2 weeks on STJ too short…Travel Day
Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 11:47 am
Hi Everyone!
We are back from our family’s first vacation to St. John. I say first because I know there will be many more visits in the future…and hopefully near future! STJ is absolutely beautiful…2 weeks went by too fast. I enjoy reading trip reports and some were very helpful in planning our trip. Here is my first attempt at writing one…it will be in several installments. I hope you enjoy!
Jo
June 23, 2010 Travel day and our son’s 13th birthday! The day started early at 3:30am to get to the airport at 5:30 for our 7:05 flight. Somehow I managed to pack for our family of 4 to travel with carry-on bags only! We each had our rolling carry-on and a personal bag…I found that I still had packed more than what we needed! The Delta flights were full and uneventful. We had a 2 hour layover in Atlanta, so plenty of time to grab lunch. We arrived on St. Thomas at 3:53pm and were very happy to see Rachel Brown there to greet us. We weren’t sure if she would be there or an associate of hers because her brother had been terminally ill and she had been in Miami to visit him. She informed us that he passed away that morning. She seemed to be at peace knowing that he was no longer suffering and it helped her knowing that so many from the VIOL Forum had been praying for her. She gave us a little tour and history of STT as she drove us to the Red Hook Ferry Dock. We rode the 5pm ferry over to STJ. As we approached, we could immediately see how beautiful the island was! We were so excited to be finally stepping on STJ…we had dreamed of this day for many months! Andretti, our VIVA Villas greeter, was waiting for us at the dock. She took JD to Courtesy Car Rental to get the Ford Explorer we had rented. The car wasn’t in the best condition, it had scrapes and dents all over it. I shouldn’t complain though, it ran well throughout the island. After driving the narrow roads and switch backs, we decided the next trip we would rent a smaller 4 x 4 jeep! We drove through a bit of rain on our way to our villa in Upper Carolina on the Coral Bay side of the island. At about 6:30pm we were “home”. The driveway to Luminaria is a sight to see! Andretti parked at the bottom of the drive, she was afraid her car wouldn’t make it up! You just start your climb Up the hill when you have to stop for the electric gate to open out towards you, then you drive Up some more, make a sharp turn and drive Up even more!<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=rkmxyt" target="_blank"><img src="http://i31.tinypic.com/rkmxyt.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> <a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2ed8pld" target="_blank"><img src="http://i29.tinypic.com/2ed8pld.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> After the excitement of making it Up the drive, we went into the villa. Oh my, the view was breath taking! The villa has a wrap around deck that allows for a 270 degree view. We overlooked Coral Bay and to the north we could see Tortola, Peter Island and when it was clear we could see all the way to Virgin Gorda!<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=148dtzr" target="_blank"><img src="http://i26.tinypic.com/148dtzr.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> <a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=qsoba9" target="_blank"><img src="http://i27.tinypic.com/qsoba9.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> <a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2qjy4jl" target="_blank"><img src="http://i25.tinypic.com/2qjy4jl.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> <a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=bgwdfq" target="_blank"><img src="http://i26.tinypic.com/bgwdfq.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> Andretti gave us a quick tour of the villa. The landscaping is beautiful…complete privacy around the pool deck level with flowering trees and shrubs (no view from this level with all the vegetation). We brought our bags in and were off to ShipWreck Landing where we had dinner reservations for 7:30pm (thank you Pia for suggesting this restaurant…our family’s favorite). We had a delicious dinner while it rained…Conch Fritter to start then Garlic Butter Mahi Mahi, Jumbo Beer Battered Shrimp, Curry Nut-Crusted Chicken and a Hamburger! The drinks were very refreshing after the long travel day…Raspberry Mango Colada, Rum Punch and Virgin Daiquiris for the kids! Of course with it being our son’s 13th birthday, we had to order dessert! As the waitress brought out the Chocolate Decadent Cake and Key Lime Pie, everyone in the restaurant sang “Happy Birthday”. Then the Jazz Band played a jazz version of “Happy Birthday”…this was a birthday our son is sure to remember!<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=v8ieyd" target="_blank"><img src="http://i27.tinypic.com/v8ieyd.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> With our stomachs full, we headed back to the villa, unpacked and headed off to bed…Exploring Beautiful STJ awaits!
