usvi-on-line
Trip Report - Mar. 19-30 - Old Favorites and New Experiences
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mark & susan
- Posts: 99
- Joined: Thu Aug 24, 2006 4:35 pm
- Location: Frederick, Maryland
Trip Report - Mar. 19-30 - Old Favorites and New Experiences
We have not had time to look at any pictures so this will be a “dry” report – we are also too busy shivering after returning on Wednesday at midnight. It’s killing me after 11 days of 80 degrees. I’ll therefore try and keep this short and sweet.
Our trip, based on our past experience, and using tips and ideas that we pick up every year, followed some of the same themes and activities as others on this board. While we usually go with the flow this time we had 5 rather than the 2 of us so it was more active or scheduled.
The Highlights – Background
Adding to the mix this year were our two sons, 23 and 26 and the 26 YO’s new bride (from June). We flew in on a Saturday – kids on Monday – they stayed about 6 nights. Then we had three nights as just the two of us which was also great after showing them around for their time on the rock.
Lodgings
We spent the first night at Miller Manor on St. Thomas. Key to us was their freezer where our Polar Bear cooler spent the night. Had a great chat talking with the owners – we have a pair of image stabilizing binoculars and they were thinking about buying a pair. Dinner at Hook Line and Sinker down the hill. Mass at the Cathedral next door.
On STJ we were at Villa Tiffany – high above Coral Bay.
Villa Tiffany was great – with some oddities. The villa is in two “pods” with one bedroom across the pool area. The sliding glass door facing the other pod offered NO window treatments. So while the glass was somewhat mirrored on the outside, at night with the lights on in that other bedroom you could see right in. Bizarre.
It was our son and his wife and we told them about it but I can’t imagine sharing it with two couples under this circumstances. It’s a great villa (view/outdoor showers/CO privacy, etc) but missing the small touches, the TLC. They have wired internet – so you have to literally plug one laptop into the old school connection. As my tech savvy son pointed out it would cost less than $100 to make it a wireless system.
And while we don’t cook in a lot we had planned on it for two of three nights – guess what – little stuff like no measuring cups – no measuring spoons, no hand juicer, no 8 x 8 pan, etc. Sorry - for $500-700 a night someone can go spend a few hundred dollars and more completely outfit the kitchen.
The driveway was exciting but we got used to it. But to give you some perspective – we are used to an Ajax Road villa where we walk down the hill, turn right on North Shore Road and have a nice hike. This driveway (the paved part) was so steep that when on the first day I decided I would walk down the hill and back I stopped after 100 yards as it was too steep to walk down with sneakers! I felt like one errant pebble and I would be sliding on my a**.
Activities
While we did the usual “musts” for us – Vie’s, Ram’s Head hike, Francis, we also added some stuff since we had a larger group.
Dingy Day was the first new activity which was great fun – did the whole day with two boats – Waterelemon then Little Cinnamon for lunch. Then spent 2 hours at Honeymoon before ending the day. We had reserved the boats for earlier in the week but when the north swells were up we pushed it back and were glad we did so. The guy’s at Noah’s were great to work with.
A new visit this time was to the University of the Virgin Islands Research Center out at Lamshur Bay. The museum there is modest and concerns only the Tektite project but was interesting. Easy to just spend 15-20 minutes there and then hit the beach.
Spent a great day with Captain John – the “usual itinerary”, opted for lunch at the Soggy then just sunk in there for the afternoon. Wow – what a beach/scene! Also new was Sloop Jones where my bride found a number of items. It really is worth a stop and the drive out to the East end is one of our favorite.
Vie’s beach was also a new stoop – so great to have lunch there and walk to the beach. It was on a day when the swells were up at the North Shore, and rather than follow the crown to Salt Pond we tried that to great success.
Also new was Reef Bay which we did on our own – early one morning. Took about 2 ½ hours both ways and was worth it although we would not likely do it again.
