Quick St. John Trip review

Infohiker · Post by **Infohiker** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 7:40 pm

Hi there...I have been a lurker for the longest time, so I figured I would give back.
We went down the first week of December. Flew direct from Newark on Continental with no problems beyond the usual "we are the 37th plane in line" routine that kept us from taking off on time.
Landed in St. Thomas and it was heaven again for us (this was our fourth trip) We called Discount car rental. We have used them now all the time and have yet to be disappointed. We were met at the airport, in our Jeep Wrangler, went back, checked it out for dings, etc, and then were on our way. Love that convenience of not having to deal with the counters or the taxis!
We usually do a little food/sundry shopping on St Thomas. We stopped at Radio shack to see if they had a charger for a Sidekick (they didn't - no t-mobile), but aside from that we went straight through to Red Hook.
Honestly, I was really sad to see the state of St. Thomas. We had not been here in 5 years and it just seemed even more run down and crowded than before. Charlotte Amalie just felt a little seedy. So instead we drove though, caught the ferry and got met by Kristin from St. John Luxury Villas. She offered to let us stop at Starfish to pick up supplies, and then off to the villa.
Villa was great, you can read check out there link http://www.stjohnultimatevillas.com/croix_vista.html,
so I don't bore you with the details. It exceeded our expectations. beautiful, well kitted out, great view. And once you got used to the 5 narrow switchbacks it took to drive up there, it was not hard to get to or from. Definitely not taxi-friendly.
Few other bullet points. Did five dives with low-key watersports, two 2-tank and one night dive. All enjoyable, night dive was far and away the best.
Ate out for lunch a fair bit. Ate out for dinner twice. Two more polar opposite experiences I have never had. First one was Fish Trap. This was our first time and last. We ordered conch fritters for appetizer, got 4 mini bowling balls both in color and consistency. I had the Steak and shrimp plate. My steak was ordered medium rare. If it had been cooked any more I could have put laces on it and walked home.
My wife had fish, was not impressed. I pointed my steak out to the waiter, declined a replacement (I am highly suspicious of "replacement" food, having heard stories from friends in that business.) To their credit, when I got the check they told me that the steak had been comped. Service was efficient, and the people around us seemed pleased with their food, but I doubt I will return.
Second Dinner was Morgan's mango, and it was about as good as I have ever had. Ambiance was nicer and a little more upscale (as much as you would want on a Caribbean island). I had lobster cakes to start, and figured I would make a comparison, so I ordered their NY strip as well (w/ pickapeppa sauce). The wife too ordered the same fish.
Both dishes were heavenly. I don't think I anyone could find one flaw with our meal. Simply fantastic. And the entrees were cheaper than Fish Trap.
Did make one journey over to St. Thomas to do some shopping, in spite of our misgivings. Wish we hadn't, it was a waste of an afternoon. 3 Cruise ships in, place was bursting to the seams. Had a mediocre lunch and hightailed it back to St. John empty-handed.
Despite the several negative things I have written, I do want to stress we really did have a wonderful time. St. John is so incredibly beautiful, everyone we met was nice. The beaches are still great, the diving was still exciting and overall we were able to relax in paradise for a week.
I am jealous of all of you who are leaving soon, and am already planning our next trip.

stampede chuck · Post by **stampede chuck** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 8:11 pm

Thanks for posting. We're heading down on Feb 1st for a week at Villa South Palm and are soooo looking forward to it ... we've never been to St. John!

You say you dove with Low Key ... how were they? Any tips or suggestions? 3 of us have booked with them to do our open water dives for certification. A couple of others have suggested Chris Sawyer out of St. Thomas, but we thought it's be too late to switch bookings.

California Girl · Post by **California Girl** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 8:19 pm

Thanks for de-lurking and welcome to the forum! What a great way to start...with a trip report! Isn't it funny how people can have completely opposite experiences? Morgan's Mango was just awful for us, unfortunately, but I sure did like the ambiance of the place. I know others have given it high marks. Guess it depends on what day it is and who's working.

It sounds like you had a great trip! Thanks for the report!

liamsaunt · Post by **liamsaunt** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:33 am

Thanks for the trip report! Did you do any hiking while you were down? Just curious, based on your username.

jayseadee · Post by **jayseadee** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 10:42 am

Thanks for the trip report - it's good to mix the good and the bad.