To be continued….
We are back from our family’s first vacation to St. John. I say first because I know there will be many more visits in the future…and hopefully near future! STJ is absolutely beautiful…2 weeks went by too fast. I enjoy reading trip reports and some were very helpful in planning our trip. Here is my first attempt at writing one…it will be in several installments. I hope you enjoy!
Jo
June 23, 2010 Travel day and our son’s 13th birthday! The day started early at 3:30am to get to the airport at 5:30 for our 7:05 flight. Somehow I managed to pack for our family of 4 to travel with carry-on bags only! We each had our rolling carry-on and a personal bag…I found that I still had packed more than what we needed! The Delta flights were full and uneventful. We had a 2 hour layover in Atlanta, so plenty of time to grab lunch. We arrived on St. Thomas at 3:53pm and were very happy to see Rachel Brown there to greet us. We weren’t sure if she would be there or an associate of hers because her brother had been terminally ill and she had been in Miami to visit him. She informed us that he passed away that morning. She seemed to be at peace knowing that he was no longer suffering and it helped her knowing that so many from the VIOL Forum had been praying for her. She gave us a little tour and history of STT as she drove us to the Red Hook Ferry Dock. We rode the 5pm ferry over to STJ. As we approached, we could immediately see how beautiful the island was! We were so excited to be finally stepping on STJ…we had dreamed of this day for many months! Andretti, our VIVA Villas greeter, was waiting for us at the dock. She took JD to Courtesy Car Rental to get the Ford Explorer we had rented. The car wasn’t in the best condition, it had scrapes and dents all over it. I shouldn’t complain though, it ran well throughout the island. After driving the narrow roads and switch backs, we decided the next trip we would rent a smaller 4 x 4 jeep! We drove through a bit of rain on our way to our villa in Upper Carolina on the Coral Bay side of the island. At about 6:30pm we were “home”. The driveway to Luminaria is a sight to see! Andretti parked at the bottom of the drive, she was afraid her car wouldn’t make it up! You just start your climb Up the hill when you have to stop for the electric gate to open out towards you, then you drive Up some more, make a sharp turn and drive Up even more!<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=rkmxyt" target="_blank"><img src="http://i31.tinypic.com/rkmxyt.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> <a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2ed8pld" target="_blank"><img src="http://i29.tinypic.com/2ed8pld.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> After the excitement of making it Up the drive, we went into the villa. Oh my, the view was breath taking! The villa has a wrap around deck that allows for a 270 degree view. We overlooked Coral Bay and to the north we could see Tortola, Peter Island and when it was clear we could see all the way to Virgin Gorda!<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=148dtzr" target="_blank"><img src="http://i26.tinypic.com/148dtzr.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> <a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=qsoba9" target="_blank"><img src="http://i27.tinypic.com/qsoba9.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> <a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2qjy4jl" target="_blank"><img src="http://i25.tinypic.com/2qjy4jl.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> <a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=bgwdfq" target="_blank"><img src="http://i26.tinypic.com/bgwdfq.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> Andretti gave us a quick tour of the villa. The landscaping is beautiful…complete privacy around the pool deck level with flowering trees and shrubs (no view from this level with all the vegetation). We brought our bags in and were off to ShipWreck Landing where we had dinner reservations for 7:30pm (thank you Pia for suggesting this restaurant…our family’s favorite). We had a delicious dinner while it rained…Conch Fritter to start then Garlic Butter Mahi Mahi, Jumbo Beer Battered Shrimp, Curry Nut-Crusted Chicken and a Hamburger! The drinks were very refreshing after the long travel day…Raspberry Mango Colada, Rum Punch and Virgin Daiquiris for the kids! Of course with it being our son’s 13th birthday, we had to order dessert! As the waitress brought out the Chocolate Decadent Cake and Key Lime Pie, everyone in the restaurant sang “Happy Birthday”. Then the Jazz Band played a jazz version of “Happy Birthday”…this was a birthday our son is sure to remember!<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=v8ieyd" target="_blank"><img src="http://i27.tinypic.com/v8ieyd.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> With our stomachs full, we headed back to the villa, unpacked and headed off to bed…Exploring Beautiful STJ awaits!
To be continued….
I hope to have the rest of the trip report and more photos soon!
