30 days to St. John - Gang of 24
Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 4:48 pm
Well, it's time to get ready for our biggest trip yet - or, biggest herd (moo!). We have 24 people aged 2 to 69 gearing up for Thanksgiving on St. John. Everyone in the group is related by blood or marriage with two core family groups linked by my sister and her husband. 14 people are St. John Virgins, excepting a cruise ship visit. 10 of us have stayed in a villa on island once or more before. This is my 10th or so trip and my Sweet Christine's 8th or 9th trip. I'm pretty excited, so I'm going to channel that energy into TooMuchInformation here.
This trip has been 2 years in the planning. How do you get 24 people booked and moving in the same direction? Well, I announced I was going and told everyone to come along and make their own reservations. I got one villa, my sister's family got a second villa, and a gang of newbies got the third villa.
How do you get three houses right next to each other so that you can spend every waking hour together? Gee, I forgot to ask that question. With two houses on Hart Bay and one on the Great Cruz Bay hillside, we are close enough to play together to play and far enough apart for some privacy.
Detailed image: http://www.garvin.us/STJ/photos/STJ3Houses.jpg
Google Earth: http://www.garvin.us/STJ/photos/STJ3Hou ... -earth.kmz
Picking villas was pretty tough with toddlers in two houses; there are not many houses with enclosed staircases. The other criteria were price range, swimming pool, and party friendly layout. My personal pet peeve is having to walk up and down stairs between the pool and the kitchen with pitchers of blender drinks. So, I always look for a house with a pool on the same level as the kitchen. Having steps instead of a ladder in the pool is nice too. Another factor is that hard cooling breeze that blows onto the South Shore this time of year - it makes the pool chilly. It can also fling deck furniture about at 4AM. So, I look for a house with a Western exposure. Cocotier looked good to me, though we've never stayed there. I've seen Dolphin Run over the years and I like the setting. Le Lapin II shows great and is pretty new.
Cocotier through Destination St. John
http://www.destinationstjohn.com/cocotier.htm
Le Lapin II through Caribbean Villas
http://www.caribbeanvilla.com/lelapin2/lelapin2.html
Dolphin Run through Caribbean Villas
http://www.caribbeanvilla.com/lelapin/lelapin.html
Coordinating schedules is too big a problem to solve. We are arriving and leaving at different times and moving independently. I pulled together some notes that have been helpful in reducing the newbie pre-trip anxiety http://www.garvin.us/STJ/New_Visitors_G ... Guide.html. In order to get together and have fun once we're on the island I'm using the beach and happy hour method. I'll just announce what beach I'll be on each day and where I'll be for happy hour. Hey, if nobody hooks up with us at least I'll have fun! After happy hour folks can cook at home or go out to dinner, it's up to them. No mass herd feedings at restaurants.
For Thanksgiving dinner we'll likely do a pot-luck meal together. Reservations for 24 at the Fish Trap? Kill me now. Though, we had a great Thanksgiving meal there for 8 in 1997.
I'm certain we'll have a great time together. With the newbies and the kids beach time and snorkeling with frosty beverages is going to adventure enough. I'll let you know how it works out.
Cheers, RickG
This trip has been 2 years in the planning. How do you get 24 people booked and moving in the same direction? Well, I announced I was going and told everyone to come along and make their own reservations. I got one villa, my sister's family got a second villa, and a gang of newbies got the third villa.
How do you get three houses right next to each other so that you can spend every waking hour together? Gee, I forgot to ask that question. With two houses on Hart Bay and one on the Great Cruz Bay hillside, we are close enough to play together to play and far enough apart for some privacy.
Detailed image: http://www.garvin.us/STJ/photos/STJ3Houses.jpg
Google Earth: http://www.garvin.us/STJ/photos/STJ3Hou ... -earth.kmz
Picking villas was pretty tough with toddlers in two houses; there are not many houses with enclosed staircases. The other criteria were price range, swimming pool, and party friendly layout. My personal pet peeve is having to walk up and down stairs between the pool and the kitchen with pitchers of blender drinks. So, I always look for a house with a pool on the same level as the kitchen. Having steps instead of a ladder in the pool is nice too. Another factor is that hard cooling breeze that blows onto the South Shore this time of year - it makes the pool chilly. It can also fling deck furniture about at 4AM. So, I look for a house with a Western exposure. Cocotier looked good to me, though we've never stayed there. I've seen Dolphin Run over the years and I like the setting. Le Lapin II shows great and is pretty new.
Cocotier through Destination St. John
http://www.destinationstjohn.com/cocotier.htm
Le Lapin II through Caribbean Villas
http://www.caribbeanvilla.com/lelapin2/lelapin2.html
Dolphin Run through Caribbean Villas
http://www.caribbeanvilla.com/lelapin/lelapin.html
Coordinating schedules is too big a problem to solve. We are arriving and leaving at different times and moving independently. I pulled together some notes that have been helpful in reducing the newbie pre-trip anxiety http://www.garvin.us/STJ/New_Visitors_G ... Guide.html. In order to get together and have fun once we're on the island I'm using the beach and happy hour method. I'll just announce what beach I'll be on each day and where I'll be for happy hour. Hey, if nobody hooks up with us at least I'll have fun! After happy hour folks can cook at home or go out to dinner, it's up to them. No mass herd feedings at restaurants.
For Thanksgiving dinner we'll likely do a pot-luck meal together. Reservations for 24 at the Fish Trap? Kill me now. Though, we had a great Thanksgiving meal there for 8 in 1997.
I'm certain we'll have a great time together. With the newbies and the kids beach time and snorkeling with frosty beverages is going to adventure enough. I'll let you know how it works out.
Cheers, RickG
