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St. John Trip Report...June 1-11, 2007
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Teresa_Rae
- Posts: 2053
- Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:44 pm
- Location: Downstate IL
St. John Trip Report...June 1-11, 2007
I meant to keep notes during our most recent trip, but I didn't really feel like it while I was there (I was on vacation after all), so I'm going by memory, which means this trip report won't be super detailed. We were there June 1-11...this was our 5th annual trip to STJ...our first trip was for our honeymoon, and we've been back every year since.
The Earthquake
I'd never experienced an earthquake before, so it was pretty cool when it happened on Sunday, June 3rd. I was sleeping and was awakened by the rumbling...my husband slept through it.
Tektite/Donkey Bight/Beehive Cove
This year was the first time we did this snorkel. The hike over the rocks and boulders to get there was fairly strenuous (especially in the heat and humidity of the afternoon), and unfortunately it wasn't worth it. I've heard great things about this snorkel in regards to the creatures other people have seen there, but I was pretty disappointed. I don't know if it was the wrong time of day or what, but the only thing of note that we saw the entire snorkel was one barracuda and one small turtle.
Waterlemon Cay
As always, Waterlemon was a great snorkel...lots of different varieties of fish and amazing coral. I did see a guy kick the crap out of some fan coral with his fins as he was treading water...I don't think he realized that he was doing it, and by the time I got close enough to tell him, the damage had been done. It was very sad.
Honeymoon/Salomon
Well, well, well, where do I start? As we usually do, we spent a day at Honeymoon, and I snorkeled over to Salomon (I went alone, as my husband's mask was giving him trouble and he didn't feel like messing with it). The snorkeling itself was pretty good like usual, and when I got to Salomon I did my usual rest on the beach for a few minutes before heading back to Honeymoon. It was then that I saw something much worse than simple nudity...there was a couple having sex on the beach, and I don't mean the drink. Initially they were clothed and just hanging out by the boulders on the east side of the beach, but within minutes they were doing the deed. I'd made eye contact with the woman, she knew I was there...and there were also 4 or 5 other people on the beach...but none of that stopped them. As soon as I saw the guy's rear end in the air I made a beeline back to Honeymoon...that is just NOT something I want to see. Ever.
Hawksnest
Hawksnest continues to be one of our favorite beaches. We judge whether we go there by how many spots are open in the parking lot. It can get pretty crowded, so we stay away on those days. This year we met some friends there (as far as I know they don't post on the Forum):
Cinnamon Bay
As far as beauty goes, this is probably my favorite beach. I love how wide the sand is on the east end, and the west end is neat too with all the fallen trees. The negative about Cinnamon is that it can be really windy (the kind of wind that throws sand into your face). We only went to Cinnamon once this trip because my husband really hates the wind...the gusts were moderate the day we were there. I love to snorkel around the cay, and as usual, I saw some really neat stuff there.
Cinnamon Bay Ruins
Is there any way the ruins at Cinnamon Bay were actually inhabited as recently as 1968??
Jumbie Beach
Jumbie was pretty windy the day we were there and the water was really rough. I wasn't able to use my flotation raft there...I tried but the ocean just kept spitting me up onto the shore. Jumbie is beautiful, but not one of my personal favorites.
Francis Bay
In the past we've found Francis to be a pretty calm, laid back place...but this year, both times we went there were loud, rowdy, big groups of people there. The beach is of course beautiful regardless.
Maho Bay
What can I say about Maho? It is beautiful and convenient, but was pretty crowded several days while we were on island...it's still one of our favorites though.
Cigarette Beach Island
A few days into the trip my husband was referring to STJ as "Cigarette Beach Island" instead of "St. John." We'd noticed last year that there was a significant increase in the number of cigarette butts on the beaches, and this year was even worse. There was also more trash in general, but cigarette butts comprised the majority of it. Every day when we got to the beach my husband would do a sweep of our little area to pick up trash...I'm not sure why some people seem to think that cigarette butts are somehow not actually garbage and can therefore be thrown on the ground.
Smoothie Shack/Hut
The smoothie shack can be hit or miss depending on who is making the smoothies, but fortunately for me all three of our trips there this year were hits. The mango smoothie (made by the right person) is just fantastic, and surprisingly I prefer it without the rum.
Upper Peter Bay
We ventured into upper Peter Bay and I took this picture from a lot that is for sale there. This view can be yours for just under $3 million:
Sirenusa
We referred to Sirenusa as the "concrete monstrosity" while we were on island. Not surprisingly, there were a lot of people talking negatively about the development.
The Lime Inn
Being one our favorites, we ate there twice. As I have in the past, I ordered the prime rib (it is usually their special on Saturday nights) and it was very good.