Thanks to Rick and others suggestions we hired Tropical Focus to take family pictures. Bob was great, spent 1 ½ hours with us at the ruins and beach at Cimannon. The proofs look great.
F&B Highlights
Skipped our favorite, Zozo’s this time due to the size of group and our villa’s proximity to Shipwreck where we ate twice. That was good as usual. First time visitors to Rhumb Lines which was great, awesome sammies at Sam and Jack’s in Marketplace.
Hit Donkey Diner 2X for breakfast which was excellent, also had their pizza one night which seems to have slipped a notch under the new owners. Hey – I know it’s the islands but when a Meat Lover’s pizza is about $24 can you put more that 50 cents of meat on it?
Skinnys’s twice – so easy and relaxing. Great lunch at Lime Inn (any wonder it’s been there so long?) Missed BBQ this trip sadly.
Misc
In that we rented one car from Dependable and one from Penn’s (where we usually rent) we became good friends with Slim Man and his lot. When you consider the cost of everything else is so simple to just give him the $5-15 and be done with the issue of
parking. It’s not every day that we even went into to Cruz Bay.
We had a great time – will continue to stay near Coral Bay – just fits us better. Already planning the trip back next February or March. Also came back to our new license plates in the accumulated mail “ST JOHN” – was surprised that it was available.
Can you tell we are “hooked”?
Our trip, based on our past experience, and using tips and ideas that we pick up every year, followed some of the same themes and activities as others on this board. While we usually go with the flow this time we had 5 rather than the 2 of us so it was more active or scheduled.
The Highlights – Background
Adding to the mix this year were our two sons, 23 and 26 and the 26 YO’s new bride (from June). We flew in on a Saturday – kids on Monday – they stayed about 6 nights. Then we had three nights as just the two of us which was also great after showing them around for their time on the rock.
Lodgings
We spent the first night at Miller Manor on St. Thomas. Key to us was their freezer where our Polar Bear cooler spent the night. Had a great chat talking with the owners – we have a pair of image stabilizing binoculars and they were thinking about buying a pair. Dinner at Hook Line and Sinker down the hill. Mass at the Cathedral next door.
On STJ we were at Villa Tiffany – high above Coral Bay.
Villa Tiffany was great – with some oddities. The villa is in two “pods” with one bedroom across the pool area. The sliding glass door facing the other pod offered NO window treatments. So while the glass was somewhat mirrored on the outside, at night with the lights on in that other bedroom you could see right in. Bizarre.
It was our son and his wife and we told them about it but I can’t imagine sharing it with two couples under this circumstances. It’s a great villa (view/outdoor showers/CO privacy, etc) but missing the small touches, the TLC. They have wired internet – so you have to literally plug one laptop into the old school connection. As my tech savvy son pointed out it would cost less than $100 to make it a wireless system.
And while we don’t cook in a lot we had planned on it for two of three nights – guess what – little stuff like no measuring cups – no measuring spoons, no hand juicer, no 8 x 8 pan, etc. Sorry - for $500-700 a night someone can go spend a few hundred dollars and more completely outfit the kitchen.
The driveway was exciting but we got used to it. But to give you some perspective – we are used to an Ajax Road villa where we walk down the hill, turn right on North Shore Road and have a nice hike. This driveway (the paved part) was so steep that when on the first day I decided I would walk down the hill and back I stopped after 100 yards as it was too steep to walk down with sneakers! I felt like one errant pebble and I would be sliding on my a**.
Activities
While we did the usual “musts” for us – Vie’s, Ram’s Head hike, Francis, we also added some stuff since we had a larger group.
Dingy Day was the first new activity which was great fun – did the whole day with two boats – Waterelemon then Little Cinnamon for lunch. Then spent 2 hours at Honeymoon before ending the day. We had reserved the boats for earlier in the week but when the north swells were up we pushed it back and were glad we did so. The guy’s at Noah’s were great to work with.
A new visit this time was to the University of the Virgin Islands Research Center out at Lamshur Bay. The museum there is modest and concerns only the Tektite project but was interesting. Easy to just spend 15-20 minutes there and then hit the beach.
