Rosewood Little Dix Bay- Brief trip report- So this is one of the best in Caribbean??
Please forgive me but this thread should be sub-titled- the Caribbean is a sad substitute for Hawaii.
But more on that in a minute.
We flew a chartered small plane from St Thomas directly into Virgin Gorda airport. After we went through the small but official BVI customs we were greeted by LDB representatives who were very sweet. We waited for the van to return and made the short trip to LDB. We would be staying in one of the private four bedroom villas on a hill overlooking the bay.
The Good:
- Views are stunning and the bay itself is beautiful
- Water is beautiful and there is good (but not great) snorkeling right off the beach
- Water temp is of course wonderful
- I am a diver and there is good diving very easily accessible
- Mature (but unkept) tropical landscaping
- the on site dive operation is courteous and well run (how ironic it is an out sourced company)
The OK:
- The resort is very secluded but it is clear the hard product throughout is definitely dated and in dire need of some TLC
- for example most of the paddles for the SUP were broken and no one seem to care- it is clear the beach attendants just leave them in a pile each day and leave
The bad/not so good:
-It is clear LDB is resting on their laurels and their history.
-They have one of the most stunning natural bays in the world and this apparently gives them little motivation to try hard
- The food is absolutely average and the fish was consistently disappointing. Every fish dish was either over cooked or fried! To add insult to injury the fish was ALL very fishy tasting - indicating it was not fresh- I have had fresh Mahi Mahi in Mexico, Hawaii and other locations and it should NEVER taste fishy.
- The service only ranges from indifferent to down right rude. For example the main restaurant is pavilion. At dinner time they keep all the tables under the peaked rooks where it is hot and stuffy while the patio area (closer to the sea mind you) is left unused. When we asked if we could move our table out just a bit to catch a breeze, we were given all kinds of resistance.
All of this is at prices that are equal to the Four Seasons Hualalai.(we live in Arizona so the travel time was another negative)
As my wife stated - "I always wondered why we meet so many families from the east cost in Hawaii when it is so far to travel". Now we know why- who wants to fly to the Caribbean- to stay at a dated property, be treated with indifference and eat horrible fish!!
To my East Coast friends who are suffering through the Caribbean each year- make a break for Hawaii or even Punta Mita Mexico- also superior in almost every way.
In conclusion - I am shocked that LDB is referenced as one of the best choices in the Caribbean- I shudder to think what the other options are like.