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La Papaya Aug 28 to Sept 2 part 1
La Papaya Aug 28 to Sept 2 part 1
August 28
My wife and I got up at 3:00am to start what would be a very long but happy travel day. We were flying out of Boston Logan Airport on Delta. We had never flown Delta before, but our credit card gives miles for them and we were able to fly first class by trading in 20 plus years of accrued miles. Delta’s terminal at Logan is new and we had never been inside it before today. To get to our departure gate, we had to take an escalator that puts you under the tarmac and make the long trek to Delta’s outer terminal. There are moving sidewalks to help you along, however one section was not working, so we had to hoof it part of the way. Boarding was painless and we left on time as we settled in for breakfast and a short flight to Atlanta where we would get our connection to St. Thomas.
Atlanta’s airport is enormous! We actually took a wrong turn and ended up outside the secure area and had to go through security again. We made it back to our departure gate with plenty of time to spare, so no harm done there. We boarded the plane and once again left on time. We had the grilled chicken for lunch, which was actually pretty good. We were about 30 minutes out of St. Thomas when I asked my wife to close her eyes and I surprised her with a Sterling Silver Pandora bracelet that had her favorite colored stone charm on it, with plans to purchase more charms on St. Thomas.
We landed at 3:00pm without a hitch and with just our carry-on luggage, we quickly made it into the terminal where after 7 visits we finally met up with the rum lady. I made the call to Dependable and within 10 minutes they arrived and whisked us back to their office and got our 4-door Jeep Wrangler. We drove to the Food Center in Red Hook to stock up on provisions and hit the car ferry just right as we left minutes after we drove on. We had bought Red Stripe at the Food Center, but we didn’t buy it cold and were lamenting that fact as we made our way to St. John.
Off the car ferry and onto our villa: La Papaya! It is just a short drive past Starfish Market, up Jacob’s Ladder, past the tree in the road at the Westin, left onto Rock Ridge Road and up one of the steepest switch-backs on our side of the Island. We had stayed here before with our kids and loved it and now it was just the two of us. Walking through the gates, we practically melted at the sight of the pool water sparkling in the late afternoon sun.
We decided to have a dip in the pool before dinner, so armed with a couple of rum drinks we enjoyed the sunset over St. Thomas. We had packed 4 frozen Filet Mignons and cooked them for dinner; we ate two that night and saved the other two for later. After dinner we went for another swim in the pool and listened to the night sounds. It was such a beautiful, clear night we could even make out the lights of St. Croix in the distance. What a perfect way to end our first day on St. John.
My wife and I got up at 3:00am to start what would be a very long but happy travel day. We were flying out of Boston Logan Airport on Delta. We had never flown Delta before, but our credit card gives miles for them and we were able to fly first class by trading in 20 plus years of accrued miles. Delta’s terminal at Logan is new and we had never been inside it before today. To get to our departure gate, we had to take an escalator that puts you under the tarmac and make the long trek to Delta’s outer terminal. There are moving sidewalks to help you along, however one section was not working, so we had to hoof it part of the way. Boarding was painless and we left on time as we settled in for breakfast and a short flight to Atlanta where we would get our connection to St. Thomas.
Atlanta’s airport is enormous! We actually took a wrong turn and ended up outside the secure area and had to go through security again. We made it back to our departure gate with plenty of time to spare, so no harm done there. We boarded the plane and once again left on time. We had the grilled chicken for lunch, which was actually pretty good. We were about 30 minutes out of St. Thomas when I asked my wife to close her eyes and I surprised her with a Sterling Silver Pandora bracelet that had her favorite colored stone charm on it, with plans to purchase more charms on St. Thomas.
We landed at 3:00pm without a hitch and with just our carry-on luggage, we quickly made it into the terminal where after 7 visits we finally met up with the rum lady. I made the call to Dependable and within 10 minutes they arrived and whisked us back to their office and got our 4-door Jeep Wrangler. We drove to the Food Center in Red Hook to stock up on provisions and hit the car ferry just right as we left minutes after we drove on. We had bought Red Stripe at the Food Center, but we didn’t buy it cold and were lamenting that fact as we made our way to St. John.
Off the car ferry and onto our villa: La Papaya! It is just a short drive past Starfish Market, up Jacob’s Ladder, past the tree in the road at the Westin, left onto Rock Ridge Road and up one of the steepest switch-backs on our side of the Island. We had stayed here before with our kids and loved it and now it was just the two of us. Walking through the gates, we practically melted at the sight of the pool water sparkling in the late afternoon sun.
We decided to have a dip in the pool before dinner, so armed with a couple of rum drinks we enjoyed the sunset over St. Thomas. We had packed 4 frozen Filet Mignons and cooked them for dinner; we ate two that night and saved the other two for later. After dinner we went for another swim in the pool and listened to the night sounds. It was such a beautiful, clear night we could even make out the lights of St. Croix in the distance. What a perfect way to end our first day on St. John.
Post Subject
Nicely done Gibber! Love the bracelet idea and it sounds like you're off to a good start. Can't wait to hear more.
Friends, they go away then they re-appear...I believe there is Magic here.
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msgcolleen
- Posts: 1497
- Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:33 am
- Location: Allen, Texas
Ahhhh, the calm before the storm! So glad your travel day went so smoothly but can't wait to hear how you braced for Earl~ 
I've got 2 tickets to paradise~Pack your bags we'll leave tonight!
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needmesomesun
- Posts: 236
- Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 3:51 pm
- Location: Unfortunately, not on St. John
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SOonthebeach
- Posts: 1707
- Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:01 am
- Location: Texas
Gibber - Did you happen to notice Blue Papaya when you drove through the development? We have that one booked for November and I haven't been able to find
any reviews anywhere. It certainly looks nice online, but don't they all? I looked at La Papaya but it was either not large enough or out of the price range for our group. We're still looking for that perfect villa that we want to come back to year after year.
any reviews anywhere. It certainly looks nice online, but don't they all? I looked at La Papaya but it was either not large enough or out of the price range for our group. We're still looking for that perfect villa that we want to come back to year after year.
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SOonthebeach
- Posts: 1707
- Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:01 am
- Location: Texas
Thanks guys! Blue Papaya sure looks nice in the pictures so I'm hoping we enjoy it. We went with that one rather than LaPapaya because it has 4 bathrooms as opposed to 4 1/2. Seems silly, but we have 4 couples and one single and everyone would prefer to have their own bathroom if possible. This way one couple will share just their shower and the single can have the 1/2 bath for everything else. It works out because those 3 wanted a less expensive villa and the rest of us are giving them a price break for sharing because we wanted something nicer. It's not easy pleasing that many people!!