return of the newbies trying to "get" STJ
Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 1:28 pm
Our family of five with our oldest son's girlfriend are making a repeat visit for 10 days starting in a couple of weeks. We spent a mostly wonderful week on STJ last June staying at La Lapin. Yes, I'm the guy who posted "Can a newbie get STJ" last June which was semi-critical of the whole Cruz Bay scene to mostly scathing comments.
I said we would likely return but wanted to try the Coral Bay side. Well, we have compromised and will be staying at Coral Oasis on Mamey Peak. Although the villa looks to be luxurious (maybe too much so), I have had no luck in finding any review from someone who has actually stayed there. It does appear that we will be able to get to Maho (one of our favorites) very easily tho.
Last year we visited Hawksnest, Francis, Maho, Hansen and Trunk and are looking for beach recs. Dad and #1 son (18) and the g/f enjoy snorkling. Mom and the other two kids like a shady place to read and get in the water once in awhile. We did do an early morning snorkle at Waterlemon and will definitely do that again.
We are thinking about Jumbie, Salt Pond and Little Lameshur in addition return visits to Maho, Francis and Hansen. I've looked at my notes from last year and could have sworn that Hansen is also known as Vie's. I know we left some $ in a box and were the only people on what I remembered to be a nice sandy beach with decent shade. I believe Salt Pond and Little Lameshur have restroom facilities which is a spousal requirement.
The only planned activity is a day trip with Lion in da Sun for our group. I'm thinking of the Indians, Caves and cold beach drinks. The family members have passports and the g/f has photo id and original birth certificate. Any potential problems seen? Considering renting a dinghy from Calypso for a day and hooking up with the family at a predetermined beach? Has anyone done this and what beach worked best?
We came to rely on Deli Grotto for our daily beach eats. I've heard Big Belly Deli gives them a run for their money and wonder if this could be true. We'll return to Shipwreck and Skinny's for multiple visits and plan to give Island Blues and the Donkey Diner a try. We are going for the total Coral Bay experience if you haven't noticed.
One last question involves parking in Cruz Bay for our day trip. We rented a vehicle from Bougainvillea Leasing and they indicate they have limited parking on a first come basis. Our trip is on a Monday meeting at 8:30 am. What are other parking options and can you get breakfast (JJ's, maybe) at 7:30 or so?
All responses are much appreciated.
jp
I said we would likely return but wanted to try the Coral Bay side. Well, we have compromised and will be staying at Coral Oasis on Mamey Peak. Although the villa looks to be luxurious (maybe too much so), I have had no luck in finding any review from someone who has actually stayed there. It does appear that we will be able to get to Maho (one of our favorites) very easily tho.
Last year we visited Hawksnest, Francis, Maho, Hansen and Trunk and are looking for beach recs. Dad and #1 son (18) and the g/f enjoy snorkling. Mom and the other two kids like a shady place to read and get in the water once in awhile. We did do an early morning snorkle at Waterlemon and will definitely do that again.
We are thinking about Jumbie, Salt Pond and Little Lameshur in addition return visits to Maho, Francis and Hansen. I've looked at my notes from last year and could have sworn that Hansen is also known as Vie's. I know we left some $ in a box and were the only people on what I remembered to be a nice sandy beach with decent shade. I believe Salt Pond and Little Lameshur have restroom facilities which is a spousal requirement.
The only planned activity is a day trip with Lion in da Sun for our group. I'm thinking of the Indians, Caves and cold beach drinks. The family members have passports and the g/f has photo id and original birth certificate. Any potential problems seen? Considering renting a dinghy from Calypso for a day and hooking up with the family at a predetermined beach? Has anyone done this and what beach worked best?
We came to rely on Deli Grotto for our daily beach eats. I've heard Big Belly Deli gives them a run for their money and wonder if this could be true. We'll return to Shipwreck and Skinny's for multiple visits and plan to give Island Blues and the Donkey Diner a try. We are going for the total Coral Bay experience if you haven't noticed.
One last question involves parking in Cruz Bay for our day trip. We rented a vehicle from Bougainvillea Leasing and they indicate they have limited parking on a first come basis. Our trip is on a Monday meeting at 8:30 am. What are other parking options and can you get breakfast (JJ's, maybe) at 7:30 or so?
All responses are much appreciated.
jp