Spent a great day with Captain John – the “usual itinerary”, opted for lunch at the Soggy then just sunk in there for the afternoon. Wow – what a beach/scene! Also new was Sloop Jones where my bride found a number of items. It really is worth a stop and the drive out to the East end is one of our favorite.
Vie’s beach was also a new stoop – so great to have lunch there and walk to the beach. It was on a day when the swells were up at the North Shore, and rather than follow the crown to Salt Pond we tried that to great success.
Also new was Reef Bay which we did on our own – early one morning. Took about 2 ½ hours both ways and was worth it although we would not likely do it again.
Thanks to Rick and others suggestions we hired Tropical Focus to take family pictures. Bob was great, spent 1 ½ hours with us at the ruins and beach at Cimannon. The proofs look great.
F&B Highlights
Skipped our favorite, Zozo’s this time due to the size of group and our villa’s proximity to Shipwreck where we ate twice. That was good as usual. First time visitors to Rhumb Lines which was great, awesome sammies at Sam and Jack’s in Marketplace.
Hit Donkey Diner 2X for breakfast which was excellent, also had their pizza one night which seems to have slipped a notch under the new owners. Hey – I know it’s the islands but when a Meat Lover’s pizza is about $24 can you put more that 50 cents of meat on it?
Skinnys’s twice – so easy and relaxing. Great lunch at Lime Inn (any wonder it’s been there so long?) Missed BBQ this trip sadly.
Misc
In that we rented one car from Dependable and one from Penn’s (where we usually rent) we became good friends with Slim Man and his lot. When you consider the cost of everything else is so simple to just give him the $5-15 and be done with the issue of
parking. It’s not every day that we even went into to Cruz Bay.
We had a great time – will continue to stay near Coral Bay – just fits us better. Already planning the trip back next February or March. Also came back to our new license plates in the accumulated mail “ST JOHN” – was surprised that it was available.
Can you tell we are “hooked”?
Thanks for your report....but..... it's really disturbing to hear such negativity. Have you given anything back to the island? Like the animal shelter or the public school? Your experience could be so enriched by making such simple contributions and in return you'll begin to gain a true understanding of this beautiful island.
Thanks for your report. I, for one, thought it was refreshing that you gave a balanced report. You clearly enjoy St. John, and shared some of your favorite things. And although you mentioned some less than perfect things at the villa, you didn't dwell on the negativity.
BillnSue, I gotta respectfully say that I don't think the comment about giving back to the island was warranted. Many people write trip reports, and never have I seen a comment that suggests that the writer should "give back." Charity is a personal choice, and for many of us it starts in our home or community. No one should be told where to give back.
BillnSue, I gotta respectfully say that I don't think the comment about giving back to the island was warranted. Many people write trip reports, and never have I seen a comment that suggests that the writer should "give back." Charity is a personal choice, and for many of us it starts in our home or community. No one should be told where to give back.
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Marcia (Mrs. Pete)
- Posts: 1576
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 9:40 pm
- Location: Madison Area, Wisconsin
????BillnSue wrote:Thanks for your report....but..... it's really disturbing to hear such negativity. Have you given anything back to the island? Like the animal shelter or the public school? Your experience could be so enriched by making such simple contributions and in return you'll begin to gain a true understanding of this beautiful island.
Marcia (Mrs. Pete)
Missing St. John. As always.
Missing St. John. As always.
Say what?
What was so negative? Their opinion is their opinion. If I am spending a certain amount of money at a villa the little things like measuring spoons should readily available. And for $24 bucks ---meat on a pizza is expected. I have been to STJ many times and have not volunteered at an animal shelter and probably never will. I love STJ and will return spending my $$$$$$ and cleaning up after myself on the beach!
Great trip report mark and Susan. Im glad you enjoyed yourselves with your adult children in tow!
Great trip report mark and Susan. Im glad you enjoyed yourselves with your adult children in tow!
