Gang of 6 Trip Report - 10/27-11/5 - Part 1
Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 2:28 pm
St. John Trip Report - Gang of 6
October 27 - November 5, 2007
Part 1: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... php?t=5029
Part 2: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... php?t=5060
Part 3: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... php?t=5207
Part 4: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... php?t=6104
Land Pictures: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/561206659GYeECk
Underwater Pictures: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/561536949TSDPFR
Villa Review: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... php?t=4860
On-Stjohn.com Forum Video: http://www.on-stjohn.com/2007/11/12/a-forum-gathering/
Palm Tree Charters/John Brandi Video:
Part 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=HteQ1cRv4LY
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Part 2: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9HBVMMYZh6E
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Summary - Our gang for this trip was me (RickG), Sweet Christine (No Tan Lines), Big Red (Dave), Becky, Pat and Janet. This was our fifth trip to St. John and we've traveled to Europe together on Beer Hunting trips. This was my 13th trip to St. John and my 12th with my lover, Sweet Christine. We very much like the Fall season and Halloween is a great time to be on island. The end of October and early November sees things starting to pick up from September closures and the early shoulder season starts to build energy. This was our first trip with 6 people, so we got to try out a 3 bedroom villa. We spent a week together then Sweet Christine and I spent two more nights at the Tamarind Court. With so many friends coming on island on November 3 it was too tempting to stick around and play some more. It was a good decision.
Eaglesnset Villa - This was the third time we rented through Viva. We were again happy with Viva and Eaglesnest worked out nicely for us, with a great location and views. We selected Eaglesnest because we had met the very nice owners on the ferry in 2004 and our group size finally fit. We would stay there again.
Eaglesnest is a three bedroom/three bath villa on Contant Point overlooking Great Cruz Bay. It has a southern exposure and sees both sunrises over Ditleff Point and sunsets over St. Thomas (big plus). The morning light hits the pool by 7AM and stays partially on the pool deck until sunset. The pool is a nice medium size with a non-slip surface. There are convenient steps and multiple seating ledges in the pool. Due to the rain the previous week, the pool was chilly at the beginning of the week, but warmed up nicely by week's end. As nice as the pool was, it was on the lower level away from the main living area. In order to access the pool, and the lower bedroom, you had to exit the front door and walk through the car port to outside stairs. This led to us using the pool less than we normally would. Except for this walk, the house was very private.
The layout of the building was a bit different for us. There was a drive-through driveway off of Contant Point Road. This worked well as long as we remembered to park both vehicles facing the same direction. The upstairs area has two private very nice master bedrooms on the east and west ends of the house. The east bedroom gets sun very early. The great room is quite large and the kitchen worked well for us. We spent a lot of time on the deck on this level. The upper level of the house was very nice and comfortable.
The lower bedroom on the east side adjacent to the pool (my room) got that first crack of sun in the morning, like a laser beam. The room was a bit musty, but aired out reasonably well with the a/c on (which I would rather not run). The bathroom was cramped, but acceptable. If you are looking for a villa with three equal bedrooms, this room breaks that goal. But, as a bedroom in a reasonably priced villa, it is fine.
The landscaping at this villa is excellent. There is a great variety of flowers, shrubbery and cactus. The hill below the house is cover in very green, very prickly acacia. I especially liked the pink and ivory Ixora near the pool deck.
The kitchen was functional and reasonably well equipped. One of my pet peeves, decent knives, was avoided by having a relatively new knife block of serrated knives. These were good enough to cut a lime and better than average. But I could not sharpen them with the stone I always bring. The counter top appliances all worked well and the cooking gear was fine. The refrigerator was small and did not hold temperature well (typical). The freezer was smaller than we needed. But, all was functional and up to par for a mid-range rental villa. If I lived here the only thing in the kitchen I would change would be the knives.
Eaglesnest is a three bedroom villa firmly in the mid-range of cost. It delivers as promised, without the frills that add a thousand dollars a week. Their were a few nits, but the best parts about the house were: location, views, landscaping and a relaxing ambiance. We would stay there again.
Travel to St. John - You know the drill. We took a taxi to Dulles airport 2 1/2 hours before our flight. We checked in at AA with no problem and found Pat & Janet. Big Red and Becky were taking the later United flight that got them in earlier. The flight down to San Juan was no problem and it was a short walk to our connection. Those American 737s are starting to look a tad old. We hooked up with Big Red and Becky at the St. Thomas airport and collected our luggage with no problems. We bought liquor at the duty free at the airport to save time getting our party on.
We had two Jeep Wrangler 4 doors reserved with Dependable. Our guy picked us in one of those guys. We, no kidding, got 7 people and all of our luggage in one Jeep Wrangler 4 door. We had two people in the front passenger seat and four in the rear seat with multiple people in laps. That was silly. Check in at Dependable was easy.
