Page 1 of 2

Overdue Trip Report-Island Horizons

Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 5:33 pm
by mahojim
Hello, all. This is going to be wordy, so I'm going to jump right in- First things first-Phils won game 3 :D
The Players;
Jeff
his wife Tara
My sweet Amy
and your little buddy,Jimmy
We landed on STT @11:45am, saturday,10/25. We scooped up our bags and after a short wait, our Jeep rental was delivered from Dependable. We went to their office for paperwork, and then we were off!
We brought down a cooler with assorted meats from Omaha Steaks, and had some things waiting for us on STJ, so we just had to stop by Cost-U-Less for a few bare necessities. Then-to the car barge ferry!
When jumped out of the car, and went to the top deck for a few chilly drinks, and to enjoy the view. I highly recommend getting to STJ in this fashion, very relaxing, and no hub-bub with taxis,and waiting around.
We were met at the ferry dock in Enighed by Mat from STJ Catering. I brought him @ 10lbs. of venison,a bunch of Tasty Kakes (he's a Philly boy), Taylor porkroll, and some sweet Jersey corn. In exchange, he gave us OJ,Eggs,Vodka,Champagne,water,and I don't remember what else. I think we both won in that deal. Great guy...
We then followed our villa greeter to Island Horizons villa overlooking Coral Bay. The driveway was the most challenging that I've ever seen. Very narrow,long, and steep.Wild,man,Wild!
We found the villa tucked up high over the bay, and its'remote beauty was astounding. The views were breathtaking,and naturally, the website dies no justice as far as how beautiful this home is.
My sweet Amy had us unpacked in a jiffy, and we were off to Maho.
MMMmmm...delish. The water was a little choppy, and it was windy, but beautiful.
We walked down the far end, and found Mat again, with his family throwing a birthday party. I can't say enough about his family, so I'm not even going to try. Heck,free drinks!-Just kidding. :twisted: Wonderful family.On the way to town we hit Hawksnest.Sensational.
We then went into town to Woody's for a chilly one, and Jeff from Woody's was nice enough to give us temporary tattoos.Fun!We also met a beautiful couple,Tim & Ann. Very nice people.
We went back to I.H. for a bbq dinner. The girls took over, so Jeff & I hit Aqua Bistro for another cold one. Saw Doug from Crabby's, chatted,then went back up the hill to the house.Tara had walked through the screen door-pretty funny.She's a maniac, I tell ya'!(We repaired it good as new before we left)Steaks, baked potatoes, Tara's macaroni salad,drinks...splendid!After watching the Phils win game 4(can I get a Holy-Moly?!?) I ended falling asleep on the couch while Amy & Jeff played Scrabble 'til the wee hours. I stayed on the couch,hating myself for feeding into the emotional vacuum that I'll call another Philly sports team...Tara slept on the hammock that night-you go sister!I woke up the next day for a skinnydip with mucho views.I then proceeded to fold 50lbs. of clothes from the dryer.The roosters were also up, and shortly thereafter, I put on some trunks, and the girls joined me by the pool.I served them some mimosas, and started skimming the pool. They dubbed me "Francois the Poolboy".Man did those chicks dig my skimmer! You can look,ladies,but to touch costs extra!I was then told that the clothes went through the washer sans detergent. Smooth move,Francois.
We moved on to Maho, and I met Pia. She's not only very helpful on the forum, but she's also hot as well! Very pretty woman. We hit the Beach bar,said hi to Boo, and left a note for RickG on a coaster with the bartender. I doubt he delivered.The gals shopped, and then back east to the villa.
Hit Island Blues for more adult beverages :roll: ,then burgers & bratwurst on the grill.Phillies game postponed...
Woken up the next day by a thunderous downpour.Holy rainballs!!!-I'm skinnydipping!!!
Man is that liberating!!! :wink: The view from the patio has turned from miles of spectacular islands & ocean to an impenetrable gray. Good day for spaghetti,drinks,sex,-repeat! After 20 minutes, it cleared up,and I found a wicked scorpion on the patio.Way cool rainbow,behind the mist.
Amy & I took it easy on the couch, while J & T hit Trunk. They returned, more spaghetti & meatballs, and we talked about Hawksnest.Drank 'til the cows came home,they never did come home,so we decided to keep drinking... :)
Woke up the next day, and the pool floor bathroom toilet was overflowing all over & into the pool.
Poop.Called the villa company, and had it fixed. Francois was no help,by the way.Poop advisory said not to swim 'til thursday. So we wnet to Francis Bay for some doo-doo free snorkeling. Amy & I went around the point by Little Maho. It was the best I've ever seen. Both Jeff & Tara saw a 6 foot tarpon,almost causing yet another poopy accident in the bay. Close call!After a long day,went back to I.H. for steaks, and watched Lights Out Lidge seal the deal Strike three-World Cahmpions. I cried, then drank my face off with my best friends.
Chartered a 1/2 day sail on Breath.Great guys. Snorkeled around Flanagan Island, and saw a baby turtle. Drew tried to show me how to blow through a conch shell. No luck.
Went to Skinny's for a burger, then went to Maho. Looked again for Pia, to no avail. Decided to hit Uncle Joe's for the worlds' best bbq, then back home.The toilet was overflowing again.Dan the plumber/pool guy came over again and found that a leaky septic pipe had ruptured,and it was through no fault of ours. No pool for the second part of the week :evil: .That kind of bugged me.
Relaxed,drank more :roll: ,then to Rhumb Lines for dinner.Great food & service. Everybody happy...Hit Island Blues-weird crowd. Fun, but it was like a Voo-doo inspired Twilight Zone episode.Lots of laughs...
Friday we had a big breakfast, then hit Trunk for a bayside bbq. Awesome. The wind was kicking up, and there was a swimming advisory,(no, no poop)but it didn't stop the girls from getting wet. Lots of fun.Stopped by Aqua Bistro for a quickie that lasted @ an hour, and saw Tim & Ann there. She was working behind the bar. Really nice couple.Went back to the villa, packed for our early departure saturday,then went to Skinny's for the Halloween party. It was great!
I was dressed as "The Atomic Wedgie Man", looked for Augie to no avail, and drank & danced the night away. Although I was photo'd by @ 25 people, I must've offended Moe, because I didn't make the website. Sorry Moe!Great party!
All in all, we had the time of our lives. Great people,delicious food,and as always, astounding beaches.
In other news, I emailed Private Homes for Private vacations about our concerns with the septic issue, and haven't heard back from them. No pool,odor issue on the bottom floor, and obvious health concerns has me wondering if we'll use their services again.
Aside from that,wonderful trip.
Smiles-
MJ
Pic's soon come...

Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 5:53 pm
by Pia
Great report Jimmy :) (Thanks for saying I was "hot" and not a "dog" :lol: :lol: :lol: )

Let us know what you hear from PHPV :)

Pia

Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 6:36 pm
by loria
sounds like a great time was had by all! but, where are your underwater pix???

Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:21 pm
by Connie
Jim, you're so funny.

I'm so glad you had a good time and so sorry we missed you by a few days.

Maybe forum members who live in the PA/NJ area can get together!!

Take care, talk soon.

Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 7:30 pm
by mahojim
We're trying to get them up tonight,Loria.
Connie-
Sounds like fun to me! Let me know-
Smiles-
MJ

Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:45 pm
by augie
Great report on what was obviously a great trip Jimmy! Don't know how I missed seeing it before... :?:

I'm sorry we wimped out of the Skinny's bash on Halloween - I appreciate you calling the villa and leaving the message - that almost pushed us over the ledge enough to go.

Next time, first round is on me!


Cheers!
Steve

Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:01 pm
by mrsb
Hmmm-poop in the pool is never good. Sounds like you had too much fun anyway. I don't know, if our groups would've met on island the universe may have imploded. :lol:

Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:49 pm
by California Girl
Excellent report, Jimmy! You guys had so much fun! Your pictures attest to that! :D

Sorry to hear about the poopy problems. :(

Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:59 pm
by Nancy_B
Connie wrote:Jim, you're so funny.

I'm so glad you had a good time and so sorry we missed you by a few days.

Maybe forum members who live in the PA/NJ area can get together!!

Take care, talk soon.
Connie and Jimmy, I'm in :) Jimmy's mom lives in my 'hood and Connie not far from me either. Let's try to make it happen.

Great trip report, Jimmy! Sounds like a wonderful trip (except the poop of course)

Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 10:15 pm
by nancyg
hello,

I enjoyed your trip report. Have you heard from private homes for private vacations yet about the septic issue? We have this villa reserved for april and we have not received our deposit paper work yet. I emailed them a few weeks ago and they said it would go out the end of Oct and we still dont have it. I am starting to wonder about them.

So just how bad is the driveway. Is it just steep or is it difficult to park and turn around.
BTW your pictures were great.

Thanks
Nancy

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 2:19 am
by mahojim
Nancy G-hope you got my PM-
Nancy B-
I'm in!!! Amy & I live @ 20 minutes from any bridge to Philly. I think Connies' in, amd I'll continue poking around!
Jeez- Hope we like eachother!!!
Smiles-
Jimmy

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:43 am
by Connie
Jim, I'm not sure if I'll like you because you called me a loser :lol:

And you wear speedos???

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 9:42 am
by Nancy_B
Connie, I don't think Jimmy will wear a Speedo at a forum gathering, do you? :wink:

Should we start another thread to see if any other Philly forumites want to meet to? Do you prefer a week night or a weekend?

Nancy

Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 3:31 pm
by mahojim
Would you prefer my Wedgie Man suit? :twisted:
Smiles-
MJ

Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 4:17 am
by cptnkirk
Fun stuff Jimmy loved your pics. Atomic wedgie man was awesome :lol: