Can’t you just hear the accented tones of Mr. Roarke (Ricardo Montalban), and sidekick Tattoo (Herve Villechaize) adroitly observing,  “De Plane! De Plane!”

We are at the end of Week 3 of our 2011-2012 School Year.  This week we wrapped up the Pacific Islands, and set sail for Australia and have embarked on an exploration of the many unique animals and land formations of the island continent.  

The Daughter needed an extra day to finish up her “Choose Your Own Adventure” project.  For each region we study, the curriculum suggests an opportunity for further expression or research.  She chose to draw a map of an Island Resort, and was asked to consider:  methods of arrival and departure to the island, five kinds of recreation, shelter/lodging for guests, kitchen area for food, and staff lodging.  She was allowed to assume a fresh water source. 

We talked about our favorite experiences with lodging, resorts, and dining out and then the realities of laundry, kitchens, water, electricity, staffing, transportation and sand in an island setting.  Finally, we looked online for some inspiration and found the Matangi Private Island Resort in Fiji (Wow!).  Forget the project – my student was ready to make a reservation!

The Daughter:  “Is $900 a night a lot?”  

Me:  “Well, yes, especially considering we need to get there first!  Look on the globe and refresh your memory.  First find our home in VA and now find Fiji!”

The Daughter:  (Glumly turning the globe around in her hands) “Oh yeah…Well, maybe we should just go to Bermuda!  That’s pretty close…or look, here’s Cuba and Haiti!” 

Me:  (Dryly) Well, we have some of the same issues, and those particular islands each have problematic elements, especially in terms of a vacation destination…Let’s get back to work, shall we?”

We surveyed a few maps of other famous islands:  Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Wendy Orr’s Nim’s Island, and a party store Pirate Party Map (yeah…).  With all of this to work with, The Daughter got to work on her map, and I think did a beautiful job!  (She did enlist my smaller handwriting for her map key.) After much discussion she named her island, Elizabeth Island, and determined it’s location: 18°N, 178°W. 

Welcome to Elizabeth Island…

Situated West of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, Elizabeth Island offers all the amenities one could desire in a private tropical resort.  Upon arrival by sea or sky one is met by our island of unimaginable loveliness with abundant stretches of serene, shell strewn beaches; palm, coconut and banana trees; interior mountains with trails where hikers can discover colorful flowers and birds; sparkling waterfalls, and the undersea beauty of Locke’s Reef. 

Visitors can explore the island on challenging hiking trails, or putt around in our energy efficient solar golf carts.  Swim in Key Hole Lake!  Tube down Parrot Creek!  Snorkel in Locke’s Bay!  Sunbathe on any of the many beaches that wreathe the island. Enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner in our Resort Dining Rooms and satisfy a taste for the tropics in either formal or casual settings.  Join us in our open air ballroom and dance to island rhythms, view island-themed movies, or craft and play games!   Our west-end Island Arena offers weekend concerts by talented Pacific Island musicians on authentic instruments accompanied by crashing waves, against a backdrop of brilliant sunset and then under a blanket of shimmering stars!

For your accomodations choose a Resort Guest Room convenient to dining and shopping, with a view of the ocean and stunning Pacific sunsets, or a peaceful view of the our mountains crowned in mist.  For a not-too-rustic island bungalow experience book one of our charming Island Treehouses on the east side of the Island.  Enjoy the sounds of the surf to rock you to sleep, a lovely sunrise, and the beach just steps away!  

We look forward to seeing you at Elizabeth Island…