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Trip Report 2/25 - 3/3
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michigancouple
- Posts: 609
- Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:37 pm
- Location: West Michigan
Trip Report 2/25 - 3/3
I've always thought I'd do a trip report but somehow never get around to it. So here goes... I'm sure it's not as descriptive and entertaining as some, but hopefully it will be nice to read anyway.
Our direct flight from Chicago arrived on time and we took the 5:00 ferry from Red Hook. The property manager from the VRBO condo we rented was waiting for us at the dock and drove us to Grande Bay. We had given them our grocery list prior to arrival, so the condo was stocked with our groceries. We quickly settled in and then headed to the Beach Bar for dinner and a couple of drinks. We stopped by the Quiet Mon for a night cap and to tell them how happy we were that they were open! We were tired early so it was back to the condo for the night.
On Sunday there were no ships in port so we figured it would be a good day to go to Trunk Bay. We don't drive on island, so we packed up the cooler and our beach bag and walked to town for a cab. Trunk was fabulous. A quick rain shower about 1 hour into our stay had some people running for their vehicles. I don¡¦t know why they do that... you're at the beach and getting wet in the water already...right? Anyway, once a few folks left we walked over to the right side and had the beach area there pretty much to ourselves. We bought lunch from the grill and enjoyed our afternoon. I snorkeled around a few times and enjoyed seeing the underwater world once again.
I also made a sandman to let the friends back home know we were thinking of them.
Monday we just kind of had a relaxing day by the pool at Grande Bay.
Spent a few hours wandering around Cruz Bay. We took a sunset sail on Calypso. There were only 7 passengers, so we really enjoyed the nice ride without a big crowd. The sunset was beautiful.
Hit the hot tub later with a couple of frosty beverages. The stars and sky were so pretty.
Tuesday we walked around the area a little. We went to Frank Bay and poked around there for a while and then spent some more time at the pool. We got fresh fish at FishTrap and grilled at the condo that night. The mahi mahi was melt in your mouth yummy.
Wednesday we went to Cinnamon Bay. Walked both directions up and down the beach. We really enjoyed this beach too, but it was a bit windy at times. We moved our chairs kind of into a little cove and the breeze was much calmer. It was fun and entertaining watching the people on the sailboats and windsurfers.
In the afternoon we took the Charlotte Amalie ferry and did some shopping on St Thomas. There were a bunch of ships in that day but really the shopping at Havensite wasn't bad at all. Maybe the people were already getting back on their ships by our 3:30 arrival. We took a cab back to Red Hook and wandered around there for awhile and then went to happy hour at Island Time Pub for one of their great pizzas!
Thursday we did our annual Magen's Bay Day! The beach was crowded with cruise shippers when we got there. We found a spot on the beach and settled in for the day. People watching is a fun sport. We had brought our own cooler of drinks and we got the most delicious sandwiches from their snack bar. By about 2:00 most of the folks had left the beach. And by 4:00 it was nearly empty. If anyone reading this review is a person who will be on St Thomas for a day on a cruise stop, I would highly advise you to shop first, then get your cab to Magen's Bay around noon and spend the rest of your day there. I guess most people must beach first and then shop. There was a group of 2 couples that sat near us on the beach. They said they thought the beach would be more crowded. I told them they were the smart ones who showed up after lunch rather than earlier in the day.
Early in the day pic:
End of the day pic:
Friday we went to Hawksnest and spent the morning there. Not too crowded early, but more folks came along later on. We headed back to the condo, got cleaned up and walked around Cruz Bay again, stopping again at Quiet Mon and a few other watering holes for drinks. We bought fresh fish from one of the charter captains and enjoyed grilling again that evening.
Saturday we woke up early and packed up.
We spent a couple of hours at the pool and then we walked into town and had a nice lunch and said our good-byes to a few folks we had met along the way. We took the 1:00 ferry and were at the airport by shortly after 2:00. We waited and waited at the United check-in. Come to find out, their system was down because of the United/Continental merger. We were the lucky travelers to choose the first full day of the total computer system integration as our going home day. We finally got through check-in, took an offer for a porter at that point and happily walked past the rest of the really long lines to the customs desk. Got through all that and boarded the plane. Sat for just over an hour on the plane due to more computer issues and then finally took off back toward Chicago. United did turn on free Direct TV for everyone though, so we were at least entertained with that. We were flying into headwinds so the flight took an extra 45 minutes. No worries for us, we didn't have a connection to worry about.
