Newbie Trip Report - Part 2...
Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 10:55 pm
Newbie Trip Report - Part 2
Thanks so much for all of your comments and for making me feel so welcome!!! You guys rock!!
Day 3: Um, Try Not to Talk So Loud 'mkay?
When we last left our brave and somewhat misguided heroine she was attempting a futile mission. (Note to self...the captain - Morgan that is - is NOT, I repeat, NOT your friend.)
I awoke to the sound of crunching metal intermixed with what sounded like an avalanche of rocks. For a moment I was confused, it had to be the Weirdest. Hangover. Ever. I considered that this may be a new and as of yet undiscovered side effect of rum and then I heard the beep!beep! of a backhoe and suddenly knew what was happening. A couple weeks before our trip I had been told that there was some construction below the villa but we were assured that it had not been an issue for previous guests. The guys were all a bit peeved but there was nothing to do but go with the flow....and we sure weren't going to let it ruin our vacation! (Sidenote: This was the worst the construction was all week and it only went on for a short time. We heard only minimal noise the next day and then nothing the rest of the week.) I would inquire about it if you are considering staying there but I would not stress about it. I would still stay there again in a heartbeat with no reservations and really as they say, the island is "alive with construction."
Everyone grabbed a quick breakfast while I lay in a prone position on the sofa and declared myself as "dying". While I was recovering, the rest of the crew met the resident iguanas. We had 3 regular iguanas visit us throughout the trip and we affectionately named them Iggy, Sullivan and Jacob. They were so fun to watch, never bothersome - an extra bonus for us!
After I spent a few humbling moments of self-pity on the sofa followed by hollow promises to never drink again, I sucked it up and we were off for the day. Our friends dropped us off at the ferry, sending me one last sympathetic look as they took in my rather green complexion. D and I caught the 9am ferry to STT to pick up our marriage license; it was busy at the judicial center! Go early! As one may imagine, the ferry and cab ride are not really...shall we say, complementary to a hangover, but hey this is what I do for love.
We returned to St. John, license in hand and had a quick meeting with Mary, from Island Style Weddings to discuss the details of the ceremony. She was professional, personable and we left feeling like we were in good hands. I was still not feeling quite like a normal human being so we decided to go back to the villa, take it easy and wait for our remaining villa mates to arrive. One nap and lunch later I was back in fighting shape, in the pool, caribe in hand. Can't keep a good woman down.
After J and E arrived we decided to head out to Compass Rose at Pastory Gardens for dinner. Our Jeep Liberty was not really made for 6 people but we figured, no big deal. J hopped in the trunk area and we were off. A short drive later we were all wrapped up in discussing our plans for the week and catching up on each others lives that we piled out of the Jeep and were about 15 or so feet away when we were stopped by a loud rapping sound. We all turned and looked back to the Jeep to see J with his face pressed up to the back glass knocking at us to let him out. We had totally forgotten him and he was locked in the trunk area! Oops! Luckily he has a great sense of humor. Reunited now, we had a great dinner at Compass Rose. The place was not too crowded, we got great service, awesome views, and good food but honestly the best part was the great company and conversation. Perfect night. We wanted to play the mini golf course which looked great but lost track of time. Next time for sure.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/773074963/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1056/773 ... 2dd452.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Iguana At Palm Hill"></a>
Day 4: Fact. Boys can't Pack.
We woke up pretty early, made a great breakfast and headed out for some quick shopping for essentials before the beach. I had brought down a ton of sunscreen for myself and D only to find out that JP & T hadn't considered that they might have a need for sunscreen on a tropical island...so we all shared like good friends do and we needed to restock. We hit the Starfish market, stocked up and then decided to hit Mongoose Junction to pick up a hat for T and some flip-flops for D (who had only brought sneakers). I have to say that Mongoose Junction is quite possibly the cutest shopping center I have ever seen (and I'm no stranger to shopping)!
We headed to Maho. This was another perfect beach and I loved how it was so great for swimming. Crystal clear, calm water just inviting you to settle in for a while. The beach was not crowded and we had no problem with parking. We found a place with a great mix of shade and sun, settled in and lounged for a bit. Later, we headed out to the rocks on the left for some snorkeling. We had good luck here, spotting 2 small squid, a juvenile french angel and squirrel fish among the other usual suspects. We could have hung here all day but hunger eventually called and we headed into town stopping at Margarita Mike's for drinks and appetizers. Wow - great margs here! We made the mistake of ordering one each when one marg could easily serve 3 people. Not like this was an actual problem or anything...Lots of laughs and fun until we eventually retreated back to the villa for another night spent hanging out in that perfect pool.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/773920178/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1429/773 ... cce82a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Maho Beach"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/773919844/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1137/773 ... 781f51.jpg" width="500" height="366" alt="Maho Beach"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/773919632/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1240/773 ... 2b7d44.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Maho Beach"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/773920316/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1089/773 ... 8459e4.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Palm Hill"></a>
Next time...playing around at the Westin, cake-muffins and finally the wedding day! And if you are lucky....food porn!!