GoldenDaze · Post by **GoldenDaze** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 4:40 pm

We did dives with Chris Sawyer when we stayed in STT a few years ago and we did dives last January with Low Key. Both are good outfits so I wouldn't bother changing your plans. Have fun with the open water certs - water is warm and lots of fish!

captainjay · Post by **captainjay** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 5:02 pm

stampede chuck wrote:Thanks for posting. We're heading down on Feb 1st for a week at Villa South Palm and are soooo looking forward to it ... we've never been to St. John!

You say you dove with Low Key ... how were they? Any tips or suggestions? 3 of us have booked with them to do our open water dives for certification. A couple of others have suggested Chris Sawyer out of St. Thomas, but we thought it's be too late to switch bookings.

If you are staying on St John then go ahead and stick with Low Key. Low key is right in Cruz Bay and access will be better. Chris Sawyer's is at Red Hook in American Yacht Harbor. I don't think you could go wrong with either of them. Cruz Bay watersports has a good reputation as does Colette at Six Pack.
Enjoy your trip. If you get the chance and have the money later in the week after your certification dives try to book a trip to the Rhone in the BVI's it will ruin you.
Here is a little video to get you in the mood.
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Jay

Barb Y · Post by **Barb Y** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 5:32 pm

Jay- That was incredible! Thanks so much for sharing it. How blessed you've been and it is only just beginning. I wish you both much happiness in your paradise and I hope you keep sharing your incredible experiences with us. Be Happy!

Infohiker · Post by **Infohiker** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 8:51 pm

I would definitely stick with Low Key. We did our open water certification dives with them when we first started 5 years ago. They incorporated different parts of the certification before, during and after the four dives so that we got to do the testing in little bits while still being able to enjoy the dives themselves. They really put us at ease and made the whole process fun. Five years later, they have not changed a bit. Very friendly, professional and good at pointing out interesting things on the dives. Our first dives were with Jeremy, as was my night dive, and the second dives were with Wade. Both really easygoing and very good.
I have no experience with Chris Sawyer, but would be hard pressed to think of a reason not to go with Low Key. Have a blast with Scuba - I will warn you though - it's an addiction!!!!
Only advice I can give is make sure you spend the money on a good mask & fins. I tend to rent everything else on vacation, but some people have a tough time getting the "right" mask that fits well and doesn't leak
(for liamsaunt) who asked about hiking, we did none. The name came from back in the days when this was the "Information Superhighway" - thus Info-hiker. Guess I just dated myself, eh?

sherban · Post by **sherban** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 9:07 pm

Thanks for sharing your report..I made a note to myself: check cruise schedules before my June trip and plan to go to the "hidden places" on days when big ships are in dock.
Cheers-

traveler22 · Post by **traveler22** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 9:53 pm

infohiker
Thanks for joining in and for your trip report. Glad to hear your meal at morgan's Mango was good, It's one of my favorites because of it's tropical feel but the food has been both great and bad at times over the years.
stampede chuck
Lowkey is great, I certified with Cruz Bay watersports but that was before the Westin opened and it always crowded with them so LowKey is the place. Maybe I'll see you on the boat.

stampede chuck · Post by **stampede chuck** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 2:23 am

Thanks to all for the feedback on Low Key. I didn't mean to hijack the thread, but the comments are very much appreciated.

This forum has been a huge info resource!!

stampede chuck · Post by **stampede chuck** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 12:17 am

traveler22 wrote:infohiker
Thanks for joining in and for your trip report. Glad to hear your meal at morgan's Mango was good, It's one of my favorites because of it's tropical feel but the food has been both great and bad at times over the years.
stampede chuck
Lowkey is great, I certified with Cruz Bay watersports but that was before the Westin opened and it always crowded with them so LowKey is the place. Maybe I'll see you on the boat.

traveler22

When are you going to be in St John? Looks like it'll be the same time as us.

cptnkirk · Post by **cptnkirk** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 9:13 am

Welcome out of lurkdom. Thanks for taking time to post now don't be a stranger your out of the closet now.

FlaGeorge · Post by **FlaGeorge** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:02 am

Thanks for the report. I’ve only eaten at Morgan’s Mango once, but it was good. Glad to hear that you had a good meal there too. I will add my “Welcome to the Forum” too. Don’t be a stranger.

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