November Trip Report
Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 9:12 pm
Trip Report 11-3 -11-10
This was our third trip to STJ, and a very welcome break from day to day life.
We flew Northwest from Detroit , did a park and fly, since our flight left at a very early early 7:30 am. Bloody Mary’s and wings in Miami by 11:00 am. On to STJ. We Had made arrangement with Warren Gordon for a private taxi ride to the ferry. We had check 1 bag—yes we are cooler people! Landed at 3:15 and made the 4:00 pm ferry. Warren was fun and very personable. We find this so worth the extra money after a long travel day!
We had book Cruz Views, Unit #5, after finding a last minute deal on line with Caribbean Villas. $85 dollars per night reserved us their most “modest” unit. Yes, there was a 5% service charge, but at that price, it was by far the most economical stay for us.
It was clean, quiet, with great views. AC in bedroom and loft. Perfect for 2. It came equipped with chairs, coolers, etc. Plenty of cooking supplies, dishes, towels etc. Great view from balcony. Cruz Views is in a very quiet neighborhood, very close to Cruz Bay. We didn’t attempt the walk, but it would have been doable. We had one issue with the AC, and CV responded within 24 hours. The unit was small….and the living/dining area was hot as it did not have AC. The landscaping around the complex was beautiful. Yes, I made friends with the forum cat.
Car rental was from Courtesy. I was not sure we would make the 4 pm ferry and Courtesy will meet you at the dock for late arrivals after 5 pm. We could actually park in their lot…others say you can, but in our case never had room. We left the jeep there for an all day sail trip and several evenings in town. Very professional, polite staff. They pick up and drop off at ferry. I have a new car rental company who is nice!
This visit was somewhat different for us as the water was up (Christmas Winds??) and the north shore beaches were rough. Our main focus each day is snorkeling, and we spent more time on Coral Bay Side.
Since we had planned to do more “remote” snorkels, I insisted on renting belts from Cruz Bay Water Sports. I think it was $5 a day per belts. I can’t tell you how much more relaxing my snorkels were with these belts. We consider ourselves strong swimmers, but this just made the trip more relaxing. I didn’t have to watch where hubby was, and we both could go be out longer. Highly recommend. Once you were in the water, you forgot you had them on. Very comfortable.
Our snorkels included: Waterlemon, Lameshur, Little Lameshur, Denis, Maho, Salt Bay Pond, and Francis. I have to say Lameshur was our favorite….the Tekite snorkel was a highlight. We saw turtles at Salt Bay Pond and Maho. Lameshur was not empty---even in the off season. I think the Coral Bay side is getting more and more popular.
We had a few new food experiences, as well as tried and true favorites. We are definitely laid back and casual….and often eat lunch out and have dinner in the condo. Highly recommend: Island Blues (Chicken Roti), Vies (Garlic Chicken), Beach Bar (burger and jazz), Deli Grotto (Beach Sandwiches), Woody’s (happy hour), and Candi’s BBQ (great, great food).
We did a day sail with Captain Bob and the Spree to JVD. Just the two of us on the boat. Had awesome roti at Foxy’s and plenty of Pain Killers at Soggy Dollar. This was the perfect day….I love sailing and would highly recommend Captain Bob. He is living my dream—left Michigan to live in his boat in the Caribbean.
I would tell you the story about the 151 proof Rum I accidently purchased without looking at the label….but I don’t remember much about that night…sounds like a popular movie plot.
Of course, we made our regular stops at: Connections and St. John Spice ( I met Ruth!). These are 2 of the friendliest businesses on the island.
Lameshur:
Sunset from Cruz Views:
Denis:
Shower on JVD:
This was our third trip to STJ, and a very welcome break from day to day life.
We flew Northwest from Detroit , did a park and fly, since our flight left at a very early early 7:30 am. Bloody Mary’s and wings in Miami by 11:00 am. On to STJ. We Had made arrangement with Warren Gordon for a private taxi ride to the ferry. We had check 1 bag—yes we are cooler people! Landed at 3:15 and made the 4:00 pm ferry. Warren was fun and very personable. We find this so worth the extra money after a long travel day!
We had book Cruz Views, Unit #5, after finding a last minute deal on line with Caribbean Villas. $85 dollars per night reserved us their most “modest” unit. Yes, there was a 5% service charge, but at that price, it was by far the most economical stay for us.
It was clean, quiet, with great views. AC in bedroom and loft. Perfect for 2. It came equipped with chairs, coolers, etc. Plenty of cooking supplies, dishes, towels etc. Great view from balcony. Cruz Views is in a very quiet neighborhood, very close to Cruz Bay. We didn’t attempt the walk, but it would have been doable. We had one issue with the AC, and CV responded within 24 hours. The unit was small….and the living/dining area was hot as it did not have AC. The landscaping around the complex was beautiful. Yes, I made friends with the forum cat.
Car rental was from Courtesy. I was not sure we would make the 4 pm ferry and Courtesy will meet you at the dock for late arrivals after 5 pm. We could actually park in their lot…others say you can, but in our case never had room. We left the jeep there for an all day sail trip and several evenings in town. Very professional, polite staff. They pick up and drop off at ferry. I have a new car rental company who is nice!
This visit was somewhat different for us as the water was up (Christmas Winds??) and the north shore beaches were rough. Our main focus each day is snorkeling, and we spent more time on Coral Bay Side.
Since we had planned to do more “remote” snorkels, I insisted on renting belts from Cruz Bay Water Sports. I think it was $5 a day per belts. I can’t tell you how much more relaxing my snorkels were with these belts. We consider ourselves strong swimmers, but this just made the trip more relaxing. I didn’t have to watch where hubby was, and we both could go be out longer. Highly recommend. Once you were in the water, you forgot you had them on. Very comfortable.
Our snorkels included: Waterlemon, Lameshur, Little Lameshur, Denis, Maho, Salt Bay Pond, and Francis. I have to say Lameshur was our favorite….the Tekite snorkel was a highlight. We saw turtles at Salt Bay Pond and Maho. Lameshur was not empty---even in the off season. I think the Coral Bay side is getting more and more popular.
We had a few new food experiences, as well as tried and true favorites. We are definitely laid back and casual….and often eat lunch out and have dinner in the condo. Highly recommend: Island Blues (Chicken Roti), Vies (Garlic Chicken), Beach Bar (burger and jazz), Deli Grotto (Beach Sandwiches), Woody’s (happy hour), and Candi’s BBQ (great, great food).
We did a day sail with Captain Bob and the Spree to JVD. Just the two of us on the boat. Had awesome roti at Foxy’s and plenty of Pain Killers at Soggy Dollar. This was the perfect day….I love sailing and would highly recommend Captain Bob. He is living my dream—left Michigan to live in his boat in the Caribbean.
I would tell you the story about the 151 proof Rum I accidently purchased without looking at the label….but I don’t remember much about that night…sounds like a popular movie plot.
Of course, we made our regular stops at: Connections and St. John Spice ( I met Ruth!). These are 2 of the friendliest businesses on the island.
Lameshur:
Sunset from Cruz Views:
Denis:
Shower on JVD:
Hate those North swells as we are North Shore Beach snobs but I gotta get my snorklin in. They have made us venture away and find some beaches on the East and South side that I now would consider some of our faves.