usvi-on-line
Back to the Islands: Virgin Gorda & St. John - Part 3 Final
Back to the Islands: Virgin Gorda & St. John - Part 3 Final
Not a whole lot to report on the rest of the time on STJ. Monday had breakfast at Deli Grotto – we split and egg and cheese sangwich, a multigrain bagel, and a piece of the delicious banana bread, then out to Maho, then out to Coral Bay for shopping and a big lunch at Shipwreck.
Turtles at Maho
After breakfast I had walked up to get my reserved vehicle from Paris Car Rental, at least I thought I had a rental with them, but when I showed up to get it they had “no record” of my reservation. A few months prior I had tried to use their new on-line reservation system but that didn’t work so I made it via an exchange of emails (I’ve done this before with them). I didn’t have a paper copy of the res and couldn’t access out of the email folder it was in, so partially my bad for not re-confirming and not having electronic or paper record of the reservation handy.
They didn't have any vehicles available so they hooked me up with Conrad Sutton which was fine except the Suzuki we were in didn’t have an aux jack AND the CD player would jam up, so that sucked not having music of choice in the vehicle. What is that station down there that comes in the strongest but is like a huge multi-genre playlist shuffle on acid? Like Marley followed by the Captain and Tenille followed by rap…
Back to Gallows and walk down to Happy Hours at Joes Rum Hut and the Beach Bar where we had the nachos and tuna – both vey good, although wish we had tried the eats at Joes too based on this thread.
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... =1&t=25638
Tuesday hit Deli Grotto again for a breakfast repeat since it was so good, fast, and reasonably priced. It was an overcast day spent some time shopping and knocking around Gallows and Cruz Bay but did get out to the beach.
Floating rum punch anyone?
Dinner that night was at the old favorite Lime Inn – spinach salad with blackened shrimp, pasta with shrimp and scallops, and Key Lime pie = all reliably good.
On this trip, staying at Gallows, it was also fun to roll back into town late afternoon from the beach for quick showers then walk down to town for drinks before dinner. We hit Joes Rum Hut that goes til 6 then switched over to the Beach Bar at 7. Had intentions of wandering upstairs to Spyglass one time but never made it. We also had intentions one day of starting early at the Tap Room over in Mongoose to sample the draft beers and some fun sounding apps/bar food and making our way over towards the waterfront.
I think it was Tuesday we started the option of the “No Shower Happy Hour” (TM) i.e. we roll into town off the beach, I would drop the girls off at the Beach Bar, zip up and drop the car and beach stuff at Gallows, walk back down and they would have my drink and an order of app/bar food up, and the HH festivities commenced. Note that this probably works best if you are staying at Gallows, Grande Bay, Cruz Views, etc.
After a few at Joes, maybe a few at the Beach Bar, we would stroll back up to Gallows, watch the end of the sunset with my own rum punch , shower/get ready for dinner, and inevitably walk back down to town for dinner, or one night, upstairs to Zozos. Of course by then we were sufficiently lubricated that we usually just drank tons of water with dinner. We also don’t mind walking a lot.
Gallows sunset
That also means we walked past Motu numerous times - we briefly considered, but the fru fru drinks they appear to specialize in are not our style, and I really don’t do wine for Happy Hour in the islands.
Just give us simpletons pineapple Cruzan, a splash of OJ, topped with cranberry juice and squeeze of lime and we are quite satisfied. The girls at Joes got to know and make this drink for us quite well.
The bar food is such that the tuna dishes at the Beach Bar, perhaps the apps at Spyglass folks have mentioned, the burgers at Joes noted in that link are also good enough to be “dinner”, especially on a day that you enjoy a big lunch out – examples for us were Shipwreck or our all time lunch fav Sun Dog.
