- Joined
- Jun 26, 2013
- Messages
- 6,788
- Reaction score
- 4,306
- Location
- Connecticut
- Resorts Owned
- Marriott's Grande Ocean (Enrolled)
MVC Trust Points
We are about half way through our MFC stay. We are first timers here, and are having a great time. It’s also our first attempt at traveling with our two kids (21 and 24) AND their boyfriend/girlfriend (GregT…you’ll blink twice and you’ll be doing this, they grow up fast 
). So there are 6 of us, but we are in a 3BR, so there is plenty of room. We are in the top floor St. John building which has a fabulous view. The only down side to being in the upper row of buildings is the 3 elevator rides to the pool, but the view from the 3 balconies makes it all worthwhile. I had requested not to not be in the Crown building, to be on the top floor and close to pool so I received 2 out of my 3 request points….we are here on DC points. We are very happy with where we ended up.
We rented a Dodge Durango from Amalie Car Rental, and I was amazed it had enough room for all 6 of us AND our luggage…which is no small feat. Loved getting off the plane, seeing my name on a sign, and while the rest of my family snagged the luggage, I was taken directly to my car, so I could circle around, load the family and luggage and head on to the Cove. Time from exiting plane to in the car headed to the Cove was perhaps 15-20 minutes tops. Very efficient. I also love the fact that when leaving for home, they meet us right in front of the airport drop off area, and as we unload, they take the car. Now that’s service!!!
We have had some great meals already….Oceana was fabulous even though about a half mile away from finding the place, I was starting to wonder if jimf41 had flown his copter to find this location as it’s clearly not a road you would be going down for any other reason than to get to Oceana. They certainly are not getting business by people seeing the place as they drive by. That said, at the end of the road, it opens into the restaurant, which was a beautiful place, with a perfect setting and covered but virtually outdoor seating overlooking the water. The wine bar also had a great vibe. Certainly one of our best meals so far. Speaking of great meals, but a bit more untraditional, was the Off The Grid BBQ food truck in front of Sapphire Beach that we enjoyed for lunch during our beach exploring day. Best BBQ ever. Pulled pork was great and ribs were off the charts incredible. Give it a try. We are heading to Room with a View tomorrow and hope that lives up to the hype as well. We are doing a nice mix of casual and nicer dining, which is working out well.
We did the night kayak (glass bottom kayak's with LED lights illuminating the waters below) which everybody on Trip Advisor raves about. I thought it was fun, but would rate it as just ok. Wouldn’t do it again….but that said, it was a nice activity our entire group could do, so that was a plus. Today, my wife and I did the SUP (stand up paddle boarding) lessons/tour. Something my wife has always wanted to try. We had a really nice time doing that, it was just us and Chris (our instructor/tour guide who was excellent). We caught on pretty quickly and actually went all the way down to the cruise ship dock and checked out the ships before returning to the Cove. We really enjoyed SUP’ing and would recommend the lessons/tour to anybody who has not tried it. While we were doing that, the kids went on the Breakaway BVI trip (starts at 7am and back by 4:30p from Sapphire Beach marina). They toured the Baths at Virgin Gorda, snorkeled at Diamond Reef, had lunch at Pusser’s on Marina Cay and of course painkillers at the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke. They raved about the Breakaway crew and every part of the trip itself… and said the Breakaway excursion was the highlight of the trip so far (I guess hanging around me and my wife doesn’t rate too high on the fun scale). The drinks were flowing on the boat all day (well, I guess they start drinking after the snorkeling for safety reasons) and after picking them up at the end of the excursion, the car ride back to the Cove was one of the funniest ever….hearing stories about their trip in their semi tipsy state was pretty funny. Lots of laughs. My daughter’s boyfriend and my son’s girlfriend had never snorkeled before, so they were both pretty amazed at the fish and coral they saw. They all had a blast and would highly recommend the Breakaway tour.
Our beach hopping has included the beach in front of the Cove of course, Morningstar, Magen’s Bay, Sapphire Beach and Lindquist Beach (Smith Bay). Our favorite so far is Lindquist Beach…which you may have seen on the recent DirecTV commercials with the talking horse. It’s a beautiful spot to relax for the day. We are planning to head to St. John on Thursday and will try a few beaches there for sure.
