usvi-on-line
Trip Report June 25 - July 3; long report, Days 1 - 4
Trip Report June 25 - July 3; long report, Days 1 - 4
Hi, our family of 11: 4 adults, 7 kids, ages 12 - 20 traveled from JFK on Friday, June 25 to STT. We rented two Jeeps from Amalie Car Rental in STT, Magdalena and the cars were waiting for us at the airport. Amalie was very easy to work with and I would highly recommend their car rental company! We drove to Cost U Less, stocked up on food and then on to the car barge for STJ. We arrived on STJ at about 2:30p.m. and were greeted by Lisa Durgin of Vacation Vistas. On to Ristaba, just up Rock Ridge Road (first left after the dumpster past the Westin). Ristaba fit our family beautifully! Parking was generous for 2 vehicles, but you could fit 3, if need be. You enter Ristaba on the second/top floor which is comprised of an open living/dining/kitchen. The entire floor is surrounded by a covered veranda with large sliders on three sides. The vaulted ceiling has several paddle fans for additional breezes. During our stay, the temps reached into the 90s, but with the fans on and doors open, we were comfortable. There is also a powder room and laundry on this floor.
The rear veranda is quite large, sporting a wicker settee set and several comfortable wicker rockers. Additionally, there is an iron table with seating for 6 and a gas grill. The veranda overlooks the pool and Chocolate Hole with the views continuing to St. Thomas - gorgeous! There is also a good view of Jacob's Ladder, which was fun to watch during rain storms. A note on the weather, we enjoyed beautiful sunny days during our entire stay, with a couple of storms moving through the area in the evenings. one night, we watched a spectacular thunderstorm over STT, while we sat high and dry on the veranda.
Ristaba's grounds are beautifully landscaped with tons of local flowering trees and plants. Down an interior staircase is the sleeping level. There are four bedrooms, all with ensuite baths. Two of the bedrooms have sliders out to the pool (adults used these). The additional bedrooms were set up as a "twin" bedroom, and another King with two twins pushed together. The bedrooms all had paddle fans and very good air conditioning. This is a great set up for families, as the bedrooms all open into a central interior hallway. The pool and hot tub were just outside, along with a butler's bar - outdoor fridge and sink for extra snacks and drinks by the pool. Here was another settee and patio dining set, as well as 4 lounge chairs in the shade. The pool was large, with plenty of seating in the shallow end and the deep end was nice and deep - probably about 8 ft. Our kids loved relaxing in the pool at the end of the day - especially the six-footers!
Ristaba also has a guest house, with two bedrooms, one bath and kitchen. Our boys, ages 16 - 20 shared the two bedrooms and loved having their own "man hut".
During the time of our visit STJ enjoyed Carnival. A note about this, we loved the music, vendors and general excitement this event created. The unfortunate side effect of carnival was that a couple of villas had been "walked into" further up Rock Ridge Road during our stay. The management company called us to inform us of these break ins and check our security tapes. Oh yes, there is a video surveillance system along with a burglar alarm in this villa. We never felt the need to activate the alarm system, we were careful to lock up the house at night and when we were away. Most "break ins" on STJ really are "walk ins", ie vacationers may inadvertently leave jewelry, ipods, phones -- even cash lying around their villa where they are visible and tempting to passersby. If doors are not locked, this presents a great opportunity for anyone to just "walk in" and help themselves to the goodies. Act as you would at home and lock up your valuables and house! Two safes are provided for valuables at Ristaba, both are generously sized. I should add that we never once felt nervous in the evenings or leaving the house during the day.
Day One, Saturday: We chose Trunk Bay for our first beach destination. My in-law's were visiting STJ for the firs time and this is truly a "must see" beach. Additionally, my girls LOVE the fried honey chicken at the snack bar and eagerly await our visits! Trunk Bay does not disappoint - beautiful beach with pretty good snorkeling at the outer side of the little cay. We saw lots of angelfish, parrots and tarpon. The kids found two nurse sharks in the 3 - 4 foot range - very exciting. Dinner that night was at the villa - grilled shrimp and salad -- off to bed at about 9:00p.m.!
Day two, Sunday; Up early and off to Salt Pond. The drive alone is worth the trip. The kids loved the local critters: donkeys, goats, iguanas - yes, crossing the road! We packed a lunch and spent the day snorkeling around the two sides of the bay and out the middle to the off shore reef. We saw many turtles, probably about 5 grouped together in the grassy middle section of the bay. A hike to Drunk Bay was enjoyed by all with plenty of cool photo ops. We took the Bordeaux mountain road to the smoothie truck - HMMM lime in da coconut (with rum)! Continued down Gifft Hill - yikes! My kids love the roller coaster quality of this road and the reactions of their cousins first downhill adventure! We ventured into town for a casual dinner at Woody's, the kids all wanted t shirts to commemorate their trip. The food is very good cafe food, and the management and staff were extremely accommodating - seating a table of 11 in the middle of a bar/restaurant that probably seats 35 - 40 indoors is quite an accomplishment. Everyone enjoyed their appetizers and dinners and we all had fun trying the different mixed drinks. A note about drinks, the legal age for alcohol consumption is 18 in the Virgin Islands. After dinner, we enjoyed another walk around in the park and back to the villa and in bed by 10:00!
