The shopper 3 & Friends trip report... long
Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 10:14 am
Day 2
We were all up early, enjoyed coffee on the deck taking in the beautiful sight of St John waking up.
Deb & Woody were in awe of the view of St Thomas across the water.
Loaded up the cooler with some refreshments & headed to Deli Grotto breakfast & picked up sandwiches for lunch. ( this would be a daily ritual)
While picking up our lunch I noticed BJ's car outside of St John Properties & left a note on her car about our safe dilemma.
We were excited to show D & W Solomon, off we headed on the Lind Trail, the trail was very mucky from the rain the Island had earlier in the week, so it was a slippery hike at times. I think D & W were wondering where we were taking them. The vegetation & views along the walk were beautiful, D & W we awe once again. We had a great day at Solomon, D, W & L snorkelled & saw lost of colourful fish & swam, while I enjoyed watching them from the beach chair with a cold one in hand.
Headed back to town & stopped at the information centre & told Sherry about our safe problem, she offered to try & call the villa people again for us. Headed back to the villa at 2:30, cleaned up & enjoyed cocktails & BBQ steaks on the deck, early to bed.
Day 3
After our morning ritual, headed to JJ's for breakfast. Stopped at the information centre to see if they had got a hold of the Villa people, nothing yet so Christina called & left a message. At his point we told D & W that HEY this trip is on us... Grabbed a taxi to Cinnamon beach. Another great beach day, snorkelling,& shell collecting.
Headed back to town around 3:00, checked in with Christina & called the Villa people again & we finally got a hold of them, & someone would be right over to get us in the safe. Enjoyed cocktails on the deck waiting for the villa people to arrive. Apparently the rental manager who's number I had, her cell phone had been lost on Friday in St Thomas, so that is why I couldn't reach her & the owner BJ was in Chicago. John , the villa handy man & Shatik arrived with the master key & opened the safe. There was a problem with the safe which is why it didn't open, but at least we got our $$$, so the vacation could continue & not on our credit cards...
Finally with some cold hard cash in our pockets we headed to Woody's for HAPPY HOUR & dinner. Back to the villa for drinks on the deck & off to bed.
Day 4
The usual morning deck ritual , grabbed lunches a Deli Grotto, take a cab to Maho beach. It is truly a breath taking beach . As soon as got there we saw fish & turtles. W found a toe ring in the sand ( D & W are now officially engaged ) D & L did a lot of snorkelling, D saw turtles & L saw a huge Manta Ray. In the afternoon Rick G found us on the beach & visited for a bit. We also saw a pair of Mongoose's while waiting for our cab.
Back to the villa for showers, cocktails then to town for dinner at Roma. D & W loved Roma as they are both Pasta lovers. Stopped at Mixology to place yet another booze order. Walked around town & headed back to the villa to wait for Mixology. Order arrived ,enjoyed a few more cocktails & off to bed early.
Day 5
SHOPPING DAY.......We were all up early as we wanted to catch the 9:00 ferry to St Thomas. Headed over & started hitting the jewellery stores. D wanted to find a Garnet ring in memory of her mother who passed away in Sept. Well the skies opened up at the exact moment the D found the ring that she wanted, I think it was Mom telling her that she made the right choice.
I had taken 3 rain coats with us but that left W without one so L ran down a few stores & picked up 2 umbrellas. At this point we decided it was time for lunch. Stumbled on Glady's café. They were awesome there, we were dripping wet & they said don't worry come on in & handed us paper towels to dry off. Had a great lunch. W now informs that we need to find a special ring for D..... Hmmmmmmm does he mean an engagement ring?????
We have purchased jewellery in St Martin at Ballerina & wanted to go there as we have always done well in both price & quality, so off we go in search of the Ballerina. To D & W's amazement we were offered a cold beer while seeing what Ballerina had to offer. Only in St Thomas & St Martin's can you enjoy a cold beer while jewellery shopping. D, W & I had a very successful shopping day at the Ballerina.
Shopping done we headed to Drakes Passage for a beer( seems like we did that a lot.....) to wait for the ferry back to St John.
Back on the Island we headed to WOODY'S for Happy Hour & who was there but Rick G & Christine. Rick said he knew he would find us there LOL, why would he think that....... Enjoyed a few more refreshments with Rick & Christine and decided we would all meet at Honeymoon the next day. Back to the villa for a dip in the pool & a BBQ dinner.
Day 6
Another day in paradise. Breakfast at Chilly Billy's, sandwiches from Deli Grotto & off to Caneel & the trail to Honeymoon. I have always hopped I would see the donkey's well today was the day. While walking the trail to the beach I spied three donkey's, I was so excited.
Spent the day on the beach with Rick, Christine & the donkey's......The donkey's came right up to our chairs on the beach.... I think the one donkey was trying to read Rick's book, he came right up behind him... Maybe he wanted to eat it.....
Back to town, cleaned up & yes off to WOODY'S. The place was packed today, there had been a funeral on the Island & a few of the people who knew the deceased were there. Before we knew it, shots were being distributed & after a moment of silence we drank to Tash....
