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10 more days in paradise, part one
10 more days in paradise, part one
St. John February 2016
Where we stayed: Villa Aurora, Caneel Bay
Where we snorkeled: Kiddle Bay, Haulover North, Hansen Bay/Pelican Rock, Maho Bay, Caneel Beach, Scott Beach
Where we dined: Turtle Bay Estate House, Shipwreck Landing, Miss Lucy’s, Waterfront Bistro, Extra Virgin Bistro, Caneel Bay Sushi Bar, Rhumblines, Caneel Beach Terrace, Zozos, Asolare, Vista Mare, Virgin Fire, Cruz Bay Landing, La Tapa
Jeep Rental: Denzil Clyne, 2-door Wrangler
Day one: Yup, it is on season.
yacht by liamsaunt, on Flickr
We arrived at Caneel Bay at about 5PM. We were assigned room 100 in the Turtle Bay Estate House. This was the only room we had not previously stayed in at the Estate House. It was a nice room with pretty views out to the water through the trees and a large patio with umbrella, tables and chairs.
St. John by liamsaunt, on Flickr
We were greeted with complimentary champagne, soda, rum and water in the room on arrival. We left the rum and soda but the champagne and water were much appreciated.
We had an 8PM reservation for dinner at Turtle Bay Estate House. Despite all of our times staying at Caneel, this was our first time dining here. The Estate House is closed in the summer, and on previous winter visits, the menu just did not look that interesting. However, they have a new menu now, with some nice fish options, so we decided to give it a try. Here is a link to the current menu:
http://www.caneelbay.com/d/caneelbay/me ... r_Menu.pdf
I apologize in advance, but I did not bring my camera to this dinner since we had never dined here before, and I was not sure if photography would be frowned on or not. It turned out that I would not have been able to take pictures anyway as we were seated next to a VIP who I am sure would have thought I was trying to get their photo instead of pictures of my dinner. Don’t worry lots of food photos are coming later.
We were very pleased with our meals here, the fish was incredibly fresh and perfectly cooked. The setting is lovely and the service was very good. We were tired after travel so just went to sleep after dinner.
Day two
We woke up to find that the swells had come in overnight. No snorkeling at Turtle Bay Beach today!
St. John by liamsaunt, on Flickr
Breakfast was included in our rate at Caneel, so we headed to the buffet at Turtle Bay Estate House. It is identical to the breakfast at the Beach Terrace, but a lot less crowded. After breakfast we checked out of our room and then headed to the beach. It was too rough to snorkel, so we just hung out and read books on Scott Beach.
St. John by liamsaunt, on Flickr
Could not resist buying this sea bag I found in the gift shop. I have five sea bags now Some ladies collect designer purses, I collect sea bags
St. John by liamsaunt, on Flickr
We had lunch at the Caneel Bay Sushi Bar. Like the Estate House, the Sushi Bar has a new chef and a new menu. I liked the old menu, but the new menu is also very good.
Tuna Island Salad
caneel caribbean salad by liamsaunt, on Flickr
Tuna Niashi
caneel tuna by liamsaunt, on Flickr
Yellowtail koi
caneel yellowtail by liamsaunt, on Flickr
Geisha Roll
caneel geisha roll closeup by liamsaunt, on Flickr
St. John roll
caneel st john roll by liamsaunt, on Flickr
After lunch we headed in to town to pick up our jeep from Denzil Clyne and meet the greeter from Catered To so we could get in to Villa Aurora. Aurora is located on Contant Point. It is a 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath home with a pool and extensive outdoor space. It is an older home, but well maintained. It has incredible landscaping filled with flowers and fruit trees. I counted at least four mango trees. Too bad it was not mango season or we could have feasted (assuming we could beat the birds and bats to the ripe fruit).
aurora flowers by liamsaunt, on Flickr
All of the bedrooms are private from each other, which would be nice for couples. One drawback is that all are accessed via outside, and two are down an outdoor staircase. Three of the four have outdoor showers. The master bedroom outdoor shower, however, could only be used by someone who does not mind the fact that there is no privacy barrier and it looks directly over Great Cruz Bay, the homes on the right side, and the boats in the bay. There is an indoor shower in the master too for the less exhibitionist types.
aurora caterpillar 2 by liamsaunt, on Flickr
We actually ended up choosing a bedroom on the upper level rather than the master because I did not want to go down the outside stairs in the dark. This room had very nice views out to Pillsbury Sound and into Great Cruz Bay, and was almost the same size as the master. We had access to the full house and were allowed to choose whatever bedroom we wanted. I noticed that the other lower level bedroom was set up apartment style with a complete mini kitchen (including huge ice maker which I did not notice until the last day, darn!) and sitting area.
