Trip Report July 15-29
Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 10:33 pm
Well, wish me luck I'm a slow typer who's usually long winded and some folks have actually accused me of liking my own voice! So...grab a Bud or what ever suites your fancy, sit back and prepare to fall asleep.
I have mentioned before that I started going to St John around 25 years ago and like many of you it has grabbed me and it won't let go! If it's possible, Love City latched onto my wifey even harder on her first trip @ 20 years ago and my 12 year old daughter has developed an incredible love and appreciation of the island after 7 trips.
This year was basically two vacations in one, the first week was spent with very good friends and their two daughters(10&12)and the second week was spent with my folks, wifey's mom and my nephew (10).
Our first week with our friends was spent at Mayan Sky in Upper Carolina. We've stayed in Upper Carolina a few times and we really like the area. We have a cabin on the side of a mountain in nearby West by God Virginia that is very peaceful and I get the same "this IS what friggen life is all about" feeling, do you know what I mean??? Our friends were first timers so we took it nice and slow with them from the start. The AA flight out of Dulles, VA through P.R. was flawless and we actually arrived 20 minutes early. After getting smacked in the face with that first hit of caribbean air we are off to get our bags. Try to tell me you don't hesitate and hold up the line of people trying to deplane to take that first deep inhale of tropical air! After a shot of rum punch we are amazed that all of our bags are out within 5 minutes. Christopher of Christopher's taxi is and always has been right there to wisk us off to Red Hook. On the way to Red Hook our friends can be heard sayin "wow" look at this and look at that, and I smiled at my wifey and said wait until they get a load of St John! St Thomas folks please take no offense, I have spent alot of time on St Thomas and I love it, however I'm a huge fan of national parks, state parks and anywhere that has avoided overdevelopment.
After walking off the ferry we took our sweet time walking through Wharfside before picking up the jeeps at St John Car Rental. Along the way we could tell our friends were diggin it!!!! I saw my daughter and her friends huddled together almost forehead to forehead, trying to walk in a straight line already at island speed, and pointing, giggling, and talking about everything they were seeing. Wharfside is a feast for the eyes if you take the time to look at the details.
No problems as usual with St John Car rental and we're off in two jeeps (one vehicle per family/couple is a must in my opinion). With Marley's Legend CD cranked we are on our way down the north shore taking the obligatory pauses at choice overlooks and what do you know! there's not a soul at the smoothie stand...hell yea, smoothie time or in my case BUD me!
[/img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1211/979 ... c9.jpg[img]
After fueling up on libations we drove two minutes to the entrance of Upper Carolina and met our greeter and her husband, great folks I just can't think of their names right now. They gave a great tour of Mayan Sky and boy was it beautiful.
[/img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1236/979 ... 79.jpg[img]
Mayan Sky is a very private villa with three equal masters all with A/C and and actually the great room has A/C as well but we didn't need it. One master connected to the great room, one master in a seperate pod, and the third on the lower level next to the pool and this room had a seperate trundle. The kitchen was very well equipped and we loved the fact that it had a whole house water filtering system. The pool temp was very comfortable during our stay. The villa is great for 3 couples or a family that doesn't mind the kiddies being in a bedroom that is only accessible from the patios. The views are of Coral Bay, the valley and Bordeaux Mountain, we love these mountain views.
[/img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1327/969 ... ae.jpg[img]
During this week we primarily ate breakfast and dinner on the terrace of the villa, by the way the skeeters behaved themselves in breezy Upper Carolina, I had read that they were ruthless leading up to our trip, but honestly we were only bit in places without a breeze, plus each doorway at this villa had those new style screen doors that roll into a frame. We did eat out half the time and went to our favorite spots like the Donkey Diner for "KickAss" pizza and belly bustin breakfast food, Lime Inn to say hey to Rich and eat their incredible caribbean lobster, Shipwreck for the best frozen drinks and perfect fish and chips, and of course Skinny's for the atmosphere, shopping for the wifey and kiddies, great burgers, blackened mahi sandwiches and some of the coldest BUDWEISER's on the island, sorry RickG you probably think Buds are pi--water... I actually stopped by the new place in Mongoose Junction, Virgin Island's Brewery? I had two of each on tap that day and I may switch to their product now that JR is going with another sponsor! Great beer guys if you're reading this!!
With this weeks bunch we decided to pick one beach per day and plant ourselves for 6-7 hours. We hit our favorite bay MAHO the first day and saw great things.
[/img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1096/979 ... f8.jpg[img]
Next we went to Cinnamon and also saw great things, but unfortunately I saw for myself that the tree has indeed fallen
[/img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1412/979 ... 3f.jpg[img]
Next, equally a favorite was Salt Pond. We hiked to Rams Head and we saw NOBODY, I mean NOBODY....what a great experience for our friends to make that first hike completely alone in that environment. Made our way out to Drunk Bay and the kiddies got a kick out of the sculptures, even the anatomically correct ones...oh well whatcha gonna do!! I actually made my own sculpture that I know will turn some heads!!!! Next was a two for day, first early to Leinster where we again saw beautiful things!
[/img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1258/978 ... pg?v=0[img]
All of us, especially the kiddies enjoyed Leinster, our favorite thing in those waters are the turtles. They are the most trusting and graceful creatures I've seen. Don't take these moments for granite!!!
[/img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1428/978 ... pg?v=0[img]
The second half of this day was spent on Francis, which over the last couple of years has risen to almost tie Maho on our list.
Next day we spent on Trunk. Not my favorite, however a must for first timers. It is truly a beautiful beach, if you weren't with 500 strangers wearing florescent vests!!
And the last day we asked our friends to pick the beach of their choice and the four of them unanimously picked MAHO, they are now our very best friends based on that decision!! We again saw great things there!
