usvi-on-line
your st.john addiction
Our addiction is in its infancy. We took a trip to Mexico in 2005. It was our first trip to the Caribbean and we had a great time. In 2007 we decided to plan another trip but we wanted to include my Mom. Mexico was a bit too exotic for her so we decided on the USVI since it was part of the US. Besides, I had an interest in going there because some of my co-workers had been there and loved it. We decided on St. John for the snorkeling and because we had stumbled upon this forum. We stayed at Orchid Villa in Klein Bay and absolutely fell in love with the island. My mother enjoyed it too. We leave again in May for our second trip. We will be staying at Sunnyledge and it can't come soon enough!
I have always wanted to go to the Caribbean, but I have always been turned off by the whole cruise ship vibe, so I wasn't ever sure where to go.
In 2005, one of my friends started telling me about St. John, and it sounded like heaven to me. The more pictures I looked at, the more I read about it. I was ready to go!
I didn't get there until 2007 (I joined this forum shortly before I left), but I was hooked after my first morning coffee sitting on the deck at Hale Lani. By the third day of our trip, we were already plotting our return in 2008.
In November 2008, I went with a different group of girls (except for one) and we stayed at Tesseract. It was a nice little villa. I tend to enjoy the quaint, older homes more than the new villas that were just built to be vacation rentals.
There's no trip planned for 2009, but we've already booked our 2010 trip. This year I have made a commitment to getting in shape. I've hired a personal trainer and I am currently training for the half-marathon here in Nashville in April. My "reward" for a year of hard work and grueling training is that I am going to St. John and doing 8 Tuff Miles in February 2010. I know it'll be difficult, but if I stick with my training I'll be fine -- and a lot healthier.
I'm hooked. And each time I go, the harder it is to leave. Maybe someday I'll get to the point where I can give life the finger and stay, but until then I just need to have a ticker at all times! It's been torture not having one since we got back in November!
In 2005, one of my friends started telling me about St. John, and it sounded like heaven to me. The more pictures I looked at, the more I read about it. I was ready to go!
I didn't get there until 2007 (I joined this forum shortly before I left), but I was hooked after my first morning coffee sitting on the deck at Hale Lani. By the third day of our trip, we were already plotting our return in 2008.
In November 2008, I went with a different group of girls (except for one) and we stayed at Tesseract. It was a nice little villa. I tend to enjoy the quaint, older homes more than the new villas that were just built to be vacation rentals.
There's no trip planned for 2009, but we've already booked our 2010 trip. This year I have made a commitment to getting in shape. I've hired a personal trainer and I am currently training for the half-marathon here in Nashville in April. My "reward" for a year of hard work and grueling training is that I am going to St. John and doing 8 Tuff Miles in February 2010. I know it'll be difficult, but if I stick with my training I'll be fine -- and a lot healthier.
I'm hooked. And each time I go, the harder it is to leave. Maybe someday I'll get to the point where I can give life the finger and stay, but until then I just need to have a ticker at all times! It's been torture not having one since we got back in November!
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designbyroe
- Posts: 1348
- Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 1:27 pm
- Location: Chilaxin on White Bay at least in my mind
My love affair started in 1981. My mom and dad worked for Eastern which was the airline of the Caribbean at that time.
My mom took me since they had honeymooned in San Juan and she loved STT. I had read all about STJ being just camping and that sounded cool.
I came and I fell.
Once you are 16 which I was, Eastern gives you a pass book as a dependent of an employee.
I came at least 5 times a yr
I even applied to to UVI and got accepted.
My dad said UNless I was planning on being Jacquie Cousteau NO WAY!!!
So I just went to college locally and came all the time for carnival in particular and just to be.
I moved on island in 2003, fell in love and planned to spend my life on island teaching pilates.
My mom took ill with cancer, I went back stateside and my hubby passed while I was off island.
My mom passed a yr later.
Being that Ivan is my father in law (pretty much) since he is Bully's dad I come back as often as I can.
I left in 2005 but have been back
2005
2008 in March and in Nov
2009 am hoping for June.
As I said in a previous post, if I had an extra $50,000 I would buy Gym in Paradise and come back.