End of the sunset
aurora flower by liamsaunt, on Flickr
Dinner was at Extra Virgin Bistro. The place was really crowded, with a line out the door when we arrived. This space has been through so many changes since we started coming to St. John (the very much missed wonderful Tage, Hinds, Fatty Crab). I really hope the current owners are able to make their concept stick. We had to wait quite a while past our reservation time, but it was not a problem. The hostess comped us each a cocktail while we waited, which was very nice. Food was really excellent. No pictures as it was too dark.
Day three
North Shore beaches were jammed, so we went off the beaten track to Kiddle Bay. There were 12 people there when we arrived! Usually we would have this bay to ourselves. High season…some snorkel pictures:
kiddle coral by liamsaunt, on Flickr
kiddle night sargant by liamsaunt, on Flickr
kiddle lobster 2 by liamsaunt, on Flickr
We went into town and caught the tail end of brunch at Rhumblines
rhumblins apps by liamsaunt, on Flickr
rhumblines tuna blt by liamsaunt, on Flickr
rhumblines asian chicken salad by liamsaunt, on Flickr
Then picked up some fish at the Fish Trap for grilling back at the villa. This is corvina and Caribbean lobster tail and sauteed Josephine's greens. The shrimp and pasta were leftover from Extra Virgin Bistro.
St. John by liamsaunt, on Flickr
Watching the sunset
johnpool by liamsaunt, on Flickr
Where we stayed: Villa Aurora, Caneel Bay
Where we snorkeled: Kiddle Bay, Haulover North, Hansen Bay/Pelican Rock, Maho Bay, Caneel Beach, Scott Beach
Where we dined: Turtle Bay Estate House, Shipwreck Landing, Miss Lucy’s, Waterfront Bistro, Extra Virgin Bistro, Caneel Bay Sushi Bar, Rhumblines, Caneel Beach Terrace, Zozos, Asolare, Vista Mare, Virgin Fire, Cruz Bay Landing, La Tapa
Jeep Rental: Denzil Clyne, 2-door Wrangler
Day one: Yup, it is on season.
yacht by liamsaunt, on FlickrWe arrived at Caneel Bay at about 5PM. We were assigned room 100 in the Turtle Bay Estate House. This was the only room we had not previously stayed in at the Estate House. It was a nice room with pretty views out to the water through the trees and a large patio with umbrella, tables and chairs.
St. John by liamsaunt, on FlickrWe were greeted with complimentary champagne, soda, rum and water in the room on arrival. We left the rum and soda but the champagne and water were much appreciated.
We had an 8PM reservation for dinner at Turtle Bay Estate House. Despite all of our times staying at Caneel, this was our first time dining here. The Estate House is closed in the summer, and on previous winter visits, the menu just did not look that interesting. However, they have a new menu now, with some nice fish options, so we decided to give it a try. Here is a link to the current menu:
http://www.caneelbay.com/d/caneelbay/me ... r_Menu.pdf
I apologize in advance, but I did not bring my camera to this dinner since we had never dined here before, and I was not sure if photography would be frowned on or not. It turned out that I would not have been able to take pictures anyway as we were seated next to a VIP who I am sure would have thought I was trying to get their photo instead of pictures of my dinner. Don’t worry lots of food photos are coming later.
We were very pleased with our meals here, the fish was incredibly fresh and perfectly cooked. The setting is lovely and the service was very good. We were tired after travel so just went to sleep after dinner.
Day two
We woke up to find that the swells had come in overnight. No snorkeling at Turtle Bay Beach today!
St. John by liamsaunt, on FlickrBreakfast was included in our rate at Caneel, so we headed to the buffet at Turtle Bay Estate House. It is identical to the breakfast at the Beach Terrace, but a lot less crowded. After breakfast we checked out of our room and then headed to the beach. It was too rough to snorkel, so we just hung out and read books on Scott Beach.