The Ocean Grill
We went to the Ocean Grill for lunch one day and I had a steak sandwich that was excellent. I can't remember what my husband had, but it was good too. We used two drink coupons from: http://www.couponstjohn.com/
Morgan's Mango
Morgan's Mango is another one of our favorites, so we went there twice too (the second round free coupon helps too, also from the link above). The chimi churri (sp?) sauce that you can get with the daily catch is really, really good (it's a mixture of olive oil, garlic, and parsley according to the menu). On our trip there our last night, my husband found a huge dead bug in his food at the end of his meal. It was mixed in with his black beans and he nearly ate the bug. I know that it's a battle with the bugs all the time there, but it was pretty gross...so make sure to look at what you're eating, no matter which restaurant you're patronizing. They gave us half off of my husband's meal because of the bug.
Rhumblines
My husband says that their (very spicy) Pad Thai is the best he's ever had.
Cafe Roma
Cafe Roma has amazing Italian food. Everything we've ever gotten there has been fantastic, and the portions are huge (lots of leftovers).
Overall, it was an excellent trip...but St. John always is. I can't wait to return again next year
The Earthquake
I'd never experienced an earthquake before, so it was pretty cool when it happened on Sunday, June 3rd. I was sleeping and was awakened by the rumbling...my husband slept through it.
Tektite/Donkey Bight/Beehive Cove
This year was the first time we did this snorkel. The hike over the rocks and boulders to get there was fairly strenuous (especially in the heat and humidity of the afternoon), and unfortunately it wasn't worth it. I've heard great things about this snorkel in regards to the creatures other people have seen there, but I was pretty disappointed. I don't know if it was the wrong time of day or what, but the only thing of note that we saw the entire snorkel was one barracuda and one small turtle.
Waterlemon Cay
As always, Waterlemon was a great snorkel...lots of different varieties of fish and amazing coral. I did see a guy kick the crap out of some fan coral with his fins as he was treading water...I don't think he realized that he was doing it, and by the time I got close enough to tell him, the damage had been done. It was very sad.
Honeymoon/Salomon
Well, well, well, where do I start? As we usually do, we spent a day at Honeymoon, and I snorkeled over to Salomon (I went alone, as my husband's mask was giving him trouble and he didn't feel like messing with it). The snorkeling itself was pretty good like usual, and when I got to Salomon I did my usual rest on the beach for a few minutes before heading back to Honeymoon. It was then that I saw something much worse than simple nudity...there was a couple having sex on the beach, and I don't mean the drink. Initially they were clothed and just hanging out by the boulders on the east side of the beach, but within minutes they were doing the deed. I'd made eye contact with the woman, she knew I was there...and there were also 4 or 5 other people on the beach...but none of that stopped them. As soon as I saw the guy's rear end in the air I made a beeline back to Honeymoon...that is just NOT something I want to see. Ever.
Hawksnest
Hawksnest continues to be one of our favorite beaches. We judge whether we go there by how many spots are open in the parking lot. It can get pretty crowded, so we stay away on those days. This year we met some friends there (as far as I know they don't post on the Forum):
Cinnamon Bay
As far as beauty goes, this is probably my favorite beach. I love how wide the sand is on the east end, and the west end is neat too with all the fallen trees. The negative about Cinnamon is that it can be really windy (the kind of wind that throws sand into your face). We only went to Cinnamon once this trip because my husband really hates the wind...the gusts were moderate the day we were there. I love to snorkel around the cay, and as usual, I saw some really neat stuff there.
Cinnamon Bay Ruins
Is there any way the ruins at Cinnamon Bay were actually inhabited as recently as 1968??
Jumbie Beach
Jumbie was pretty windy the day we were there and the water was really rough. I wasn't able to use my flotation raft there...I tried but the ocean just kept spitting me up onto the shore. Jumbie is beautiful, but not one of my personal favorites.
Francis Bay
In the past we've found Francis to be a pretty calm, laid back place...but this year, both times we went there were loud, rowdy, big groups of people there. The beach is of course beautiful regardless.
Maho Bay
What can I say about Maho? It is beautiful and convenient, but was pretty crowded several days while we were on island...it's still one of our favorites though.
Cigarette Beach Island
A few days into the trip my husband was referring to STJ as "Cigarette Beach Island" instead of "St. John." We'd noticed last year that there was a significant increase in the number of cigarette butts on the beaches, and this year was even worse. There was also more trash in general, but cigarette butts comprised the majority of it. Every day when we got to the beach my husband would do a sweep of our little area to pick up trash...I'm not sure why some people seem to think that cigarette butts are somehow not actually garbage and can therefore be thrown on the ground.
Smoothie Shack/Hut
The smoothie shack can be hit or miss depending on who is making the smoothies, but fortunately for me all three of our trips there this year were hits. The mango smoothie (made by the right person) is just fantastic, and surprisingly I prefer it without the rum.
Upper Peter Bay
We ventured into upper Peter Bay and I took this picture from a lot that is for sale there. This view can be yours for just under $3 million:
Sirenusa
We referred to Sirenusa as the "concrete monstrosity" while we were on island. Not surprisingly, there were a lot of people talking negatively about the development.
The Lime Inn
Being one our favorites, we ate there twice. As I have in the past, I ordered the prime rib (it is usually their special on Saturday nights) and it was very good.
