USVI-On-Line

Never take resort people to STJ. They will like it but never really "get" it

When the villa key is not in it's hiding place don't worry too much. The gardener just took it with him and he will bring it back the next day.

When you are traveling with 3 couples, someone will be bitchy because they got the "crappy" bedroom. They will then gloat when the Master bedroom doesn't have A/C for the whole week.

Having your car die on a switchback is really frigging scary.

Being really laid back can make for a stressful vacation when one of your traveling companions is the Energizer Bunny

Toes in the sand with clear blue water in front of me is my favorite place to be.

I miss the island, I miss my friends, and I miss the "vibe' of the island. I don't miss the life that I lived there. STJ is for vacation, I could never live there again.

Our next vacation will be just us.

I really only need a towel to go to the beach. Other people need to pack the living room.


We had a great time, but as you can probably tell from the notes above, we would have had a much better time if I did not have to be a tour guide. I have my fare watchers set and I am trying to get back in August for a quick trip with some great friends that used to live on the island. Chip wants to come with me, so I think that he is hooked. He does like to switch up vacations, so we will see how soon we get back. It won't be soon enough for me, but I will go wherever the winds take me.

thanks for the wrap up. I know what you mean about traveling with others. it's hard, isn't it? we have some people who have expressed interest in heading to STJ with us but so far I've been reluctant to open it up to anyone.
When we were there last year if we were at a beach 10 minutes or all day it mattered to no one but us. Not checking in with others. I take other "group" vacations in Maine and they are sufficient! It would have to be just the "right" group for STJ.

I hope you get back as soon as you want to.

What happened to Rapture? did you visit?

MB

I can sympathise with lots of your statements! (Although since you lived there before, the frustrations were probably magnified.)

We are on the fence about planning a multi-couple trip for next year. I have some reservations that are very similar to your experience/thoughts.

Hope the party poopers didn't ruin your vacation If you find someone that you can travel with hold them close it's harder to find then a mate.

Thanks for your reports. It is tough when you bring a group of people into a vacation--there's always a power struggle, and I end up asking myself why I bother. Eventually, though, I forget all the annoying parts and am left with only the good memories. So then I book another group trip and it starts all over again!

I hope you get your trip in August.

MB- We never made it to Rapture. I did run into them at the beach and then back at home at the grocery store. They said that the villa was incredible. I am hoping to see pictures next week!

X - there is so much wisdom in your post for those that are willing to listen to it - thanks!

After a few group vacations that were more stressful than they should have been, we are very careful to make sure everyone knows ahead of time that being in a group doesn't mean that we are always attached at the hip.

Amen. 2 is a perfect number.

Cheers, RickG

After doing a "group" vacation, I have learned that (at least for us) it is necessary for each couple or member to have their own vehicle and be up front with the fact that you plan to use it on your own. The worst is the feeling of being "stuck" with the group. I think just knowing that you can go on your own and people are expecting you to do so, takes a lot of the tension away.

X- I can relate and sympathize.

Out of the 4 trips to STJ we've been lucky enough to enjoy, the one trip with just the two of us was leaps and bounds above the rest!

After the first group trip, we realized the high importance of renting multiple cars - Different strokes for different folks in terms of the daily desires.

Luckily, everyone in our groups "got" STJ...just in different ways. Unfortunately, obligation, guilt and the inablility to communicate ones true feelings still got in the way (we were travelling with family) and caused some really crappy stress .

Crappy stress on STJ is still better than crappy stress in a cubicle, though! Honestly- nothing a few blender drinks couldn't solve .

Hubby and I have now vowed to vacation as a couple only! We are almost always on the same wavelength in terms of what sort of vacation we like.

Thanks for the thoughts. I couldn't agree more. I really do want to take more people to STJ, but I get tired of waiting on people to get ready sometimes. I like to get up early and get to the beaches early. Our best trips usually have been just the two of us but we haven't done enough of that lately.

LysaC - your comments about vehicles and family are so true for us!

During our last trip, my mom and friend didn't want to rent a vehicle for budget reasons, which meant we played taxi driver. They had great manners about it and tried to be very considerate but it still caused stress for my husband as he wasn't about to let his mother-in-law stand on the street for X hours until we felt like driving back into town. This often resulted in our turning around to go back into town as soon as we got settled. In total, we figured out that we spent 1.5 hours a day in the car. Not again.

RICKG said it perfectly 2 IS THE PERFECT NUMBER

Don't get me wrong. We had a great time and we are still friends, but I am sure that they feel teh same way. We are just differnt vactioners. They like to keep going all the time and we prefer to just sit and "be"

We really wanted a villa gravity day but they were not the sit around types.

Just another lesson learned.

Xislandgirl, I've done so many couples trips... some good, some not so good. We always have a good time, but I'm always the planner. I book the villa, I coordinate flights (don't ask - but it always happens), I book the rental car, etc. And then, I get asked 1,000 questions about our destination. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to be seen as the "expert," but it wears on you by the end of a week.

Luckily, we have about two couples who we love traveling with. We plan to go on occasional trips with them (after all, we can't afford those fabulous villas by ourselves!) but do "our own thing" most of the time.

Oh, and I beg to differ with point one. Resort people CAN "get" the villa experience. My husband likes both. He sees them as different types of trips and appreciates each one for what it is. I don't like the big AI resorts, but I'll never turn down a trip to a big Hawaiian resort. Not the same as the villa experience, but enjoyable in a different way.