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Trip report: 17 more days in paradise, final
Trip report: 17 more days in paradise, final
Part one: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=25820
Part two: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... =1&t=25842
Part three: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... =1&t=25868
Day 14 July 17
The guys had mentioned that they were in need of a late sleep in this morning, but the ladies were not interested. Instead, we made a plan to have a late jeep and an early jeep and meet up at Salt Pond. Ladies were on the road by 8 AM or so while the guys snoozed away (well, Liam was awake, but he was playing Minecraft. What is that game, anyway? I have watched the kids playing and it makes NO sense to me. They love it.).
We had a leisurely drive over to Salt Pond, arriving around 9 AM. We were the third car in the parking lot. It was a good thing nobody was around when we arrived too, because that meant nobody saw me do my boneheaded move! John and I got a new car a couple of weeks before the trip, and it’s all remote. You don’t put a key in the ignition, and to place it in park you just touch the top of the gearshift. Then you hit another button to turn the engine off. So, I hit the top of the gearshift in the Jeep and took my foot off the brake. Of course the Jeep was still in drive and we headed right for the brush! Luckily I recovered in time to stop the Jeep before we went into the woods, but it was definitely a dumb thing to do. I guess I was TOO relaxed!
Moving on…here we are at Salt Pond. We got a nice shady picnic table at the far side of the beach.
We established base camp. There has been some discussion on this forum about what to do with your stuff on the beach. This time we brought down a pac safe bag. It’s wire mesh lined and then the top locks shut and your run a cable around something to secure it in place. Here’s what it looks like:
My only criticism of it is that there is no backpack strap or handle to make it easy to carry. I put it into a beach tote to bring to the beach. I suppose it’s not 100% theft-proof, but you would need bolt cutters to break into it, and I am counting on the St. John thieves not to be that motivated
We started out by going over to Drunk Bay for some beachcombing.
I found a bunch of sea glass. Caili really enjoyed sifting through the shells and debris. We probably spent about 90 minutes over here poring through stuff.
We came back to the beach to find that the guys still had not shown up, so we snorkeled the left side, which is an easy and pleasant snorkel. Trumpetfish:
Porcupinefish:
Parrotfish:
Elkhorn:
Doctorfish:
Finally the guys arrived at 1:30 PM. But they brought us sandwiches from the Deli Grotto so we were happy to see them. Their late arrival meant that snorkeling Blue Cobblestone was out, but nobody seemed to upset about it. People were in the mood to relax.
We packed up and drove over to Francis Bay for the rest of the afternoon. There were off and on rain showers but most of the weather seemed to go to either side of us. We spent the afternoon floating and relaxing:
We stayed until the sun started to sink and we could hear people on the beach complaining about the no-see-ums attacking. We made a mad dash for the Jeeps and got out of there without too much pain. Back to Kalorama for another improvised dinner of whatever and the sunset.
Sunset:
Sunset afterglow:
Day 15 July 18
We had originally planned to spend this day at Honeymoon and Caneel Bay, finishing up with a sunset sail, but instead woke up to heavy rain. A quick check on Captain John’s Brandi’s very helpful daily weather update on facebook let me know that a tropical wave was passing over and we were in for some nasty weather.
I gave everyone a heads up that storms were coming and to prepare for a possible power outage. Everyone scrambled to shower quickly before the lightning started, and all electronic devices were unplugged from the walls. It didn’t take long for the thunder and lightning to start and it was CRAZY! You could see lightning hitting around us and over on St. Thomas (when we could see STT, at times the rain was so heavy we could not see beyond the property line). The kids were a little freaked out but we survived. We did lose power as expected but it was only out for an hour or two.
As the afternoon approached the rain stopped and the kids were feeling antsy, so we went to town for lunch at Spyglass. We were going to go to Waterfront Bistro but they were closed. Upon arrival at the restaurant we learned that the Marketplace had been struck by lightning and all of the credit card reader systems were down. Luckily we had enough cash on us to enjoy a leisurely lunch.
Conch fritters:
Calamari:
Liam’s burger:
Mahi sandwich with mango salsa:
Egg sandwich:
Asian tuna salad:
And the kids ordered desserts.
Brownie sundae:
Fried key lime pie:
As the kids were finishing dessert my cell phone rang. It was the captain of Spitfire, calling to say that he was going to cancel our sunset sail because there was more weather coming in. He also conveyed the vital information that we had about 10 minutes before the next round of thunder and lightning was going to start. We quickly finished at the restaurant and hightailed it back to Kalorama. I had just put the key into the lock when the weather started back up again.
