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2nd-Time Trip Report Day 3
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Rebecca in NOVA
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Sun Sep 23, 2007 12:47 am
- Location: No. VA
2nd-Time Trip Report Day 3
St. John Trip Report Day 3: Mon. June 2
The Toddler was up at 5:30 am again so we got an early start, arriving at Hawksnest about 8:30. The only other people on the beach were doing a photo shoot, which was kind of fun to watch. Later some single guys hit on the model and got shot down, which was even more fun to watch.
It was rainy in the morning before we left for the beach, but the rain stopped before we got there. It was still cloudy, which made for less-than-ideal snorkeling, but we continued to see lots of cool stuff -- more turtles, some squid [they look so alien-like], all kinds of fish, etc. Snorkeling at Hawksnest makes me a little nervous because I'm always afraid I'm going to run into the coral, but I managed not to.
The sand at Hawksnest wasn't nearly as good as Trunk's for building sandcastles (what Grandma does to keep Toddler occupied while we snorkel). I don't know if it's always like that or if it's a rain issue.
Grandma tried to snorkel for the first time but freaked out a little bit and couldn't do it. We decided to let her practice in the pool when we got home to get comfortable.
After a while the sun came out and the snorkeling visibility got better. We headed home about 11:30 and tried to stop at A Simple Feast, which is near our villa, to pick up lunch. We finally realized later in the week that it was permanently closed (at least that week).
After another lunch on the deck and naps, we hung out at the pool and it got very sunny and hot that afternoon. Perfect pool weather! You can see Idyllic's refurbished cabana a little in this picture.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80956522@N00/2719210084/" title="P6020121 by Rebecca Johnson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/271 ... 015563.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P6020121"></a>
We never got tired of looking at the view from our villa.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80956522@N00/2718389033/" title="IMG_2604 by Rebecca Johnson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3184/271 ... a9eebd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_2604"></a>
Grandma babysat Toddler that evening and Husband and I went for the best dinner of our vacation at Asolare. I wasn't quite sure what to expect considering some of the reviews, but we thought it was absolutely amazing. When I called for a reservation they told us they didn't reserve certain tables, so to get there when they open for a table on the railing outside. After a little bit of parking confusion, we still arrived at about 5:20 and had to wait outside for them to open. Then we went and enjoyed a drink at the bar before being seated at a table on the railing. It was still quite sunny so I was glad I had my sunglasses.
We started with apps - green curry coconut shrimp soup for Husband, endive salad wrapped in cucumber with asian dressing, wontons and edamame for me, yum! We loved everything. Our main course was tuna with sesame seeds, jasmine rice and veggies for Husband, grilled mahi mahi on sweet potato mash and grilled pineapple plus a veggie salad for me. Double yum! I was surprised at how generous the portions were for a fancy place. Everything was exactly to our liking, relatively light and fresh with interesting food combinations.
Dessert was not so light! Husband had white chocolate cinnamon bread pudding. After considering chocolate mousse, I went with the more island-y feeling mango and plantain spring roll with vanilla ice cream. Wow, they were both wonderful.
As I said before, the sunsets while we were there were not very showy, but we still enjoyed watching the sun go down over St. Thomas while we ate. We switched chairs half-way through to trade the Cruz Bay-St. Thomas views.
While the Asolare staff wasn't in any big rush, we find that typical of an upscale restaurant where you're paying for the leisurely experience. We found everyone friendly and helpful and to us, who are used to DC restaurant prices, the rates weren't that high. It was $179 including tip and a couple of drinks. Between our last visit and this one, this restaurant was hands-down our favorite.
After dinner we waddled out to the car and managed to squeeze into a parking spot in front of Wharfside Village. We did a little souvenir shopping, then headed back to the villa to get the Toddler report (he did great with Grandma). Another great day.