I know I will be back and for good some time......
Captn Phil told me when my mom took ill 'St. John is not going anywhere. Go take care of her and we will all be here when you return'......
It is the people and the pace and just the vibe that is all St. John....that is what keeps me coming back.
My heart and soul met for the first time when I moved on island in 2003
My mom took me since they had honeymooned in San Juan and she loved STT. I had read all about STJ being just camping and that sounded cool.
I came and I fell.
Once you are 16 which I was, Eastern gives you a pass book as a dependent of an employee.
I came at least 5 times a yr
I even applied to to UVI and got accepted.
My dad said UNless I was planning on being Jacquie Cousteau NO WAY!!!
So I just went to college locally and came all the time for carnival in particular and just to be.
I moved on island in 2003, fell in love and planned to spend my life on island teaching pilates.
My mom took ill with cancer, I went back stateside and my hubby passed while I was off island.
My mom passed a yr later.
Being that Ivan is my father in law (pretty much) since he is Bully's dad I come back as often as I can.
I left in 2005 but have been back
2005
2008 in March and in Nov
2009 am hoping for June.
As I said in a previous post, if I had an extra $50,000 I would buy Gym in Paradise and come back.
I know I will be back and for good some time......
Captn Phil told me when my mom took ill 'St. John is not going anywhere. Go take care of her and we will all be here when you return'......
It is the people and the pace and just the vibe that is all St. John....that is what keeps me coming back.
My heart and soul met for the first time when I moved on island in 2003
Last edited by designbyroe on Mon Jan 19, 2009 3:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
There's no $ sign on a peace of mind, this I've come to know
Our first trip was our honeymoon in ’95.
We both are beach people so we knew we were heading south and the Caribbean seemed like a good choice. Hawaii and points west were too far as we only had a one week of vacation.
A friend of the family spends weeks every year traveling all over the world diving and he helped us narrow our selection down to a few islands, one of them being STJ. If memory serves me correctly, Bonaire was also in the running but summer flights were hard to schedule and expensive.
Then my boss at the time mentioned they visited STJ a few times and that his wife always wanted to stay at a place called Caneel Bay.
We looked into it and loved what we saw. At the time, the full package of summer lodging, transfers, meals, and activities combined with the cost of airfare was not that expensive compared to other options.
It was incredible all the way around and completely spoiled us forever.
The lack of A/C (at the time) and phones delighted us. I remember calling my mom from under a palm tree by Caneel Beach.
The louvers and fans made it feel like we were sleeping directly on the beach. We could hear the water lapping and the palms rustling in the wind. It was paradise.
We rented a jeep for Penn’s, the Lady Bird. Hubs and the guy in the office spent a great deal of time discussing the cost of building supplies (we are in the business) and island construction.
Hubs is a great one for exploring. We hauled all over the island and likely hit every watering hole and road side stand that week.
It was a wonderful vacation/honeymoon in every way.
We both are beach people so we knew we were heading south and the Caribbean seemed like a good choice. Hawaii and points west were too far as we only had a one week of vacation.
A friend of the family spends weeks every year traveling all over the world diving and he helped us narrow our selection down to a few islands, one of them being STJ. If memory serves me correctly, Bonaire was also in the running but summer flights were hard to schedule and expensive.
Then my boss at the time mentioned they visited STJ a few times and that his wife always wanted to stay at a place called Caneel Bay.
We looked into it and loved what we saw. At the time, the full package of summer lodging, transfers, meals, and activities combined with the cost of airfare was not that expensive compared to other options.
It was incredible all the way around and completely spoiled us forever.
The lack of A/C (at the time) and phones delighted us. I remember calling my mom from under a palm tree by Caneel Beach.
The louvers and fans made it feel like we were sleeping directly on the beach. We could hear the water lapping and the palms rustling in the wind. It was paradise.
We rented a jeep for Penn’s, the Lady Bird. Hubs and the guy in the office spent a great deal of time discussing the cost of building supplies (we are in the business) and island construction.
Hubs is a great one for exploring. We hauled all over the island and likely hit every watering hole and road side stand that week.
It was a wonderful vacation/honeymoon in every way.