USVI-On-Line

I'm with you. I like snorkeling, but I can take it or leave it. I like it more if other people are with me and we can point out things to one another. I also must confess, doing a lot of swimming (I don't usually use fins) helps me feel better about everything I consume while vacationing. But I don't get excited about it like a lot of people.

The last several trips I've only brought my mask and snorkel, which saves packing room and then I can go in the water if the urge strikes, or if there's something cool to see that someone else has already done the work to find.

Pete

The beauty of vacation is that you're not supposed to do things you don't want to do. (Unless, of course, they make Marcia happy).

Don't love it: Woody's. "It's not my bag, baby"

Love it: Snorkeling! Vacation time is precious (and so is the cost of the vacation!) I woudln't choose a day at a villa over the beach and snorkeling(arrival and departure days not included) It would make me really cranky and slightly psychotic.

This reminds me of the “Most Overrated/Most Underrated” threads we’ve done a few times. For such a small place, there are obviously a lot of different ways to roll with it.

What you don’t get depends on a lot of things – the size of your family, your age, your style, your personal needs, etc. etc.

Caneel gets dissed here, and I get that, especially for all the villa-philes. Indeed, at $495 and up a night, Caneel is a stretch for most people, considering what you don’t get.
And a lot of folks who are already used to paying those kind of Four Seasons/Ritz resort prices also don’t get it as witnessed by the unintentionally funny reviews you see on TripAdvisor.
However, we like to keep our options open and try different ways of visiting both the US and British Virgin Islands, and the deal we caught in for our short trip in June for $325 including that awesome breakfast buffet (plus a $100 resort credit we used for the Caneel ferry) was pretty hard to beat.
Needing to minimize jeep time because we were there less than a week, the benefits of having 7 great beaches within easy walking distance to enjoy at any time of the day worked for us at that price, but we are big time beach people and love to snorkel. For a “resort”, it has a pretty innocuous vibe that is actually in character with STJ.

I'd love to have th bank account to support a week at Caneel. The grounds and beaches look gorgeous!

Same here, Pete. We came to that conclusion on our first trip. It was cool for a while but decided it was too much stuff to drag around for 20 minutes in the water. Just give us a chair, a towel and a bottle of anything to drink and we're happy.

To be fair to Caneel, now that we typically have two kids and often gramma along for the ride, I just love the space and convenience of a house.

If it were just my hubby and I, I might totally feel differently. JMQ that was a pretty good deal you got there.

Hey man to each his own, the honey never snorkels and I live for it when on St John. Maybe you could take up hiking . Fun to read these post what one loves and others don't.
My don't get it would have to be going to those fancy restaurants alot of ya seem to like. Not that I would go to them. It's just food and it's a flip of the coin you will be happy with it. Give me Uncle Joes, Skinnys and Woodys please, guess I'm just a dive type of guy

Something that most people love and I do not:

Skinny Legs

sand after leaving the beach

food porn (I think this is the one that I will get flamed for the most)

Gina

Hi Pete,

It's your (and Mrs. Pete's) vacation...do what you enjoy to make your experience there memorable and hopefully better than the last trip...whatever that may (or may not) be. Feel no despair over an unused (little used) item that was bought with good intentions. We've all been there...PS: I have a bowflex going cheap

I like snorkeling, eating, cocktailing and lounging at the beach or by the pool, cocktailing, exploring the island with the Jeep, cocktailing (did I mention that?)

What I do not enjoy is work email, so I will not bring my PC, nor my work phone when I go...what I "don't get" is Woody's...for no particular reason, just not my style I guess.

All the best!
Scott

I am not that keen on snorkelling. I like to think it is because I am not a strong swimmer. I love to go if I have a confident swimmer next to me.

What I don't get that others do: drinking alcohol on the beach. Hot sunshine and alcohol during the day don't mix well for me. But give me a stool on the Quiet Mon balcony and I can drink my fair of rum punch when the sun goes down.

I see nothing wrong in don't like to snorkel. It's your vacation and you do what you like to do.

Since I started to scuba dive, I'm not as eager to snorkel anymore. Maybe I've got spoiled or lazy. I still snorkel, but not all the time.

Connie wrote:I've had 2 close calls that really scared me and I started to panic. NEVER EVER snorkel by yourself.

Second mention of close calls I've seen on this thread. What do you mean? sharks? Current? Enlighten me. My hubby isn't as strong swimmer as me so I often venture out further. I'd like to go out to Waterlemon Cay this year but not sure if he'll be up to it. Sometimes I "cling" to other strangers snorkeling when he's not into it. (But I don't sit right next to them on the beach!) Does this bother anyone if you have a lone snorkeler who "hangs" around you? I LOVE snorkeling!

mrscherry, you don't have to worry about sharks while snorkeling in the VIs. They are around but not intersted in you. What you do need to worry about are currents, cramping, and making sure that you don't overestimate your capacity. If you are going to snorkle alone, it might be a good idea to wear a personal flotation device, just in case you encounter any trouble. Lots of people use them, you won't look weird.

And, I have to tell you, that I personally HATE when other snorkelers follow me around closely! It drives me CRAZY. Not people I am with, of course, but strangers. If I have someone swimming very near to me, I will get up and tread water until they leave, or swim back to where I came from and try again later.

liamsaunt wrote: And, I have to tell you, that I personally HATE when other snorkelers follow me around closely! It drives me CRAZY. Not people I am with, of course, but strangers. If I have someone swimming very near to me, I will get up and tread water until they leave, or swim back to where I came from and try again later.

Amen to that. With strangers that is of course, not your friends. Especially when you are trying to take photo of something interesting. It's always nicer to snorkel when it's not too many people around. I would say this is also applicable when scuba diving.

Maggy

I also really dislike it when strangers come close to me while snorkelling. If someone would approach me on the beach and ask if they could shadow me for their own comfort, I would probably be ok with that as long as they seemed non-threatening and knew not to invade my space.