No sunset tonight, obviously. The rain did stop eventually and we got some quality Happy Hour Tower time in.
Day 16 July 19
We decided to do yesterday’s plan today (minus the sunset sail as they were booked for another party), and so started the day off at Honeymoon Beach.
We rented plastic Adirondack chairs for $5/each for the group from the Honeymoon Hut. The hut seems to be doing decent business. Liam wanted to rent a stand up paddleboard but that was $49 and I had unsuccessfully tried to get him to do it when we were at Caneel and it was free so I said no. Mean Auntie Becky haha.
We snorkeled over to Solomon. It was a little choppy and not the best snorkel we have had in this spot but we saw a few things. Ray with jacks:
Juvenile queen angelfish
Grunts
Elkhorn
After we tired of swimming we went back for more sushi at the Caneel Beach Terrace. The sushi is fantastic here, you should really try it!
This is the Baja California roll:
The volcano roll:
This is a special of the day, tuna poke roll with white and yellowtail tuna:
The kids enjoyed a fruit plate that came with carrot-banana bread and yogurt:
After lunch we snorkeled the right side of Caneel’s public beach. Pair of juvenile French angelfish:
Can you see the flounder?
Parrotfish:
We ended the day at Trunk Bay. I love this beach in the late afternoon, when most people are gone and it is quiet.
Well, sometimes it is quiet. Apparently our 14-year old has a limited time period for relaxing!
Moonrise over palms at Trunk Bay:
One last sunset picture:
Day 17 July 20
Time to go.
Everyone agreed that this trip went by particularly fast and next time we have to stay longer! We packed up and said goodbye to Kalorama then headed in to town to drop the Jeeps and luggage and have lunch before our water taxi.
I turned my Jeep in at St. John Car Rental with no issues, but the oddness continued for John over at Denzil Clyne. Those of you who have rented from them before (as we have) know that they have a $100 “sand fee” if you bring the car back with sand in it. Knowing this, John and Sean took all of the mats out of the car and rinsed them off. But when John brought the Jeep back the man working said that despite the mats being rinsed, there was still sand in the Jeep and he would have to charge him the fee. Then he offered to waive the fee…if John gave him $40 cash. John was just laughing at this point because the whole thing was so bizarre. John opened his wallet but only had $14 in it because I had all the cash with me over at St. John Car Rental. He offered the $14 to the man and after some grumbling, the guy took it. What that is all about we just don’t know. Last time we rented from them they said they were going to charge the “sand fee” too but never did. I guess we just prefer St. John Car Rental!
Moving on…last day’s meal at Banana Deck is a tradition for us. Burger for Liam (Again! We nicknamed him “Cheeseburger in Paradise” this trip:
Chicken tenders:
Mahi sandwich:
We had time for a little shopping at St. John Spice and a few other spots but soon it was time to leave.
Walk of woe Dohm’s water taxi style:
Goodbye St. John:
Summer 2013 favorites:
Beach: Francis
Snorkel: Salt Pond
Restaurant (lunch): Miss Lucy’s
Restaurant (dinner): Zozos
Quote of the trip from Liam: “Thank you for not hogging the awesomeness!”
Will we be back in January? I hope so! But John and I are about to buy a new house, so we will have to see how that decision impacts our vacation budget.
So, until next time, whether it be this winter or next summer, I wish you all amazing vacations in the most beautiful place…
John and Becky
Part two: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... =1&t=25842
Part three: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... =1&t=25868
Day 14 July 17
The guys had mentioned that they were in need of a late sleep in this morning, but the ladies were not interested. Instead, we made a plan to have a late jeep and an early jeep and meet up at Salt Pond. Ladies were on the road by 8 AM or so while the guys snoozed away (well, Liam was awake, but he was playing Minecraft. What is that game, anyway? I have watched the kids playing and it makes NO sense to me. They love it.).
We had a leisurely drive over to Salt Pond, arriving around 9 AM. We were the third car in the parking lot. It was a good thing nobody was around when we arrived too, because that meant nobody saw me do my boneheaded move! John and I got a new car a couple of weeks before the trip, and it’s all remote. You don’t put a key in the ignition, and to place it in park you just touch the top of the gearshift. Then you hit another button to turn the engine off. So, I hit the top of the gearshift in the Jeep and took my foot off the brake. Of course the Jeep was still in drive and we headed right for the brush! Luckily I recovered in time to stop the Jeep before we went into the woods, but it was definitely a dumb thing to do. I guess I was TOO relaxed!