The Ocean Grill
We went to the Ocean Grill for lunch one day and I had a steak sandwich that was excellent. I can't remember what my husband had, but it was good too. We used two drink coupons from: http://www.couponstjohn.com/
Morgan's Mango
Morgan's Mango is another one of our favorites, so we went there twice too (the second round free coupon helps too, also from the link above). The chimi churri (sp?) sauce that you can get with the daily catch is really, really good (it's a mixture of olive oil, garlic, and parsley according to the menu). On our trip there our last night, my husband found a huge dead bug in his food at the end of his meal. It was mixed in with his black beans and he nearly ate the bug. I know that it's a battle with the bugs all the time there, but it was pretty gross...so make sure to look at what you're eating, no matter which restaurant you're patronizing. They gave us half off of my husband's meal because of the bug.
Rhumblines
My husband says that their (very spicy) Pad Thai is the best he's ever had.
Cafe Roma
Cafe Roma has amazing Italian food. Everything we've ever gotten there has been fantastic, and the portions are huge (lots of leftovers).
Overall, it was an excellent trip...but St. John always is. I can't wait to return again next year
Last edited by Teresa_Rae on Thu Jun 21, 2007 12:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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cypressgirl
- Posts: 2178
- Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2006 2:42 pm
- Location: houston
. Seriously though, I might have passed out!
I love your pictures!
That is so gross about Solomon. What the heck is wrong with people?
Too bad about Tektite, though now I don't feel so guilty about not hiking out there. I am curious, did you do the long swim over that Singer describes in Off the Beaten Track? The way I read it was you had to hike over to Beehive Cove then get in the water and swim across the cove and around the point to Donkey Bite to find the caves.
Cypressgirl, I think Sirenusa is beyond the jackhammer phase. Here is a picture of how it looked when we were there:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550094590/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/200/5500 ... 6c33f5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="sirenusa"></a>
That is so gross about Solomon. What the heck is wrong with people?
Too bad about Tektite, though now I don't feel so guilty about not hiking out there. I am curious, did you do the long swim over that Singer describes in Off the Beaten Track? The way I read it was you had to hike over to Beehive Cove then get in the water and swim across the cove and around the point to Donkey Bite to find the caves.
Cypressgirl, I think Sirenusa is beyond the jackhammer phase. Here is a picture of how it looked when we were there:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/550094590/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/200/5500 ... 6c33f5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="sirenusa"></a>
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
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Robin in NC
- Posts: 332
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 7:19 pm
- Location: Kernersville, NC
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Teresa_Rae
- Posts: 2053
- Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:44 pm
- Location: Downstate IL
Yeah, the incident at Salomon was pretty disturbing. I hope I never have the misfortune of coming upon something like that ever again.
Thanks for all the compliments folks…y’all are too kind
Liamsaunt – yeah, we did the hike and swim the way it is described in the book. Fortunately another forumite had posted that the hike wasn’t nearly as easy as the book described, so I was prepared with an adequate water supply.
Jayseadee – we stayed at a little cottage called Blue Aweigh…it’s a one-bedroom guest house belonging to a couple that lives on the island. We liked it a lot, but since the owners live on the property, there isn’t any privacy outdoors (their kitchen overlooks the pool) and marginal privacy in the main room/kitchen…that was fine with me, and I'd stay there again, but I know that some posters really like to have privacy at their villas.
djmom – at first they offered us a free dessert…but we were both so disgusted by the bug that we weren’t in the mood for dessert so we declined…we had also planned to have a second round of drinks, but again, the bug was huge and nasty that we just weren’t in the mood for more drinks. If it had happened in the states, I would have expected a lot more than just half off of one of the meals…but I figured that since it is STJ, the restaurant is mostly outdoors, and the bugs are prolific that they weren’t going to bend over backwards for us.
Thanks for all the compliments folks…y’all are too kind
Liamsaunt – yeah, we did the hike and swim the way it is described in the book. Fortunately another forumite had posted that the hike wasn’t nearly as easy as the book described, so I was prepared with an adequate water supply.
Jayseadee – we stayed at a little cottage called Blue Aweigh…it’s a one-bedroom guest house belonging to a couple that lives on the island. We liked it a lot, but since the owners live on the property, there isn’t any privacy outdoors (their kitchen overlooks the pool) and marginal privacy in the main room/kitchen…that was fine with me, and I'd stay there again, but I know that some posters really like to have privacy at their villas.
djmom – at first they offered us a free dessert…but we were both so disgusted by the bug that we weren’t in the mood for dessert so we declined…we had also planned to have a second round of drinks, but again, the bug was huge and nasty that we just weren’t in the mood for more drinks. If it had happened in the states, I would have expected a lot more than just half off of one of the meals…but I figured that since it is STJ, the restaurant is mostly outdoors, and the bugs are prolific that they weren’t going to bend over backwards for us.
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California Girl
I'm with everyone else who says they should have comped your entire meal. So they have an outdoor setting in the tropics... so?? That doesn't mean they can serve you bugs. And from what I paid for dinner there, I doubt that comping a meal would hurt their bottom line. I won't eat there again after our experience, and the bug incident just serves to validate my opinion.