STJ 2008 - A Perfect Ten! (Part 1)
Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:03 pm
Since I tend to be rather wordy in these trip reports, I'm going to copy a format I saw someone else use that I thought was clever - I'll begin each one with a brief summary so that everyone can decide for themselves if they'll want to wade through the drivel to follow...
Friday October 31 - Travel Day:
Reader's Digest Version - We caught a flight out of Melbourne, Florida at 6:00AM, flew to Atlanta, where, after a three hour layover, we boarded the connecting flight to St. Thomas which arrived on time and without incident. Picked up our Jeep from Dependable, drove to Cost-U-Less for supplies, then on to Red Hook to catch the car barge. Arrived on St. John just as the sun was setting, drove Centerline in the dark to Coral Bay where we met our greeter who led us up Seagrape Hill to Reef Madness. Got the tour, unloaded the car, unpacked the bags, ate some snacks, and collapsed for the night.
All of the gory details: (We never took the camera out of the bag on this travel day, so this portion of the report doesn't have to wait on me to mess with pictures - although that also makes it less interesting...)
As is our habit, we waited until the very last minute to attend to many of the details involved with getting ready to leave. So a late night, little sleep,and an early plane to catch, a 6:00AM departure, resulted in a couple of very weary travelers. But that only made the fact that we were going ON VACATION even better!
The puddle jumper we flew from Melbourne to Atlanta was pretty full, and the mostly surly flight crew must have been working on the same amount of sleep that we'd had!
We flew to Atlanta without incident and arrived on time. I've flown through Atlanta quite a few times and rarely has the gate for my connecting flight been in the same area code as my arrival gate. But since we had a three hour or so layover this time, the two gates were only yards apart - just a little cosmic joke being played on us. There was actually another flight departing from our gate before ours, so we got to talk to two different sets of people while waiting - one group going to Raleigh, NC, and one going to St. Thomas. By and large, the second group seemed more excited.
A guy I was talking to noted that, and said that he was probably the only exception - that he was returning to St. Thomas FROM vacation. I asked what he did, and he said that he owned a restaurant/bar on St. Thomas. Since he looked so young (probably mid to late 20's) I asked how it was that he came to own such an establishment in such a nice place. Well...it turns out he's a writer, and has a contract, complete with a big advance from the publisher, to have his first novel published. When he got his advance check, he called a frat brother of his who came from a family with money and said "remember when we used to say that we should buy a restaurant in the islands somewhere? Well, I have my half, are you in or out?" Apparently he was "in", and now here he was, a year into running an eating/drinking establishment in one of the most sought after destinations in the world!
One of the flight attendants made an announcement that another of the attendants, Myra, would be working her last flight before retiring, after 35 years of service, on our ATL to STT leg. She said that she would be entering the area shortly, wearing a tiara, and asked if we'd all give her a standing ovation as she arrived at the gate - which we did, much to her delight and amusement.
Soon after they began boarding the plane I looked up and saw someone waiting for their zone to be called who looked familiar to me. So I sauntered up to her and said hi to this stranger. It only took a second or two for it to sink in as to who I must be, and that's how I met sea-nile (Terese) in person for the first time.
The flight attendants on the flight to STT, in stark contrast to the ones on our MLB-ATT run, were great. One in particular was a hoot. She announced that someone on board had left something valuable at the gate, then said that a roll of $100 bills, bound by a rubber band, had been found by airline personnel. She asked that if anyone had lost that to please ring their summons button as she'd like to return the rubber band! I guess "the Benjamins" was a theme with her, because towards the end of the flight she said that they had tried very hard to make this a pleasant flight for everyone, but if any of us had any complaints or suggestions for improvement that we should write them on a $100 bill and hand it to her.
After an eternity of anticipation the plane began to descend, and the unmistakable turquoise waters of the Caribbean were visible through the windows. We touched down at Cyril King Airport, taxied to the gate, and made the walk past the glass windows beyond which were faces full of relaxation, contentment, and not just a little envy towards the newly arriving passengers.
We stopped by the sample hut for a shot of that delicious Cruzan Mango Rum, then on to baggage claim. Despite our best intentions to do carry on only this trip we ended up checking two bags. I don't think it really takes longer than anywhere else in the world for the luggage to get from plane to the terminal in St. Thomas, but I do believe that it feels like it, since you're so eager to get out and begin your adventure!