Here's a picture of the living room at Idyllic, in case you're curious about the interior.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80956522@N00/2718389245/" title="P6020131 by Rebecca Johnson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/271 ... 453c46.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P6020131"></a>
Rebecca in No. VA
The Toddler was up at 5:30 am again so we got an early start, arriving at Hawksnest about 8:30. The only other people on the beach were doing a photo shoot, which was kind of fun to watch. Later some single guys hit on the model and got shot down, which was even more fun to watch.
It was rainy in the morning before we left for the beach, but the rain stopped before we got there. It was still cloudy, which made for less-than-ideal snorkeling, but we continued to see lots of cool stuff -- more turtles, some squid [they look so alien-like], all kinds of fish, etc. Snorkeling at Hawksnest makes me a little nervous because I'm always afraid I'm going to run into the coral, but I managed not to.
The sand at Hawksnest wasn't nearly as good as Trunk's for building sandcastles (what Grandma does to keep Toddler occupied while we snorkel). I don't know if it's always like that or if it's a rain issue.
Grandma tried to snorkel for the first time but freaked out a little bit and couldn't do it. We decided to let her practice in the pool when we got home to get comfortable.
After a while the sun came out and the snorkeling visibility got better. We headed home about 11:30 and tried to stop at A Simple Feast, which is near our villa, to pick up lunch. We finally realized later in the week that it was permanently closed (at least that week).
After another lunch on the deck and naps, we hung out at the pool and it got very sunny and hot that afternoon. Perfect pool weather! You can see Idyllic's refurbished cabana a little in this picture.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80956522@N00/2719210084/" title="P6020121 by Rebecca Johnson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/271 ... 015563.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P6020121"></a>
We never got tired of looking at the view from our villa.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80956522@N00/2718389033/" title="IMG_2604 by Rebecca Johnson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3184/271 ... a9eebd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMG_2604"></a>
Grandma babysat Toddler that evening and Husband and I went for the best dinner of our vacation at Asolare. I wasn't quite sure what to expect considering some of the reviews, but we thought it was absolutely amazing. When I called for a reservation they told us they didn't reserve certain tables, so to get there when they open for a table on the railing outside. After a little bit of parking confusion, we still arrived at about 5:20 and had to wait outside for them to open. Then we went and enjoyed a drink at the bar before being seated at a table on the railing. It was still quite sunny so I was glad I had my sunglasses.
We started with apps - green curry coconut shrimp soup for Husband, endive salad wrapped in cucumber with asian dressing, wontons and edamame for me, yum! We loved everything. Our main course was tuna with sesame seeds, jasmine rice and veggies for Husband, grilled mahi mahi on sweet potato mash and grilled pineapple plus a veggie salad for me. Double yum! I was surprised at how generous the portions were for a fancy place. Everything was exactly to our liking, relatively light and fresh with interesting food combinations.
Dessert was not so light! Husband had white chocolate cinnamon bread pudding. After considering chocolate mousse, I went with the more island-y feeling mango and plantain spring roll with vanilla ice cream. Wow, they were both wonderful.
As I said before, the sunsets while we were there were not very showy, but we still enjoyed watching the sun go down over St. Thomas while we ate. We switched chairs half-way through to trade the Cruz Bay-St. Thomas views.
While the Asolare staff wasn't in any big rush, we find that typical of an upscale restaurant where you're paying for the leisurely experience. We found everyone friendly and helpful and to us, who are used to DC restaurant prices, the rates weren't that high. It was $179 including tip and a couple of drinks. Between our last visit and this one, this restaurant was hands-down our favorite.
After dinner we waddled out to the car and managed to squeeze into a parking spot in front of Wharfside Village. We did a little souvenir shopping, then headed back to the villa to get the Toddler report (he did great with Grandma). Another great day.
Here's a picture of the living room at Idyllic, in case you're curious about the interior.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80956522@N00/2718389245/" title="P6020131 by Rebecca Johnson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/271 ... 453c46.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P6020131"></a>
Rebecca in No. VA
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Robin in NC
- Posts: 332
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 7:19 pm
- Location: Kernersville, NC
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Rebecca in NOVA
- Posts: 35
- Joined: Sun Sep 23, 2007 12:47 am
- Location: No. VA