Moving on…here we are at Salt Pond. We got a nice shady picnic table at the far side of the beach.
We established base camp. There has been some discussion on this forum about what to do with your stuff on the beach. This time we brought down a pac safe bag. It’s wire mesh lined and then the top locks shut and your run a cable around something to secure it in place. Here’s what it looks like:
My only criticism of it is that there is no backpack strap or handle to make it easy to carry. I put it into a beach tote to bring to the beach. I suppose it’s not 100% theft-proof, but you would need bolt cutters to break into it, and I am counting on the St. John thieves not to be that motivated
We started out by going over to Drunk Bay for some beachcombing.
I found a bunch of sea glass. Caili really enjoyed sifting through the shells and debris. We probably spent about 90 minutes over here poring through stuff.
We came back to the beach to find that the guys still had not shown up, so we snorkeled the left side, which is an easy and pleasant snorkel. Trumpetfish:
Porcupinefish:
Parrotfish:
Elkhorn:
Doctorfish:
Finally the guys arrived at 1:30 PM. But they brought us sandwiches from the Deli Grotto so we were happy to see them. Their late arrival meant that snorkeling Blue Cobblestone was out, but nobody seemed to upset about it. People were in the mood to relax.
We packed up and drove over to Francis Bay for the rest of the afternoon. There were off and on rain showers but most of the weather seemed to go to either side of us. We spent the afternoon floating and relaxing:
We stayed until the sun started to sink and we could hear people on the beach complaining about the no-see-ums attacking. We made a mad dash for the Jeeps and got out of there without too much pain. Back to Kalorama for another improvised dinner of whatever and the sunset.
Sunset:
Sunset afterglow:
Day 15 July 18
We had originally planned to spend this day at Honeymoon and Caneel Bay, finishing up with a sunset sail, but instead woke up to heavy rain. A quick check on Captain John’s Brandi’s very helpful daily weather update on facebook let me know that a tropical wave was passing over and we were in for some nasty weather.
I gave everyone a heads up that storms were coming and to prepare for a possible power outage. Everyone scrambled to shower quickly before the lightning started, and all electronic devices were unplugged from the walls. It didn’t take long for the thunder and lightning to start and it was CRAZY! You could see lightning hitting around us and over on St. Thomas (when we could see STT, at times the rain was so heavy we could not see beyond the property line). The kids were a little freaked out but we survived. We did lose power as expected but it was only out for an hour or two.
As the afternoon approached the rain stopped and the kids were feeling antsy, so we went to town for lunch at Spyglass. We were going to go to Waterfront Bistro but they were closed. Upon arrival at the restaurant we learned that the Marketplace had been struck by lightning and all of the credit card reader systems were down. Luckily we had enough cash on us to enjoy a leisurely lunch.
Conch fritters:
Calamari:
Liam’s burger:
Mahi sandwich with mango salsa:
Egg sandwich:
Asian tuna salad:
And the kids ordered desserts.
Brownie sundae:
Fried key lime pie:
As the kids were finishing dessert my cell phone rang. It was the captain of Spitfire, calling to say that he was going to cancel our sunset sail because there was more weather coming in. He also conveyed the vital information that we had about 10 minutes before the next round of thunder and lightning was going to start. We quickly finished at the restaurant and hightailed it back to Kalorama. I had just put the key into the lock when the weather started back up again.
No sunset tonight, obviously. The rain did stop eventually and we got some quality Happy Hour Tower time in.
Day 16 July 19
We decided to do yesterday’s plan today (minus the sunset sail as they were booked for another party), and so started the day off at Honeymoon Beach.
We rented plastic Adirondack chairs for $5/each for the group from the Honeymoon Hut. The hut seems to be doing decent business. Liam wanted to rent a stand up paddleboard but that was $49 and I had unsuccessfully tried to get him to do it when we were at Caneel and it was free so I said no. Mean Auntie Becky haha.
We snorkeled over to Solomon. It was a little choppy and not the best snorkel we have had in this spot but we saw a few things. Ray with jacks:
Juvenile queen angelfish
Grunts
Elkhorn
After we tired of swimming we went back for more sushi at the Caneel Beach Terrace. The sushi is fantastic here, you should really try it!