St. John by liamsaunt, on FlickrCould not resist buying this sea bag I found in the gift shop. I have five sea bags now Some ladies collect designer purses, I collect sea bags
St. John by liamsaunt, on FlickrWe had lunch at the Caneel Bay Sushi Bar. Like the Estate House, the Sushi Bar has a new chef and a new menu. I liked the old menu, but the new menu is also very good.
Tuna Island Salad
caneel caribbean salad by liamsaunt, on FlickrTuna Niashi
caneel tuna by liamsaunt, on FlickrYellowtail koi
caneel yellowtail by liamsaunt, on FlickrGeisha Roll
caneel geisha roll closeup by liamsaunt, on FlickrSt. John roll
caneel st john roll by liamsaunt, on FlickrAfter lunch we headed in to town to pick up our jeep from Denzil Clyne and meet the greeter from Catered To so we could get in to Villa Aurora. Aurora is located on Contant Point. It is a 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath home with a pool and extensive outdoor space. It is an older home, but well maintained. It has incredible landscaping filled with flowers and fruit trees. I counted at least four mango trees. Too bad it was not mango season or we could have feasted (assuming we could beat the birds and bats to the ripe fruit).
aurora flowers by liamsaunt, on FlickrAll of the bedrooms are private from each other, which would be nice for couples. One drawback is that all are accessed via outside, and two are down an outdoor staircase. Three of the four have outdoor showers. The master bedroom outdoor shower, however, could only be used by someone who does not mind the fact that there is no privacy barrier and it looks directly over Great Cruz Bay, the homes on the right side, and the boats in the bay. There is an indoor shower in the master too for the less exhibitionist types.
aurora caterpillar 2 by liamsaunt, on FlickrWe actually ended up choosing a bedroom on the upper level rather than the master because I did not want to go down the outside stairs in the dark. This room had very nice views out to Pillsbury Sound and into Great Cruz Bay, and was almost the same size as the master. We had access to the full house and were allowed to choose whatever bedroom we wanted. I noticed that the other lower level bedroom was set up apartment style with a complete mini kitchen (including huge ice maker which I did not notice until the last day, darn!) and sitting area.
End of the sunset
aurora flower by liamsaunt, on FlickrDinner was at Extra Virgin Bistro. The place was really crowded, with a line out the door when we arrived. This space has been through so many changes since we started coming to St. John (the very much missed wonderful Tage, Hinds, Fatty Crab). I really hope the current owners are able to make their concept stick. We had to wait quite a while past our reservation time, but it was not a problem. The hostess comped us each a cocktail while we waited, which was very nice. Food was really excellent. No pictures as it was too dark.
Day three
North Shore beaches were jammed, so we went off the beaten track to Kiddle Bay. There were 12 people there when we arrived! Usually we would have this bay to ourselves. High season…some snorkel pictures:
kiddle coral by liamsaunt, on Flickrkiddle night sargant by liamsaunt, on Flickrkiddle lobster 2 by liamsaunt, on FlickrWe went into town and caught the tail end of brunch at Rhumblines
rhumblins apps by liamsaunt, on Flickrrhumblines tuna blt by liamsaunt, on Flickrrhumblines asian chicken salad by liamsaunt, on FlickrThen picked up some fish at the Fish Trap for grilling back at the villa. This is corvina and Caribbean lobster tail and sauteed Josephine's greens. The shrimp and pasta were leftover from Extra Virgin Bistro.
St. John by liamsaunt, on FlickrWatching the sunset
johnpool by liamsaunt, on FlickrIt's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
Re: 10 more days in paradise, part one
Yay- love your reports! Never stayed in Aurora but love Argonauta. Contant is my favorite view. I love in the late afternoon chilling in the pool when the light gets all silvery. Dying to know who the VIP was. Can you tell or are you sworn to secrecy?
Trip report 2009
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... highlight=
Trip report 2008
So good, so good, so good!
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... highlight=
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... highlight=
Trip report 2008
So good, so good, so good!
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... highlight=
Re: 10 more days in paradise, part one
I always enjoy your trip reports and photos! Thanks for sharing.
Re: 10 more days in paradise, part one
Was your VIP Mario Batali? I know he was there recently but not sure if your travel crossed paths.
