Part 1: Trip Report
Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 1:48 pm
Hi,
Wednesday, Jan. 31
Whew! The suitcases are packed after much stress; packing is the job from hell, on par with getting a root canal or going to the grocery store at 5:15, the day before a blizzard. I know I have packed way too much stuff and will probably end up wearing the same three things for the whole trip. It's just that I get confused between what I need to bring and what I want to bring (enough make-up for Tammy Lee Baker, a truckload of books, a life time supply of hair products...). I even feel a pang of guilt as I watch Husband lug the suitcases to the car. Promise to self...once again....I will pack lighter next time.
But hey, we are off to St. John...well, kind of. Thanks to yours' truly we will be stopping for an overnight detour through Fort Lauderdale....same on the return. I won't go into the ugly details surrounding my ridiculous attempt to save a few bucks. Two nights wasted at an airport hotel in Fort Lauderdale, when we should have been relaxing at our villa on St. John. I really screwed up big time. It would be easier if Husband and Daughter would yell at me, rather than being so darned nice about this big mess, which is clearly and painfully my fault.
Thursday, Feb. 1
We get to the Ft. Lauderdale airport at 9:15 for our 10:45 departure on Spirit Air to STT.(Good thing since the lines for Spirit Air are very long.) Uneventful flight....just the way I like it. Finally wheels down at 2:20....step out of the plane and into the hot, balmy air of the Islands. Ahhh. All goes smoothly: gulp down the customary rum punch, quickly get our luggage and catch a private taxi, in hopes of making the 3:00 ferry out of Charlotte Amalie.
Mission accomplished! We are on our way; the ferry ride over to Cruz Bay is pure bliss. We sit on the top deck....sun, sea and wind. Sweet! We slowly down shift to Island Time, while daydreaming about the next 9 days we will be spending in Paradise.
As we pull into Cruz Bay I am struck by the picture postcard perfection of it (I force myself not to look to the right....simply pretend that the ugly monstrosity being built on the hill isn't even there). Everything feels so familiar....almost as if we have never left. Walking down the dock, we spot Nancy holding a sign with our name written on it; she is the manager for the villa we have rented. We pick up a shiny, red Jeep at Penn's. It has only 700 miles on it and still has that new car smell. Cool. We get our luggage transferred from Nancy's vehicle to ours; Nancy will now lead the way to our villa in Coral Bay.
The villa is located in Upper Carolina; thankfully not all that difficult to get to....even though it's about 900 feet up. The drive from Cruz Bay takes about 25 minutes. Not bad. We are pleasantly surprised; our villa is lovely....greatly exceeding our expectations. First thing we do is walk out onto the deck to see the view; we revel in the simple beauty of it all. An amazing breeze kindly whispers, "Welcome back to St. John." Wow.
Nancy gives us a tour of the house; it is a relief to know that we have made the perfect villa choice. Once she is gone, we open a bottle of wine; then head out to soak up the view and to feel the warm tropical sea breezes wafting up to us. Serenity, serenity, serenity.
I am in relax mode while sitting in one of the four incredibly comfortable wicker rocking chairs which are arranged around a glass top wicker coffee table. Off to the side, not covered by the porch, are two "star gazing" chairs....at least that is what we decide to name them. The seat part tips back, putting you at a perfect angle to look up at the sky....without needing to crane your neck. I get the feeling that this villa is the culmination of ideas from many trips to St. John. I can almost sense the love and thoughtfulness that went into it while it was being planned and built.
We decide to go to Shipwreck Landing for our first dinner; it was closed during our visit in September. Painkillers for Daughter and me....something special about having that first drink on island. Wooohooo! We order the Blackened Shrimp and one of their specials for appetizers. A few more drinks, a good dinner and Key Lime Pie to take back to the villa for later.
"It's a small world" experience": The people sitting at the table to our left ask the people to their left where they are from, turns out they are from Rochester, NY, same city where we live. They are leaving St. John in a few days....the husband volunteers to shovel out our driveway for us before we return home. Nice guy, a jokester, but a nice guy!
Time to go back to the villa to unpack before crashing. On our way out to the car we are stopped in our tracks by the sight of Coral Bay under a nearly full moon. It almost takes my breath away....moon's light illuminating the charming bay....turning the water to a silvery hue. Spectacular! We stop in at Lily's for a few groceries before returning "home". It's great to be back on St. John....
Reflections: Thank God for a safe trip. St. John is magical, feels like we never left. Good to be staying in Coral Bay again. Lovely villa. Goodnight Melissa.....(((hugs))) xoxoxo
Stay tuned....