I saw sea-nile waiting for her luggage and engaged in conversation with another woman, so I ventured over to find out if it was another of the SOTB II group, and sure enough, was introduced to Diana2. While we were talking another couple must have noticed we had a certain aura about us because MrB and MrsB came over and introduced themselves - it was a mini-forum gathering even before the first suitcase came off of the carousel!
We collected our bags, called Dependable, then went outside as directed to wait for their shuttle, along with another couple who were celebrating their 3rd wedding anniversary with their first ever trip to the VIs at Sugar Bay on STT.
The van picked us up and took us to Dependable's office. They were a little short staffed that day, so we waited while the other couple got their paperwork and vehicle first, then went downstairs to do the walk around inspection of ours. Only they had the wrong car - they brought us a two door jeep instead of a four door. I would have been OK with the two door but they noticed that the numbers on the paperwork didn't match, so they fetched the right one, and in no time we were "keeping left" through the streets of a crowded Charlotte Amalie.
Leslie did a great job as navigator, especially considering the fact that we never knew when a lane would end up being turn only, let alone if we were supposed to turn or not. Without too many accidental side trips we made it to the Cost-U-Less. Everything on our list, as well as some impulse items, was easy to find, and as soon as the shopping cart was full we headed for the checkout counter. When I told the cashier that I didn't have a club card she said "do you mean you left it at home?" while she smiled, nodded, and swiped her card. One thing about warehouse stores - no grocery bags, and we had all of this loose stuff! Fortunately, there were some discarded cardboard boxes in the parking lot, and we were able to fit all of our supplies in them.
Off to Red Hook, where we paid our harbor fee of $3, then backed into line to wait for the car barge. The Mr.B (was that an omen?) was the next one to show up, and with some expert guidance from one of the workers, I managed to squeeze the jeep into the space he wanted me to fill. We paid our $30 one way fare to the gal that came around collecting them, then stayed in the car for the ride across the sound. All of the little delays we'd experienced and/or inflicted upon ourselves had been adding up, and despite the plane landing on time at 2:00PM, the sun was now sinking fast, and hitting the road on STJ during daylight hours was in jeopardy.
So the ferry makes it to STJ, we get a glimpse of some our favorite real estate on the planet, and the fun begins. Somewhere in my mind I have the impression that the car barge docks in the area across from Mongoose Junction, like they used to do. It's not the first time on this trip, nor will it be the last that I'm not where I think I am ( a little teaser for future installments!). So I head out and drive in a direction that I think will get me to Centerline, but end up somewhere completely different. After a few laps of the downtown Cruz Bay area, my orientation gets corrected and we find our way to Centerline, but it's dark now. I've never driven Centerline after dark before, but I figure that I might as well get some practice doing so since I plan to do just that after Sunday's Beach Bar gathering. So, after calling the Viva Villas rep to let her know just how late we are, we head east on Centerline - a little slower and more deliberate than the locals!
I enjoy driving Centerline just like I do all of the roads on STJ, but I'll have to admit that I didn't spend any time taking in the view on this particular passage. Not only was the scenery somewhat dampened by the gathering gloom, my eyes were firmly - and I mean 100% glued - to the road in front of me. My week of driving last year had not left me with enough familiarity to anticipate any of the curves, turns, hills, undulations, or any other features of the road so it was like driving it for the first time. Eventually we made our way into Coral Bay and met Marijean, our greeter, across the street from the fire station.
We followed her up the road that goes up Seagrape Hill. When I saw her car swing way out towards the right side of the road ahead of the first switchback I knew we had an interesting ride ahead of us! I've seen a lot of driveways on STJ that look more daunting than this one, but under the circumstances, my initial impression of this one was that it ranked up there with the best of them. Leslie's was more along the lines of "OH MY GOD!!!!". Marijean told us that most people prefer driving it at night since they can't see the dropoffs on either side of the driveway when it's dark!