Every trip we take just keeps getting better and better and we are definitely hooked. Maybe that is the true meaning of the hook bracelets! You start wearing one when you're hooked on the islands
Our direct flight from Chicago arrived on time and we took the 5:00 ferry from Red Hook. The property manager from the VRBO condo we rented was waiting for us at the dock and drove us to Grande Bay. We had given them our grocery list prior to arrival, so the condo was stocked with our groceries. We quickly settled in and then headed to the Beach Bar for dinner and a couple of drinks. We stopped by the Quiet Mon for a night cap and to tell them how happy we were that they were open! We were tired early so it was back to the condo for the night.
On Sunday there were no ships in port so we figured it would be a good day to go to Trunk Bay. We don't drive on island, so we packed up the cooler and our beach bag and walked to town for a cab. Trunk was fabulous. A quick rain shower about 1 hour into our stay had some people running for their vehicles. I don¡¦t know why they do that... you're at the beach and getting wet in the water already...right? Anyway, once a few folks left we walked over to the right side and had the beach area there pretty much to ourselves. We bought lunch from the grill and enjoyed our afternoon. I snorkeled around a few times and enjoyed seeing the underwater world once again.
I also made a sandman to let the friends back home know we were thinking of them.
Monday we just kind of had a relaxing day by the pool at Grande Bay.
Spent a few hours wandering around Cruz Bay. We took a sunset sail on Calypso. There were only 7 passengers, so we really enjoyed the nice ride without a big crowd. The sunset was beautiful.
Hit the hot tub later with a couple of frosty beverages. The stars and sky were so pretty.
Tuesday we walked around the area a little. We went to Frank Bay and poked around there for a while and then spent some more time at the pool. We got fresh fish at FishTrap and grilled at the condo that night. The mahi mahi was melt in your mouth yummy.
Wednesday we went to Cinnamon Bay. Walked both directions up and down the beach. We really enjoyed this beach too, but it was a bit windy at times. We moved our chairs kind of into a little cove and the breeze was much calmer. It was fun and entertaining watching the people on the sailboats and windsurfers.
In the afternoon we took the Charlotte Amalie ferry and did some shopping on St Thomas. There were a bunch of ships in that day but really the shopping at Havensite wasn't bad at all. Maybe the people were already getting back on their ships by our 3:30 arrival. We took a cab back to Red Hook and wandered around there for awhile and then went to happy hour at Island Time Pub for one of their great pizzas!
Thursday we did our annual Magen's Bay Day! The beach was crowded with cruise shippers when we got there. We found a spot on the beach and settled in for the day. People watching is a fun sport. We had brought our own cooler of drinks and we got the most delicious sandwiches from their snack bar. By about 2:00 most of the folks had left the beach. And by 4:00 it was nearly empty. If anyone reading this review is a person who will be on St Thomas for a day on a cruise stop, I would highly advise you to shop first, then get your cab to Magen's Bay around noon and spend the rest of your day there. I guess most people must beach first and then shop. There was a group of 2 couples that sat near us on the beach. They said they thought the beach would be more crowded. I told them they were the smart ones who showed up after lunch rather than earlier in the day.
Early in the day pic:
End of the day pic:
Friday we went to Hawksnest and spent the morning there. Not too crowded early, but more folks came along later on. We headed back to the condo, got cleaned up and walked around Cruz Bay again, stopping again at Quiet Mon and a few other watering holes for drinks. We bought fresh fish from one of the charter captains and enjoyed grilling again that evening.
Saturday we woke up early and packed up.
We spent a couple of hours at the pool and then we walked into town and had a nice lunch and said our good-byes to a few folks we had met along the way. We took the 1:00 ferry and were at the airport by shortly after 2:00. We waited and waited at the United check-in. Come to find out, their system was down because of the United/Continental merger. We were the lucky travelers to choose the first full day of the total computer system integration as our going home day. We finally got through check-in, took an offer for a porter at that point and happily walked past the rest of the really long lines to the customs desk. Got through all that and boarded the plane. Sat for just over an hour on the plane due to more computer issues and then finally took off back toward Chicago. United did turn on free Direct TV for everyone though, so we were at least entertained with that. We were flying into headwinds so the flight took an extra 45 minutes. No worries for us, we didn't have a connection to worry about.
Every trip we take just keeps getting better and better and we are definitely hooked. Maybe that is the true meaning of the hook bracelets! You start wearing one when you're hooked on the islands
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