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Trip report 8/10-8/18 - STJ and San Juan
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steveo2916
- Posts: 97
- Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2006 3:02 pm
- Location: san antonio,tx
Trip report 8/10-8/18 - STJ and San Juan
Back (boo hoo) from a fabulous trip to STJ 8/10-8/18. This trip was with dw Deb and 10 y.o. dd Ari. Some pretty random observations follow.
Up at 5:00 for our 7:25 flight. Packed last night. We're carrying on! Never thought we'd do it. Got to the airport, boarding passes in hand, through security with no cavity searches and arrive at gate. Plane's there, buuuuut... flight's delayed an hour. Crew got in late last night and can't travel yet. Oh goody! Wonder if we'll make our connection in ATL?? I don't need THIS suspense on leg one of our four-leg day! Wish I had a painkiller. At least we're in first thanks to lots of FF miles (Delta).
Crew arrived a little early and we got out of there just 50 minutes late. Uneventful flight, wheeled our bags the 1/2 mile to our connection to SJU. They're boarding so we make a quick stop at Wolfgang Puck Express and grab salads (having confirmed that they don't serve food even in First on this 3+ hour flight!), and jump on board. Another uneventful flight and we are in SJU. Another 1/2 mile trek (at least it's all in air-conditioned comfort, unlike the good old days in SJU) to the dreaded American Eagle Gate 1 and we can settle in for our 1 hour wait. As usual the place is an absolute zoo. Flight's called, we get on the bus, bus takes us to plane, and we sit on the bus. And sit. Finally, herded on the flight and sit. And sweat. After the hundredth mental "Let's GO!", we finally get going to STT. Land, taxi and sit. And sit. And sweat. Finally, can get off the plane, gather our bags at the bottom of the stairs and find Christopher's taxi waiting for us. Off we go the National Park dock and Dohm's water taxi zips us across to STJ. Note to self: next time only two legs to STT! Having experienced Chris and Dohm's, I am now a convert! I've decided it is well worth the extra $$ for the convenience.
Paco from Carefree meets us, takes us over to Penn's, sign the paperwork (they used to leave the keys and get paperwork the next morning, but now they arrange to have someone there to meet you) and collect our spanking new Jeep Liberty and off we go to Starfish. Five minute grab for steaks for dinner and we're off to Bongo Bongo.
What a GREAT house! Pool's empty but Paco assures us it'll be filled by Saturday afternoon. It's 9pm anyhow, and we're TIRED, so no problem. Bongo Bongo - everything you've heard from others. Genuinely delightful decor, great amenities throughout. A real cook's kitchen that made me want to stay there and cook instead of eating out! Spent a lot of time in the pool. Bottom line, this is an incredibly comfortable home and we're glad we had the chance to share it.
I'd love to see screens for the great room. It had been raining the last couple of weeks on STJ and the mosquitoes were the worst I've seen in my 20+ years of visiting the island. I was pretty much okay as long as dw was around, as she's an absolute mosquito magnet! I mean we'd have two mosquito coils going, three citronella candles, citronella oil in the tiki torches, doused in bug spray, ceiling fans on high speed and the mosquitoes still swarmed! Bought a bug zapper from St John spice and that provided a real sense of satisfaction every time we swung it and sparked one of the nasty bugs!
Saturday and Sunday nights were the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, so spent time on the pool deck staring at the night sky. Saw 15+ good ones! Way cool.
Some beach observations:
Hawksnest - Still on my top 3 list for beaches on STJ. Enjoyed the snorkeling and saw lots of fish. Coral isn't all that vibrant though.
Maho - great swimming beach with very calm water.
Trunk - picked a day with only one ship visiting STT so the crowd wasn't too bad. Even a crowded day on Trunk is better than being home! Snorkeled the rocks off the left end of the beach and the coral is pretty healthy and tons of fish. A nice day.
Cinnamon - a bit windy, but found a good spot at the end to the right. Sometimes it feels like being sand-blasted here when it's windy, but not this day. A nice beach day, with views that are tough to beat.
