50th Wedding Anniversary Family Trip Report
Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 10:43 am
This was the fourth trip to St. John and Caneel for us. The first for the family. They have heard us give glowing reports of Caneel for the last six years. I have to admit I was a little worried that we had built our version of paradise to unachievable heights. That was silly. Hubby and I have always gone to Caneel in October or November. Now we will go back in June or July to take advantage of their summer special rate.
TRAVEL TO ST. JOHN
Six of us left Sioux Falls, South Dakota at 5AM to unite with our other daughter and family of four from Bemidji, Minnesota in Minneapolis. This is the only portion where we used Northwest Airlines. All other flights were on Delta. Each family used their own frequent flyer miles. Months ago I called Northwest elite line to ask for 10 frequent flyer seats only to connect with a female that was not willing to take the time to help me. I have learned when this happens to quickly say thanks, wait a few minutes, and try again. I can usually tell in half a minute if I have someone that is willing to work for me. She found the seats quickly within the dates I gave her. We had outstanding flight attendants on all Delta flights.
We stayed overnight in Atlanta. Northwest made some mistake in our booking from Atlanta to STT. I couldn't print everyone's boarding pass and neither could the Delta agent. I was extremely lucky with the gentleman at the Delta counter. He waited on the phone for 45 minutes before Northwest even answered the phone. The problem was fixed by breaking up two confirmation codes. I thanked him profusely for his willingness to fix the problem.
CHRISTOPHER'S TAXI AND DOHM'S WATER TAXI
I had arranged for Christopher's taxi to meet us to take us directly to Dohm's water taxi. I had also asked if we could make a stop at a grocery store before we left St. Thomas. We bought all drinks and snacks for our stay at Caneel. We only waited at the dock a few minutes after Chris called Dohm's. It was a perfect arrangement to be transferred to Caneel's dock, and I would definitely do it the same way again. Otherwise we would have had to unload our luggage, find at least three taxis, load up again and make our way to Caneel. On the way back to St. Thomas, we took the public ferry to Red Hook where Chris was waiting for us. He gave us a thrilling ride to the airport by taking some narrow, narrow back streets. Chris is reliable, friendly, and informative. I highly recommend him.
I decided against Caneel's ferry because it is $85/p round trip. Dohm's is $20/p one way. Ferry to Red Hook was $5/p plus $2/bag. Chris was $15/p plus tip.
LUGGAGE
I think I made converts concerning carry on luggage only. I printed our boarding passes at Gallows to get us all the way to Minneapolis. We breezed right through customs and security. When I was on the Delta site, I noticed that we had a full plane again. When it was time to leave I noticed many empty seats available. I heard the flight attendant say we were leaving passengers because there was one agent and 4 trainees at the Delta counter. She joked that they would get an extra day in the sun. We ended up waiting for a few more. One of the last passengers on said, with disgust, that the line to check in was long and slow. There was not one in my family that had a problem with enough clothes, although my daughters did wash at Gallows. I hate to say this, but after all the preaching, I was the one with the most clothes. I have learned how to pack it in, but I did tell my husband to remind me before the next trip to go lighter.
CANEEL BAY
One of my grandsons expressed his delight and appreciation the minute he exited his room on Hawksnest beach. "Thank you, thank you Owa, this is the best". Every request I had for our rooms was granted. We had the bottom four rooms of unit number one. My hubby and I have always stayed in the premium ocean view rooms thinking we wouldn't like Hawksnest. We were so wrong. There is a constant breeze, we were steps out to the beach, tons of
shade, and what the family thought was the best snorkeling of Caneel's beaches. We loved the long walk to breakfast and the exercise room. They told us the resort was 80% full, but it never felt that way. The buffet breakfast was included in our room price. The fruit was outstanding. There is an extensive variety of foods from which to choose each morning. We always ate about 9AM. We weren't hungry until late afternoon, and then we had sandwiches, chips, beer, etc. We didn't go into Cruz Bay at night instead electing to eat at the beach bar. It would have cost $100 for the ten of us to get back and forth. It worked for us. The grandsons think Caneel would be absolute perfection if they were an all inclusive. They don't mean breakfast, lunch and dinner. They want food available all day long!!
STAFF AT CANEEL
There are absolutely wonderful staff that have been there for many, many years. Are there problems? Yes. I expressed my sadness about the tension and discontent I felt among the staff to a manager. She asked if I wanted to express my concerns to the General Manager of eight months. He says staff is a priority. I hope he is true to his word.
GALLOWS POINT
After four nights at Caneel, we moved to GP which became our only regret of the trip. We wished we had stayed the entire eight nights at Caneel, but I will also add that basically there is nothing wrong with Gallows. I paid $400/night for two upper units, and $300/night for a lower unit. I booked with St. John Suites because he didn't charge me $35/N for each grandchild. I guess this is where I say the couch beds were awful. A few loving touches could make these units much nicer. The grounds are beautiful and well tended. Our conclusion was we could find a GP anywhere, but not a Caneel. Caneel is unique.