Day Three, Monday; We decided on a hike down Margaret Hill to Salomon Bay - my personal favorite beach. Unlike Honeymoon, the day boats do not drop customers on Salomon. The sand is pure white, super soft and surrounded by local palms, sea grapes and other flora. We were visited by a couple of hungry chickens and one HUGE iguana. The kids loved relaxing under the palms. The reef to the right of Salomon is an easy snorkel over to Honeymoon and Caneel beyond. We brought our new Canon underwater camera and had a blast trying to get the "perfect" underwater fish photo, as well as the elusive "Family Christmas Photo". Since we arrived at the beach at about9:30 a.m., we were the only beach goers until about noon! Lunch was sandwiches on the beach. Back to the villa in the afternoon for pool lazing. Since this was my 50th birthday, we made reservations at Rhumb Lines for dinner. Rhumb Lines is our favorite restaurant in Cruz Bay - my family loves their Pad Thai and Key Lime Pie. Although Morgan's Mango for the lobster is a close second. They also provide a "kids" menu for the picky eaters in the bunch - chicken fingers and french fries makes everyone a happy camper. After dinner, we walked through the vendors in town for carnival and grooved to the music! The perfect end to a perfect day!
Day Four, Tuesday: We chose Cinnamon Beach as our destination today. I love Cinnamon, which looks very much like Trunk, but is generally less crowded, especially when the cruise ships are in port in STT. The snorkeling here was better than I remembered. The older kids found a cool octopus out by the rocks at the cay and enjoyed watching his anctics. One of the things I love about the beaches of STJ is the view inland from the water. Floating in the warm Caribbean while gazing at the incredible mountains covered in lush, tropical foliage really does it for me - if only I could bottle this feeling! Again, we saw many interesting underwater critters. This beach seems to attract alot of families (at least while were were there) and my kids loved mingling/meeting folks from all around the globe. The boys especially loved ogling the cute girls! Looks like I'll have to continue. . . .
The rear veranda is quite large, sporting a wicker settee set and several comfortable wicker rockers. Additionally, there is an iron table with seating for 6 and a gas grill. The veranda overlooks the pool and Chocolate Hole with the views continuing to St. Thomas - gorgeous! There is also a good view of Jacob's Ladder, which was fun to watch during rain storms. A note on the weather, we enjoyed beautiful sunny days during our entire stay, with a couple of storms moving through the area in the evenings. one night, we watched a spectacular thunderstorm over STT, while we sat high and dry on the veranda.
Ristaba's grounds are beautifully landscaped with tons of local flowering trees and plants. Down an interior staircase is the sleeping level. There are four bedrooms, all with ensuite baths. Two of the bedrooms have sliders out to the pool (adults used these). The additional bedrooms were set up as a "twin" bedroom, and another King with two twins pushed together. The bedrooms all had paddle fans and very good air conditioning. This is a great set up for families, as the bedrooms all open into a central interior hallway. The pool and hot tub were just outside, along with a butler's bar - outdoor fridge and sink for extra snacks and drinks by the pool. Here was another settee and patio dining set, as well as 4 lounge chairs in the shade. The pool was large, with plenty of seating in the shallow end and the deep end was nice and deep - probably about 8 ft. Our kids loved relaxing in the pool at the end of the day - especially the six-footers!
Ristaba also has a guest house, with two bedrooms, one bath and kitchen. Our boys, ages 16 - 20 shared the two bedrooms and loved having their own "man hut".
During the time of our visit STJ enjoyed Carnival. A note about this, we loved the music, vendors and general excitement this event created. The unfortunate side effect of carnival was that a couple of villas had been "walked into" further up Rock Ridge Road during our stay. The management company called us to inform us of these break ins and check our security tapes. Oh yes, there is a video surveillance system along with a burglar alarm in this villa. We never felt the need to activate the alarm system, we were careful to lock up the house at night and when we were away. Most "break ins" on STJ really are "walk ins", ie vacationers may inadvertently leave jewelry, ipods, phones -- even cash lying around their villa where they are visible and tempting to passersby. If doors are not locked, this presents a great opportunity for anyone to just "walk in" and help themselves to the goodies. Act as you would at home and lock up your valuables and house! Two safes are provided for valuables at Ristaba, both are generously sized. I should add that we never once felt nervous in the evenings or leaving the house during the day.
