usvi-on-line
La Papaya Paradise: Part 7
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suzanna945
- Posts: 108
- Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 7:50 pm
- Location: Boston, Massachusetts
La Papaya Paradise: Part 7
Thursday was our last full day on St. John. The kids had heard us talking about Trunk Bay, and despite having been swimming and snorkeling a lot during the week they still wanted to check it out. We ate breakfast early at the villa, and headed out.
We were among the first people to hit the beach that morning, so we got in without having to pay the entry fee (which really isn't that much, anyway). The friendly lifeguard got there just as we did, and he gave us a nice "Good morning! Welcome to the beach!" as he jogged past us to get to his station. He is a very friendly guy, and we remembered him from the last time we were on Trunk Bay 2 years ago, when a freak storm had been in the Atlantic and caused uncharacteristically big surf there at Trunk. He had been great about keeping close track of the people in the water that day, advising the swimmers and snorkelers about knowing what they could handle, when to come out of the water, etc. It was nice to see his familiar face.
Trunk is beautiful. That early in the morning, when it's practically deserted, it's even better. We set up our stuff under some SeaGrape trees, then hit the water. The only other folks around were the lifeguard, and maybe two other families. The swimming and snorkeling were awesome. We stayed almost all morning, and when it got crowded, packed up and left. People were streaming in when we were walking back to our car.
We drove back to Cruz Bay and went to Deli Grotto for lunch. The Grotto was busy at lunch that day, but not so busy that we couldn't get a table. We also took advantage of their computers set up in the cafe, and we took turns catching up on our email. The charge to use the computer was about $2.00 for 15 minutes. The connection is fast. Lunch was great at the Deli Grotto, as usual. After lunch, we did some more shopping in Mongoose Junction, picking up some last minute T-shirts and stuff.
The rest of the afternoon we spent back at La Papaya, just enjoying the pool, and swimming and sunning.
Later on, as evening came on, the kids said they would like some Chinese food, so my husband and I drove to The Marketplace and ordered take-out from the China Shack. While we waited for the order, we went across the hall and had a martini at the little martini bar there. The martinis were great. They also have a good selection of sake. For anyone into sake, it must be quite a find on a tiny island like St. John to discover a place like that!
We brought the Chinese food back to the villa, and everybody chowed down. After dinner, it was more moonlight swimming in the pool. We spent a long time just enjoying the lights of St. Thomas across the water, swimming in the pool in the soft night air. It was kind of sad that it would be our last night on St. John, but we knew it had to come to an end eventually.
The next morning, we all had breakfast together at the big dining table at La Papaya, then went about getting our stuff packed. Our flight wasn't until around 4:00, so we also spent time in the pool, grabbing some last minute tanning time on the patio, and just looking out at the Caribbean and the fantastic view from our spot high in the hills. Then, we came inside, and threw our bathing suits in the dryer while we showered and got dressed for traveling home. (Being able to go home with nothing wet in a suitcase is a great advantage of staying in a private home versus a hotel!) We loaded up the big-ass Jeep Commander, took a long last look, and headed down the hill to go back to the car ferry dock.
Back on St. Thomas, we tried to find parking in Charlotte Amelia so we could grab some lunch before heading to the airport, but after driving around and around and around, we gave up; it seemed that there was not one parking spot to be had anywhere. We drove out to show the kids the campus of the University of the Virgin Islands, as our two new college-freshmen-to-be were curious. Then we headed into the airport and returned the car to Budget.
We figured we'd grab a bite to eat at the little food stand at the airport. We checked in and went through security. What happened next was the only bad part of the trip; the air conditioning at the St. Thomas airport was out, and people were saying that it had been out for several days prior. It had to have been at least 100 degrees inside, with no air circulation at all. There wasn't even an open door to let in any fresh air. We were pretty much stuck, having gone through security already. We waited an hour or so before we could board our flight, sweating our a***s off. I've always been a nervous flier, but when we finally sat down in our seats in the air-conditioned plane, I'd never been so happy to be on an airplane in my life.
In closing, our week on St. John was wonderful. La Papaya was a perfect place for us; just a gorgeous, comfortable tropical paradise with everything we needed for a fantastic stay. We had no complaints or problems at all, and would book this villa again and again. It's truly beautiful.