Food:
Did a lot of cooking at the villa this trip (what with the fab kitchen and grill). Shopped mostly at Starfish. I was happy with their meat and seafood selections. We had Mixology deliver beverages before we arrived. Everything as ordered, including beer and sodas in the fridge.
Beach bar - very much enjoyed the flying shrimp (buffalo-wing style) and the spinach/artichoke dip. Also enjoyed the bushwackers and painkillers here. DD had a killer virgin thingy as well. Boo took good care of us!
Pastory Gardens - we had fun playing miniature golf here. Food and service were good as well. A good value.
Stone Terrace - Our best meal of the trip. DW and DD both had filet and I started with a scallop special and then had the tuna. Wonderful. Enjoyed a '97 Freemark Abbey Bosche Cab which was absolutely spectacular (their wine list has some really good values).
Hercules - a highlight of every trip to STJ. I ran down to get pates several mornings for breakfast. All of the flavors are great; especially good with liberal use of Trinidad Charlie's. Nice people there too!
Deli Grotto - good sandwiches. Their Internet access was slllooooowwwwwww the day we were there.
Chili Billy's - excellent breakfast as usual.
Other miscellaneous thoughts:
Had good luck art shopping at the St John Artists Association gallery at the Lumberyard, and also at Baja El Sol in Mongoose.
Enjoyed the VI Summer Ale at the brew pub.
I now understand everyone's comments about Grande Bay. What an eyesore.
I really like renting from Penn's. They're nice people and their lot is so convenient.
The real estate market on STJ is now officially insane. $6MM for a LOT in Peter Bay?
The week zoomed by and it was time to head to Puerto Rico for our final night. Used Dohm's and Chris again to get to STT which made for a much more leisurely departure. We found almost no lines at the airport (it was Friday), got checked in and through immigration, customs and security with no hassle. We were surprised to find fresh omelets being made in the snack bar, so had a pretty good breakfast.
Booked a room at the Ritz-Carlton San Juan. This is a very nice hotel with friendly staff, many of whom remembered our name after one introduction. We booked on the Club floor, so had access to food and beverages all day in the Club Room. That was definitely nice. We hung out by the pool for a while and then went art shopping in Old San Juan. Had dinner in their Italian restaurant Il Molino. Terrific wait staff. In general, food not worth the money. Highlight of this dinner was the '98 Freemark Abbey Bosche cab! Half way to a vertical tasting on this trip! Bottom line, great hotel, pricey, but for us, worth the splurge.
We also found that having that extra day in San Juan made the walk of woe on STJ much less pronounced!
Enough already. Got home safely, back to work for a week, wish we were back there!
Let me know if questions,
SteveO.
Up at 5:00 for our 7:25 flight. Packed last night. We're carrying on! Never thought we'd do it. Got to the airport, boarding passes in hand, through security with no cavity searches and arrive at gate. Plane's there, buuuuut... flight's delayed an hour. Crew got in late last night and can't travel yet. Oh goody! Wonder if we'll make our connection in ATL?? I don't need THIS suspense on leg one of our four-leg day! Wish I had a painkiller. At least we're in first thanks to lots of FF miles (Delta).
Crew arrived a little early and we got out of there just 50 minutes late. Uneventful flight, wheeled our bags the 1/2 mile to our connection to SJU. They're boarding so we make a quick stop at Wolfgang Puck Express and grab salads (having confirmed that they don't serve food even in First on this 3+ hour flight!), and jump on board. Another uneventful flight and we are in SJU. Another 1/2 mile trek (at least it's all in air-conditioned comfort, unlike the good old days in SJU) to the dreaded American Eagle Gate 1 and we can settle in for our 1 hour wait. As usual the place is an absolute zoo. Flight's called, we get on the bus, bus takes us to plane, and we sit on the bus. And sit. Finally, herded on the flight and sit. And sweat. After the hundredth mental "Let's GO!", we finally get going to STT. Land, taxi and sit. And sit. And sweat. Finally, can get off the plane, gather our bags at the bottom of the stairs and find Christopher's taxi waiting for us. Off we go the National Park dock and Dohm's water taxi zips us across to STJ. Note to self: next time only two legs to STT! Having experienced Chris and Dohm's, I am now a convert! I've decided it is well worth the extra $$ for the convenience.
