usvi-on-line
August Trip
I'm starting not to like you anymoreRickG wrote:We'll be there Spring Break 2008 too!
Just kidding. I am just jealous that you get there so often. I am finding ways that we can go more. You will be drinking with us on at least on one occassion I hope? What to do for Halloween? Are you dressing up? I heard it's something to experience which is why I chose the dates I did.When will I see St John again?
I just plan ahead and the moons have aligned perfectly...
Yes, we will be in party mode and hope to plan some forum partying for Halloween. All of 6 of will be in costume. We'll need to figure out when the big costume night will be. Morgan's and The Beach Bar have costume contests.
Cheers, RickG
Yes, we will be in party mode and hope to plan some forum partying for Halloween. All of 6 of will be in costume. We'll need to figure out when the big costume night will be. Morgan's and The Beach Bar have costume contests.
Cheers, RickG
S/V Echoes - Coral Bay - St. John, VI
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St. John Lover
- Posts: 245
- Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:14 pm
- Location: Chicago
Hi Chuck,
Your vacation dream is identical to ours--except add the occasional dip in your own private pool to cool off in-between chapters when reading your book on the deck!
We've been traveling to St. John for more than 15 years and know exactly what we want, and don't want, in our accomodations, location, beaches, restaurants etc.
Having said that, here's our 2 cents--
We always stay in the Cruz Bay area because we are SUNSET not sunrise people (sunrises would be lost on us whereas sitting on the deck at sunset--and long into the purple haze etching into darkness afterwards--with the person, or people, you love and hearing the tree frogs start singing & then watching all the lights come on--that's our idea of heaven.
Ok, not our only idea of heaven--St. John has many more 'heaven-fulfillment' options for us which is why we keep returning.
We also far prefer the Cruz Bay area because it is closest to our favorite grocery stores & restaurants. One of the other posters had mentioned paved roads & lights but trust me, we were just there, and there are NOT street lights on the hilly, twisty, dark mountainy drive between Coral Bay & Cruz Bay. When we went out to Sweet Plantains (Coral Bay) one night, we each only had 2 glasses of wine but still it sure seemed like a LONG hard drive home; one we did NOT want to repeat. The restaurant was good but IMHO could not hold a candle to the quality and relative value of the outstanding meals we've consistently had at La Tapa and Tage and Lime Inn.
Thirdly, we vastly prefer the National Park Beaches, especially those closer to Cruz Bay. Hawksnest, Honeymoon, Scott, Gibney, Salomen, Trunk, Cinnamon are all incredible beaches for their silky sand, easy entree to the water, crystal clear water with nice sandy bottom, great snorkeling out around the cays or on the drop off of the reefs or far out on the sides. Trunk & Cinnamon also offer food & showers. All but Cinnamon are less than 15 minutes from the places we stay in Cruz Bay; they'd be 25-30 mins from Coral Bay.
Fourth, we have a LONG travel day to get to St. John (about 13 hours door-to-door if everything goes right) and I just would NOT want to add another 30-40 minute trip out to Coral Bay on to that. Plus, if we'd have to come all the way back to Cruz Bay to do the paperwork for the car rental, there's another couple hours of vacation time shot. Again, please remember, this is our own personal perspective.
Finally, when looking for accomodations, no matter what location you choose, here are what we always look for (many of these criteria do add to the cost):
incredible views are an absolute must
private pool has become a must
privacy in general is very nice
a/c in the bedrooms
something to play music on
VERY clean & well-kept
washer/dryer
tv with dvd player/cable is nice but not essential
That's about it. I'm chuckling as I write this though. When we first started coming to St. John, we fell in love with it because it really, really helped us to escape all the stress of our lives and, for a short time at least, helped us to live differently. In part because, back then, NO place had a/c, telephones, or television; cellphones didn't work out there then, of course no internet; and many places didn't even have keys--or at least keys that worked!
I guess we've come a long way???
Your vacation dream is identical to ours--except add the occasional dip in your own private pool to cool off in-between chapters when reading your book on the deck!
We've been traveling to St. John for more than 15 years and know exactly what we want, and don't want, in our accomodations, location, beaches, restaurants etc.
Having said that, here's our 2 cents--
We always stay in the Cruz Bay area because we are SUNSET not sunrise people (sunrises would be lost on us whereas sitting on the deck at sunset--and long into the purple haze etching into darkness afterwards--with the person, or people, you love and hearing the tree frogs start singing & then watching all the lights come on--that's our idea of heaven.
Ok, not our only idea of heaven--St. John has many more 'heaven-fulfillment' options for us which is why we keep returning.
We also far prefer the Cruz Bay area because it is closest to our favorite grocery stores & restaurants. One of the other posters had mentioned paved roads & lights but trust me, we were just there, and there are NOT street lights on the hilly, twisty, dark mountainy drive between Coral Bay & Cruz Bay. When we went out to Sweet Plantains (Coral Bay) one night, we each only had 2 glasses of wine but still it sure seemed like a LONG hard drive home; one we did NOT want to repeat. The restaurant was good but IMHO could not hold a candle to the quality and relative value of the outstanding meals we've consistently had at La Tapa and Tage and Lime Inn.
Thirdly, we vastly prefer the National Park Beaches, especially those closer to Cruz Bay. Hawksnest, Honeymoon, Scott, Gibney, Salomen, Trunk, Cinnamon are all incredible beaches for their silky sand, easy entree to the water, crystal clear water with nice sandy bottom, great snorkeling out around the cays or on the drop off of the reefs or far out on the sides. Trunk & Cinnamon also offer food & showers. All but Cinnamon are less than 15 minutes from the places we stay in Cruz Bay; they'd be 25-30 mins from Coral Bay.
Fourth, we have a LONG travel day to get to St. John (about 13 hours door-to-door if everything goes right) and I just would NOT want to add another 30-40 minute trip out to Coral Bay on to that. Plus, if we'd have to come all the way back to Cruz Bay to do the paperwork for the car rental, there's another couple hours of vacation time shot. Again, please remember, this is our own personal perspective.
Finally, when looking for accomodations, no matter what location you choose, here are what we always look for (many of these criteria do add to the cost):
incredible views are an absolute must
private pool has become a must
privacy in general is very nice
a/c in the bedrooms
something to play music on
VERY clean & well-kept
washer/dryer
tv with dvd player/cable is nice but not essential
That's about it. I'm chuckling as I write this though. When we first started coming to St. John, we fell in love with it because it really, really helped us to escape all the stress of our lives and, for a short time at least, helped us to live differently. In part because, back then, NO place had a/c, telephones, or television; cellphones didn't work out there then, of course no internet; and many places didn't even have keys--or at least keys that worked!
I guess we've come a long way???
August Trip
THANKS for all the tips - I've copied them all to my Word file on computer. I hope we are able to go this August -- I am SO ready! Thanks -- Chuck in Illinois
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Crazy Otto
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 11:33 am
- Location: Northern Hemisphere