Expert: John Gump - 11/4/2010

Question
My family (kids 8 and 5) is considering our first visit to GC in mid-Dec. Has the island been fully rebuilt after Ivan? We are also looking for advice on a nice villa to stay at in a hopefully not too crowded section of Seven Mile Beach, but still near enough to nice restuarants and such. (We are not large resort types.)  Would appreciate your insights.

Answer
Hi Vanessa - thanks for your question. You'll love GC and yes, it's totally rebuilt.  You may still be able to see some damage remnants as you head south of Georgetown, but overall, it's repaired.  As for condos on SMB, you have a ton of choices.  It really depends on your budget though.  Some of the ones I'm familiar with are:

Treasure Island - $$$
Seven Mile Beach Resort - $$$
Turtle Beach Villas (brand new since Ivan) - $$$$
Lacovia - $$$$
Ritz - $$$$$
Villas of the Galleon - $$$$
Plantana - $$$$
Regal Beach Club - $$$$
Tamarind Bay - $$$$

In December, peak season, you can probably expect to pay anywhere from $3000 to over $5000 per week for places on the beach.  

These are all in the central to southern portion of SMB, a few miles from Georgetown and restaurants, some even closer.

If you want a quieter place on GC, head to the East End or to the north side, however these locales are further from town and restaurants.

You may want to check out VRBO.com and homeaway.com.  These websites list a ton of condos and often you're dealing direct with the owner and can save $$'s.

I wish you the best!

John