This is the Baja California roll:
The volcano roll:
This is a special of the day, tuna poke roll with white and yellowtail tuna:
The kids enjoyed a fruit plate that came with carrot-banana bread and yogurt:
After lunch we snorkeled the right side of Caneel’s public beach. Pair of juvenile French angelfish:
Can you see the flounder?
Parrotfish:
We ended the day at Trunk Bay. I love this beach in the late afternoon, when most people are gone and it is quiet.
Well, sometimes it is quiet. Apparently our 14-year old has a limited time period for relaxing!
Moonrise over palms at Trunk Bay:
One last sunset picture:
Day 17 July 20
Time to go.
Everyone agreed that this trip went by particularly fast and next time we have to stay longer! We packed up and said goodbye to Kalorama then headed in to town to drop the Jeeps and luggage and have lunch before our water taxi.I turned my Jeep in at St. John Car Rental with no issues, but the oddness continued for John over at Denzil Clyne. Those of you who have rented from them before (as we have) know that they have a $100 “sand fee” if you bring the car back with sand in it. Knowing this, John and Sean took all of the mats out of the car and rinsed them off. But when John brought the Jeep back the man working said that despite the mats being rinsed, there was still sand in the Jeep and he would have to charge him the fee. Then he offered to waive the fee…if John gave him $40 cash. John was just laughing at this point because the whole thing was so bizarre. John opened his wallet but only had $14 in it because I had all the cash with me over at St. John Car Rental. He offered the $14 to the man and after some grumbling, the guy took it. What that is all about we just don’t know. Last time we rented from them they said they were going to charge the “sand fee” too but never did. I guess we just prefer St. John Car Rental!
Moving on…last day’s meal at Banana Deck is a tradition for us. Burger for Liam (Again! We nicknamed him “Cheeseburger in Paradise” this trip:
Chicken tenders:
Mahi sandwich:
We had time for a little shopping at St. John Spice and a few other spots but soon it was time to leave.
Walk of woe Dohm’s water taxi style:
Goodbye St. John:
Summer 2013 favorites:
Beach: Francis
Snorkel: Salt Pond
Restaurant (lunch): Miss Lucy’s
Restaurant (dinner): Zozos
Quote of the trip from Liam: “Thank you for not hogging the awesomeness!”
Will we be back in January? I hope so! But John and I are about to buy a new house, so we will have to see how that decision impacts our vacation budget.
So, until next time, whether it be this winter or next summer, I wish you all amazing vacations in the most beautiful place…
John and Becky
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
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smilesfromMN
- Posts: 141
- Joined: Mon Jan 01, 2007 10:19 am
- Location: MN
Re: Trip report: 17 more days in paradise, final
Thank you! Love your trip reports - perfect mix of words & pics for me.
The Mine Craft thing made me laugh out loud. We have 11 & 8 yr old sons... Mine Craft has taken over our world - and the world of every family we know!
The Mine Craft thing made me laugh out loud. We have 11 & 8 yr old sons... Mine Craft has taken over our world - and the world of every family we know!
Re: Trip report: 17 more days in paradise, final
Fabulous trip report & photos, as always!!
It was especially great to hear about your experience of STJ with Liam & Calli, because we're taking our 10-year-old niece to STJ for the first time next week! (And yes, she's addicted to Minecraft too, and I just don't get it either!) Maybe she'll build a Minecraft Maho Bay when she gets back
It was especially great to hear about your experience of STJ with Liam & Calli, because we're taking our 10-year-old niece to STJ for the first time next week! (And yes, she's addicted to Minecraft too, and I just don't get it either!) Maybe she'll build a Minecraft Maho Bay when she gets back
Re: Trip report: 17 more days in paradise, final
Excellent food porn pictures!
I guess new house = bigger kitchen?
I guess new house = bigger kitchen?
Re: Trip report: 17 more days in paradise, final
Just what I was wondering! Congrats on the new house!PA Girl wrote:
I guess new house = bigger kitchen?
Re: Trip report: 17 more days in paradise, final
Nice! Thanks, but not a good idea to view all those food shots before lunch...and I really like that shot of Salt Pond...
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
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GotToGetAway
- Posts: 396
- Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2011 10:55 pm
- Location: FL
Re: Trip report: 17 more days in paradise, final
I really enjoyed all 4 parts of your report! Gorgeous pictures!
I love how you name all the fish. But, I'm curious if you know when your snorkeling what each of them are, or do you have to look them up after seeing your pictures?
I love how you name all the fish. But, I'm curious if you know when your snorkeling what each of them are, or do you have to look them up after seeing your pictures?