Wednesday, Jan. 31
Whew! The suitcases are packed after much stress; packing is the job from hell, on par with getting a root canal or going to the grocery store at 5:15, the day before a blizzard. I know I have packed way too much stuff and will probably end up wearing the same three things for the whole trip. It's just that I get confused between what I need to bring and what I want to bring (enough make-up for Tammy Lee Baker, a truckload of books, a life time supply of hair products...). I even feel a pang of guilt as I watch Husband lug the suitcases to the car. Promise to self...once again....I will pack lighter next time.
But hey, we are off to St. John...well, kind of. Thanks to yours' truly we will be stopping for an overnight detour through Fort Lauderdale....same on the return. I won't go into the ugly details surrounding my ridiculous attempt to save a few bucks. Two nights wasted at an airport hotel in Fort Lauderdale, when we should have been relaxing at our villa on St. John. I really screwed up big time. It would be easier if Husband and Daughter would yell at me, rather than being so darned nice about this big mess, which is clearly and painfully my fault.
Thursday, Feb. 1
We get to the Ft. Lauderdale airport at 9:15 for our 10:45 departure on Spirit Air to STT.(Good thing since the lines for Spirit Air are very long.) Uneventful flight....just the way I like it. Finally wheels down at 2:20....step out of the plane and into the hot, balmy air of the Islands. Ahhh. All goes smoothly: gulp down the customary rum punch, quickly get our luggage and catch a private taxi, in hopes of making the 3:00 ferry out of Charlotte Amalie.
Mission accomplished! We are on our way; the ferry ride over to Cruz Bay is pure bliss. We sit on the top deck....sun, sea and wind. Sweet! We slowly down shift to Island Time, while daydreaming about the next 9 days we will be spending in Paradise.
As we pull into Cruz Bay I am struck by the picture postcard perfection of it (I force myself not to look to the right....simply pretend that the ugly monstrosity being built on the hill isn't even there). Everything feels so familiar....almost as if we have never left. Walking down the dock, we spot Nancy holding a sign with our name written on it; she is the manager for the villa we have rented. We pick up a shiny, red Jeep at Penn's. It has only 700 miles on it and still has that new car smell. Cool. We get our luggage transferred from Nancy's vehicle to ours; Nancy will now lead the way to our villa in Coral Bay.
The villa is located in Upper Carolina; thankfully not all that difficult to get to....even though it's about 900 feet up. The drive from Cruz Bay takes about 25 minutes. Not bad. We are pleasantly surprised; our villa is lovely....greatly exceeding our expectations. First thing we do is walk out onto the deck to see the view; we revel in the simple beauty of it all. An amazing breeze kindly whispers, "Welcome back to St. John." Wow.
Nancy gives us a tour of the house; it is a relief to know that we have made the perfect villa choice. Once she is gone, we open a bottle of wine; then head out to soak up the view and to feel the warm tropical sea breezes wafting up to us. Serenity, serenity, serenity.
I am in relax mode while sitting in one of the four incredibly comfortable wicker rocking chairs which are arranged around a glass top wicker coffee table. Off to the side, not covered by the porch, are two "star gazing" chairs....at least that is what we decide to name them. The seat part tips back, putting you at a perfect angle to look up at the sky....without needing to crane your neck. I get the feeling that this villa is the culmination of ideas from many trips to St. John. I can almost sense the love and thoughtfulness that went into it while it was being planned and built.
We decide to go to Shipwreck Landing for our first dinner; it was closed during our visit in September. Painkillers for Daughter and me....something special about having that first drink on island. Wooohooo! We order the Blackened Shrimp and one of their specials for appetizers. A few more drinks, a good dinner and Key Lime Pie to take back to the villa for later.
"It's a small world" experience": The people sitting at the table to our left ask the people to their left where they are from, turns out they are from Rochester, NY, same city where we live. They are leaving St. John in a few days....the husband volunteers to shovel out our driveway for us before we return home. Nice guy, a jokester, but a nice guy!
Time to go back to the villa to unpack before crashing. On our way out to the car we are stopped in our tracks by the sight of Coral Bay under a nearly full moon. It almost takes my breath away....moon's light illuminating the charming bay....turning the water to a silvery hue. Spectacular! We stop in at Lily's for a few groceries before returning "home". It's great to be back on St. John....
Reflections: Thank God for a safe trip. St. John is magical, feels like we never left. Good to be staying in Coral Bay again. Lovely villa. Goodnight Melissa.....(((hugs))) xoxoxo
Stay tuned....
I can't get down there until July!?! 
I intend to reveal the name of our villa in my next report...mia