April 29, 2007 — On a Water Island hillside lush with bougainvillea, hibiscus, oleander, palms, mampoo trees and more, an open-air pavilion holds a weathered picnic table, a 24-volt eco-friendly refrigerator, an original driftwood sculpture, a coffee maker, a spanking new gas grill, a couple of tourists and Deborah and Paul Quade, proprietors of Virgin Islands Campground.
They call it a campground, but it bears little resemblance to a typical camping area. For one thing, there's no sand, no tents, no slogging from the beach back to a hot tent after a swim, no rickety barbecue grills and no annoying neighbors too close by. In fact, "It's just the fun parts of camping out," says Deborah Quade. The property abounds with life: iguanas, tortoises, lizards and humming birds are everywhere.
There is indeed a beach: Water Island's popular Honeymoon Bay is about a five-minute walk away. Or Deborah or Paul will drive you down, or rent you a bicycle. Snorkel equipment is also available. It's just a seven-minute ferry ride from Crown Bay, where the Quades pick up their guests.
The Quades are enterprising folk; they have put their energies in a variety of directions since arriving here in 1981. They developed the film-production company GripFlix in the 1980s. Working closely with the Tourism Department and the V.I. Hotel and Tourism Association, they scout film locations and market the islands to film companies. Most recently they organized the shoot of the Brad Pitt and Kate Blanchett movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," which filmed scenes on Water Island and Lindquist Beach.
They wound up in the Virgin Islands sort of serendipitously. "We were 30 years old when we decided to 'retire,'" Deborah says. "We had just had our daughter, Allison. We bought a sailboat and set out for Florida, which we didn't like."
After a year they were on the water again headed for the Virgin Islands to visit a fellow sailor, Carl Lanczos. They loved the territory and finally moved ashore, becoming land-owning Water Islanders. Their entry into the hostelry business was equally serendipitous.
"In 2004, Paul had a shoot at St. John's Maho Bay for the TV show 'TravelSpies,'" Deborah says. "Actually, we had never visited Maho Bay, and we raised a child here. Paul came back from the shoot, and said, 'You know, that could work on Water Island.'"
And, it is. It hasn't been easy, but the Quades possessed the resilience and determination to see their idea through. Last year they got their two major Coastal Zone Management permits. Construction didn't come cheap, but Paul is a licensed contractor and, according to Deborah, "very creative at finding things — in dumpsters, wherever." She continues, "The cabins are constructed out of a deep khaki canvas, with roll-up panels serving as windows. Paul found this canvas — it's from the Gulf War."
A tour of the units reveals the environmentally friendly focus of the property. The communal bathroom is immaculate, and it is the Quade's pride and joy. "It's all solar operated," Deborah says, turning on the 24-volt overhead light. "The bathroom is wired for 110 volts to use hair dryers. The toilets don't flush. They create compost, which is used as topsoil."
A hike up to the communications room reveals Josh Taylor and Heather Haake propped before a laptop checking their return airline flight. Though the rain doesn't bode well for a beach day, they are unperturbed. "We are happy right here," Taylor says. "We've been to the beach everyday." They both say the rain has added to their pleasure."We love listening to it at night in bed," Haake says.
The Cincinnati natives had never been to the territory before. "We decided to camp out this year, and the Virgin Islands seemed a cool idea, so we Googled 'V.I. campgrounds' and here we are," Taylor says.
Deborah shows one of the four cabins, across from the communications room and just past the solar-heated communal hot tub. The enclosure has a comfortable-looking bed, another couch with a futon for extra guests, a small gallery with a couple chairs and a magnificent view of Hassell Island, Elephant Bay and cruise ships heading out to sea.
Back at the pavilion, the guests down beers and enjoy their last day. "This is where our guests mingle," Deborah says. "It's so nice to sit here and just enjoy the view, or cook something. The refrigerator has stuff from former guests — mustards, cokes, beer — which everyone is welcome to use."
A sign on the wall that reads "Phillips Landing" brings out stories of Walter Phillips, the legendary Water Islander who brought all sort of plants and wildlife to the island years ago.
"Flamingo Bay is named for Walter's birds," Deborah says. "He decided that flamingos would be an ideal critter for Water Island, and he somehow brought in a dozen pink flamingos. The birds didn't agree. They flew away and have never been seen since."
The Quades are happy with their burgeoning business. "We get people who are attracted to this kind of atmosphere — neat people," Deborah says. They have had about 50 or 60 guests so far in the less than two months since they opened.
And more plans are afoot. "We are planning to build seven more cabins on the other side of the property," Deborah says. "We have another half-acre."
The campground has a handsome website, VirginIslandsCampground.com, the product of a happy meeting with one of their guests. "One of our first guests said he was a web designer. We knew he loved the campgrounds, so we worked out a trade-off." The cabins run from $70 to $120 per night, depending on the number of guests.
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