Tickerless
Re: Trip report: 17 more days in paradise, final
Have really enjoyed your trip reports. --I am jealous of the 17 days you spent on vacation. I do have a couple questions if you have time. --We have only been able to spend more than 7 or 8 days on St John one time and that was for 10 days. It was wonderful as we didn't feel quite as rushed and the mid week countdown of days til vacay is over was not nearly as dreaded. It has always been a dream to go down for a month or so at least one time. My question is: How was it to be on island for that length of time. Did you feel like it was too long to be away from home, work, family, friends, church etc or did time fly like when you are only there for a week? Also, what do you do with your house, pets etc for that length of time. That has been one logistical point I am not sure how to solve. Do you board the pets and shut the house down or do you have a long term house sitter in, which seems like a pretty long time to have someone live in your house. Any way, just curious. Anyone with any advise?
Re: Trip report: 17 more days in paradise, final
New kitchen will definitely be larger than the current closet. BTW I have been trying to pm you for a couple of days with some info about the villa, and have been having problems. If you don't get something from me in the next few days ping me to remind me.PA Girl wrote:Excellent food porn pictures!
I guess new house = bigger kitchen?
I know what most of them are, just because I have spent lots of time snorkeling and studying the Humann guides. I bring those guides with me every trip and usually take the time to cross reference them if I am uncertain before posting my report. Though sometimes I am lazy and don't bother and then the true pros at fish ID like Pickle and Maggy id the ones I label wrongGotToGetAway wrote: I love how you name all the fish. But, I'm curious if you know when your snorkeling what each of them are, or do you have to look them up after seeing your pictures?
dhanc1: I never feel like it is too long! John and I get generous vacation from our employers so a two-week or so stint out of the office is OK. We also try to take advantage of weekends and holidays to extend our trips without taking extra days off from work. This past trip, flying on the 4th meant we were out of our offices for 10 days.
I don't have pets due to allergies. I can definitely see how being gone that long would be a problem for a pet--that's a long time for a furry friend to be kenneled. As far as the house, I am lucky in that I have multiple family members that live in my town and they rotate keeping an eye on my house for me, do any needed household chores and stay over when we are not there if needed etc.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
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EagleRayLover
- Posts: 1474
- Joined: Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:56 pm
- Location: St. John -WooHoo!!
Re: Trip report: 17 more days in paradise, final
Another great summary of what appears to be an awesome trip! So glad we got to visit a little! Hopefully next time, we can spend a little more time together when Steve is here!
Leslie, Kids Night In Babysitting
Re: Trip report: 17 more days in paradise, final
Thank you so much for taking the time to do your reports. I know many of us wish we could be adopted by you and John! ☺. I hope you do go in January so we can read another report! Good Luck with the new house.
Re: Trip report: 17 more days in paradise, final
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your photos and report! You truly have an artistic eye for photography ( and your taste in cocktails is not too shabby! ). I am very jealous of all that you "accomplished". My family's idea of vacation is laying in a/c watching tv with short beach and food breaks. I need new travel partners!
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Myheart'sinSTJ
- Posts: 363
- Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2012 7:02 pm
- Location: New London, PA
Re: Trip report: 17 more days in paradise, final
Such an amazing trip report, so detailed, intriguing and just love the pics and descriptions, best of luck buying the new house and I hope you can manage the January trip instead of waiting a year, that would be torture!
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ColumbiaSCTraveler
- Posts: 528
- Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:33 pm
- Location: Columbia, SC
Re: Trip report: 17 more days in paradise, final
What a great grand finale.
We have GOT to branch out. We've been to Salt Pond and Honeymoon and Caneel, but have YET to snorkel there. (I think we tried to snorkel Salt Pond one year, but it was too murky from a storm.) We rely too heavily on our old faves - Maho, Francis, Gibney, Hawksnest, etc.
So happy for y'all and your new home! Congrats!
Thanks again for sharing y'alls trip with us!
We have GOT to branch out. We've been to Salt Pond and Honeymoon and Caneel, but have YET to snorkel there. (I think we tried to snorkel Salt Pond one year, but it was too murky from a storm.) We rely too heavily on our old faves - Maho, Francis, Gibney, Hawksnest, etc.
So happy for y'all and your new home! Congrats!
Thanks again for sharing y'alls trip with us!
Re: Trip report: 17 more days in paradise, final
Hmmm, don't know why I haven't got your messages. I just pm-Ed you. We were with our friends tonight talking about our next STJ trip.