May 2-11 Trip Report
Posted: Sun May 15, 2016 6:29 am
St. John 2016 Trip Report
May 2-11, 2016
May 2
Boston to St. Thomas direct via JetBlue (3 tickets) total $804.78
Depart Boston 8:37 am Arrive St. Thomas 12:35pm
20160505_131458 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Day 1
Arrived in St. Thomas and picked up by Rachel. Wonderful ride with Rachel and a great tour of the island on our way to Red Hook. 2 adults + 1 child & 3 suitcases $60 + tip-well worth it!
Picked up our jeep from Varlack. We rented a 4 door jeep for 9 days $825.75
Drove straight to Samuel Cottages which we also rented for the full 9 days that we spent on St. John. (Previous stays at Villa Spendore, Rick’s Hideaway, Maho Bay Camps, villa on gift hill) Perfect cottage for the price and we were happy with the location close to town as we haven’t stayed this close to town before.
20160505_085808 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
After we unpacked we headed for Maho, we stopped at the deli at Mongoose Junction and got a few sandwiches-seemed a little different from Deli Grotto-not as many baked goods & sandwich options but I may just be forgetting.
20160505_095104 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
That evening we went to Starfish Market to pick up a few groceries as we were traveling with a 4 year old and needed some basics. Having been to this market many times in the past, this time was a little disappointing. We are aware of the cost of food but found many spoiled foods and visible mold on many items. We ended up purchasing half of what we normally do because of this.
Day 2
We usually get up early, around 4am-coffee at the cottage and then off to Hawksnest about 8am. Beautiful as it always is and not many people at that time of morning. The water was calm & warm. For lunch we went to the Tourist Trap which we have always enjoyed and had the usual-lobster rolls & nachos! Yum! Mary is always entertaining!
20160503_123459 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
20160503_130045 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Later in the day we went to Woody’s for a couple of drinks and to Shipwreck Landing for Dinner.
20160511_074339 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Day 3
Up early again and straight to Oppenheimer/Gibney. We easily obtained one of the 3 spots at about 8am but the only downfall with arriving early was that the bugs were in full force. We left and headed for Leinster. Lovely walk to Leinster and enjoyed looking at all the crabs. We swam once we got there for a bit and then decided to head to Honeymoon for the afternoon. I always love going to Honeymoon, there is just something about this beach, beautiful. We went to the gift shop and purchased a few gifts and then had our $20 parking fee validated. Off to the smoothie stand in town and then The Lime Inn for dinner.
20160502_170958 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Day 4
High Tide for Breakfast and then to Sam & Jack’s deli for lunch to bring with us to Maho. This place was amazing and one sandwich could have fed all three of us! Loved the roast beef on the onion roll, the $1 muffins, and the homemade chips! Great place! Later in the evening we went to Lameshur but left because of bugs, I made the mistake of bringing all natural bug spray-I will not do that again. We all looked we had chicken pox by the time we got back to the cottage.
20160502_145119 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Day 5
Laundry day $51 dollars for 3 medium loads, 3 dryers and laundry soap. A little too much sun the past few days so we headed to Mongoose Junction for a little shopping. Finally got a hook bracelet for myself and for a couple of family members. Went to Maho again that afternoon. Also went to the St. John Animal Care Center to make a small donation and see the cats & dogs-a great place and glad we went, they are doing a great job! Spent some time exploring the island by jeep.
20160508_113858 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Day 6
A trip to the VI visitors center and then to Francis Bay. I was playing with my son and noticed people looking into the water from the shore in front of us. I turned and a few feet away there was an approx. 5 foot shark. I wasn’t really sure what kind it was and I’m sure it was harmless but my natural instinct was to pull my son out of the water-yes, calm overreaction Miss Lucy’s for dinner and back to the cottage. Smoothies in town again at some point.
20160510_121127 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Day 7
Took the ferry directly to Charlotte Amalie to break things up and had a request to get some tshirts at the St. Thomas Harley Davidson shop. I have never done this on prior trips and really enjoyed the ferry ride over. Once we arrived we realized the shop was not open and were approached by many salespeople, it was a little overwhelming and disappointing. Realizing that most shops were not open early and that many didn’t open because there were not cruise ships in we were able to catch the same ferry back to St. John. We went to Cinnamon Bay and had lunch there and spent the day on the beach. The beach was fairly busy and the current seemed kind of strong. A little bit of a tough day but that’s almost impossible on St. John, figured it was a full moon. That night we had some great Chinese food at the dugout-felt a little like home.