Poured ourselves out of Woody's after a few too many shots & stopped at High Tide to listen to the entertainment & have a few dances.. Decided we best have some dinner to soak up all the refreshments consumed at Woody's. Panni's was the establishment of choice. A great meal was had by all. Back to the villa & sat by the pool enjoying the night sounds of the Island. While sitting by the pool a bat flew over & D ran up to the deck LOL....
Day 7
D & W wanted to go back to Maho today. While enjoying our morning ritual D noticed something in the tree, to our surprise it was an iguana, sound asleep high up in the tree, it was an amazing sight. As we were nearing our departure day we wanted to eat up some of the leftovers, so we made lunches with the leftovers. Breakfast at JJ's & off to Maho. We asked the taxi driver to come back to pick us up to which he said there are always taxi's going back & fourth & that we would not have a problem. Lots of snorkelling today, saw lots of turtles & yes turtle poop floats. Had a brief shower & took shelter across the road under the trees. The mosquitoes came out with a vengeance . At three we packed up to wait for a taxi, after a half hour, no tax & being eaten alive, L decided to walk to Maho Campground.......... Well this was not possible. L was being eaten alive a well, although he did see a deer & mongooses on his impossible journey. We eventually did catch a taxi that took us the Camp ground & then into town.
Cocktails on the deck, stopped at St John Ruth's & ran into Rick G & Christine, I think they are following us. Agreed to meet at Quiet Man for a drink. At supper at Woody's, back to the villa for cocktails on the deck & off to bed.
Day 8
THE DREADED LAST DAY............
Saw a humming bird & the big Iguana in the tree while enjoying our usual morning on the deck.
Breakfast in town, & off to Hawksnest. As this was our last day, we had packed a bottle of Champagne for Mimosa's on the beach, it was a wonderful way to toast our final day on the Island.
The reefs were close to shore & in distinct sections. D & W snorkelled a lot here. When W could no longer chase the clouds away we took shelter in the shelters & ate our lunch. Rain all gone back to the beach.
Back to the villa to clean up & off to Woody's for our last Happy Hour. Woody's was packed, so we went to the Beach Bar for Happy Hour. Enjoyed a drink while sitting on the beach watching the sun go down.
While walking back to the villa the view of the sunset was amazing from the Gallows & of course no one had a camera.
Enjoyed our final BBQ dinner at the villa.
It was an amazing trip, we are already planning our return trip.
The Shopper 3 ( AKA as Rick named Canadian Ruth) & gang.
We were all up early, enjoyed coffee on the deck taking in the beautiful sight of St John waking up.
Deb & Woody were in awe of the view of St Thomas across the water.
Loaded up the cooler with some refreshments & headed to Deli Grotto breakfast & picked up sandwiches for lunch. ( this would be a daily ritual)
While picking up our lunch I noticed BJ's car outside of St John Properties & left a note on her car about our safe dilemma.
We were excited to show D & W Solomon, off we headed on the Lind Trail, the trail was very mucky from the rain the Island had earlier in the week, so it was a slippery hike at times. I think D & W were wondering where we were taking them. The vegetation & views along the walk were beautiful, D & W we awe once again. We had a great day at Solomon, D, W & L snorkelled & saw lost of colourful fish & swam, while I enjoyed watching them from the beach chair with a cold one in hand.
Headed back to town & stopped at the information centre & told Sherry about our safe problem, she offered to try & call the villa people again for us. Headed back to the villa at 2:30, cleaned up & enjoyed cocktails & BBQ steaks on the deck, early to bed.
Day 3
After our morning ritual, headed to JJ's for breakfast. Stopped at the information centre to see if they had got a hold of the Villa people, nothing yet so Christina called & left a message. At his point we told D & W that HEY this trip is on us... Grabbed a taxi to Cinnamon beach. Another great beach day, snorkelling,& shell collecting.
Headed back to town around 3:00, checked in with Christina & called the Villa people again & we finally got a hold of them, & someone would be right over to get us in the safe. Enjoyed cocktails on the deck waiting for the villa people to arrive. Apparently the rental manager who's number I had, her cell phone had been lost on Friday in St Thomas, so that is why I couldn't reach her & the owner BJ was in Chicago. John , the villa handy man & Shatik arrived with the master key & opened the safe. There was a problem with the safe which is why it didn't open, but at least we got our $$$, so the vacation could continue & not on our credit cards...
Finally with some cold hard cash in our pockets we headed to Woody's for HAPPY HOUR & dinner. Back to the villa for drinks on the deck & off to bed.
Day 4
The usual morning deck ritual , grabbed lunches a Deli Grotto, take a cab to Maho beach. It is truly a breath taking beach . As soon as got there we saw fish & turtles. W found a toe ring in the sand ( D & W are now officially engaged ) D & L did a lot of snorkelling, D saw turtles & L saw a huge Manta Ray. In the afternoon Rick G found us on the beach & visited for a bit. We also saw a pair of Mongoose's while waiting for our cab.