Paco from Carefree meets us, takes us over to Penn's, sign the paperwork (they used to leave the keys and get paperwork the next morning, but now they arrange to have someone there to meet you) and collect our spanking new Jeep Liberty and off we go to Starfish. Five minute grab for steaks for dinner and we're off to Bongo Bongo.
What a GREAT house! Pool's empty but Paco assures us it'll be filled by Saturday afternoon. It's 9pm anyhow, and we're TIRED, so no problem. Bongo Bongo - everything you've heard from others. Genuinely delightful decor, great amenities throughout. A real cook's kitchen that made me want to stay there and cook instead of eating out! Spent a lot of time in the pool. Bottom line, this is an incredibly comfortable home and we're glad we had the chance to share it.
I'd love to see screens for the great room. It had been raining the last couple of weeks on STJ and the mosquitoes were the worst I've seen in my 20+ years of visiting the island. I was pretty much okay as long as dw was around, as she's an absolute mosquito magnet! I mean we'd have two mosquito coils going, three citronella candles, citronella oil in the tiki torches, doused in bug spray, ceiling fans on high speed and the mosquitoes still swarmed! Bought a bug zapper from St John spice and that provided a real sense of satisfaction every time we swung it and sparked one of the nasty bugs!
Saturday and Sunday nights were the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, so spent time on the pool deck staring at the night sky. Saw 15+ good ones! Way cool.
Some beach observations:
Hawksnest - Still on my top 3 list for beaches on STJ. Enjoyed the snorkeling and saw lots of fish. Coral isn't all that vibrant though.
Maho - great swimming beach with very calm water.
Trunk - picked a day with only one ship visiting STT so the crowd wasn't too bad. Even a crowded day on Trunk is better than being home! Snorkeled the rocks off the left end of the beach and the coral is pretty healthy and tons of fish. A nice day.
Cinnamon - a bit windy, but found a good spot at the end to the right. Sometimes it feels like being sand-blasted here when it's windy, but not this day. A nice beach day, with views that are tough to beat.
Food:
Did a lot of cooking at the villa this trip (what with the fab kitchen and grill). Shopped mostly at Starfish. I was happy with their meat and seafood selections. We had Mixology deliver beverages before we arrived. Everything as ordered, including beer and sodas in the fridge.
Beach bar - very much enjoyed the flying shrimp (buffalo-wing style) and the spinach/artichoke dip. Also enjoyed the bushwackers and painkillers here. DD had a killer virgin thingy as well. Boo took good care of us!
Pastory Gardens - we had fun playing miniature golf here. Food and service were good as well. A good value.
Stone Terrace - Our best meal of the trip. DW and DD both had filet and I started with a scallop special and then had the tuna. Wonderful. Enjoyed a '97 Freemark Abbey Bosche Cab which was absolutely spectacular (their wine list has some really good values).
Hercules - a highlight of every trip to STJ. I ran down to get pates several mornings for breakfast. All of the flavors are great; especially good with liberal use of Trinidad Charlie's. Nice people there too!
Deli Grotto - good sandwiches. Their Internet access was slllooooowwwwwww the day we were there.
Chili Billy's - excellent breakfast as usual.
Other miscellaneous thoughts:
Had good luck art shopping at the St John Artists Association gallery at the Lumberyard, and also at Baja El Sol in Mongoose.
Enjoyed the VI Summer Ale at the brew pub.
I now understand everyone's comments about Grande Bay. What an eyesore.
I really like renting from Penn's. They're nice people and their lot is so convenient.
The real estate market on STJ is now officially insane. $6MM for a LOT in Peter Bay?
The week zoomed by and it was time to head to Puerto Rico for our final night. Used Dohm's and Chris again to get to STT which made for a much more leisurely departure. We found almost no lines at the airport (it was Friday), got checked in and through immigration, customs and security with no hassle. We were surprised to find fresh omelets being made in the snack bar, so had a pretty good breakfast.
