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A Newbie Meets STJ - Day Five
A Newbie Meets STJ - Day Five
Day five... otherwise known as: Hubby's birthday! Happy birthday, ya whipper snapper (can you guess who is older?).
Woke up on day five and it was overcast, but not horribly. It was Halloween. Yes, hubby is a little devil. We had a special breakfast... no Pop Tarts. This time we splurged on bacon and those Pillsbury rolls with the frosting. Cheap and yummy. It was going to be a beach day, we decided. When we went to Trunk Bay, we'd past Maho. I loved the look of it, so we decided to see if we'd find parking. Hubby packed up the cooler with essentials (beer), and off we drove. The second time driving North Beach Road was so much better than the first. I think knowing what to expect and knowing you can actually get through it without toppling over really helps. Hubby was a fantastic driver this whole time, and rarely appeared apprehensive. I probably worried enough for the both of us (on unfamiliar territory-I was find if we'd been that way before).
We found a parking spot in the trees across from the beach. We had to make a few trips to unpack all the crap. Why we took so much was beyond me, but it seemed necessary at the time. We found a nice, shady spot quickly, and I declared it "The Best Birthday Beach Ever". There weren't many people there at all, which was really nice. Maho ended up being my favorite beach on STJ. We have a lot more to discover, of course, but I absolutely loved Maho. For one thing, the water is calm. It reminded me of a huge bathtub. There weren't any waves, and there wasn't a current. Well, hubby said there were 3" waves...which we giggled about at the time. All I know is that I could float on my back, with my beer resting on my belly, and it wouldn't be perfectly still. Yes it was time for a beer in the ocean again. I swear I'm not a beer person, but it just seemed right in the ocean.
Maho is all sand, until you get out a bit to the sea grass. There are plenty of shady spots you can find, without being too close to anyone else. You don't have to worry about stepping rocks or coral. I felt so comfortable there, I rarely left the water. I'm sort of shocked I didn't get a huge burn, frankly. While gazing out at the other islands, we'd notice a turtle head every once in a while. Hubby handed me my snorkeling mask/fins/booties, and I went out on a mission to find them. I wasn't very lucky, because it was hard to see much. The water visibility was so-so because of it being overcast. I was happy it was overcast - it meant less people on the birthday beach!
Hubby is a more adventurous snorkeler, and swims like a fish. He donned his gear and went out a bit deeper. I followed him as much as I felt comfortable, then just waited until I saw the turtle getting a breath of air. When I saw him, I'd yell to him which way he should swim. It didn't work. It was sort of funny, though. I'm sure it was entertainment for the few other folks on the beach...
I kept snorkeling in the more shallow area, and finally saw my first fish. Hubby was still deeper. All of the sudden, I noticed the fish was with a sting ray! I popped my head up immediately and told hubby, then put my face back in the water so I wouldn't lose it. It didn't matter - the sting ray was paying absolutely no attention to me. I watched him for quite a while before hubby made it to where we were. It was pretty cool watching the ray sift through the sand. He'd sort of bury himself in a little bit, then move on. He was moving pretty slowly. Finally, hubby made it to where I was and saw the ray for himself. He started taking pictures of it. I think the ray was camera shy, because he was gone before long. It was a really fun encounter, though, and I didn't have to be in deep water.
I looked out again, and kept seeing that turtle head in the distance, taunting me. Hubby gave up on finding the turtle, and went back to hanging out on the beach. I stayed in the water and floated for a bit, then decided I'd snorkel for a few more minutes. I slowly went along the sea grass, and saw a few fish again. Then I saw him! A turtle! I stuck my head up for a second to yell to hubby, "TURTLE! TURTLE!", then stuck it back in again before I lost site. He wasn't a big one. If I had to guess, I'd say he was about a foot in diameter, if that. I was sure he would swim quickly away once he saw me watching him, but he didn't. He sat at the bottom for a while, just hangin' out and doin' his own limin'. He had a buddy fish that was hanging around with him the whole time, as well. Next thing I knew, hubby was next to me, handing me the camera. I tried to take some short videos, but because of the overcast I couldn't really see what I was pointing at. Hee hee. Later I found out 2 of 3 at least got decent shots of the turtle. Not too shabby! It was such a cool encounter. I probably watched him for almost 10 minutes. Then he made his way to the deeper area and I put my head up to tell hubby I was still watching him, and immediately lost him. Oops! Maho was magic. A sting ray and a turtle... in a big bathtub. Not too shabby!