We made it to the top and parked next to (really in back of) the villa (YAY!) safely, then followed Marijean around the side to the front porch of Reef Madness. Let me take a minute to address the fact that it's only natural for people that are marketing villas to put pictures on their web sites that while not quite deceiving, do often flatter reality as it pertains to how they look in person. When we rounded the corner to the front porch, tired, in the dark, my first thought was WOW! Like a lot of beautiful places and things that I've seen, the photos of Reef Madness in no way do it justice to how gorgeous it is in person. My photos of the place (once again, in a later installment) are no different - I guess you just can't capture the sheer beauty of the place in a picture.
So we got the tour of the place, were shown how to turn things on/off, how to find what we needed, who/where to call if we needed help, then signed a piece of paper that ostensibly proved all of the above, then we were on our own. Of course the very first thing we did was just stand out on that porch, looking at that view, of that island, and that water, and...well, you get the idea.
Then we realized that there was a lot of stuff to bring in from the car, so we did that. Then we put all of said stuff away. Then we realized that the lunch we ate on the plane was wearing awfully thin. The original plan was to go to the Halloween party down the hill at Skinny Legs (we even brought costumes!)and get something to eat there. But Leslie was valiantly trying to fight off a cough/cold, we were both very tired, and neither one of us was willing to admit it out loud, but we didn't relish the thought of tackling that driveway again, not just yet.
So we found some microwave popcorn in our welcome basket, made our first on island drinks, and after the hunger and thirst were abated, crawled into a very comfy bed and passed out.
Friday October 31 - Travel Day:
Reader's Digest Version - We caught a flight out of Melbourne, Florida at 6:00AM, flew to Atlanta, where, after a three hour layover, we boarded the connecting flight to St. Thomas which arrived on time and without incident. Picked up our Jeep from Dependable, drove to Cost-U-Less for supplies, then on to Red Hook to catch the car barge. Arrived on St. John just as the sun was setting, drove Centerline in the dark to Coral Bay where we met our greeter who led us up Seagrape Hill to Reef Madness. Got the tour, unloaded the car, unpacked the bags, ate some snacks, and collapsed for the night.
All of the gory details: (We never took the camera out of the bag on this travel day, so this portion of the report doesn't have to wait on me to mess with pictures - although that also makes it less interesting...)
As is our habit, we waited until the very last minute to attend to many of the details involved with getting ready to leave. So a late night, little sleep,and an early plane to catch, a 6:00AM departure, resulted in a couple of very weary travelers. But that only made the fact that we were going ON VACATION even better!
The puddle jumper we flew from Melbourne to Atlanta was pretty full, and the mostly surly flight crew must have been working on the same amount of sleep that we'd had!
We flew to Atlanta without incident and arrived on time. I've flown through Atlanta quite a few times and rarely has the gate for my connecting flight been in the same area code as my arrival gate. But since we had a three hour or so layover this time, the two gates were only yards apart - just a little cosmic joke being played on us. There was actually another flight departing from our gate before ours, so we got to talk to two different sets of people while waiting - one group going to Raleigh, NC, and one going to St. Thomas. By and large, the second group seemed more excited.
A guy I was talking to noted that, and said that he was probably the only exception - that he was returning to St. Thomas FROM vacation. I asked what he did, and he said that he owned a restaurant/bar on St. Thomas. Since he looked so young (probably mid to late 20's) I asked how it was that he came to own such an establishment in such a nice place. Well...it turns out he's a writer, and has a contract, complete with a big advance from the publisher, to have his first novel published. When he got his advance check, he called a frat brother of his who came from a family with money and said "remember when we used to say that we should buy a restaurant in the islands somewhere? Well, I have my half, are you in or out?" Apparently he was "in", and now here he was, a year into running an eating/drinking establishment in one of the most sought after destinations in the world!
One of the flight attendants made an announcement that another of the attendants, Myra, would be working her last flight before retiring, after 35 years of service, on our ATL to STT leg. She said that she would be entering the area shortly, wearing a tiara, and asked if we'd all give her a standing ovation as she arrived at the gate - which we did, much to her delight and amusement.
Soon after they began boarding the plane I looked up and saw someone waiting for their zone to be called who looked familiar to me. So I sauntered up to her and said hi to this stranger. It only took a second or two for it to sink in as to who I must be, and that's how I met sea-nile (Terese) in person for the first time.