Driving to Red Hook was a news experience for us. Pia's directions were great, we managed to just follow the little starfish signs that said Redhook. It was raining, so we blew off shopping on St. Thomas and just headed to the barge dock. Let me tell you, there are some expectations of behavior for the barge dock that are difficult to know ahead of time. When we got there, there were a bunch of cars and trucks already lined up to back onto the ferry. We just did the same, until we got waved off by a security guard who was staying dry elsewhere. Hey, I guess those cement trucks need room to get off. Backing onto the barge with that high clearance Wrangler was no problem. Renting on STT was a success; I think this is the way I am going to do this from now on.
We had called our villa rep and she was waiting for us at the STJ barge dock exit. We headed over to Eaglesnest, which was about a 4 minute drive. After getting checked out, a quick run to Pine Peace stocked us up for breakfast and beverages.
First Night - Saturday Night - Quiet Mon, Rhumblines and Forum Friends
We decided to skip cooking dinner in. With our 6 there was never a worry that someone would be grumpy about slow service or the selection at a restaurant, so we ended up eating out a bit more. We also tended to take one vehicle and fit 6 into the Jeep Wrangler with the smaller Pat & Janet taking the luggage area.
After parking at Slim Man's in the rain we headed over to the Quiet Mon for beverages to enjoy while we decided where to eat. We ran into Nascarfan and his wife Becky from the forum at Woody's. They mentioned that Kenny Chesney was up at the Quiet Mon.
We did see Kenny C. hanging out with his entourage and Chad from Woody's. They were watching the world series. We grabbed some pints and a stack of Blackout Punches and proceeded to cut it up. Kenny C was grumpy because I wouldn't let him in our picture.
Once we had progressed in getting our party on, we decided to try Rhumblines for dinner. It had been a long day, but I thought the meal was pretty well done. Some of the dishes were a bit sweet. Part way through dinner Kellyanna, Brad, MrB and MrsB showed up. After dinner we headed over to the Beach Bar and got a bit giddy. It was great hooking up with them right away. We spent a good bit of time together the rest of the week. After getting well lubricated we headed back to the villa late and wound down to the sound of rain sprinkling down.
Big Red, Pat and RickG find their inner child.
Part 2: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... php?t=5060
October 27 - November 5, 2007
Part 1: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... php?t=5029
Part 2: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... php?t=5060
Part 3: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... php?t=5207
Part 4: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... php?t=6104
Land Pictures: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/561206659GYeECk
Underwater Pictures: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/561536949TSDPFR
Villa Review: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... php?t=4860
On-Stjohn.com Forum Video: http://www.on-stjohn.com/2007/11/12/a-forum-gathering/
Palm Tree Charters/John Brandi Video:
Part 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=HteQ1cRv4LY
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Part 2: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9HBVMMYZh6E
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Summary - Our gang for this trip was me (RickG), Sweet Christine (No Tan Lines), Big Red (Dave), Becky, Pat and Janet. This was our fifth trip to St. John and we've traveled to Europe together on Beer Hunting trips. This was my 13th trip to St. John and my 12th with my lover, Sweet Christine. We very much like the Fall season and Halloween is a great time to be on island. The end of October and early November sees things starting to pick up from September closures and the early shoulder season starts to build energy. This was our first trip with 6 people, so we got to try out a 3 bedroom villa. We spent a week together then Sweet Christine and I spent two more nights at the Tamarind Court. With so many friends coming on island on November 3 it was too tempting to stick around and play some more. It was a good decision.
Eaglesnset Villa - This was the third time we rented through Viva. We were again happy with Viva and Eaglesnest worked out nicely for us, with a great location and views. We selected Eaglesnest because we had met the very nice owners on the ferry in 2004 and our group size finally fit. We would stay there again.
Eaglesnest is a three bedroom/three bath villa on Contant Point overlooking Great Cruz Bay. It has a southern exposure and sees both sunrises over Ditleff Point and sunsets over St. Thomas (big plus). The morning light hits the pool by 7AM and stays partially on the pool deck until sunset. The pool is a nice medium size with a non-slip surface. There are convenient steps and multiple seating ledges in the pool. Due to the rain the previous week, the pool was chilly at the beginning of the week, but warmed up nicely by week's end. As nice as the pool was, it was on the lower level away from the main living area. In order to access the pool, and the lower bedroom, you had to exit the front door and walk through the car port to outside stairs. This led to us using the pool less than we normally would. Except for this walk, the house was very private.
