USVI-On-Line

Our group of ten took off from BWI, Dulles and Reagan National on four separate flights. (American Airlines and Delta). All flights were on time and went without a hitch. Five of us met up in San Juan and we landed about 1 minute behind the rest of our group in STT. With carry-on luggage only, we headed straight to the taxi stand and the STJ ferry from downtown.

Lisa Durgin of VacationVistas met us at the dock, took us to Cool Breeze to pick up our cars and escorted us to the Oceana Villa. While two of us got the cars and did some shopping the balance of our group made a bee-line for the Beach Bar for some island drinks and their tuna appetizer (a real treat).

Oceana is a new villa (March '06) with six bedrooms. Two of the downstairs bedrooms (one with a trundle bed) do not have any outdoor exposure. This was fine with the kids who wanted to pump up the a/c and sleep in without the sun peeking through. Each of the other four bedrooms is very nice. We slept with the windows open and the a/c off. The villa has a very small pool with a wonderful view and a nice hottub. All the amenities are new and first class. We had stayed at Ristaba last year and the vote on villa preference was split with both villas getting high marks.

Saturday was grocery shopping, dinner at Fish Trap and settling in to the villa. Homemade BBCs were the drink of the day. Something about rum in the Caribbean.

Sunday, while most of the group slept in, my wife and I headed into town and walked to Honeymoon beach from Mongoose Junction. With coffee and a treat in hand we discovered that the Lind Point trail was more wet and buggy than usual. Tropical Storm Chris had just come through and dumped a lot of water and a horde of mosquitoes.

When we got back to the villa and roused the troops, we got in our Jeeps and took the North Shore road to show the views to newcomers. Turning right just before Annenburg, Francis and Waterlemon, we headed up to Centerline road and headed to Vie's beach. This is a very pretty (private entrance) beach with a small fee charged to cross over Vie's property. There were very few folks here and we had never been to this beach before. After lunch at Skinny Legs and a short tour of the Coral Bay area, we headed back to the villa.

Monday, we took the ferry over to STT and Megan's Bay. This is a beautiful bay on St. Thomas and when the passengers from the one cruise ship in dock headed back to their boat, it was a very nice and quiet beach. I'm guessing that when there are several ships on STT that this beach and Coki can get very busy. Dinner back at the villa was steaks we had frozen and brought with us. The kids (16 to 25) headed into town for some late night revelry.

Tuesday, was beach day on the North Shore. Cinnamon is a favorite with our group. After renting snorkeling gear from Low Key we headed over to Cinnamon and swam over to Little Cinnamon. All of the beaches on St John have their charm and this is a nice area with facilities and parking. That evening, the kids took the Red Hook ferry over to Duffy's for some cultural enrichment that can only be found in a bar that is mostly a parking lot.

Wednesday was villa day and visits to the Westin. Some of our group met with a great deal of success in the "beer-bobbing" contest. Wednesday evening was spaghetti dinner at the villa.

Thursday and Friday were the highlight of our trip. We took the ferry over to Tortola (West End) and a cab ride to Road Town. There we met the crew of the trimaran "Promenade". The boat has five separate bedrooms for passengers and four bathrooms. With all the water toys you can think of, we took off for Norman Island, the Indians and Jost Van Dyke. We spent the night on the boat anchored in the bay at Foxy's and were dropped off on White Bay where the morning was spent at the Soggy Dollar. The crew of the boat was great. It's owner-operated and although they generally charter for a week, they were available for our one-night trip. It's their home and they make you feel very comfortable while your aboard.

A taxi ride back to the ferry and back to STJ for our last night.

Saturday, new carry-on restrictions were put in place and we took a little extra time getting on our flights. Each of the three separate flights out took off on time and we all made it back safe and sound.

Highlights - North Shore Beaches, Skinny Legs, BVI trip and early morning swims on beaches we had almost to ourselves.

Note to Dinghy Renters - it's tough to see people snorkeling in the water. Most beach areas are cordoned off with markers that restrict access to boats except through designated channels. Most mornings we saw people on dinghys cutting through swimming areas with little thought in mind to the hazards they presented to snorkelers.

Wonderful, wonderful... thanks for the report. I would absolutely love to spend a night (or two) on a boat.

Glad you had a great trip.

A night (or more) on a boat in the BVIs is a great adventure. It's hard to find a boat that will do such a short trip but try it if you can. The crew will take you pretty much anywhere you want to go or plan the trip for you.

By the time you pay for an excursion and meals, the cost of this overnight becomes more reasonable. I wish we would have scheduled it a little better rather than leave a beautiful villa empty for the night. St John is a great destination and can be a great base to set off from.

The waters around STT, STJ and the BVIs are generally very calm and among the most beautiful the world has to offer. You're normally within sight of land and can find deserted areas or frenetic boat party destinations.

We've done it with people who thought they'd be too claustrophobic or too sea sick. Everyone loved it. It's a great experience!

Loved it!!! What a wonderful report...thank you so much for writing it. Especially the part about the dinghy people. We hope to be dinghy people so thanks for the reminder to be careful...I've made a note to make sure that we follow all rules!!

How did you take your frozen food down this time. Did they let you carry it on or did you check it.

Thanks
FlaGeorge

We loved staying in the boat overnight. We had done this once before and stayed just outside the caves at Norman Island (even more scenic). Unfortunately, although there was supposed to be a band at Foxy's there was virtually no one there and no band. The booze was included on the boat so that made it a pretty easy choice. Apologies to those anchored near to us. August can be a very slow month.

Fla George - we carried on the frozen food. This was before the new travel restrictions so who knows what the new rules would be. We had a soft cooler full of frozen food and frozen water bottles. When we went through TSA, the screener gave me quite a look when she felt how heavy the bag was. All I said was "We're carrying frozen food." and we went right through. Everything was frozen solid when we got to the villa.

We used the cooler as a carry-on for clothing on the way back and checked our roll-on bag with the sunscreen, lipstick, etc.