Re: 10 more days in paradise, part one
No, he was on the island the week before us. John's coworker sat next to him at DaLivio one nightmbw1024 wrote:Was your VIP Mario Batali? I know he was there recently but not sure if your travel crossed paths.
I love Argonauta too. I have stayed there twice.Agent99 wrote:Yay- love your reports! Never stayed in Aurora but love Argonauta. Contant is my favorite view. I love in the late afternoon chilling in the pool when the light gets all silvery. Dying to know who the VIP was. Can you tell or are you sworn to secrecy?
I don't think I will say who the VIP was as they are a very polarizing figure at the moment and I prefer to talk about beaches and food. I will say that it was not Kenny Chesney!
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
Re: 10 more days in paradise, part one
Yey! Love reading your TR's and viewing your photography! I totally agree that the spot where Extra Virgin is tends to close and reopen as a new restaurant every other year. I wonder why that is? Location? We loved Fatty Crab. Come on just give us a slight hint about the VIP 
Can't wait to read the rest!
Can't wait to read the rest!
Re: 10 more days in paradise, part one
I have obviously never met you two, but I love the crap out of you.
Thanks for the photos, as well as the wonderful insight.
My sister and brother in law are on island now,-so jealous with no ticker!
So.....
Who is the VIP?! Give it up, sister!
Thanks again for the first installment of your vacation.
Smiles -
MJ
Thanks for the photos, as well as the wonderful insight.
My sister and brother in law are on island now,-so jealous with no ticker!
So.....
Who is the VIP?! Give it up, sister!
Thanks again for the first installment of your vacation.
Smiles -
MJ
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Kentuckygirl
- Posts: 1903
- Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2006 10:17 am
- Location: Kentucky
Re: 10 more days in paradise, part one
I feel just like Mahojim! It made my day when I saw that you had started another trip report! I too am curious about this VIP
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islandjo2010
- Posts: 406
- Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2009 8:58 am
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Re: 10 more days in paradise, part one
Love your trip reports... Thank you for sharing!
You have us all curious as to who the VIP was!
You have us all curious as to who the VIP was!
Re: 10 more days in paradise, part one
Love your trip report, like taking a mini vacation virtually. Thanks so much for sharing.
Soarin' with the eagles all week long, and this is all that we've learned about living - VACATION!
Re: 10 more days in paradise, part one
Always love your trip reports! Seems there is never enough food porn on the web!
We were on island at the same time. Likely at Haulover North (although we were not blasting music)... we did giggle an awful lot in the water over a little fish who swam along with us on our entire 2.5 hour snorkel adventure!
Your snorkel pictures are always so much fun!
Thanks for the update!
We were on island at the same time. Likely at Haulover North (although we were not blasting music)... we did giggle an awful lot in the water over a little fish who swam along with us on our entire 2.5 hour snorkel adventure!
Your snorkel pictures are always so much fun!
Thanks for the update!
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ColumbiaSCTraveler
- Posts: 528
- Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:33 pm
- Location: Columbia, SC
Re: 10 more days in paradise, part one
YAAAAAAAAY! A trip review from Liam's Aunt!!!!!
I LIVE for your trip reviews!
Okay - what is a sea bag? I must look into this for this year's trip! I'm missing out!
We LOVE Rhumblines (I love their pad thai!), but didn't get to go on our last trip. We went on the one day they're closed....Wednesday, I think. Oh well. We'll get there in a few months!
I LIVE for your trip reviews!
Okay - what is a sea bag? I must look into this for this year's trip! I'm missing out!
We LOVE Rhumblines (I love their pad thai!), but didn't get to go on our last trip. We went on the one day they're closed....Wednesday, I think. Oh well. We'll get there in a few months!
Re: 10 more days in paradise, part one
Happy to see and read your trip report!
Was this trip planned rather last minute? We did that last summer and it was kind of fun. Scrambling (to some degree) to find available accommodations, jeep and plane tickets with JOY - well, for us, anyway.
I'm moving on to read part 2 now...
Was this trip planned rather last minute? We did that last summer and it was kind of fun. Scrambling (to some degree) to find available accommodations, jeep and plane tickets with JOY - well, for us, anyway.
I'm moving on to read part 2 now...