so they have been sacrificed as my "island painting clothes!" What a surprise my Papa will get when he comes back to the island. Brand new bright and happy cottages!!

(At the time of originally writing this post, I never knew that my Dad would never be able to return to the island to see what was done.  Since then I visit him twice a year for long periods and show him lots of photos.............but somehow it's just not the same!  Now in 2015 he is still happy and has a great attitude but at 88 years of age with kidney dialysis and various other ailments, his health is failing him.  It's really sad to see someone dynamic slowing down to such a degree!  I so miss him when I am on island!!)

I need to take more photos of the finished cottages so you can see our handy work but for today I am going to the beach and just resting! My body feels pretty exhausted but what joy there is to complete such a project and doing it as a labour of love makes it even more special.

Island photos!

Additional photos to yesterday's post

To share some of the wonderful sights I have experienced, I have posted some other photos from surrounding islands. One of the most exciting things is to find a "living" conch shell whilst snorkeling.  This one on the left was found right outside our place in shallow water!
Big island hugs and enjoy!

 NB....you can double click any photo anywhere in this blog if you wish to see it in larger format!

Early days before renovations!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Caribbean routine

My life here in the Virgin Islands has fallen into a wonderful "routine" - the word routine grates on me slightly as there is no set time, no appointment to race to or traffic to battle. My days are my own with some chosen added responsibilities which I will explain shortly. Nevertheless, my life here has a type of routine of my own choice. I wake up around 6am with the tropical sun rising and often get up at this time for my morning constitutional, a swim between two buoys out in our bay. I manage a few laps and alternate each day using fins or just swimming. In the last few mornings I have greeted the same sea life - a largish stingray who potters along finding his breakfast within the sea grass & stops to watch me whilst I float above him; and a VERY large snapper, who hangs around a certain rock. Years ago I would have made plans to grill him but now I see his beautiful face and watch his slow movements, I can almost touch him. I usually spend about an hour in this morning light and wander back through the coconut palms to have breakfast on the front stone patio. The sea breeze is just wonderful where we are and these peaceful mornings are just priceless! I am enjoying my solitude and have found some time to write two new chapters of my book!
I have chosen to help my Dad by renovating the cottages. They need a good paint and some extra TLC.
 So as I type, our front room is stocked with gallons of paint, fabric, curtain rods, hinges, new door knobs and various hardware to freshen them up. Most of these items were purchased on the nearby island as the choice is fairly limited here! It will take some time to complete the change and I am working on some internet & magazine marketing as well!

They are the cutest beachfront cottages just perfect for the singular traveler or a romantic couple. Will post some photos when they are done!

First blog post for our Caribbean beach villas

Thursday, June 11, 2009

A room with a view

To start off this new blog Beach villas BVI, now in 2015, I am posting some older posts from my travel diary, starting with the "renovations" year in 2009!  I want to share some of the history and photos of this fabulous island with you.  The photo below is "me and my Dad" in 2009.  It was to be his last visit there before his ailing health prevented him from returning to his beloved beach house!  I miss him there!

If you haven't already seen our website, click on www.beachvillasbvi.com

Even with my love of writing, I can only ‘hope’ to aptly describe to you this magnificent island to do it justice. Virgin Gorda – the fat virgin! One of the British Virgin Islands, a long elongated island with a huge volcanic mount rising steeply down its centre, it boasts numerous idyllic bays to anchor in with perfect tropical white sand beaches lined with coconut or green shady trees. The turquoise waters are inviting and refreshing, crystal clear and pristine. Its simplicity is so refreshing; unlike other islands that are over commercialized, our fat virgin remains a favourite of the locals and visitors alike.
My family arrived here some 35 years ago and built on the beach in Little Leverick Bay within the North Sound. Surrounded by a grove of coconut palms and colourful flowers, we look out across the water to another island, Prickly Pear. To conclude your evening by lying on your bed listening to the wind rustling the palms and the waves lapping on our shore is nothing short of heaven itself. There is a serenity and peace here that surpasses any fabulous city. My family left today to return to Europe and I will stay on for some weeks. Our time together has been nothing short of wonderful. With his arm around me, my Dad and I are in a new place! It seems that as we all age, the bonds of love and blood supersede any uncomfortable memories. And so it should – life is just too short!

I reunited with family and to enjoy time just for me - to write, swim, snorkel, rest, think, ponder, study and enjoy a piece of paradise in chosen solitude. I will share my days with nature; with the bird parents nesting in the corner of the house, their babies growing and a strange trust developing between us bringing them whistling & fluttering onto my bathroom louvre or door, with the tropical water that cools me, the wind that blows my hair and the sun that kisses my skin into a deep honey colour. The rush of the city is far away and I am finally on “island time”. The faces that greet me have huge smiles, many are locals, and others like me are visiting or live here. All share the love for such a piece of heaven.

At present I am sitting at our dining table looking out through the large glass doors onto the sparkling water. The view is priceless! The lapping waves lull me and the skies are blue. I feel the breeze around my ankles; and as I look up I see two yachts with full sails heading across the sound. Mozart has just finished dominating the air with his genius and the whistling wind has taken over. I hear a ‘thud’ as a coconut falls through the sun drenched palm leaves. I have no appointments, no time schedules and for the first time as long as I can remember, my time is my own.