20160508_185334 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Day 8
Breakfast at Jake’s and back to Gibney. Stayed for almost 4 hours and loved it once again. Skinny Legs for burgers and then back to the cottage.
20160509_075725 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Day 9
Time to go home! Too early for Jake’s and ended up getting a few treats from C & D bakery. We took our last ride along the north shore beaches Went to purchase ferry tickets to Charlotte Amalie but was told they were no longer selling them and that a private water taxi was available. At the same time 8:45am we took a much smaller boat to Charlotte Amalie and enjoyed the ride once again. From there we took a taxi to the airport for our afternoon flight to JFK with a 4 hour layover to Boston. We got home around midnight and went straight to bed. Back to work and reality in the AM.
20160510_083723 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Somewhere in this trip report we ate at Ocean Grill, Ronnie’s pizza twice (they have tons of books), Cruz Bay Landing for breakfast
20160508_080754 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
We had yet another wonderful trip! Things seemed a little different this time around. We usually travel in June and it doesn’t seem to be as buggy but then again it may have been our choice of all natural bug spray Most places took visa, carrying cash was kind of a pain. Tried a few new places for meals and loved them! Especially Sam & Jack’s Deli, dugout for Chinese and Ronnie’s pizza. Occasionally mid trip I start to feel “off” because of the heat and different foods, this trip was no different. Ronnie’s and the dugout made me feel a little more at home. That feeling quickly passed and I’m sure coming from the cold into the heat was more the adjustment for me. Love St. John and already planning my next trip back!
(pics are randomly placed throughout)
20160509_092317 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
May 2-11, 2016
May 2
Boston to St. Thomas direct via JetBlue (3 tickets) total $804.78
Depart Boston 8:37 am Arrive St. Thomas 12:35pm
![Image](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/26361001033_1db12b26c8_b.jpg)
Day 1
Arrived in St. Thomas and picked up by Rachel. Wonderful ride with Rachel and a great tour of the island on our way to Red Hook. 2 adults + 1 child & 3 suitcases $60 + tip-well worth it!
Picked up our jeep from Varlack. We rented a 4 door jeep for 9 days $825.75
Drove straight to Samuel Cottages which we also rented for the full 9 days that we spent on St. John. (Previous stays at Villa Spendore, Rick’s Hideaway, Maho Bay Camps, villa on gift hill) Perfect cottage for the price and we were happy with the location close to town as we haven’t stayed this close to town before.
![Image](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7390/26871025842_8d8ba9993d_b.jpg)
After we unpacked we headed for Maho, we stopped at the deli at Mongoose Junction and got a few sandwiches-seemed a little different from Deli Grotto-not as many baked goods & sandwich options but I may just be forgetting.
![Image](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7288/26896673361_9caa6de3b9_b.jpg)
That evening we went to Starfish Market to pick up a few groceries as we were traveling with a 4 year old and needed some basics. Having been to this market many times in the past, this time was a little disappointing. We are aware of the cost of food but found many spoiled foods and visible mold on many items. We ended up purchasing half of what we normally do because of this.
Day 2
We usually get up early, around 4am-coffee at the cottage and then off to Hawksnest about 8am. Beautiful as it always is and not many people at that time of morning. The water was calm & warm. For lunch we went to the Tourist Trap which we have always enjoyed and had the usual-lobster rolls & nachos! Yum! Mary is always entertaining!
![Image](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7438/26870110312_28bfba481e_b.jpg)
![Image](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7223/26964292805_29f1c39bb1_b.jpg)
Later in the day we went to Woody’s for a couple of drinks and to Shipwreck Landing for Dinner.
![Image](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7361/26361898243_6aef99f6a1_b.jpg)
Day 3
Up early again and straight to Oppenheimer/Gibney. We easily obtained one of the 3 spots at about 8am but the only downfall with arriving early was that the bugs were in full force. We left and headed for Leinster. Lovely walk to Leinster and enjoyed looking at all the crabs. We swam once we got there for a bit and then decided to head to Honeymoon for the afternoon. I always love going to Honeymoon, there is just something about this beach, beautiful. We went to the gift shop and purchased a few gifts and then had our $20 parking fee validated. Off to the smoothie stand in town and then The Lime Inn for dinner.