[/img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1094/979 ... f2.jpg[img]
I'll have to start part two next week, have a great weekend everyone.
Budman[/img]
I have mentioned before that I started going to St John around 25 years ago and like many of you it has grabbed me and it won't let go! If it's possible, Love City latched onto my wifey even harder on her first trip @ 20 years ago and my 12 year old daughter has developed an incredible love and appreciation of the island after 7 trips.
This year was basically two vacations in one, the first week was spent with very good friends and their two daughters(10&12)and the second week was spent with my folks, wifey's mom and my nephew (10).
Our first week with our friends was spent at Mayan Sky in Upper Carolina. We've stayed in Upper Carolina a few times and we really like the area. We have a cabin on the side of a mountain in nearby West by God Virginia that is very peaceful and I get the same "this IS what friggen life is all about" feeling, do you know what I mean??? Our friends were first timers so we took it nice and slow with them from the start. The AA flight out of Dulles, VA through P.R. was flawless and we actually arrived 20 minutes early. After getting smacked in the face with that first hit of caribbean air we are off to get our bags. Try to tell me you don't hesitate and hold up the line of people trying to deplane to take that first deep inhale of tropical air! After a shot of rum punch we are amazed that all of our bags are out within 5 minutes. Christopher of Christopher's taxi is and always has been right there to wisk us off to Red Hook. On the way to Red Hook our friends can be heard sayin "wow" look at this and look at that, and I smiled at my wifey and said wait until they get a load of St John! St Thomas folks please take no offense, I have spent alot of time on St Thomas and I love it, however I'm a huge fan of national parks, state parks and anywhere that has avoided overdevelopment.
After walking off the ferry we took our sweet time walking through Wharfside before picking up the jeeps at St John Car Rental. Along the way we could tell our friends were diggin it!!!! I saw my daughter and her friends huddled together almost forehead to forehead, trying to walk in a straight line already at island speed, and pointing, giggling, and talking about everything they were seeing. Wharfside is a feast for the eyes if you take the time to look at the details.
No problems as usual with St John Car rental and we're off in two jeeps (one vehicle per family/couple is a must in my opinion). With Marley's Legend CD cranked we are on our way down the north shore taking the obligatory pauses at choice overlooks and what do you know! there's not a soul at the smoothie stand...hell yea, smoothie time or in my case BUD me!
[/img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1211/979 ... c9.jpg[img]
After fueling up on libations we drove two minutes to the entrance of Upper Carolina and met our greeter and her husband, great folks I just can't think of their names right now. They gave a great tour of Mayan Sky and boy was it beautiful.
[/img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1236/979 ... 79.jpg[img]
Mayan Sky is a very private villa with three equal masters all with A/C and and actually the great room has A/C as well but we didn't need it. One master connected to the great room, one master in a seperate pod, and the third on the lower level next to the pool and this room had a seperate trundle. The kitchen was very well equipped and we loved the fact that it had a whole house water filtering system. The pool temp was very comfortable during our stay. The villa is great for 3 couples or a family that doesn't mind the kiddies being in a bedroom that is only accessible from the patios. The views are of Coral Bay, the valley and Bordeaux Mountain, we love these mountain views.
[/img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1327/969 ... ae.jpg[img]
During this week we primarily ate breakfast and dinner on the terrace of the villa, by the way the skeeters behaved themselves in breezy Upper Carolina, I had read that they were ruthless leading up to our trip, but honestly we were only bit in places without a breeze, plus each doorway at this villa had those new style screen doors that roll into a frame. We did eat out half the time and went to our favorite spots like the Donkey Diner for "KickAss" pizza and belly bustin breakfast food, Lime Inn to say hey to Rich and eat their incredible caribbean lobster, Shipwreck for the best frozen drinks and perfect fish and chips, and of course Skinny's for the atmosphere, shopping for the wifey and kiddies, great burgers, blackened mahi sandwiches and some of the coldest BUDWEISER's on the island, sorry RickG you probably think Buds are pi--water... I actually stopped by the new place in Mongoose Junction, Virgin Island's Brewery? I had two of each on tap that day and I may switch to their product now that JR is going with another sponsor! Great beer guys if you're reading this!!
With this weeks bunch we decided to pick one beach per day and plant ourselves for 6-7 hours. We hit our favorite bay MAHO the first day and saw great things.
[/img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1096/979 ... f8.jpg[img]
Next we went to Cinnamon and also saw great things, but unfortunately I saw for myself that the tree has indeed fallen
[/img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1412/979 ... 3f.jpg[img]
Next, equally a favorite was Salt Pond. We hiked to Rams Head and we saw NOBODY, I mean NOBODY....what a great experience for our friends to make that first hike completely alone in that environment. Made our way out to Drunk Bay and the kiddies got a kick out of the sculptures, even the anatomically correct ones...oh well whatcha gonna do!! I actually made my own sculpture that I know will turn some heads!!!! Next was a two for day, first early to Leinster where we again saw beautiful things!
[/img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1258/978 ... pg?v=0[img]
All of us, especially the kiddies enjoyed Leinster, our favorite thing in those waters are the turtles. They are the most trusting and graceful creatures I've seen. Don't take these moments for granite!!!
[/img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1428/978 ... pg?v=0[img]
The second half of this day was spent on Francis, which over the last couple of years has risen to almost tie Maho on our list.
Next day we spent on Trunk. Not my favorite, however a must for first timers. It is truly a beautiful beach, if you weren't with 500 strangers wearing florescent vests!!
And the last day we asked our friends to pick the beach of their choice and the four of them unanimously picked MAHO, they are now our very best friends based on that decision!! We again saw great things there!
[/img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1094/979 ... f2.jpg[img]
I'll have to start part two next week, have a great weekend everyone.
Budman[/img]