A very bright spot at GP is the Everyting store, that stocks quite a variety at a very good price. They will grind coffee beans, rent movies, and they are actually cheaper for some items than at Starfish. Best of all, the ladies that own and run the store are very helpful, friendly, and genuinely interested in answering any questions. I can't stay enough good about one of the best stops in CB.
FOOD
Our most expensive meal was at Cafe Roma--$350. We ended up with lunch for the next day because the servings were so huge. I knew before we left we were NOT going to a place like Zozo's. I did not want to walk away with a $1000 bill. We ate breakfast in the condo at Gallows, lunch in Coral Bay twice, and dinners in Cruz. We especially enjoyed Skinny Legs in Coral Bay. We had just finished a productive morning of snorkeling, we had the best waitress of the trip, and everyone was in top form with witty comments. When hubby and I go back, we will definitely go to a place like Zozo's.
VEHICLES
The decision was made before we left home to enjoy Caneel to the fullest by not renting vehicles until we moved to Gallow's. We rented two 5-passenger vehicles from Bougainvillea Leasing for 3 days without any problems. My son-in-laws wanted to purchase extra insurance, but they didn't offer it. They said tourist didn't request it enough to make it worth their trouble. My engineer Design Build son-in-law marveled at the roads. He could not believe the steep side roads. He loved driving on St. John. My other son-in-law stalled on the first steep hairpin incline causing the tires to smoke because he was just spinning (we watched from behind grateful that he could not see or hear our laughing), but he did not have a problem after that.
SNORKELING
We were extremely lucky with the weather, and the calm, clear water. I'm sure I could not say that if we were there this week.
We snorkeled places that my hubby and I had never been. We have had a terrible time leaving Caneel and the beaches there. Now when we go back, we will seek out more snorkeling spots. We especially liked Pelican Rocks, and Haulover. I saw at least four sharks. Two were resting on the bottom, and two were swimming. My oldest grandson (the muscular Minnesota hockey player) would swim the other way when we spotted one. It was hilarious because he also didn't like barracuda and one kept following him. I told him that I have been followed by a barracuda for over an hour. They are just curious. Shark didn't bother the rest of us. My son-in-law saw a Flying Gurnard on Hawsnest much to our envy. We have only seen one on St. Lucia. I went snorkeling on Hawksnest by myself early one morning. I saw the biggest stingray I have ever seen. I think St. John still has some of the best snorkeling in the Carribean.
FAMILY HEALTH
I unfortunately provided some of the biggest laughs of the trip. I developed sun blisters on my lips and in my mouth. I didn't care how I looked. I just wanted relief. They would look at me and start laughing. They couldn't help themselves. One evening we were walking in CB after dinner. One daughter heard someone say, "Did you see that lip"! On the plane leaving St. Thomas, I sat next to a gal that also snorkels and dives. I pointed at my lip, and asked her if she has ever had sun blisters. She said she has had them to the point where she can only open her mouth to insert a straw. The bad news is that once they occur they are likely to return. She told me she starts taking lysine tablets a few days before a trip and while she is gone. My research on the internet started as soon as I arrived home. I found there is a lysine lip balm. Also, it is extremely important to have sun tan lotion or balm on the lips at all times. I'm determined that this will not happen to me again. I also had a bite become infected on my leg. A topical anti-biotic took care of that. Today my lip is all crusted and finally not so swollen.
One daughter searched around in my son-in-laws eye for about two hours in the middle of the night. He thought he had forgotten to take out his contact. They almost went to the clinic because it was so painful. His eye was extremely red and swollen the next morning. When the other eye became red, he decided it was an allergy to something on the island or in the water. A grandson also had allergy problems.
The day before we left one daughter woke with a fever, that was followed by a cold.
TRIP COST
If anyone is interested in what it costs for me to take ten on a trip to St. John, I added it up. Everyone using their FF miles really saved me a bundle of money.
Flights--0
Lodging--Atlanta, Caneel, Gallows, and Minneapolis $10,000
Food--$2,000
Transportation--Christopher's taxi, Dohm's water taxi, cars, and red hook ferry $1300
Misc.--$1,000
Total--$16,000
CONCLUSION
Everyone loved this trip. Better than any of the thirteen previous. For us, it is the grandchildren that make these trips so much fun. I always have taken a book for everyone to write thoughts about the trip while flying back. I started with children's story books to get them interested. This trip the book was Caribbean reefs, coral and fish. I mention this because my seventeen year old grandson gave me a gift at the airport by asking me if I had remembered the book. I will tell him when we next go to Bemidji how much that meant to me. I don't plan to do a family trip next year. Hubby and I are going to make the actual 50th anniversary year a one filled with travel. We will do another grandparent/grandchildren trip. The grandchildren don't want to give it up, and neither do we.