Wednesday we headed over to Sam & Jacks for awesome breakfast muffins and excellent sangwiches to take to Francis – chicken salad and turkey - worth a detour if you are starting out later anyway. Plus great looking dinner take aways to re-heat - pasta dishes and the like. Stopped at the smoothie truck too that day – still very good, still lotsa skeeters.
The usual suspects in terms of photo ops...
Dinner that night was at Zozo’s – bottle of wine, shrimp risotto, excellent special of Puerto Rico swordfish over kale, some awesome vanilla cream creation for desert. Unspectacular sunset. How nice is it just to walk a few steps to and from a dinner like that? I hope that whatever takes over that space comes close to being as consistently good as Zozo’s has been in terms of service and food.
Thursday breakfast we walked down to Café Livin – very good banana chocolate chip pancakes. Beach pick of the day was Honeymoon. Used our parking $ on the drink cart and found out it is possible for a rum drink to be too strong.
Dinner was back to Rhumblines just because there were more things on the menu we wanted to have and we have to drive 30 min here at home to get high quality Thai inspired cuisine. We had crabcakes, mahi, diver scallops, etc. – awesome again, same friendly and highly knowledgeable waiter as Sunday.
Friday day of departure breakfast stuff again from Deli Grotto as well as sangwiches for the plane. Ferry to Red Hook, which we hadn’t been through in many years so it was big change for me to see that terminal compared to the old gravel lot and ticket shack. We appear to be in the minority here in terms of preferring the CA ferry. A couple of times it has worked out so that we get lunch at Gladys’ Café either arriving or departing, but alas not this time.
Also for the first time did the duty free liquor thing at the airport – 3 one liter bottles of Cruzan for $33 (got a new flavor Key Lime and it is delicious) and a big bottle Cointreau – forgot how much. Non-stop back to JFK, and drove back home in heavy rain and stupid traffic to NJ. Used Park Plus http://www.parkplusairportparking.com/ - - cheap only $10/day and well run, friendly professional operation. Highly recommend.
Final thoughts:
> Anybody who has been around here knows that I like photography. This was the first trip to the VIs that I had a DSLR and I have to say after editing the photos I was a bit underwhelmed with the results compared at least to prior trips when I was shooting with point n shoots. Maybe not as many great photo ops this trip (if conditions are not great, I tend to be uninspired), or I was distracted by the ability to shoot some HD video with this camera, which I have not edited yet but might like to upload and post sometime.
> It was really great to get back to the Virgin Islands – St. John grabs us (and doesn’t let go) as few other places on the planet do. As noted in Part 1, it was our 6th trip to the VIs, and the first in 4 years. It was the third time to Virgin Gorda for us, but I think we would have preferred more time on St. John, which may indicate that we are done with Virgin Gorda for awhile. That should not stop some of you St. Johniacs who are considering VG from spending some time on that island – it has its own undeniable charms in addition to a different kind of stunning beauty and quiet.
That said, not sure when we will be back to St. John. No big travel plans on the horizon – next year my daughter graduates from college, and there is some murmuring of a return to the City of Lights. One thing that travel to the VIs and St. John in particular confirmed once again – is that if you can budget for a trip to STJ, then your budget can also handle a trip to a lot of other places too LOL.
And look - I still hang around on this forum even though I don’t go as often as many here, probably just to get a vicarious fix from the old timers and newbies here, and sometimes even wishing I personally knew more people who get this place like all of you do.
Turtles at Maho
After breakfast I had walked up to get my reserved vehicle from Paris Car Rental, at least I thought I had a rental with them, but when I showed up to get it they had “no record” of my reservation. A few months prior I had tried to use their new on-line reservation system but that didn’t work so I made it via an exchange of emails (I’ve done this before with them). I didn’t have a paper copy of the res and couldn’t access out of the email folder it was in, so partially my bad for not re-confirming and not having electronic or paper record of the reservation handy.