Thanks to everyone for their comments on my report; I've answered a few people through private messages who have had questions, and I'd be happy to answer any more questions that come to mind. Feel free to PM me or email: suzanna9452000@yahoo.com
At Trunk Bay
Lots of Fish at Trunk
La Papaya
[/img]
We were among the first people to hit the beach that morning, so we got in without having to pay the entry fee (which really isn't that much, anyway). The friendly lifeguard got there just as we did, and he gave us a nice "Good morning! Welcome to the beach!" as he jogged past us to get to his station. He is a very friendly guy, and we remembered him from the last time we were on Trunk Bay 2 years ago, when a freak storm had been in the Atlantic and caused uncharacteristically big surf there at Trunk. He had been great about keeping close track of the people in the water that day, advising the swimmers and snorkelers about knowing what they could handle, when to come out of the water, etc. It was nice to see his familiar face.
Trunk is beautiful. That early in the morning, when it's practically deserted, it's even better. We set up our stuff under some SeaGrape trees, then hit the water. The only other folks around were the lifeguard, and maybe two other families. The swimming and snorkeling were awesome. We stayed almost all morning, and when it got crowded, packed up and left. People were streaming in when we were walking back to our car.
We drove back to Cruz Bay and went to Deli Grotto for lunch. The Grotto was busy at lunch that day, but not so busy that we couldn't get a table. We also took advantage of their computers set up in the cafe, and we took turns catching up on our email. The charge to use the computer was about $2.00 for 15 minutes. The connection is fast. Lunch was great at the Deli Grotto, as usual. After lunch, we did some more shopping in Mongoose Junction, picking up some last minute T-shirts and stuff.
The rest of the afternoon we spent back at La Papaya, just enjoying the pool, and swimming and sunning.
Later on, as evening came on, the kids said they would like some Chinese food, so my husband and I drove to The Marketplace and ordered take-out from the China Shack. While we waited for the order, we went across the hall and had a martini at the little martini bar there. The martinis were great. They also have a good selection of sake. For anyone into sake, it must be quite a find on a tiny island like St. John to discover a place like that!
We brought the Chinese food back to the villa, and everybody chowed down. After dinner, it was more moonlight swimming in the pool. We spent a long time just enjoying the lights of St. Thomas across the water, swimming in the pool in the soft night air. It was kind of sad that it would be our last night on St. John, but we knew it had to come to an end eventually.
The next morning, we all had breakfast together at the big dining table at La Papaya, then went about getting our stuff packed. Our flight wasn't until around 4:00, so we also spent time in the pool, grabbing some last minute tanning time on the patio, and just looking out at the Caribbean and the fantastic view from our spot high in the hills. Then, we came inside, and threw our bathing suits in the dryer while we showered and got dressed for traveling home. (Being able to go home with nothing wet in a suitcase is a great advantage of staying in a private home versus a hotel!) We loaded up the big-ass Jeep Commander, took a long last look, and headed down the hill to go back to the car ferry dock.
Back on St. Thomas, we tried to find parking in Charlotte Amelia so we could grab some lunch before heading to the airport, but after driving around and around and around, we gave up; it seemed that there was not one parking spot to be had anywhere. We drove out to show the kids the campus of the University of the Virgin Islands, as our two new college-freshmen-to-be were curious. Then we headed into the airport and returned the car to Budget.
We figured we'd grab a bite to eat at the little food stand at the airport. We checked in and went through security. What happened next was the only bad part of the trip; the air conditioning at the St. Thomas airport was out, and people were saying that it had been out for several days prior. It had to have been at least 100 degrees inside, with no air circulation at all. There wasn't even an open door to let in any fresh air. We were pretty much stuck, having gone through security already. We waited an hour or so before we could board our flight, sweating our a***s off. I've always been a nervous flier, but when we finally sat down in our seats in the air-conditioned plane, I'd never been so happy to be on an airplane in my life.
In closing, our week on St. John was wonderful. La Papaya was a perfect place for us; just a gorgeous, comfortable tropical paradise with everything we needed for a fantastic stay. We had no complaints or problems at all, and would book this villa again and again. It's truly beautiful.
Thanks to everyone for their comments on my report; I've answered a few people through private messages who have had questions, and I'd be happy to answer any more questions that come to mind. Feel free to PM me or email: suzanna9452000@yahoo.com
At Trunk Bay
Lots of Fish at Trunk
La Papaya
[/img]
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cypressgirl
- Posts: 2178
- Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2006 2:42 pm
- Location: houston
Loved your report. What did your college-bound kids think of USVI??? We have been dying to see it, but just can't pull ourselves away from STJ. We always see it when we land and take off, and always say that we'll come back over to visit USVI. My husband is wanting so bad to come back in Nov. for the Paradise Jam, men and womens college basketball tournament. It is being held at USVI.