Thanks so much for all of your comments and for making me feel so welcome!!! You guys rock!!
Day 3: Um, Try Not to Talk So Loud 'mkay?
When we last left our brave and somewhat misguided heroine she was attempting a futile mission. (Note to self...the captain - Morgan that is - is NOT, I repeat, NOT your friend.)
I awoke to the sound of crunching metal intermixed with what sounded like an avalanche of rocks. For a moment I was confused, it had to be the Weirdest. Hangover. Ever. I considered that this may be a new and as of yet undiscovered side effect of rum and then I heard the beep!beep! of a backhoe and suddenly knew what was happening. A couple weeks before our trip I had been told that there was some construction below the villa but we were assured that it had not been an issue for previous guests. The guys were all a bit peeved but there was nothing to do but go with the flow....and we sure weren't going to let it ruin our vacation! (Sidenote: This was the worst the construction was all week and it only went on for a short time. We heard only minimal noise the next day and then nothing the rest of the week.) I would inquire about it if you are considering staying there but I would not stress about it. I would still stay there again in a heartbeat with no reservations and really as they say, the island is "alive with construction."
Everyone grabbed a quick breakfast while I lay in a prone position on the sofa and declared myself as "dying". While I was recovering, the rest of the crew met the resident iguanas. We had 3 regular iguanas visit us throughout the trip and we affectionately named them Iggy, Sullivan and Jacob. They were so fun to watch, never bothersome - an extra bonus for us!
After I spent a few humbling moments of self-pity on the sofa followed by hollow promises to never drink again, I sucked it up and we were off for the day. Our friends dropped us off at the ferry, sending me one last sympathetic look as they took in my rather green complexion. D and I caught the 9am ferry to STT to pick up our marriage license; it was busy at the judicial center! Go early! As one may imagine, the ferry and cab ride are not really...shall we say, complementary to a hangover, but hey this is what I do for love.
We returned to St. John, license in hand and had a quick meeting with Mary, from Island Style Weddings to discuss the details of the ceremony. She was professional, personable and we left feeling like we were in good hands. I was still not feeling quite like a normal human being so we decided to go back to the villa, take it easy and wait for our remaining villa mates to arrive. One nap and lunch later I was back in fighting shape, in the pool, caribe in hand. Can't keep a good woman down.
After J and E arrived we decided to head out to Compass Rose at Pastory Gardens for dinner. Our Jeep Liberty was not really made for 6 people but we figured, no big deal. J hopped in the trunk area and we were off. A short drive later we were all wrapped up in discussing our plans for the week and catching up on each others lives that we piled out of the Jeep and were about 15 or so feet away when we were stopped by a loud rapping sound. We all turned and looked back to the Jeep to see J with his face pressed up to the back glass knocking at us to let him out. We had totally forgotten him and he was locked in the trunk area! Oops! Luckily he has a great sense of humor. Reunited now, we had a great dinner at Compass Rose. The place was not too crowded, we got great service, awesome views, and good food but honestly the best part was the great company and conversation. Perfect night. We wanted to play the mini golf course which looked great but lost track of time. Next time for sure.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/773074963/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1056/773 ... 2dd452.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Iguana At Palm Hill"></a>
Day 4: Fact. Boys can't Pack.
We woke up pretty early, made a great breakfast and headed out for some quick shopping for essentials before the beach. I had brought down a ton of sunscreen for myself and D only to find out that JP & T hadn't considered that they might have a need for sunscreen on a tropical island...so we all shared like good friends do and we needed to restock. We hit the Starfish market, stocked up and then decided to hit Mongoose Junction to pick up a hat for T and some flip-flops for D (who had only brought sneakers). I have to say that Mongoose Junction is quite possibly the cutest shopping center I have ever seen (and I'm no stranger to shopping)!
We headed to Maho. This was another perfect beach and I loved how it was so great for swimming. Crystal clear, calm water just inviting you to settle in for a while. The beach was not crowded and we had no problem with parking. We found a place with a great mix of shade and sun, settled in and lounged for a bit. Later, we headed out to the rocks on the left for some snorkeling. We had good luck here, spotting 2 small squid, a juvenile french angel and squirrel fish among the other usual suspects. We could have hung here all day but hunger eventually called and we headed into town stopping at Margarita Mike's for drinks and appetizers. Wow - great margs here! We made the mistake of ordering one each when one marg could easily serve 3 people. Not like this was an actual problem or anything...Lots of laughs and fun until we eventually retreated back to the villa for another night spent hanging out in that perfect pool.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/773920178/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1429/773 ... cce82a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Maho Beach"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/773919844/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1137/773 ... 781f51.jpg" width="500" height="366" alt="Maho Beach"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/773919632/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1240/773 ... 2b7d44.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Maho Beach"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9873290@N05/773920316/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1089/773 ... 8459e4.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Palm Hill"></a>
Next time...playing around at the Westin, cake-muffins and finally the wedding day! And if you are lucky....food porn!!
I must confess, the roads of STJ don't bother me - until I am a tad hungover - then it's torture. 
