Trip report...of sorts

Pete (Mr. Marcia) · Post by **Pete (Mr. Marcia)** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 3:24 pm

We were on island December 28 through January 7. Our group consisted of my wife, Marcia, me, and our four kids, ranging in age from 18-23. Marsh and I have been to STJ many times. This was the third visit for our kids. Given that the days of our trip kind of bleed together, I’ll just give you the run-down by topic.

BEACH: yes, the singular was intentional. We went to one beach, once, for about 20 minutes. We got in the water, looked up at the pristine hillside and, collectively said, “okay, we get it. Let’s go back to the villa where there is a pool, bathrooms, unlimited liquor and, most importantly, no sand.” Don’t judge…it’s just the way we roll. The beach, by the way, was Maho. It made us kind of sad that we no longer could park in the bushes and were relegated to the muddy parking lot at the end. Back in the day, Marsh and I would jam the jeep into the bushes and hope that the termite balls didn’t fall on us. No more.

VILLA: Vida De Mar. While there always are some negatives about any villa, I have to say that, on the whole, this was a pretty swank place. It is located beachside on Devers Bay. It actually has its own beach. This was new to us, as most of the villas we rented in the past were high up on hillsides. At VDM, the sound of the surf became part of our daily experience. For those of you who vacation on the outer banks of N.C., it was like that…a rhythmic undertone. A couple of times, we sat in beach chairs in the surf and watched the sunset. There are only a few villas on STJ where you can do that. The pool is very large, as is the pool deck area. We spent most of our days together there. Oh, VDM also has a decent outdoor sound system that is iPod compatible…it was a nice touch.

RESTAURANTS: We went to Banana Deck, High Tide, Cruz Bay Landing, Fish Trap, Candi’s and the Terrace. We consider Banana Deck and High Tide as “go to” places, meaning that we know what we are going to get. Cruz Bay Landing was disappointing. But, I sense that was due, in large part, to the fact that they are just getting going. We were there for dinner and they only offered the lunch menu. They have some “tweaking” to do. The Terrace, on the other hand, was outstanding. The old Stone Terrace used to be our favorite restaurant on island, so we had pretty high expectations going in. It did not disappoint. They have cleaned up the outdoor dinner area, which was nice. Our group loved the imaginative appetizers and the entrees. It was a “fancy” night out for our group and it was, by far, our best dinning experience.

TRANSPORTATION: Given the size of our group, and the weight of our bags, i.e., four women with many shoes, we opted for Christopher’s taxi/Dohm’s water taxi. Key. Seamless. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

We always have rented our car from Conrad Sutton. Sure, he can be a bit prickly, but I have come to like the guy quite a bit. My only complaint was, given that it was high season, we couldn’t park in his lot whenever we wanted. That kind of miffed me, as parking in his lot is part of the deal.

On the travel day home we used a porter at the STT airport for the first time. OMG, it is worth every penny. Our porter (Daphne, Dafne?) was a freakin’ machine. She took us to the front of every line, much to the displeasure of others who had been waiting in line. Curbside to gate…40 minutes.

HIGHLIGHTS: Our excursion with John Brandi of Palm Tree Charters was, by far, the highlight of our trip. To start, John is just a genuinely nice guy. Spending a day with him is like spending time with a best friend that you haven’t seen in years. We saw dolphins, swam at smuggler’s cove, ate at the Willy T and had painkillers at Soggy’s. That day will be forever etched in the memories of our children, and us.

Ram Head hike. I’m what Jim Gaffigan would call “indoorsie.” But, even I enjoyed doing this hike. The key was to start early in the morning so as to avoid the heat. As you stand on Ram Head, you realize that the air you are breathing is coming straight from Africa. You also realize that the stone upon which you are standing was the volcanic start of the island. It is pretty amazing.

Getting to spend some time with Ruth, Ron and Curly. It’s kind of odd. Marsh and I wonder if we ever will go back to STJ or if it is time to explore other places. One thing that always seems to come up is Ruth and Ron. We “met” them through the old AOL forum. Since that time, we have kept in touch and have had time together when we were on island. It would be difficult to say good-bye to STJ, if only because we don’t ever want to say good-bye to Ruth and Ron…and Curly.

