Quick St. John Trip review
Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 7:40 pm
Hi there...I have been a lurker for the longest time, so I figured I would give back.
We went down the first week of December. Flew direct from Newark on Continental with no problems beyond the usual "we are the 37th plane in line" routine that kept us from taking off on time.
Landed in St. Thomas and it was heaven again for us (this was our fourth trip) We called Discount car rental. We have used them now all the time and have yet to be disappointed. We were met at the airport, in our Jeep Wrangler, went back, checked it out for dings, etc, and then were on our way. Love that convenience of not having to deal with the counters or the taxis!
We usually do a little food/sundry shopping on St Thomas. We stopped at Radio shack to see if they had a charger for a Sidekick (they didn't - no t-mobile), but aside from that we went straight through to Red Hook.
Honestly, I was really sad to see the state of St. Thomas. We had not been here in 5 years and it just seemed even more run down and crowded than before. Charlotte Amalie just felt a little seedy. So instead we drove though, caught the ferry and got met by Kristin from St. John Luxury Villas. She offered to let us stop at Starfish to pick up supplies, and then off to the villa.
Villa was great, you can read check out there link http://www.stjohnultimatevillas.com/croix_vista.html,
so I don't bore you with the details. It exceeded our expectations. beautiful, well kitted out, great view. And once you got used to the 5 narrow switchbacks it took to drive up there, it was not hard to get to or from. Definitely not taxi-friendly.
Few other bullet points. Did five dives with low-key watersports, two 2-tank and one night dive. All enjoyable, night dive was far and away the best.
Ate out for lunch a fair bit. Ate out for dinner twice. Two more polar opposite experiences I have never had. First one was Fish Trap. This was our first time and last. We ordered conch fritters for appetizer, got 4 mini bowling balls both in color and consistency. I had the Steak and shrimp plate. My steak was ordered medium rare. If it had been cooked any more I could have put laces on it and walked home.
My wife had fish, was not impressed. I pointed my steak out to the waiter, declined a replacement (I am highly suspicious of "replacement" food, having heard stories from friends in that business.) To their credit, when I got the check they told me that the steak had been comped. Service was efficient, and the people around us seemed pleased with their food, but I doubt I will return.
Second Dinner was Morgan's mango, and it was about as good as I have ever had. Ambiance was nicer and a little more upscale (as much as you would want on a Caribbean island). I had lobster cakes to start, and figured I would make a comparison, so I ordered their NY strip as well (w/ pickapeppa sauce). The wife too ordered the same fish.
Both dishes were heavenly. I don't think I anyone could find one flaw with our meal. Simply fantastic. And the entrees were cheaper than Fish Trap.
Did make one journey over to St. Thomas to do some shopping, in spite of our misgivings. Wish we hadn't, it was a waste of an afternoon. 3 Cruise ships in, place was bursting to the seams. Had a mediocre lunch and hightailed it back to St. John empty-handed.
Despite the several negative things I have written, I do want to stress we really did have a wonderful time. St. John is so incredibly beautiful, everyone we met was nice. The beaches are still great, the diving was still exciting and overall we were able to relax in paradise for a week.
I am jealous of all of you who are leaving soon, and am already planning our next trip.
We went down the first week of December. Flew direct from Newark on Continental with no problems beyond the usual "we are the 37th plane in line" routine that kept us from taking off on time.
Landed in St. Thomas and it was heaven again for us (this was our fourth trip) We called Discount car rental. We have used them now all the time and have yet to be disappointed. We were met at the airport, in our Jeep Wrangler, went back, checked it out for dings, etc, and then were on our way. Love that convenience of not having to deal with the counters or the taxis!
We usually do a little food/sundry shopping on St Thomas. We stopped at Radio shack to see if they had a charger for a Sidekick (they didn't - no t-mobile), but aside from that we went straight through to Red Hook.
Honestly, I was really sad to see the state of St. Thomas. We had not been here in 5 years and it just seemed even more run down and crowded than before. Charlotte Amalie just felt a little seedy. So instead we drove though, caught the ferry and got met by Kristin from St. John Luxury Villas. She offered to let us stop at Starfish to pick up supplies, and then off to the villa.
Villa was great, you can read check out there link http://www.stjohnultimatevillas.com/croix_vista.html,
so I don't bore you with the details. It exceeded our expectations. beautiful, well kitted out, great view. And once you got used to the 5 narrow switchbacks it took to drive up there, it was not hard to get to or from. Definitely not taxi-friendly.
Few other bullet points. Did five dives with low-key watersports, two 2-tank and one night dive. All enjoyable, night dive was far and away the best.
Ate out for lunch a fair bit. Ate out for dinner twice. Two more polar opposite experiences I have never had. First one was Fish Trap. This was our first time and last. We ordered conch fritters for appetizer, got 4 mini bowling balls both in color and consistency. I had the Steak and shrimp plate. My steak was ordered medium rare. If it had been cooked any more I could have put laces on it and walked home.
My wife had fish, was not impressed. I pointed my steak out to the waiter, declined a replacement (I am highly suspicious of "replacement" food, having heard stories from friends in that business.) To their credit, when I got the check they told me that the steak had been comped. Service was efficient, and the people around us seemed pleased with their food, but I doubt I will return.
Second Dinner was Morgan's mango, and it was about as good as I have ever had. Ambiance was nicer and a little more upscale (as much as you would want on a Caribbean island). I had lobster cakes to start, and figured I would make a comparison, so I ordered their NY strip as well (w/ pickapeppa sauce). The wife too ordered the same fish.
Both dishes were heavenly. I don't think I anyone could find one flaw with our meal. Simply fantastic. And the entrees were cheaper than Fish Trap.
Did make one journey over to St. Thomas to do some shopping, in spite of our misgivings. Wish we hadn't, it was a waste of an afternoon. 3 Cruise ships in, place was bursting to the seams. Had a mediocre lunch and hightailed it back to St. John empty-handed.
Despite the several negative things I have written, I do want to stress we really did have a wonderful time. St. John is so incredibly beautiful, everyone we met was nice. The beaches are still great, the diving was still exciting and overall we were able to relax in paradise for a week.
I am jealous of all of you who are leaving soon, and am already planning our next trip.
