USVI-On-Line

My wife and I just got back from our 8th trip to St. John last week. Discovered this forum right before we left. I would have to say that this was probably our most fun trip ever, probably because of staying right in Cruz Bay. Grande Bay was incredibly convenient and plush. We didn't have to worry about parking or drinking or driving. We could walk everywhere and only rented a jeep for 3 out of the 7 days we stayed.

The views were incredible, especially the sunsets. In previous trips we loved having drinks at sunset at Zoso's or the Beach Bar, but this time we watched (and drank) mostly from our balcony. We stayed in the upper building in a 1 bedroom end unit and had views from St. Thomas all the way around to Woody's and the hills with Cruz Views condos. It was the perfect size for a couple. The condo must have been built really solid, because it was extremely quite inside. We did the VRBO thing and rented directly from the owners at their website: www.stjohnescape.com. We spoke to one of the construction managers and he showed us the plans for the pool and clubhouse. This place will be really sweet when completed.

We started most days with a power walk to Salomon and a swim. We could get this all done within an hour which pretty much left most of the day left for whatever. Something new we did this trip, was finally take the drive out to Little Lameshur and take the Yawzi Point trail out to snorkel. This was a great little hike and snorkel. We had always been hesitant because we heard the road was real bad, but it wasn't a problem. We also rented dinghy's for the first time which was a lot of fun. A word of warning though, if you rent the larger dinghy it is really hard to get back in if you are in open water. We went out to Waterlemon and tied to a mooring ball. It was really hard for me to get back in and almost impossible for my wife.

We found dining to be a really different experience because we were staying so close to town. We mostly just wanted to do take out and eat out on the balcony. The take out places we tried for the first time were: 1) Surly Cantina which had awesome food and margaritas,2) Shiela's Crabpot across from the taxi stand which had huge portions so you might want to share, 3)Joe's barbecue and 4) Ronnie's pizza.

We really enjoyed having a drink at Mooie's while waiting for our food. It has a lot of old time St. John character and gives you a chance to actually interact with the locals. The owner (Theodora I think) is very personable and is a font of knowledge on St. John history.

All in all it was great fun and we will probably stay at Grande Bay again. Here is a video we made that shows the condo and some footage of Salomon Beach and the view from the Lind Point overlook.

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Looks great. Tell us more about the logistics of the place. Do you park in the same building that you stay in or is there a central garage and then you walk to the building that you are staying in? Is there an elevator?

Sounds like a really good trip and time...

Thanks for reviewing Grande Bay... sounds good too.

The video got my morning going nicely... good job!

There are two parking garages, one for the lower building and one for the upper building. There are elevators that take you to your floor. What's nice is that there are only two units per floor.

Welcome to the forum! What a great introduction. The place looks great. Definately something to think about! Thanks!

I'm curious about how many units were occupied when you were there. The location is, of course, terrific. I hated the scare that the construction left on the landscape as it was being built but I have to say that if I were to plan a trip to STJ with just my husband and myself, I'd have to look seriously at Grand Bay even though I perfer the quiet side of the island.

It's just a guess, but it looked like maybe 1/2 of the place was occupied. In meeting and talking with people there, it seemed like a mix of owners, long term renters, and short term renters. When we were leaving they were just having some palm trees and other plants installed. I think this will help with the overall landscape.

By the way, I forgot to mention that I was told that they are going to put in a gym in the clubhouse that overlooks the water.

any idea when they will have a pool?

The construction guy said that the developer wanted everything completed by Thanksgiving. But I would take that with a grain of salt. The pool plans showed a pretty big pool with hot tub, infinity edge going down into a waterfall, built in seating and table. If it is ever built I think it will be quite nice.

Sounds like you had a great time.

Thanks for the Grande Bay review; we're staying there for a few nights in November.

Maybe the pool will be done in record time

Thank You !!! really enjoyed the whole show The place looked Great & Solomon wow just love it there !! Beautiful !!! your sunsets were fantastic Even though it will b sometime before our return u really gave us something to hold onto until than !! will probably watch this over & over til than ! Best, Rachelle & Joe

they build it and we will stay there
sadly I will more than likly be one of them
Hopefully April of 2011

Thanks for the video, loved it! We are of the few people on this forum who like being close to town and always stay at Gallow's Point. We booked Grande Bay for this November and I am looking forward to it . We are not in the unit that you showed but the one that Janet (Jayseadee)will be in. Janet, what day do you leave?

I always thought it was a bit of an eyesore as it was being built, but in the few years we have been walking past it, never ruled it out. Right now, for us, the price is right by STJ standards compared to GP. I'm looking forward to being just steps away from Wharfside. Not for everyone, but I know we will like it.

Thanks so much for sharing that! Beautiful sunset too. One of my favorite beaches, Salomon!!

Great video, thanks for sharing!