Meeting Leslie and Steve. We had a very nice time with Leslie and Steve McKibben at Spyglass for drinks and appetizers. They are nice people. Although I like to consider them as friends, if we actually lived in the same town, I suspect we would be “real” friends. And, coming from me, that’s a big deal…because I don’t like people.

CLOSING THOUGHTS: Not too long ago, someone on this forum said that only “rich people” come to STJ during the holiday season. Well, we are not “rich.” The villa alone, while beautiful, cost for one week what I’m pretty sure my mom and dad paid for their first house. But, money is a funny thing. It all comes down to a simple question: was it worth it? The answer is a resounding “yes.” We had a great time with our kids. We hung out by the pool together, listened to music, played flip cup, charades, catch phrase, chess, tossed a football, laughed, teased, had fun meals and ate crappy food…all under the wonderful, sunny skies of STJ. Future memories are priceless, right?

lprof · Post by **lprof** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 3:46 pm

"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer." I believe that.

Good people, good times... good memories! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I like your friends too.

shoemak38 · Post by **shoemak38** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 3:48 pm

Pete (Mr. Marcia) wrote: Future memories are priceless, right?

great report

Wanda Creech · Post by **Wanda Creech** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 4:03 pm

Being with family on St John is a special time. Sounds like you have lots of good memories. It is priceless. We took our family with their wife and husbands last summer.
It was the first for some and we all had a great time. It is expensive. We stayed at
Areca but it was perfect for us in every way. Hopefully one day we can all do it
again. My husband and I enjoy going alone every summer too. We stayed an
extra week after Areca on Devers and walked by Vida Del Mar many times. It is
beautiful. I have always wanted to stay there. Unfortunately we stayed in Dream
Come True.
Thanks for your trip report. It brought back lots of memories for me.

pipanale · Post by **pipanale** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 5:13 pm

You know that ussn's are smitten with y'all, but you nailed this report in so many ways and, essentially, reflected EXACTLY how we feel lately. I don't know that I want to go back but I also don't know that I don't want to go back for some of the silly things...like our shared friends down there.

Pete (Mr. Marcia) · Post by **Pete (Mr. Marcia)** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 5:59 pm

good thing I speak pipanale, otherwise I would have had no clue what you were trying to say.

Ali · Post by **Ali** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 6:47 pm

Like! Well done.

Exit Zero · Post by **Exit Zero** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 9:30 pm

Enlightening insight into understanding the previous 1455 posts.

byado18 · Post by **byado18** » Sun Jan 19, 2014 12:13 am

Sounds like a great trip! We stayed at VDM an amazing villa!

Cecile · Post by **Cecile** » Sun Jan 19, 2014 3:41 am

thanks for sharing your vacation with us.

I think all people who are able to travel around the world are rich.

It is so interesting getting to know different people and you will have friends around the world....this ist what I call to be rich......
Regards
Cécile

Pete (Mr. Marcia) · Post by **Pete (Mr. Marcia)** » Sun Jan 19, 2014 9:14 am

Exit Zero, please explain

augie · Post by **augie** » Sun Jan 19, 2014 10:02 am

Pete - Leslie and I were so happy to get to meet you, Marcia, and the young'uns!

We consider you folks to be friends of ours, distance be damned!

I look forward to renewing our acquaintance whenever time and space allow!

bayer40601 · Post by **bayer40601** » Sun Jan 19, 2014 2:59 pm

Nice report, Pete. You certainly nailed the service by Daphne and by Capt. John. They, along with St. John Spice are the very best reasons to visit St. John. Nice work, my friend.

Exit Zero · Post by **Exit Zero** » Sun Jan 19, 2014 3:15 pm

Pete (Mr. Marcia) wrote:Exit Zero, please explain

After reading the 'trip report,..of sorts' I was personally enlightened about the insight into the backround and mindset of the poster - nothing to explain - no deeper meaning.

nancyr84 · Post by **nancyr84** » Sun Jan 19, 2014 3:46 pm

After reading your report , I have one question and please don't take it wrong. Doesn't anyone in your group go to the beaches?

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