They didn't have any vehicles available so they hooked me up with Conrad Sutton which was fine except the Suzuki we were in didn’t have an aux jack AND the CD player would jam up, so that sucked not having music of choice in the vehicle. What is that station down there that comes in the strongest but is like a huge multi-genre playlist shuffle on acid? Like Marley followed by the Captain and Tenille followed by rap…
Back to Gallows and walk down to Happy Hours at Joes Rum Hut and the Beach Bar where we had the nachos and tuna – both vey good, although wish we had tried the eats at Joes too based on this thread.
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... =1&t=25638
Tuesday hit Deli Grotto again for a breakfast repeat since it was so good, fast, and reasonably priced. It was an overcast day spent some time shopping and knocking around Gallows and Cruz Bay but did get out to the beach.
Floating rum punch anyone?
Dinner that night was at the old favorite Lime Inn – spinach salad with blackened shrimp, pasta with shrimp and scallops, and Key Lime pie = all reliably good.
On this trip, staying at Gallows, it was also fun to roll back into town late afternoon from the beach for quick showers then walk down to town for drinks before dinner. We hit Joes Rum Hut that goes til 6 then switched over to the Beach Bar at 7. Had intentions of wandering upstairs to Spyglass one time but never made it. We also had intentions one day of starting early at the Tap Room over in Mongoose to sample the draft beers and some fun sounding apps/bar food and making our way over towards the waterfront.
I think it was Tuesday we started the option of the “No Shower Happy Hour” (TM) i.e. we roll into town off the beach, I would drop the girls off at the Beach Bar, zip up and drop the car and beach stuff at Gallows, walk back down and they would have my drink and an order of app/bar food up, and the HH festivities commenced. Note that this probably works best if you are staying at Gallows, Grande Bay, Cruz Views, etc.
After a few at Joes, maybe a few at the Beach Bar, we would stroll back up to Gallows, watch the end of the sunset with my own rum punch , shower/get ready for dinner, and inevitably walk back down to town for dinner, or one night, upstairs to Zozos. Of course by then we were sufficiently lubricated that we usually just drank tons of water with dinner. We also don’t mind walking a lot.
Gallows sunset
That also means we walked past Motu numerous times - we briefly considered, but the fru fru drinks they appear to specialize in are not our style, and I really don’t do wine for Happy Hour in the islands.
Just give us simpletons pineapple Cruzan, a splash of OJ, topped with cranberry juice and squeeze of lime and we are quite satisfied. The girls at Joes got to know and make this drink for us quite well.
The bar food is such that the tuna dishes at the Beach Bar, perhaps the apps at Spyglass folks have mentioned, the burgers at Joes noted in that link are also good enough to be “dinner”, especially on a day that you enjoy a big lunch out – examples for us were Shipwreck or our all time lunch fav Sun Dog.
Wednesday we headed over to Sam & Jacks for awesome breakfast muffins and excellent sangwiches to take to Francis – chicken salad and turkey - worth a detour if you are starting out later anyway. Plus great looking dinner take aways to re-heat - pasta dishes and the like. Stopped at the smoothie truck too that day – still very good, still lotsa skeeters.
The usual suspects in terms of photo ops...
Dinner that night was at Zozo’s – bottle of wine, shrimp risotto, excellent special of Puerto Rico swordfish over kale, some awesome vanilla cream creation for desert. Unspectacular sunset. How nice is it just to walk a few steps to and from a dinner like that? I hope that whatever takes over that space comes close to being as consistently good as Zozo’s has been in terms of service and food.
Thursday breakfast we walked down to Café Livin – very good banana chocolate chip pancakes. Beach pick of the day was Honeymoon. Used our parking $ on the drink cart and found out it is possible for a rum drink to be too strong.
Dinner was back to Rhumblines just because there were more things on the menu we wanted to have and we have to drive 30 min here at home to get high quality Thai inspired cuisine. We had crabcakes, mahi, diver scallops, etc. – awesome again, same friendly and highly knowledgeable waiter as Sunday.