The layout of the building was a bit different for us. There was a drive-through driveway off of Contant Point Road. This worked well as long as we remembered to park both vehicles facing the same direction. The upstairs area has two private very nice master bedrooms on the east and west ends of the house. The east bedroom gets sun very early. The great room is quite large and the kitchen worked well for us. We spent a lot of time on the deck on this level. The upper level of the house was very nice and comfortable.
The lower bedroom on the east side adjacent to the pool (my room) got that first crack of sun in the morning, like a laser beam. The room was a bit musty, but aired out reasonably well with the a/c on (which I would rather not run). The bathroom was cramped, but acceptable. If you are looking for a villa with three equal bedrooms, this room breaks that goal. But, as a bedroom in a reasonably priced villa, it is fine.
The landscaping at this villa is excellent. There is a great variety of flowers, shrubbery and cactus. The hill below the house is cover in very green, very prickly acacia. I especially liked the pink and ivory Ixora near the pool deck.
The kitchen was functional and reasonably well equipped. One of my pet peeves, decent knives, was avoided by having a relatively new knife block of serrated knives. These were good enough to cut a lime and better than average. But I could not sharpen them with the stone I always bring. The counter top appliances all worked well and the cooking gear was fine. The refrigerator was small and did not hold temperature well (typical). The freezer was smaller than we needed. But, all was functional and up to par for a mid-range rental villa. If I lived here the only thing in the kitchen I would change would be the knives.
Eaglesnest is a three bedroom villa firmly in the mid-range of cost. It delivers as promised, without the frills that add a thousand dollars a week. Their were a few nits, but the best parts about the house were: location, views, landscaping and a relaxing ambiance. We would stay there again.
Travel to St. John - You know the drill. We took a taxi to Dulles airport 2 1/2 hours before our flight. We checked in at AA with no problem and found Pat & Janet. Big Red and Becky were taking the later United flight that got them in earlier. The flight down to San Juan was no problem and it was a short walk to our connection. Those American 737s are starting to look a tad old. We hooked up with Big Red and Becky at the St. Thomas airport and collected our luggage with no problems. We bought liquor at the duty free at the airport to save time getting our party on.
We had two Jeep Wrangler 4 doors reserved with Dependable. Our guy picked us in one of those guys. We, no kidding, got 7 people and all of our luggage in one Jeep Wrangler 4 door. We had two people in the front passenger seat and four in the rear seat with multiple people in laps. That was silly. Check in at Dependable was easy.
Driving to Red Hook was a news experience for us. Pia's directions were great, we managed to just follow the little starfish signs that said Redhook. It was raining, so we blew off shopping on St. Thomas and just headed to the barge dock. Let me tell you, there are some expectations of behavior for the barge dock that are difficult to know ahead of time. When we got there, there were a bunch of cars and trucks already lined up to back onto the ferry. We just did the same, until we got waved off by a security guard who was staying dry elsewhere. Hey, I guess those cement trucks need room to get off. Backing onto the barge with that high clearance Wrangler was no problem. Renting on STT was a success; I think this is the way I am going to do this from now on.
We had called our villa rep and she was waiting for us at the STJ barge dock exit. We headed over to Eaglesnest, which was about a 4 minute drive. After getting checked out, a quick run to Pine Peace stocked us up for breakfast and beverages.
First Night - Saturday Night - Quiet Mon, Rhumblines and Forum Friends
We decided to skip cooking dinner in. With our 6 there was never a worry that someone would be grumpy about slow service or the selection at a restaurant, so we ended up eating out a bit more. We also tended to take one vehicle and fit 6 into the Jeep Wrangler with the smaller Pat & Janet taking the luggage area.
After parking at Slim Man's in the rain we headed over to the Quiet Mon for beverages to enjoy while we decided where to eat. We ran into Nascarfan and his wife Becky from the forum at Woody's. They mentioned that Kenny Chesney was up at the Quiet Mon.
We did see Kenny C. hanging out with his entourage and Chad from Woody's. They were watching the world series. We grabbed some pints and a stack of Blackout Punches and proceeded to cut it up. Kenny C was grumpy because I wouldn't let him in our picture.
Once we had progressed in getting our party on, we decided to try Rhumblines for dinner. It had been a long day, but I thought the meal was pretty well done. Some of the dishes were a bit sweet. Part way through dinner Kellyanna, Brad, MrB and MrsB showed up. After dinner we headed over to the Beach Bar and got a bit giddy. It was great hooking up with them right away. We spent a good bit of time together the rest of the week. After getting well lubricated we headed back to the villa late and wound down to the sound of rain sprinkling down.
Big Red, Pat and RickG find their inner child.
Part 2: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... php?t=5060
And this black-out stuff? I might just have to see what that's all about. (Or maybe just watch other people see what it's all about. )