USVI-On-Line

What a great trip, we came home Tuesday and agree that it was one of the best St. John trips ever (as if there is a bad one). I am not usually good at putting together long trip reports but here are a couple of highlights...

-Stayed at Century Hill Estates, nice place and really nice people who own/manage it, Laurie and Craig Crandall--reasonable price and good location. Ironically, only one other couple was staying there and it was 'darkanddietwithlime' from the forum! Great couple and they generously donated the entire stock of their food/drink to us upon their departure--thanks! Next time we are in Maine we owe you!

-Due to north shore swells, spent more time exploring East End and Lameshur--Salt Pond was crowded every day so we made the trek to Lameshur twice and it was worth it. Watch for the marauding mongoose though, they stole half of our food! Nasty critters. Good snorkeling and even saw an eagle ray.

-Had Deli Grotto beach picnics twice although the third time it was so crowded we got sandwiches at Starfish--Deli Grotto was better (and less expensive). We ventured off of the infamous 'coconut chocolate crack bars' and are now hooked on the equally addicting chocolate peanut butter bars!

-did the Caneel $10 parking thing to get to Honeymoon and it was fine, had a nice Bushwacker gratis at the Caneel Beach Bar on the way back from Honeymoon thanks to tips from the forum. Did not enjoy the evil eye from Caneel guests and overhearing discussion of how 'they still let them in if they pay $10'...geez.

-Got to meet VI Governor DeJongh at a reception (read: campaign rally) with Cool Sessions brass...fun party! Also got to spend time with Mr. Guy Benjamin - my husband is a teacher and it was an honor to talk with him again, although our jeep was completely surrounded by donkeys on the way out of his yard!

-small world story: had chatted with Dave, aka 'bigcheeze' on the forums knowing we were both from Michigan, promised to try to get together sometime but you know how that goes...best of intentions...but luckily ended up sitting right next to him at the Beach Bar our first afternoon and had a great time with him and his family/friends all week! Awesome people and who knew they live 15 minutes from us. We're all gonna buy that villa one of these days Dave! Too bad about the Michigan State basketball game but happy to have watched it with such nice people. Kids had a great time hanging out.

-since my husband had to leave Sunday, I decided to spend two extra nights with the kids in St. Thomas just so he could drop us off on the way to the airport--never again. We stayed at a very nice condo at Sapphire but even for the kids, it was downright painful being in STT after St. John. Nothing bad about the place but just not the same.

-question: we did the short hike up Peace Hill and enjoyed the views from the old sugar mill plantation at the top but (maybe I really don't want to know) what lives in all of the inch-diameter holes in the ground up there? Too small for crabs but we did see and awfully big spider on the way down...

-GREAT lunch and key lime pie at Shipwreck Landing, everything was great except DO NOT get the burger--inedible even for the least picky eater. Island Blues was great, Beach Bar food was great, Larry's Landing drinks were...well, you know!

Starting to think about trying to get back over the holidays...we'll see.

Well I guess there were a lot of highlights!!

~Tracie of 'paulandtracie'

p.s. can't figure out how to post pics--flipflop, can you help?

I enjoyed your trip report. It sounds like you had an awesome time. I will be interested to know the inhabitants of the little holes at Peace Hill. Maybe teeny, tiny crabs? I hope so. They are less creepy than spiders.

Yup, they're spiders all right. Big, hairy, and totally non-threatening. Kids catch them and terrorize their sisters by putting them in their hair, but bites are about as common as shark attacks--and not too bad, according to the rare victim.

paulandtracie wrote:-small world story: had chatted with Dave, aka 'bigcheeze' on the forums knowing we were both from Michigan, promised to try to get together sometime but you know how that goes...best of intentions...but luckily ended up sitting right next to him at the Beach Bar our first afternoon and had a great time with him and his family/friends all week! Awesome people and who knew they live 15 minutes from us. We're all gonna buy that villa one of these days Dave! Too bad about the Michigan State basketball game but happy to have watched it with such nice people. Kids had a great time hanging out.

Tracie...to expand the 1st meeting a bit. We're at the Beach Bar on our first full day for lunch before the pilgrimage to Hawksnest Beach and our first official D and D's for the week. I'm already on my 2nd or 3rd D&D to which I tell BOO, 'if it's empty just fill it and until I beg you to stop.' As BOO brings me my drink, Tracie and Paul sit down to the left of me, beach right behind us and order 2 D&Ds for themselfs and I say to BOO...'well, that should be easy to remember'. Boo then asks their names to write it on the tab to set in front of them...they say Paul and Tracie and I look at them and say the same ones from the forum....unhuh...well, I'm Bigcheeze...aka Dave. And so begins a week of sharing fun times with kindered spirits who had in tow too really cute 13 yr old girls that my 13 yr old son was hoping to meet.(DJ thinks Katie and kayla are cute.)

Later that day we see them at Hawksnest...next day Honeymoon...next day Lamsure(but only by chance and not by planning) and then as Tracie mentioned it was MSU party at out villa which was planned and they came and enjoyed and the 9 kids had a great time.

Talk about Small World. We will be meeting them again I'm sure.

My trip report soon come.

Sorry we missed you all while we were on Island. Sounds like you had great time.