![Image](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7403/26895438101_db02af68e4_b.jpg)
Day 4
High Tide for Breakfast and then to Sam & Jack’s deli for lunch to bring with us to Maho. This place was amazing and one sandwich could have fed all three of us! Loved the roast beef on the onion roll, the $1 muffins, and the homemade chips! Great place! Later in the evening we went to Lameshur but left because of bugs, I made the mistake of bringing all natural bug spray-I will not do that again. We all looked we had chicken pox by the time we got back to the cottage.
![Image](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7628/26359323583_2e0895bb9e_b.jpg)
Day 5
Laundry day $51 dollars for 3 medium loads, 3 dryers and laundry soap. A little too much sun the past few days so we headed to Mongoose Junction for a little shopping. Finally got a hook bracelet for myself and for a couple of family members. Went to Maho again that afternoon. Also went to the St. John Animal Care Center to make a small donation and see the cats & dogs-a great place and glad we went, they are doing a great job! Spent some time exploring the island by jeep.
![Image](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7462/26965905435_ce79fc23e7_b.jpg)
Day 6
A trip to the VI visitors center and then to Francis Bay. I was playing with my son and noticed people looking into the water from the shore in front of us. I turned and a few feet away there was an approx. 5 foot shark. I wasn’t really sure what kind it was and I’m sure it was harmless but my natural instinct was to pull my son out of the water-yes, calm overreaction Miss Lucy’s for dinner and back to the cottage. Smoothies in town again at some point.
![Image](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7564/26932574906_67b78f138c_b.jpg)
Day 7
Took the ferry directly to Charlotte Amalie to break things up and had a request to get some tshirts at the St. Thomas Harley Davidson shop. I have never done this on prior trips and really enjoyed the ferry ride over. Once we arrived we realized the shop was not open and were approached by many salespeople, it was a little overwhelming and disappointing. Realizing that most shops were not open early and that many didn’t open because there were not cruise ships in we were able to catch the same ferry back to St. John. We went to Cinnamon Bay and had lunch there and spent the day on the beach. The beach was fairly busy and the current seemed kind of strong. A little bit of a tough day but that’s almost impossible on St. John, figured it was a full moon. That night we had some great Chinese food at the dugout-felt a little like home.
![Image](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7690/26871810672_6c60961290_b.jpg)
Day 8
Breakfast at Jake’s and back to Gibney. Stayed for almost 4 hours and loved it once again. Skinny Legs for burgers and then back to the cottage.
![Image](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7599/26361600733_f51cd2a921_b.jpg)
Day 9
Time to go home! Too early for Jake’s and ended up getting a few treats from C & D bakery. We took our last ride along the north shore beaches Went to purchase ferry tickets to Charlotte Amalie but was told they were no longer selling them and that a private water taxi was available. At the same time 8:45am we took a much smaller boat to Charlotte Amalie and enjoyed the ride once again. From there we took a taxi to the airport for our afternoon flight to JFK with a 4 hour layover to Boston. We got home around midnight and went straight to bed. Back to work and reality in the AM.
![Image](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7473/26360666574_293b791b45_b.jpg)
Somewhere in this trip report we ate at Ocean Grill, Ronnie’s pizza twice (they have tons of books), Cruz Bay Landing for breakfast
![Image](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7496/26932130646_74c145eb17_b.jpg)
We had yet another wonderful trip! Things seemed a little different this time around. We usually travel in June and it doesn’t seem to be as buggy but then again it may have been our choice of all natural bug spray Most places took visa, carrying cash was kind of a pain. Tried a few new places for meals and loved them! Especially Sam & Jack’s Deli, dugout for Chinese and Ronnie’s pizza. Occasionally mid trip I start to feel “off” because of the heat and different foods, this trip was no different. Ronnie’s and the dugout made me feel a little more at home. That feeling quickly passed and I’m sure coming from the cold into the heat was more the adjustment for me. Love St. John and already planning my next trip back!
(pics are randomly placed throughout)
![Image](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7433/26872769222_c43e7f0ac5_b.jpg)