TRAVEL TO ST. JOHN
Six of us left Sioux Falls, South Dakota at 5AM to unite with our other daughter and family of four from Bemidji, Minnesota in Minneapolis. This is the only portion where we used Northwest Airlines. All other flights were on Delta. Each family used their own frequent flyer miles. Months ago I called Northwest elite line to ask for 10 frequent flyer seats only to connect with a female that was not willing to take the time to help me. I have learned when this happens to quickly say thanks, wait a few minutes, and try again. I can usually tell in half a minute if I have someone that is willing to work for me. She found the seats quickly within the dates I gave her. We had outstanding flight attendants on all Delta flights.
We stayed overnight in Atlanta. Northwest made some mistake in our booking from Atlanta to STT. I couldn't print everyone's boarding pass and neither could the Delta agent. I was extremely lucky with the gentleman at the Delta counter. He waited on the phone for 45 minutes before Northwest even answered the phone. The problem was fixed by breaking up two confirmation codes. I thanked him profusely for his willingness to fix the problem.
CHRISTOPHER'S TAXI AND DOHM'S WATER TAXI
I had arranged for Christopher's taxi to meet us to take us directly to Dohm's water taxi. I had also asked if we could make a stop at a grocery store before we left St. Thomas. We bought all drinks and snacks for our stay at Caneel. We only waited at the dock a few minutes after Chris called Dohm's. It was a perfect arrangement to be transferred to Caneel's dock, and I would definitely do it the same way again. Otherwise we would have had to unload our luggage, find at least three taxis, load up again and make our way to Caneel. On the way back to St. Thomas, we took the public ferry to Red Hook where Chris was waiting for us. He gave us a thrilling ride to the airport by taking some narrow, narrow back streets. Chris is reliable, friendly, and informative. I highly recommend him.
I decided against Caneel's ferry because it is $85/p round trip. Dohm's is $20/p one way. Ferry to Red Hook was $5/p plus $2/bag. Chris was $15/p plus tip.
LUGGAGE
I think I made converts concerning carry on luggage only. I printed our boarding passes at Gallows to get us all the way to Minneapolis. We breezed right through customs and security. When I was on the Delta site, I noticed that we had a full plane again. When it was time to leave I noticed many empty seats available. I heard the flight attendant say we were leaving passengers because there was one agent and 4 trainees at the Delta counter. She joked that they would get an extra day in the sun. We ended up waiting for a few more. One of the last passengers on said, with disgust, that the line to check in was long and slow. There was not one in my family that had a problem with enough clothes, although my daughters did wash at Gallows. I hate to say this, but after all the preaching, I was the one with the most clothes. I have learned how to pack it in, but I did tell my husband to remind me before the next trip to go lighter.
CANEEL BAY
One of my grandsons expressed his delight and appreciation the minute he exited his room on Hawksnest beach. "Thank you, thank you Owa, this is the best". Every request I had for our rooms was granted. We had the bottom four rooms of unit number one. My hubby and I have always stayed in the premium ocean view rooms thinking we wouldn't like Hawksnest. We were so wrong. There is a constant breeze, we were steps out to the beach, tons of
shade, and what the family thought was the best snorkeling of Caneel's beaches. We loved the long walk to breakfast and the exercise room. They told us the resort was 80% full, but it never felt that way. The buffet breakfast was included in our room price. The fruit was outstanding. There is an extensive variety of foods from which to choose each morning. We always ate about 9AM. We weren't hungry until late afternoon, and then we had sandwiches, chips, beer, etc. We didn't go into Cruz Bay at night instead electing to eat at the beach bar. It would have cost $100 for the ten of us to get back and forth. It worked for us. The grandsons think Caneel would be absolute perfection if they were an all inclusive. They don't mean breakfast, lunch and dinner. They want food available all day long!!
STAFF AT CANEEL
There are absolutely wonderful staff that have been there for many, many years. Are there problems? Yes. I expressed my sadness about the tension and discontent I felt among the staff to a manager. She asked if I wanted to express my concerns to the General Manager of eight months. He says staff is a priority. I hope he is true to his word.
GALLOWS POINT
After four nights at Caneel, we moved to GP which became our only regret of the trip. We wished we had stayed the entire eight nights at Caneel, but I will also add that basically there is nothing wrong with Gallows. I paid $400/night for two upper units, and $300/night for a lower unit. I booked with St. John Suites because he didn't charge me $35/N for each grandchild. I guess this is where I say the couch beds were awful. A few loving touches could make these units much nicer. The grounds are beautiful and well tended. Our conclusion was we could find a GP anywhere, but not a Caneel. Caneel is unique.