Day One, Saturday: We chose Trunk Bay for our first beach destination. My in-law's were visiting STJ for the firs time and this is truly a "must see" beach. Additionally, my girls LOVE the fried honey chicken at the snack bar and eagerly await our visits! Trunk Bay does not disappoint - beautiful beach with pretty good snorkeling at the outer side of the little cay. We saw lots of angelfish, parrots and tarpon. The kids found two nurse sharks in the 3 - 4 foot range - very exciting. Dinner that night was at the villa - grilled shrimp and salad -- off to bed at about 9:00p.m.!
Day two, Sunday; Up early and off to Salt Pond. The drive alone is worth the trip. The kids loved the local critters: donkeys, goats, iguanas - yes, crossing the road! We packed a lunch and spent the day snorkeling around the two sides of the bay and out the middle to the off shore reef. We saw many turtles, probably about 5 grouped together in the grassy middle section of the bay. A hike to Drunk Bay was enjoyed by all with plenty of cool photo ops. We took the Bordeaux mountain road to the smoothie truck - HMMM lime in da coconut (with rum)! Continued down Gifft Hill - yikes! My kids love the roller coaster quality of this road and the reactions of their cousins first downhill adventure! We ventured into town for a casual dinner at Woody's, the kids all wanted t shirts to commemorate their trip. The food is very good cafe food, and the management and staff were extremely accommodating - seating a table of 11 in the middle of a bar/restaurant that probably seats 35 - 40 indoors is quite an accomplishment. Everyone enjoyed their appetizers and dinners and we all had fun trying the different mixed drinks. A note about drinks, the legal age for alcohol consumption is 18 in the Virgin Islands. After dinner, we enjoyed another walk around in the park and back to the villa and in bed by 10:00!
Day Three, Monday; We decided on a hike down Margaret Hill to Salomon Bay - my personal favorite beach. Unlike Honeymoon, the day boats do not drop customers on Salomon. The sand is pure white, super soft and surrounded by local palms, sea grapes and other flora. We were visited by a couple of hungry chickens and one HUGE iguana. The kids loved relaxing under the palms. The reef to the right of Salomon is an easy snorkel over to Honeymoon and Caneel beyond. We brought our new Canon underwater camera and had a blast trying to get the "perfect" underwater fish photo, as well as the elusive "Family Christmas Photo". Since we arrived at the beach at about9:30 a.m., we were the only beach goers until about noon! Lunch was sandwiches on the beach. Back to the villa in the afternoon for pool lazing. Since this was my 50th birthday, we made reservations at Rhumb Lines for dinner. Rhumb Lines is our favorite restaurant in Cruz Bay - my family loves their Pad Thai and Key Lime Pie. Although Morgan's Mango for the lobster is a close second. They also provide a "kids" menu for the picky eaters in the bunch - chicken fingers and french fries makes everyone a happy camper. After dinner, we walked through the vendors in town for carnival and grooved to the music! The perfect end to a perfect day!
Day Four, Tuesday: We chose Cinnamon Beach as our destination today. I love Cinnamon, which looks very much like Trunk, but is generally less crowded, especially when the cruise ships are in port in STT. The snorkeling here was better than I remembered. The older kids found a cool octopus out by the rocks at the cay and enjoyed watching his anctics. One of the things I love about the beaches of STJ is the view inland from the water. Floating in the warm Caribbean while gazing at the incredible mountains covered in lush, tropical foliage really does it for me - if only I could bottle this feeling! Again, we saw many interesting underwater critters. This beach seems to attract alot of families (at least while were were there) and my kids loved mingling/meeting folks from all around the globe. The boys especially loved ogling the cute girls! Looks like I'll have to continue. . . .
Great report, scubamom5! You were there the week after we left. We've not stayed at Ristaba, thanks for the review. Isn't Lisa great? We stayed at Serenity this time.
Gotta agree about Rhumb lines! Fantastic Pad Thai, and Mojo Cuban Pork! And the lobster at Morgan's is pretty fantastic!
Can't wait for the rest of your report, keep em coming!
-Bert
Gotta agree about Rhumb lines! Fantastic Pad Thai, and Mojo Cuban Pork! And the lobster at Morgan's is pretty fantastic!
Can't wait for the rest of your report, keep em coming!
-Bert
The liver is evil, it must be punished!
-
SOonthebeach
- Posts: 1707
- Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:01 am
- Location: Texas
-
mindehankins
- Posts: 3014
- Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:21 am
- Location: Western NY State
