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St John trip report
St John trip report
Just returned a few days ago from our 13 day stay on St. John. Had no issues with flights coming or going-US Airways-(can you believe it)? We rented vehicles and explored the entire island. For a thrill, take Route108 from down by Love City and drive up the mountain. What incredible views! If you don’t want the thrill, take 108 from TUTU’s silver and take the easy way!
Car RentalSt John Car Rental: can’t say enough good things about the customer service and vehicle! Outstanding!
Places we stayedKachira, Pastory Garden, Cruz Bay (4 nights just hubby and myself): Nice little condo in a good location and great price
Estate Fortsberg- Coral Bay-Windspree Vacation Rental (9 night stay-we were joined by 3 other couples –all family): WOW what a GREAT villa with amazing views. Everything was top notch and very very well maintained. Everything we needed was supplied. The beds were so comfortable and each bedroom was separate from the main part of the villa. The outdoor showers were amazing! Great outdoor space with pool and hot tub. If you’re looking for a 4 bedroom in Coral Bay, check this place out! The old fort is above the villa and the battory with the cannons still intact are below the villa. Neat piece of history with easy access
Beaches we visited:The usual suspects-Cinnamon, Trunk, Hawksnest, Maho-my favorite-Jumbie, Salt Pond, Francis, Leinister-Waterlemon-good snorkeling and Haulover
Place we ate:
Candies Delight-Cruz Bay-great food and lots of it at an unbelievable low price!
Driftwood Davids:-Cruz Bay-again, great food
Aqua Bistro-wasn’t impressed
Miss Lucy’s-loved it! Full moon party with Reggae Express playing-love this band, and a wedding took place-so cool!
Skinny Leggs-loved it
Tourist Trap-loved it
Sputnik (beside the Donkey Dinner_-Ju Ju fixed us a special meal!
Shipwreck Landing-worst meal and service we had, sorry
Vie’s-went two times and both times she was closed, what a bummer!
Side trips:
Bad Kitty- not my cup of tea being herded like a bunch of cows, but I really wanted to see Cooper Island Beach Club, so I paid the price. Lunch here was OK, conch fritters were really good, hamburger was dried out and burnt. Also went to the Baths, which we had already saw twice and Jost Van Dyke. Had a good time with Foxy, boy that FireWater Rum is really HOT! Extremely disappointed with White Bay, so many boats and dinghies right up to the beach.
Ocean Runners-this is the way to go, rented a boat and captain for the day and went to Norman and had lunch, snorkeling at the Bight was very good, Willie-T, and Jost again. Way way better than Bad Kitty-lesson learned
This was the first time we stayed in Coral Bay and we all loved it. The peace and quiet was wonderful. The drive to all the North Shore beaches was very simple-just take the turn by the smoothie stand. The drive to Cruz Bay wasn’t bad at all, although we didn’t need to go very often.
Overall we had an outstanding trip with beautiful weather.
Thanks to all of you for answering the questions I posted prior to my trip!
Denise
Car RentalSt John Car Rental: can’t say enough good things about the customer service and vehicle! Outstanding!
Places we stayedKachira, Pastory Garden, Cruz Bay (4 nights just hubby and myself): Nice little condo in a good location and great price
Estate Fortsberg- Coral Bay-Windspree Vacation Rental (9 night stay-we were joined by 3 other couples –all family): WOW what a GREAT villa with amazing views. Everything was top notch and very very well maintained. Everything we needed was supplied. The beds were so comfortable and each bedroom was separate from the main part of the villa. The outdoor showers were amazing! Great outdoor space with pool and hot tub. If you’re looking for a 4 bedroom in Coral Bay, check this place out! The old fort is above the villa and the battory with the cannons still intact are below the villa. Neat piece of history with easy access
Beaches we visited:The usual suspects-Cinnamon, Trunk, Hawksnest, Maho-my favorite-Jumbie, Salt Pond, Francis, Leinister-Waterlemon-good snorkeling and Haulover
Place we ate:
Candies Delight-Cruz Bay-great food and lots of it at an unbelievable low price!
Driftwood Davids:-Cruz Bay-again, great food
Aqua Bistro-wasn’t impressed
Miss Lucy’s-loved it! Full moon party with Reggae Express playing-love this band, and a wedding took place-so cool!