Booked a room at the Ritz-Carlton San Juan. This is a very nice hotel with friendly staff, many of whom remembered our name after one introduction. We booked on the Club floor, so had access to food and beverages all day in the Club Room. That was definitely nice. We hung out by the pool for a while and then went art shopping in Old San Juan. Had dinner in their Italian restaurant Il Molino. Terrific wait staff. In general, food not worth the money. Highlight of this dinner was the '98 Freemark Abbey Bosche cab! Half way to a vertical tasting on this trip! Bottom line, great hotel, pricey, but for us, worth the splurge.
We also found that having that extra day in San Juan made the walk of woe on STJ much less pronounced!
Enough already. Got home safely, back to work for a week, wish we were back there!
Let me know if questions,
SteveO.
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steveo2916
- Posts: 97
- Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2006 3:02 pm
- Location: san antonio,tx
Oops! I should have mentioned the reason! We were told that they've had lots of problems with Algae bloom, so they have switched to a salt system for managing the PH. We have one in our pool at home and have been very happy with it. Anyhow, just as promised, the pool was filled and in beautiful operating shape Saturday when we got back from the beach and we enjoyed it the rest of the week. Jeff or Russ called Deb to make sure everything was hunky-dory and we appreciated the personal follow-up! As always, these folks exhibit class. In Carefree's defense, Paco offered to buy us lunch anywhere on the island for the inconvenience. We just never got around to it!
bongo's pool is now every bit as nice as the rest of the house!
bongo's pool is now every bit as nice as the rest of the house!
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nothintolose
- Posts: 1960
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:36 pm
- Location: New Orleans, LA
Thanks for sharing your report. Sounds like you had a great time! Where is Hercules? I always wanted to try it but never found it. I know it's a truck or stand isn't it? It was probably right underneath my nose and I wasn't paying attention. I need to find it next trip.
Ruth, save me a bug zapper please, I'll be picking one up in June!
Ruth, save me a bug zapper please, I'll be picking one up in June!
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steveo2916
- Posts: 97
- Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2006 3:02 pm
- Location: san antonio,tx
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nothintolose
- Posts: 1960
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:36 pm
- Location: New Orleans, LA
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steveo2916
- Posts: 97
- Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2006 3:02 pm
- Location: san antonio,tx
Thanks for your trip report! I have a question for you. Did the noise of the planes bother you at all at the Ritz SJ? And, did you get to their beach? I've heard complaints that their beach is too shady (???).
Hercules is one of those places I keep meaning to try...on the endless list for next time!
Hercules is one of those places I keep meaning to try...on the endless list for next time!
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
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steveo2916
- Posts: 97
- Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2006 3:02 pm
- Location: san antonio,tx
liamsaunt,
dd and I ventured out to the beach at the Ritz. The sand was brown and sort of packed (I AM spoiled by STJ!!!) and the waves rolling in were "muddy". Not our cup of tea. We did wade out a bit and stayed in the water only about 10 minutes. Now in fairness, this was the day Dean was passing south of P.R. and the wind was kicking up around 20+, so take my feedback with a big grain of salt. The beach did not strike me as shady though.
As to airplane noise, I can't say I ever heard it inside the hotel, and only once or twice outside at the pool, so for me it was a complete non-issue (of course, I was still in the STJ "after-glow").
I would not hesitate to go back to the Ritz. I'd likely try the stakhouse for dinner. I wish they took Marriott points!
dd and I ventured out to the beach at the Ritz. The sand was brown and sort of packed (I AM spoiled by STJ!!!) and the waves rolling in were "muddy". Not our cup of tea. We did wade out a bit and stayed in the water only about 10 minutes. Now in fairness, this was the day Dean was passing south of P.R. and the wind was kicking up around 20+, so take my feedback with a big grain of salt. The beach did not strike me as shady though.
As to airplane noise, I can't say I ever heard it inside the hotel, and only once or twice outside at the pool, so for me it was a complete non-issue (of course, I was still in the STJ "after-glow").
I would not hesitate to go back to the Ritz. I'd likely try the stakhouse for dinner. I wish they took Marriott points!