About a year ago I went with my mom to the British Virgin Islands for her birthday. It was a sunny, relaxing week off. And there were some interesting things about being there that I didn't expect.

The first was just discovering that despite being UK owned the country uses the US dollar as its currency, heavily inflated prices included. And while getting in as a foreigner was easy, we were warned that we would have to pay an exit fee when we left. I've had to pay for visas upon arriving before, but never on my way out. And a pleasant surprise was that during our layover in Puerto Rico I still had full non-roaming cell phone service. Losing it in the BVI seemed to emphasize that we had entered another country.

We stayed at the Sugar Mill Hotel, which as the name suggests is an old sugar mill and rum distillery, neither of which are operational any longer. The main building was all stone, and each of the rooms was essentially a condo on its own floor, with many separate buildings scattered throughout the grounds. There was a pool, but the best feature was that a white sandy beach was directly across the road. There was even a covered pavilion where lunch was served right next to the beach.

Little Apple Bay Beach

The water of Little Apple Bay right in front of our hotel.

Sugar Mill Equipment

Old and rusted sugar mill equipment was still scattered randomly around the hotel.

The island of Tortola itself is extremely hilly. When looking on a map two points might appear very close, but they can take long minutes of driving because of the roads winding up and down the hills. And other than the tourist parts the water front was usually hard black obsidian, jagged and dangerous, which meant walking along the beach could never be done over great distances.

Tortola Ocean and Hill

A view of the ocean and hills seen from our hotel.

Tortola Sunset

A similar view as the above picture, but at sunset.

We took a day trip into the nearest big town at Cane Garden Bay where we of course met other Minnesotans also escaping the unexpected blizzard that had caused our cab to take two hours to get to the airport on the way out of town. While there we experienced the ebb and flow of a rush of people disembarking and then embarking again on a cruise ship. The bustle was temporarily exciting, but I was glad when things quieted down again.

Cane Garden Bay Sunset

Sunset at Cane Garden Bay after a brief but intense afternoon rain.

We didn't rent a car, but there seemed to be plenty of taxis available at the airport and our resort. Of course in the town after things started shutting down this wasn't true. There wasn't a taxi to be found anywhere. When we had Myett's - the restaurant where we had dinner - call for one it was close to an hour before he showed up, and he wasn't in any kind official looking vehicle. He was just some friend of a bartender who drove people home occasionally.

On the drive back we passed the famous Bomba Shack, built and decorated out of driftwood, broken surf boards and anything else washed up by the ocean. The driver told us about the Full Moon Parties that happen there. They sound like crazy events where anything goes. A kind of recurring spring-break atmosphere for the locals, with loud music and too many drinks and everything else you'd expect, including the special Midnight Tea, the ingredients of which are carefully kept secret. The place and those parties certainly sound intriguing.

Overall it was a pleasant, serene experience where we didn't have to do much. The perfect kind of vacation to get away and be isolated from the rest of the world for a while.