I didn't want to leave Maho, but we were starting to get hungry and we didn't want to eat lunch too late, as we had very special dinner plans. We decided to head back to Coral Bay and try the Donkey Diner again. Got to the diner still a little damp. The man told us the deal - you can order the pizza and non-alcoholic drinks there, or you can get an alcoholic drink next door. No question about that one; we headed next door. They weren't officially open yet, and I don't even know if that bar has a name, but we were told we could order drinks. We went inside and I started chatting a little bit with the bartending woman, and noticed something out of the corner of my eye. There were two men sitting on the scaffolding. They sort of startled me, and we all had a good chuckle. The woman apologized for the mess a few times, and we assured her that it wasn't any problem at all. She didn't have the makings for a painkiller, but she did for rum punch. She had to hunt around for the various liquor and juices, but all was well and we paid her and wished her a good day. On the way back to the diner I commented to hubby that she put a ton of rum in our drinks (well done, ma'am!), and he happily agreed. I was a little afraid to taste it, but it was good.
We got back to the diner and ordered our pizza. He warned us it would take 15 to 20 minutes to get it, but we didn't care. They have trivia cards at the table from Trivial Pursuit, so we started quizzing each other. Hubby showed off his big brain, and I showed off my lack of historical knowledge. He beat me, plain and simple. Ah well. It was his birthday! The pizza seemed to get there sooner than we were told. We happily dug in, and found it absolutely delicious. We could only eat half of it, and took the other half to go. We started chatting with the manager (I think he's the manager), and he told us where to find certain beaches (in particular, I had asked about Vie's beach). I got the distinct impression that he thought it was a rip off to have to pay to go to a beach, when there were plenty of nice ones 'for free'. No matter, I stored the directions (sorta - remember, that punch had a lot of rum) for later. We mentioned where we were staying and hubby asked what radio station was playing, as he really enjoyed the music in the diner and we hadn't found any good stations yet at the villa. It was something from the internet, unfortunately. Hubby explained that the stereo system was a bit dated (no outputs), and the manager told us to hang on for a minute, if we had time. Of course we did, and he went to look for something to try to rectify our music problem. He didn't find anything, but I think the fact that he went to look for something for a total stranger said a lot about him, and just the general feeling we had from most of the islanders. It was so friendly; I will definitely frequent their establishment again the next time I am on island. I would have for the pizza alone, but now I definitely will because of the service. The same can be said about the Tap Room, as I reported on Day 3. These people helped make our vacation wonderful, and we fully appreciated their hospitality and friendliness.
After we were done with the pizza we headed back to the villa. We needed to shower and had a few hours of limin' on the schedule. God forbid we miss that villa limin'! Hubby's birthday surprise was showing up at 4:30. I told him the night before what it was, so he could look forward to it. I had hired a chef to come in and cook his birthday dinner. The chef came on time, along with the server. The villa is pretty small (when you look at the sizes of some of these other ones), so it made me giggle that someone was in our little kitchen area, cooking us a fabulous meal. It just goes to show -- size doesn't matter.
We hung out on the veranda/balcony while the chef was cooking. I feel horrible, because I don't remember the name of the server for our meal. OK, I feel a little better because hubby doesn't, either. We just know we both really liked him. I know the chef's name was Bill, and he used to work at MOMA in Manhattan. The server was incredibly friendly, and tried his best (to no avail) to get the candle to stay lit on the windy balcony. It was funny. Viva Villas had a link on their site for private chefs, so I contacted http://www.stjohncatering.com/ and dealt with Mat (the owner). He was very friendly and helped me pick out a personal five course menu for my honey's bday. It was a winner. Hubby loved it all, and we were stuffed by the end of the night. I have to say, it was the most romantic meal we've had. A personal meal, with our favorite champagne, with the best view ever. Nice. Bill did an excellent job with the food, too. None of the courses disappointed.
Here is what was served (I'll hopefully post pics once hubby actually uploads them):
Five-Course Custom Menu
Butter-Poached Caribbean Rock Lobster Tail with Sauteed Black Baby Beluga Lentil & Vegetable Salad, Slow roasted Roma Tomato, and Rosemary Oil Aioli
Shiitake & Glazed Carrot Terrine with Petit Filet, Parmesan Wafer, and Roasted Red Pepper Demi-glace, topped with Organic Micro Salad
Dragon Fruit Sorbet
Cedar-Grilled Mahi-Mahi Filet with Basil-Pinenut Risotto, Brown-Sugar Caramelized Bacon, and Spicy Wilted Spinach Bahji Broth
Ginger-Mango Tart Tatin with Molasses Whipped Cream, Spiced Tuille, and Organic Mint
My mouth watered just reading that again. It was the most expensive meal we've had (previously it had been at a three Michelin star restaurant in Paris), and it was worth every penny. It was something neither of us will ever forget, which is something you can't say about most dinners/birthday presents. It was definitely worth it, and I would highly recommend it as a special treat for that someone special. We were way too full to do anything after dinner, other than groan in appreciation. Birthdays in St. John are most definitely the way to go!