A very bright spot at GP is the Everyting store, that stocks quite a variety at a very good price. They will grind coffee beans, rent movies, and they are actually cheaper for some items than at Starfish. Best of all, the ladies that own and run the store are very helpful, friendly, and genuinely interested in answering any questions. I can't stay enough good about one of the best stops in CB.
FOOD
Our most expensive meal was at Cafe Roma--$350. We ended up with lunch for the next day because the servings were so huge. I knew before we left we were NOT going to a place like Zozo's. I did not want to walk away with a $1000 bill. We ate breakfast in the condo at Gallows, lunch in Coral Bay twice, and dinners in Cruz. We especially enjoyed Skinny Legs in Coral Bay. We had just finished a productive morning of snorkeling, we had the best waitress of the trip, and everyone was in top form with witty comments. When hubby and I go back, we will definitely go to a place like Zozo's.
VEHICLES
The decision was made before we left home to enjoy Caneel to the fullest by not renting vehicles until we moved to Gallow's. We rented two 5-passenger vehicles from Bougainvillea Leasing for 3 days without any problems. My son-in-laws wanted to purchase extra insurance, but they didn't offer it. They said tourist didn't request it enough to make it worth their trouble. My engineer Design Build son-in-law marveled at the roads. He could not believe the steep side roads. He loved driving on St. John. My other son-in-law stalled on the first steep hairpin incline causing the tires to smoke because he was just spinning (we watched from behind grateful that he could not see or hear our laughing), but he did not have a problem after that.
SNORKELING
We were extremely lucky with the weather, and the calm, clear water. I'm sure I could not say that if we were there this week.
We snorkeled places that my hubby and I had never been. We have had a terrible time leaving Caneel and the beaches there. Now when we go back, we will seek out more snorkeling spots. We especially liked Pelican Rocks, and Haulover. I saw at least four sharks. Two were resting on the bottom, and two were swimming. My oldest grandson (the muscular Minnesota hockey player) would swim the other way when we spotted one. It was hilarious because he also didn't like barracuda and one kept following him. I told him that I have been followed by a barracuda for over an hour. They are just curious. Shark didn't bother the rest of us. My son-in-law saw a Flying Gurnard on Hawsnest much to our envy. We have only seen one on St. Lucia. I went snorkeling on Hawksnest by myself early one morning. I saw the biggest stingray I have ever seen. I think St. John still has some of the best snorkeling in the Carribean.
FAMILY HEALTH
I unfortunately provided some of the biggest laughs of the trip. I developed sun blisters on my lips and in my mouth. I didn't care how I looked. I just wanted relief. They would look at me and start laughing. They couldn't help themselves. One evening we were walking in CB after dinner. One daughter heard someone say, "Did you see that lip"! On the plane leaving St. Thomas, I sat next to a gal that also snorkels and dives. I pointed at my lip, and asked her if she has ever had sun blisters. She said she has had them to the point where she can only open her mouth to insert a straw. The bad news is that once they occur they are likely to return. She told me she starts taking lysine tablets a few days before a trip and while she is gone. My research on the internet started as soon as I arrived home. I found there is a lysine lip balm. Also, it is extremely important to have sun tan lotion or balm on the lips at all times. I'm determined that this will not happen to me again. I also had a bite become infected on my leg. A topical anti-biotic took care of that. Today my lip is all crusted and finally not so swollen.
One daughter searched around in my son-in-laws eye for about two hours in the middle of the night. He thought he had forgotten to take out his contact. They almost went to the clinic because it was so painful. His eye was extremely red and swollen the next morning. When the other eye became red, he decided it was an allergy to something on the island or in the water. A grandson also had allergy problems.
The day before we left one daughter woke with a fever, that was followed by a cold.
TRIP COST
If anyone is interested in what it costs for me to take ten on a trip to St. John, I added it up. Everyone using their FF miles really saved me a bundle of money.
Flights--0
Lodging--Atlanta, Caneel, Gallows, and Minneapolis $10,000
Food--$2,000
Transportation--Christopher's taxi, Dohm's water taxi, cars, and red hook ferry $1300
Misc.--$1,000
Total--$16,000
CONCLUSION
Everyone loved this trip. Better than any of the thirteen previous. For us, it is the grandchildren that make these trips so much fun. I always have taken a book for everyone to write thoughts about the trip while flying back. I started with children's story books to get them interested. This trip the book was Caribbean reefs, coral and fish. I mention this because my seventeen year old grandson gave me a gift at the airport by asking me if I had remembered the book. I will tell him when we next go to Bemidji how much that meant to me. I don't plan to do a family trip next year. Hubby and I are going to make the actual 50th anniversary year a one filled with travel. We will do another grandparent/grandchildren trip. The grandchildren don't want to give it up, and neither do we.