Friday day of departure breakfast stuff again from Deli Grotto as well as sangwiches for the plane. Ferry to Red Hook, which we hadn’t been through in many years so it was big change for me to see that terminal compared to the old gravel lot and ticket shack. We appear to be in the minority here in terms of preferring the CA ferry. A couple of times it has worked out so that we get lunch at Gladys’ Café either arriving or departing, but alas not this time.
Also for the first time did the duty free liquor thing at the airport – 3 one liter bottles of Cruzan for $33 (got a new flavor Key Lime and it is delicious) and a big bottle Cointreau – forgot how much. Non-stop back to JFK, and drove back home in heavy rain and stupid traffic to NJ. Used Park Plus http://www.parkplusairportparking.com/ - - cheap only $10/day and well run, friendly professional operation. Highly recommend.
Final thoughts:
> Anybody who has been around here knows that I like photography. This was the first trip to the VIs that I had a DSLR and I have to say after editing the photos I was a bit underwhelmed with the results compared at least to prior trips when I was shooting with point n shoots. Maybe not as many great photo ops this trip (if conditions are not great, I tend to be uninspired), or I was distracted by the ability to shoot some HD video with this camera, which I have not edited yet but might like to upload and post sometime.
> It was really great to get back to the Virgin Islands – St. John grabs us (and doesn’t let go) as few other places on the planet do. As noted in Part 1, it was our 6th trip to the VIs, and the first in 4 years. It was the third time to Virgin Gorda for us, but I think we would have preferred more time on St. John, which may indicate that we are done with Virgin Gorda for awhile. That should not stop some of you St. Johniacs who are considering VG from spending some time on that island – it has its own undeniable charms in addition to a different kind of stunning beauty and quiet.
That said, not sure when we will be back to St. John. No big travel plans on the horizon – next year my daughter graduates from college, and there is some murmuring of a return to the City of Lights. One thing that travel to the VIs and St. John in particular confirmed once again – is that if you can budget for a trip to STJ, then your budget can also handle a trip to a lot of other places too LOL.
And look - I still hang around on this forum even though I don’t go as often as many here, probably just to get a vicarious fix from the old timers and newbies here, and sometimes even wishing I personally knew more people who get this place like all of you do.
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Re: Back to the Islands: Virgin Gorda & St. John - Part 3 Fi
I wish there was a "like" button for your turtle pics... 
Re: Back to the Islands: Virgin Gorda & St. John - Part 3 Fi
I liked this report until you mentioned Zozo's. So PO'd they won't be at Gallows when we are there and overall the move to Caneel does not thrill me.
Hit me up to talk about your DSLR photos.
Your last photo saved your report
Hit me up to talk about your DSLR photos.
Your last photo saved your report
Re: Back to the Islands: Virgin Gorda & St. John - Part 3 Fi
That does suck about Zozo's. However if Rhumblines has that lobster special - go. I think it is cooked in some light herbs and garlic, then finished off on the grill. Fantastic.mbw1024 wrote:I liked this report until you mentioned Zozo's. So PO'd they won't be at Gallows when we are there and overall the move to Caneel does not thrill me.
Hit me up to talk about your DSLR photos.
Your last photo saved your report
Sent you a PM re DSLR.
The last photo may have been taken without a polarizer filter. I think part of the problem was I overused that filter too much and it caused some issues.
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Re: Back to the Islands: Virgin Gorda & St. John - Part 3 Fi
Inspiring trip report for me! Thank you! Your coverage of Virgin Gorda certainly is convincing, especially with photos that I found to be delightful even though they "ain't good enough for you".
... no longer a stranger to paradise
Re: Back to the Islands: Virgin Gorda & St. John - Part 3 Fi
Thanks for a great report and pictures! We've also been to VG and talk of going back, but I think its going to be STJ in 2014. VG has some stunning beaches, gorgeous turquoise water and fabulous snorkeling. Its also seems like more of a West Indian culture than STJ.