Back to the villa for showers, cocktails then to town for dinner at Roma. D & W loved Roma as they are both Pasta lovers. Stopped at Mixology to place yet another booze order. Walked around town & headed back to the villa to wait for Mixology. Order arrived ,enjoyed a few more cocktails & off to bed early.
Day 5
SHOPPING DAY.......We were all up early as we wanted to catch the 9:00 ferry to St Thomas. Headed over & started hitting the jewellery stores. D wanted to find a Garnet ring in memory of her mother who passed away in Sept. Well the skies opened up at the exact moment the D found the ring that she wanted, I think it was Mom telling her that she made the right choice.
I had taken 3 rain coats with us but that left W without one so L ran down a few stores & picked up 2 umbrellas. At this point we decided it was time for lunch. Stumbled on Glady's café. They were awesome there, we were dripping wet & they said don't worry come on in & handed us paper towels to dry off. Had a great lunch. W now informs that we need to find a special ring for D..... Hmmmmmmm does he mean an engagement ring?????
We have purchased jewellery in St Martin at Ballerina & wanted to go there as we have always done well in both price & quality, so off we go in search of the Ballerina. To D & W's amazement we were offered a cold beer while seeing what Ballerina had to offer. Only in St Thomas & St Martin's can you enjoy a cold beer while jewellery shopping. D, W & I had a very successful shopping day at the Ballerina.
Shopping done we headed to Drakes Passage for a beer( seems like we did that a lot.....) to wait for the ferry back to St John.
Back on the Island we headed to WOODY'S for Happy Hour & who was there but Rick G & Christine. Rick said he knew he would find us there LOL, why would he think that....... Enjoyed a few more refreshments with Rick & Christine and decided we would all meet at Honeymoon the next day. Back to the villa for a dip in the pool & a BBQ dinner.
Day 6
Another day in paradise. Breakfast at Chilly Billy's, sandwiches from Deli Grotto & off to Caneel & the trail to Honeymoon. I have always hopped I would see the donkey's well today was the day. While walking the trail to the beach I spied three donkey's, I was so excited.
Spent the day on the beach with Rick, Christine & the donkey's......The donkey's came right up to our chairs on the beach.... I think the one donkey was trying to read Rick's book, he came right up behind him... Maybe he wanted to eat it.....
Back to town, cleaned up & yes off to WOODY'S. The place was packed today, there had been a funeral on the Island & a few of the people who knew the deceased were there. Before we knew it, shots were being distributed & after a moment of silence we drank to Tash....
Poured ourselves out of Woody's after a few too many shots & stopped at High Tide to listen to the entertainment & have a few dances.. Decided we best have some dinner to soak up all the refreshments consumed at Woody's. Panni's was the establishment of choice. A great meal was had by all. Back to the villa & sat by the pool enjoying the night sounds of the Island. While sitting by the pool a bat flew over & D ran up to the deck LOL....
Day 7
D & W wanted to go back to Maho today. While enjoying our morning ritual D noticed something in the tree, to our surprise it was an iguana, sound asleep high up in the tree, it was an amazing sight. As we were nearing our departure day we wanted to eat up some of the leftovers, so we made lunches with the leftovers. Breakfast at JJ's & off to Maho. We asked the taxi driver to come back to pick us up to which he said there are always taxi's going back & fourth & that we would not have a problem. Lots of snorkelling today, saw lots of turtles & yes turtle poop floats. Had a brief shower & took shelter across the road under the trees. The mosquitoes came out with a vengeance . At three we packed up to wait for a taxi, after a half hour, no tax & being eaten alive, L decided to walk to Maho Campground.......... Well this was not possible. L was being eaten alive a well, although he did see a deer & mongooses on his impossible journey. We eventually did catch a taxi that took us the Camp ground & then into town.
Cocktails on the deck, stopped at St John Ruth's & ran into Rick G & Christine, I think they are following us. Agreed to meet at Quiet Man for a drink. At supper at Woody's, back to the villa for cocktails on the deck & off to bed.
Day 8
THE DREADED LAST DAY............
Saw a humming bird & the big Iguana in the tree while enjoying our usual morning on the deck.
Breakfast in town, & off to Hawksnest. As this was our last day, we had packed a bottle of Champagne for Mimosa's on the beach, it was a wonderful way to toast our final day on the Island.
The reefs were close to shore & in distinct sections. D & W snorkelled a lot here. When W could no longer chase the clouds away we took shelter in the shelters & ate our lunch. Rain all gone back to the beach.
Back to the villa to clean up & off to Woody's for our last Happy Hour. Woody's was packed, so we went to the Beach Bar for Happy Hour. Enjoyed a drink while sitting on the beach watching the sun go down.
While walking back to the villa the view of the sunset was amazing from the Gallows & of course no one had a camera.
Enjoyed our final BBQ dinner at the villa.
It was an amazing trip, we are already planning our return trip.
The Shopper 3 ( AKA as Rick named Canadian Ruth) & gang.
