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.