I've always wanted to stay near Cruz Bay for part of our trip. I like the idea of walking down to dinner and not dealing with driving and parking. Gave me some good ideas for breakfasts too. We usually eat at the villa for breakfast, but it would be nice to hit the road earlier and just grab egg sammies.
I've always wanted to stay near Cruz Bay for part of our trip. I like the idea of walking down to dinner and not dealing with driving and parking. Gave me some good ideas for breakfasts too. We usually eat at the villa for breakfast, but it would be nice to hit the road earlier and just grab egg sammies.
Re: Back to the Islands: Virgin Gorda & St. John - Part 3 Fi
Great report! I think we may have been on the same flight. We flew American to JFK on 7/13. Sat on the tarmac for over an hour?? Ring a bell?
Anyway, I'll try and work on a trip report sooner or later. Unfortunately, leaving the "real world" for a week just backlogs a ton of work. Still trying to catch up. Missing the rock terribly. I found myself driving to work on Monday going 30mph in a 45mph. Must still be on island time. Thankfully, I remembered that we drive on the right up here.
Anyway, I'll try and work on a trip report sooner or later. Unfortunately, leaving the "real world" for a week just backlogs a ton of work. Still trying to catch up. Missing the rock terribly. I found myself driving to work on Monday going 30mph in a 45mph. Must still be on island time. Thankfully, I remembered that we drive on the right up here.
Re: Back to the Islands: Virgin Gorda & St. John - Part 3 Fi
@md - glad I was able to get some decent turtle shots as we didnt have a lot of varied snorkel time this trip plus there was less than ideal visibility.
I have been highly enamored with capturing the rising turtle with surface reflection type of image ever since 2006 when a woman from Japan used one of my photos posted on Flickr to paint a watercolor
or this one from 2009
@lprof - not that I didnt have any "good enough" shots LOL, just not a lot of them. I am struggling a bit to fill a photobook (yes I am a harsh editor ) and my wife tells me we already have too many photo canvas prints on the walls, so I haven't even considered to look if any would be "canvas worthy" like this one from 2007:
@jay - we returned to JFK Friday 6/7. Note to self: NEVER book a flight back to JFK that requires you to drive back to NJ anytime 3pm to 8pm on a Friday.
I have been highly enamored with capturing the rising turtle with surface reflection type of image ever since 2006 when a woman from Japan used one of my photos posted on Flickr to paint a watercolor
or this one from 2009
@lprof - not that I didnt have any "good enough" shots LOL, just not a lot of them. I am struggling a bit to fill a photobook (yes I am a harsh editor
) and my wife tells me we already have too many photo canvas prints on the walls, so I haven't even considered to look if any would be "canvas worthy" like this one from 2007:@jay - we returned to JFK Friday 6/7. Note to self: NEVER book a flight back to JFK that requires you to drive back to NJ anytime 3pm to 8pm on a Friday.
When we come to place where the sea and the sky collide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide
Re: Back to the Islands: Virgin Gorda & St. John - Part 3 Fi
Really great as always, John. Thanks!
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
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ColumbiaSCTraveler
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Re: Back to the Islands: Virgin Gorda & St. John - Part 3 Fi
Oooooh! FANTASTIC TR!
We are totally doing the "No Shower Happy Hour" [hopefully multiple times] this trip....love that.
I've had the shrimp risotto at Zozo's, too. Delish!
Have never snorkeled Honeymoon....adding that to this year's list.
We are totally doing the "No Shower Happy Hour" [hopefully multiple times] this trip....love that.
I've had the shrimp risotto at Zozo's, too. Delish!
Aha! I know where we'll be getting some rum drinks! Thanks for the tip!Beach pick of the day was Honeymoon. Used our parking $ on the drink cart and found out it is possible for a rum drink to be too strong.
Have never snorkeled Honeymoon....adding that to this year's list.