Between the activities and beach hopping, we have done some pool days both at the Cove and at the Reef next door. Both are nice and have their own reasons to like them. A different vibe from one to the other, but both are nice areas to relax and have a more mellow day at the resort.
Any other TUGgers at MFC right now?
). So there are 6 of us, but we are in a 3BR, so there is plenty of room. We are in the top floor St. John building which has a fabulous view. The only down side to being in the upper row of buildings is the 3 elevator rides to the pool, but the view from the 3 balconies makes it all worthwhile. I had requested not to not be in the Crown building, to be on the top floor and close to pool so I received 2 out of my 3 request points….we are here on DC points. We are very happy with where we ended up.We rented a Dodge Durango from Amalie Car Rental, and I was amazed it had enough room for all 6 of us AND our luggage…which is no small feat. Loved getting off the plane, seeing my name on a sign, and while the rest of my family snagged the luggage, I was taken directly to my car, so I could circle around, load the family and luggage and head on to the Cove. Time from exiting plane to in the car headed to the Cove was perhaps 15-20 minutes tops. Very efficient. I also love the fact that when leaving for home, they meet us right in front of the airport drop off area, and as we unload, they take the car. Now that’s service!!!
We have had some great meals already….Oceana was fabulous even though about a half mile away from finding the place, I was starting to wonder if jimf41 had flown his copter to find this location as it’s clearly not a road you would be going down for any other reason than to get to Oceana. They certainly are not getting business by people seeing the place as they drive by. That said, at the end of the road, it opens into the restaurant, which was a beautiful place, with a perfect setting and covered but virtually outdoor seating overlooking the water. The wine bar also had a great vibe. Certainly one of our best meals so far. Speaking of great meals, but a bit more untraditional, was the Off The Grid BBQ food truck in front of Sapphire Beach that we enjoyed for lunch during our beach exploring day. Best BBQ ever. Pulled pork was great and ribs were off the charts incredible. Give it a try. We are heading to Room with a View tomorrow and hope that lives up to the hype as well. We are doing a nice mix of casual and nicer dining, which is working out well.
We did the night kayak (glass bottom kayak's with LED lights illuminating the waters below) which everybody on Trip Advisor raves about. I thought it was fun, but would rate it as just ok. Wouldn’t do it again….but that said, it was a nice activity our entire group could do, so that was a plus. Today, my wife and I did the SUP (stand up paddle boarding) lessons/tour. Something my wife has always wanted to try. We had a really nice time doing that, it was just us and Chris (our instructor/tour guide who was excellent). We caught on pretty quickly and actually went all the way down to the cruise ship dock and checked out the ships before returning to the Cove. We really enjoyed SUP’ing and would recommend the lessons/tour to anybody who has not tried it. While we were doing that, the kids went on the Breakaway BVI trip (starts at 7am and back by 4:30p from Sapphire Beach marina). They toured the Baths at Virgin Gorda, snorkeled at Diamond Reef, had lunch at Pusser’s on Marina Cay and of course painkillers at the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke. They raved about the Breakaway crew and every part of the trip itself… and said the Breakaway excursion was the highlight of the trip so far (I guess hanging around me and my wife doesn’t rate too high on the fun scale
). The drinks were flowing on the boat all day (well, I guess they start drinking after the snorkeling for safety reasons) and after picking them up at the end of the excursion, the car ride back to the Cove was one of the funniest ever….hearing stories about their trip in their semi tipsy state was pretty funny. Lots of laughs. My daughter’s boyfriend and my son’s girlfriend had never snorkeled before, so they were both pretty amazed at the fish and coral they saw. They all had a blast and would highly recommend the Breakaway tour. Our beach hopping has included the beach in front of the Cove of course, Morningstar, Magen’s Bay, Sapphire Beach and Lindquist Beach (Smith Bay). Our favorite so far is Lindquist Beach…which you may have seen on the recent DirecTV commercials with the talking horse. It’s a beautiful spot to relax for the day. We are planning to head to St. John on Thursday and will try a few beaches there for sure.
Between the activities and beach hopping, we have done some pool days both at the Cove and at the Reef next door. Both are nice and have their own reasons to like them. A different vibe from one to the other, but both are nice areas to relax and have a more mellow day at the resort.
Any other TUGgers at MFC right now?
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