While some of our group wanted to spend our first full day in TCI relaxing at the resort, others wanted to get out and explore. Guess which group I was in! My friend and I thought it would be a great idea to get out and see the island and get the lay of the land. We chose the Love Buggy Island Tour because it looked like a really fun way to explore.
And it was! Island Style Tours TCI picked us up from our hotel and took us to their location, where we got a brief (but hilarious) lesson on how to drive the love buggies and were fitted with our helmets and assigned to our buggies. The “Scoot Coupes” seat two people but we were given a choice of each driving our own or pairing up. Since I love taking photos and my friend wanted to drive, we were a perfect love buggy pair.
We took a few spins around the parking lot before heading out onto the streets. I was surprised at how quickly we were on a very busy road but our guides did a masterful job of leading us and keeping us safe. Marvin led the group and Nico followed behind making sure everyone was keeping up and doing ok. There were speakers in the dash of the buggy so Marvin would give us instructions, directions, and commentary along the way. When we came to traffic circles (which there seemed to be a lot of!), Nico sped up from behind, waited until there was an opening for our entire group, and then waited on the inside watching traffic while Marvin led us around the outside. I was super impressed with their safety protocols and felt completely comfortable in what could have been an intimidating situation.
While I had hoped that the tour would help orient me and build my mental map of the island, I have to admit that I was completely lost almost immediately. I had no concept of where we were, despite Marvin’s best efforts at pointing out landmarks and directions. But this was totally my own mental block and no fault of the guides! I only mention it because I had no sense of where any of the pictures below were taken and had to look them all up online. 🙂
We started in Leeward Settlement and made our way along the highway. Our first stop was at the side of the road next to Juba Sound, an area of wetlands in the central part of the island. The water here is extremely shallow so kayaking or standup paddleboarding are not possible, but bone fishing is a popular activity in the sound.
We headed to Turtle Tail Peninsula next and drove up the hill to get a bird’s eye view of Prince’s former residence. Wow. This has to be one of the most stunning views on the island. Sitting on a peninsula with 8 acres of land, the 17-bedroom Emara Estate was sold in 2019 but still features many tributes to the late singer… including a purple driveway! I seriously could not get enough of this view – the amazing house, the impossibly turquoise water, the perfect blue sky with wispy white clouds. It felt surreal.
After admiring the view for a while, we headed to our next stop at Cheshire Hall Plantation. We took a short 15-20 minute tour of the cotton plantation. The buildings are from the late 1700s and are in poor condition. The site isn’t especially well maintained but it was interesting to walk through and hear a bit of the history.
And finally, we stopped and had a great lunch at Mr. Grouper’s Restaurant. We ate outside on a cute patio and had a sample platter of a variety of different conch dishes. The meal was all prearranged so we just showed up, sat down at our reserved table, ordered drinks, and ate. Interestingly, they had us sit by booking groups so my friend and I sat together, a couple sat together, and then the remaining large group of 10 sat together. It wasn’t necessarily a good or bad thing; I was just surprised that the entire tour group didn’t sit together to mingle.
We had a fantastic time on the Love Buggy Island Tour. Marvin was so much fun and Nico was the perfect understated sidekick. This was a great way to see parts of the island I otherwise would not have seen. And it was so fun to zip around in those little cars. The tour is so well thought out – from safety to the route to the stops to the laughs. It was all first rate. Marvin’s catch phrase is “good vibes” and it perfectly summarizes this tour.