SUMMARY: Maho beach = best beach ever, Donkey Diner gets a big thumb's up, private chef? Hell yes!
Woke up on day five and it was overcast, but not horribly. It was Halloween. Yes, hubby is a little devil. We had a special breakfast... no Pop Tarts. This time we splurged on bacon and those Pillsbury rolls with the frosting. Cheap and yummy. It was going to be a beach day, we decided. When we went to Trunk Bay, we'd past Maho. I loved the look of it, so we decided to see if we'd find parking. Hubby packed up the cooler with essentials (beer), and off we drove. The second time driving North Beach Road was so much better than the first. I think knowing what to expect and knowing you can actually get through it without toppling over really helps. Hubby was a fantastic driver this whole time, and rarely appeared apprehensive. I probably worried enough for the both of us (on unfamiliar territory-I was find if we'd been that way before).
We found a parking spot in the trees across from the beach. We had to make a few trips to unpack all the crap. Why we took so much was beyond me, but it seemed necessary at the time. We found a nice, shady spot quickly, and I declared it "The Best Birthday Beach Ever". There weren't many people there at all, which was really nice. Maho ended up being my favorite beach on STJ. We have a lot more to discover, of course, but I absolutely loved Maho. For one thing, the water is calm. It reminded me of a huge bathtub. There weren't any waves, and there wasn't a current. Well, hubby said there were 3" waves...which we giggled about at the time. All I know is that I could float on my back, with my beer resting on my belly, and it wouldn't be perfectly still. Yes it was time for a beer in the ocean again. I swear I'm not a beer person, but it just seemed right in the ocean.
Maho is all sand, until you get out a bit to the sea grass. There are plenty of shady spots you can find, without being too close to anyone else. You don't have to worry about stepping rocks or coral. I felt so comfortable there, I rarely left the water. I'm sort of shocked I didn't get a huge burn, frankly. While gazing out at the other islands, we'd notice a turtle head every once in a while. Hubby handed me my snorkeling mask/fins/booties, and I went out on a mission to find them. I wasn't very lucky, because it was hard to see much. The water visibility was so-so because of it being overcast. I was happy it was overcast - it meant less people on the birthday beach!
Hubby is a more adventurous snorkeler, and swims like a fish. He donned his gear and went out a bit deeper. I followed him as much as I felt comfortable, then just waited until I saw the turtle getting a breath of air. When I saw him, I'd yell to him which way he should swim. It didn't work. It was sort of funny, though. I'm sure it was entertainment for the few other folks on the beach...
I kept snorkeling in the more shallow area, and finally saw my first fish. Hubby was still deeper. All of the sudden, I noticed the fish was with a sting ray! I popped my head up immediately and told hubby, then put my face back in the water so I wouldn't lose it. It didn't matter - the sting ray was paying absolutely no attention to me. I watched him for quite a while before hubby made it to where we were. It was pretty cool watching the ray sift through the sand. He'd sort of bury himself in a little bit, then move on. He was moving pretty slowly. Finally, hubby made it to where I was and saw the ray for himself. He started taking pictures of it. I think the ray was camera shy, because he was gone before long. It was a really fun encounter, though, and I didn't have to be in deep water.
I looked out again, and kept seeing that turtle head in the distance, taunting me. Hubby gave up on finding the turtle, and went back to hanging out on the beach. I stayed in the water and floated for a bit, then decided I'd snorkel for a few more minutes. I slowly went along the sea grass, and saw a few fish again. Then I saw him! A turtle! I stuck my head up for a second to yell to hubby, "TURTLE! TURTLE!", then stuck it back in again before I lost site. He wasn't a big one. If I had to guess, I'd say he was about a foot in diameter, if that. I was sure he would swim quickly away once he saw me watching him, but he didn't. He sat at the bottom for a while, just hangin' out and doin' his own limin'. He had a buddy fish that was hanging around with him the whole time, as well. Next thing I knew, hubby was next to me, handing me the camera. I tried to take some short videos, but because of the overcast I couldn't really see what I was pointing at. Hee hee. Later I found out 2 of 3 at least got decent shots of the turtle. Not too shabby! It was such a cool encounter. I probably watched him for almost 10 minutes. Then he made his way to the deeper area and I put my head up to tell hubby I was still watching him, and immediately lost him. Oops! Maho was magic. A sting ray and a turtle... in a big bathtub. Not too shabby!