Skinny Leggs-loved it
Tourist Trap-loved it
Sputnik (beside the Donkey Dinner_-Ju Ju fixed us a special meal!
Shipwreck Landing-worst meal and service we had, sorry
Vie’s-went two times and both times she was closed, what a bummer!
Side trips:
Bad Kitty- not my cup of tea being herded like a bunch of cows, but I really wanted to see Cooper Island Beach Club, so I paid the price. Lunch here was OK, conch fritters were really good, hamburger was dried out and burnt. Also went to the Baths, which we had already saw twice and Jost Van Dyke. Had a good time with Foxy, boy that FireWater Rum is really HOT! Extremely disappointed with White Bay, so many boats and dinghies right up to the beach.
Ocean Runners-this is the way to go, rented a boat and captain for the day and went to Norman and had lunch, snorkeling at the Bight was very good, Willie-T, and Jost again. Way way better than Bad Kitty-lesson learned
This was the first time we stayed in Coral Bay and we all loved it. The peace and quiet was wonderful. The drive to all the North Shore beaches was very simple-just take the turn by the smoothie stand. The drive to Cruz Bay wasn’t bad at all, although we didn’t need to go very often.
Overall we had an outstanding trip with beautiful weather.
Thanks to all of you for answering the questions I posted prior to my trip!
Denise
Re: St John trip report
Since you mentioned White Bay...I wanted to comment on that as well...
When we were there in November, we noticed the same thing. Many boats backed up to the shore...which caused 2 issues...
1. One guy didn't know how to set his anchor correctly and it was right where some kids were playing in the water. I was scared they were going to cut their feet on it.
2. The chemical smell from gas, etc. made it necessary to get out of the water.
It's a shame they couldn't anchor further out or something....
Also...I have been eyeing Fortsberg for a while..Did you feel like the living/dining area and the bedrooms were big enough? On the pics, they look kind of tight. Was wondering how it was in person. Also, did they have nice outdoor furniture near the pool? It looked sort of bare out there on the pics also, but some of those might have been old pics. Glad you enjoyed it!!
When we were there in November, we noticed the same thing. Many boats backed up to the shore...which caused 2 issues...
1. One guy didn't know how to set his anchor correctly and it was right where some kids were playing in the water. I was scared they were going to cut their feet on it.
2. The chemical smell from gas, etc. made it necessary to get out of the water.
It's a shame they couldn't anchor further out or something....
Also...I have been eyeing Fortsberg for a while..Did you feel like the living/dining area and the bedrooms were big enough? On the pics, they look kind of tight. Was wondering how it was in person. Also, did they have nice outdoor furniture near the pool? It looked sort of bare out there on the pics also, but some of those might have been old pics. Glad you enjoyed it!!
~Pam~
"Barefoot in the snow white sand
A bag of sea shells in her hand
She finally found a paradise it seems..."
"Barefoot in the snow white sand
A bag of sea shells in her hand
She finally found a paradise it seems..."
Re: St John trip report
What is Route108?
Re: St John trip report
At the intersection where you see ‘Welcome to Coral Bay’ signs…make a right onto 107.
Go past the closed Domino Gas Station on your right. Go past the garbage dumpsters on your left. The road bears to the left immediately take the first right hand turn (108) up the steep hill.
Here's a video I took two years ago going up 108 and we're headed back there tomorrow !!!
http://vimeo.com/22108200
Go past the closed Domino Gas Station on your right. Go past the garbage dumpsters on your left. The road bears to the left immediately take the first right hand turn (108) up the steep hill.
Here's a video I took two years ago going up 108 and we're headed back there tomorrow !!!
http://vimeo.com/22108200
Re: St John trip report
Thanks! I feel like we should take a day and just drive up and down every road just to see where they lead!
Re: St John trip report
The living area at Estate Fortsberg is a nice size. We had a couple dinners in and the dinning area had plenty of room, but honestly, we were never inside. The outdoor area is fantastic. The furniture is in excellent condition and plenty of seating. We had a group of 8 and never felt like any spaces were tight. The bedrooms are plenty large, tons of storage space, greata beds and the outdoor showers are to die for! This villa has been very well maintained and the cleaning ladies did a fantastic job. When we arrived there was hand soap, paper towels, toilet paper, coffee filters, dish soap, dishwasher tabs and so much more. It was the perfect villa and is actually nicer than the pictures!