Trip Report June 12 - 21, 2013 part 1

[CinnBay]

My husband and I took our sixth trip to St. John. This is the first time we stayed in a previous villa we rented. We loved Caribbean Sunrise located in Privateer Bay on the east end of the island (over the hill from Sloop Jones) so had to stay again this year. Very private, we actually feel like we have the island all to ourselves since another villa is not in sight.

I have to thank the forum for all of the helpful information provided over all the years I lurked on the forum. Items recommended by members that I purchased are (1) Aqua Pac for keeping our valuables safe and dry while we snorkel. Purchased it six years ago and it still works great. (2) Polar Bear cooler, I now have two sizes, one for when it's just the two of us and a larger size when the kids come along, (3) parasheet, prefer it over the neat sheet, and (4) Kiss bag, although not totally theft proof it is a deterrent from someone walking off with the bag.

We are cooler people. We typically pack steaks, pork tenderloin, chicken, bacon and butter. In the past we included frozen cookie dough and single serving hummus. We always stop at Josephine's to get our greens and other items she may have for the week. This year we actually got to meet Josephine and her daughter. I don't mind grilling while on vacation since the villas we rent always have spectacular views. Grilling isn't really cooking for me.

Travel day was uneventful. Car rental is always from Conrad Sutton. I know that some people have had a bad experience with the Sutton's but we have never had a problem and their jeeps are always in good condition. Our first stop is always St. John Spice to get Kiss of the Jumbie coffee, Cruz Bay Grill Rub, and nutmeg for our painkillers. We also bought the VIOL/ACC bracelets but never saw anyone else wearing them the entire time we were on island. Then off to the Lumberyard to get our water from St. John water . . .it's cheaper than buying it at the grocery store. Our final stop is Starfish market to get more groceries for the week. Returning to Caribbean Sunrise was like coming home. I now understand why some people return to the same villas.

Our first full day on island was to Little Lameshur.

hat at little lameshur.jpg (4.84 KiB) Viewed 139936 times

Then explored the ruins.

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lameshure ruin.jpg (3.33 KiB) Viewed 139936 times

Apparently when posting pictures directly from your computer you can only upload 5 pictures at a time. So I will have to continue my report in another post.

[CinnBay]

Cool plant at the ruins, I think it's an agave plant. Look at how large it is.

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Lameshur wildlife.

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[CinnBay]

Just a few more pictures from our first day on island. Sunset over Coral Bay and Privateer Bay on the other side of the mountain (home for the week). Also watched a storm blow in from the BVI.

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[ColumbiaSCTraveler]

Enjoying your trip report so far!
Gorgeous villa!
I forgot how pretty Little Lameshur is! Adding that to this year's list, too!
Our first stop are the same - St. John Spice, then St. John Ice to stock up on [8] gallons of water, which we refill constantly.
Looking forward to more!

[dreamshark]

When I click on your first thumbnail (Lameshur Beach) it expands to a larger pic. The rest of them don't expand, so all I can see is the thumbnail. Did you do something different with the first pic?

Trying to figure this out so I can do a trip report of my own. I find image handling on this forum to be pretty inscrutable.