I didn't want to leave Maho, but we were starting to get hungry and we didn't want to eat lunch too late, as we had very special dinner plans. We decided to head back to Coral Bay and try the Donkey Diner again. Got to the diner still a little damp. The man told us the deal - you can order the pizza and non-alcoholic drinks there, or you can get an alcoholic drink next door. No question about that one; we headed next door. They weren't officially open yet, and I don't even know if that bar has a name, but we were told we could order drinks. We went inside and I started chatting a little bit with the bartending woman, and noticed something out of the corner of my eye. There were two men sitting on the scaffolding. They sort of startled me, and we all had a good chuckle. The woman apologized for the mess a few times, and we assured her that it wasn't any problem at all. She didn't have the makings for a painkiller, but she did for rum punch. She had to hunt around for the various liquor and juices, but all was well and we paid her and wished her a good day. On the way back to the diner I commented to hubby that she put a ton of rum in our drinks (well done, ma'am!), and he happily agreed. I was a little afraid to taste it, but it was good.
We got back to the diner and ordered our pizza. He warned us it would take 15 to 20 minutes to get it, but we didn't care. They have trivia cards at the table from Trivial Pursuit, so we started quizzing each other. Hubby showed off his big brain, and I showed off my lack of historical knowledge. He beat me, plain and simple. Ah well. It was his birthday! The pizza seemed to get there sooner than we were told. We happily dug in, and found it absolutely delicious. We could only eat half of it, and took the other half to go. We started chatting with the manager (I think he's the manager), and he told us where to find certain beaches (in particular, I had asked about Vie's beach). I got the distinct impression that he thought it was a rip off to have to pay to go to a beach, when there were plenty of nice ones 'for free'. No matter, I stored the directions (sorta - remember, that punch had a lot of rum) for later. We mentioned where we were staying and hubby asked what radio station was playing, as he really enjoyed the music in the diner and we hadn't found any good stations yet at the villa. It was something from the internet, unfortunately. Hubby explained that the stereo system was a bit dated (no outputs), and the manager told us to hang on for a minute, if we had time. Of course we did, and he went to look for something to try to rectify our music problem. He didn't find anything, but I think the fact that he went to look for something for a total stranger said a lot about him, and just the general feeling we had from most of the islanders. It was so friendly; I will definitely frequent their establishment again the next time I am on island. I would have for the pizza alone, but now I definitely will because of the service. The same can be said about the Tap Room, as I reported on Day 3. These people helped make our vacation wonderful, and we fully appreciated their hospitality and friendliness.
After we were done with the pizza we headed back to the villa. We needed to shower and had a few hours of limin' on the schedule. God forbid we miss that villa limin'! Hubby's birthday surprise was showing up at 4:30. I told him the night before what it was, so he could look forward to it. I had hired a chef to come in and cook his birthday dinner. The chef came on time, along with the server. The villa is pretty small (when you look at the sizes of some of these other ones), so it made me giggle that someone was in our little kitchen area, cooking us a fabulous meal. It just goes to show -- size doesn't matter.
We hung out on the veranda/balcony while the chef was cooking. I feel horrible, because I don't remember the name of the server for our meal. OK, I feel a little better because hubby doesn't, either. We just know we both really liked him. I know the chef's name was Bill, and he used to work at MOMA in Manhattan. The server was incredibly friendly, and tried his best (to no avail) to get the candle to stay lit on the windy balcony. It was funny. Viva Villas had a link on their site for private chefs, so I contacted http://www.stjohncatering.com/ and dealt with Mat (the owner). He was very friendly and helped me pick out a personal five course menu for my honey's bday. It was a winner. Hubby loved it all, and we were stuffed by the end of the night. I have to say, it was the most romantic meal we've had. A personal meal, with our favorite champagne, with the best view ever. Nice. Bill did an excellent job with the food, too. None of the courses disappointed.
Here is what was served (I'll hopefully post pics once hubby actually uploads them):
Five-Course Custom Menu
Butter-Poached Caribbean Rock Lobster Tail with Sauteed Black Baby Beluga Lentil & Vegetable Salad, Slow roasted Roma Tomato, and Rosemary Oil Aioli
Shiitake & Glazed Carrot Terrine with Petit Filet, Parmesan Wafer, and Roasted Red Pepper Demi-glace, topped with Organic Micro Salad
Dragon Fruit Sorbet
Cedar-Grilled Mahi-Mahi Filet with Basil-Pinenut Risotto, Brown-Sugar Caramelized Bacon, and Spicy Wilted Spinach Bahji Broth
Ginger-Mango Tart Tatin with Molasses Whipped Cream, Spiced Tuille, and Organic Mint
My mouth watered just reading that again. It was the most expensive meal we've had (previously it had been at a three Michelin star restaurant in Paris), and it was worth every penny. It was something neither of us will ever forget, which is something you can't say about most dinners/birthday presents. It was definitely worth it, and I would highly recommend it as a special treat for that someone special. We were way too full to do anything after dinner, other than groan in appreciation. Birthdays in St. John are most definitely the way to go!
SUMMARY: Maho beach = best beach ever, Donkey Diner gets a big thumb's up, private chef? Hell yes!
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