Julie
Live from St.John
Facebook Group
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SOonthebeach
- Posts: 1707
- Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:01 am
- Location: Texas
Why would anyone expect a visitor to give back to STJ??? Pay the villa rent, which is sent to some Big bank in the states - dribble a few bucks around at some restaurants - get a local rent a car and a Slim Man space - but the big bucks go stateside to pay the mortgage.
Enjoy it while you are here for sure!!!! - but don't imagine that your major expenses benefit the island economy - tipping your servers [cash !! ] probably has the greatest local effect.
Enjoy it while you are here for sure!!!! - but don't imagine that your major expenses benefit the island economy - tipping your servers [cash !! ] probably has the greatest local effect.
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mark & susan
- Posts: 99
- Joined: Thu Aug 24, 2006 4:35 pm
- Location: Frederick, Maryland
Yikes - we actually looked for the animal shelter and I told my wife that was an option on a future trip - say the people in their yellow vests walking the dogs.
Let's see I tipped over 20 percent always (in cash)when the meal itself might have been on a credit card - left lots of stuff for the cleaning lady - bought goods at local and new establishments like Cases By The Sea.
I love the island - and fall quickly into island time. My only points on the villa were for that kind of $$ they were just missing a few things - and who among us wants to share a villa with "see through windows'?
I have told several times since we returned how hard it is to drive over 30 MPH! Also the story that I this says it all of driving through Cruz Bay and the guy in front of my stopped to chat with friends twice in a block - taking his time to do so - I was cool with it - as were the three cars behind me - no honking - Island Time.
Namaste.
Let's see I tipped over 20 percent always (in cash)when the meal itself might have been on a credit card - left lots of stuff for the cleaning lady - bought goods at local and new establishments like Cases By The Sea.
I love the island - and fall quickly into island time. My only points on the villa were for that kind of $$ they were just missing a few things - and who among us wants to share a villa with "see through windows'?
I have told several times since we returned how hard it is to drive over 30 MPH! Also the story that I this says it all of driving through Cruz Bay and the guy in front of my stopped to chat with friends twice in a block - taking his time to do so - I was cool with it - as were the three cars behind me - no honking - Island Time.
Namaste.
Wow! I read your report before I went to bed last night and enjoyed it. This morning I read the comments and had to reread it twice to try and figure out where the negativity was. I myself enjoy reading the good and the bad so we can all make our own decisions for future trips
You did things we hope to do in future trips like Dingy day. Thanks for taking the time to share.
You did things we hope to do in future trips like Dingy day. Thanks for taking the time to share.
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Jen East End
- Posts: 124
- Joined: Sun Mar 20, 2011 7:59 am
- Location: Buffalo, NY
Thanks for the trip report, I think these are my favorite to read. As a new 'forumite' I really enjoy hearing about peoples experiences. As we continue to look towards spring, these trip reports transport me away from the cold to a place I love. Sounds like you had a wonderful time. I'll be sure to post after we return in June.
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Xislandgirl
- Posts: 4163
- Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 4:03 pm
- Location: Slightly left of center
Thanks for the report, I really enjoyed it. I like to hear about things that people didn't like. The island is like anywhere else in the world, not perfect and it is important to point out the good and the bad.
I posted something not glowing about an island business in one of my reports and got some pretty terrible PMs. I thought it funny, I did not like it, plain and simple. It doesn't mean it is a terrible place, I just didn't like it.
I like to cook so all those things you said were missing would affect my vacation and it is important to know about the window issue too.
I also have to agree with Lovermont. Charity is personal, your comments were out of line BillnSue
I posted something not glowing about an island business in one of my reports and got some pretty terrible PMs. I thought it funny, I did not like it, plain and simple. It doesn't mean it is a terrible place, I just didn't like it.
I like to cook so all those things you said were missing would affect my vacation and it is important to know about the window issue too.
I also have to agree with Lovermont. Charity is personal, your comments were out of line BillnSue