The flight attendants on the flight to STT, in stark contrast to the ones on our MLB-ATT run, were great. One in particular was a hoot. She announced that someone on board had left something valuable at the gate, then said that a roll of $100 bills, bound by a rubber band, had been found by airline personnel. She asked that if anyone had lost that to please ring their summons button as she'd like to return the rubber band! I guess "the Benjamins" was a theme with her, because towards the end of the flight she said that they had tried very hard to make this a pleasant flight for everyone, but if any of us had any complaints or suggestions for improvement that we should write them on a $100 bill and hand it to her.
After an eternity of anticipation the plane began to descend, and the unmistakable turquoise waters of the Caribbean were visible through the windows. We touched down at Cyril King Airport, taxied to the gate, and made the walk past the glass windows beyond which were faces full of relaxation, contentment, and not just a little envy towards the newly arriving passengers.
We stopped by the sample hut for a shot of that delicious Cruzan Mango Rum, then on to baggage claim. Despite our best intentions to do carry on only this trip we ended up checking two bags. I don't think it really takes longer than anywhere else in the world for the luggage to get from plane to the terminal in St. Thomas, but I do believe that it feels like it, since you're so eager to get out and begin your adventure!
I saw sea-nile waiting for her luggage and engaged in conversation with another woman, so I ventured over to find out if it was another of the SOTB II group, and sure enough, was introduced to Diana2. While we were talking another couple must have noticed we had a certain aura about us because MrB and MrsB came over and introduced themselves - it was a mini-forum gathering even before the first suitcase came off of the carousel!
We collected our bags, called Dependable, then went outside as directed to wait for their shuttle, along with another couple who were celebrating their 3rd wedding anniversary with their first ever trip to the VIs at Sugar Bay on STT.
The van picked us up and took us to Dependable's office. They were a little short staffed that day, so we waited while the other couple got their paperwork and vehicle first, then went downstairs to do the walk around inspection of ours. Only they had the wrong car - they brought us a two door jeep instead of a four door. I would have been OK with the two door but they noticed that the numbers on the paperwork didn't match, so they fetched the right one, and in no time we were "keeping left" through the streets of a crowded Charlotte Amalie.
Leslie did a great job as navigator, especially considering the fact that we never knew when a lane would end up being turn only, let alone if we were supposed to turn or not. Without too many accidental side trips we made it to the Cost-U-Less. Everything on our list, as well as some impulse items, was easy to find, and as soon as the shopping cart was full we headed for the checkout counter. When I told the cashier that I didn't have a club card she said "do you mean you left it at home?" while she smiled, nodded, and swiped her card. One thing about warehouse stores - no grocery bags, and we had all of this loose stuff! Fortunately, there were some discarded cardboard boxes in the parking lot, and we were able to fit all of our supplies in them.
Off to Red Hook, where we paid our harbor fee of $3, then backed into line to wait for the car barge. The Mr.B (was that an omen?) was the next one to show up, and with some expert guidance from one of the workers, I managed to squeeze the jeep into the space he wanted me to fill. We paid our $30 one way fare to the gal that came around collecting them, then stayed in the car for the ride across the sound. All of the little delays we'd experienced and/or inflicted upon ourselves had been adding up, and despite the plane landing on time at 2:00PM, the sun was now sinking fast, and hitting the road on STJ during daylight hours was in jeopardy.
So the ferry makes it to STJ, we get a glimpse of some our favorite real estate on the planet, and the fun begins. Somewhere in my mind I have the impression that the car barge docks in the area across from Mongoose Junction, like they used to do. It's not the first time on this trip, nor will it be the last that I'm not where I think I am ( a little teaser for future installments!). So I head out and drive in a direction that I think will get me to Centerline, but end up somewhere completely different. After a few laps of the downtown Cruz Bay area, my orientation gets corrected and we find our way to Centerline, but it's dark now. I've never driven Centerline after dark before, but I figure that I might as well get some practice doing so since I plan to do just that after Sunday's Beach Bar gathering. So, after calling the Viva Villas rep to let her know just how late we are, we head east on Centerline - a little slower and more deliberate than the locals!
I enjoy driving Centerline just like I do all of the roads on STJ, but I'll have to admit that I didn't spend any time taking in the view on this particular passage. Not only was the scenery somewhat dampened by the gathering gloom, my eyes were firmly - and I mean 100% glued - to the road in front of me. My week of driving last year had not left me with enough familiarity to anticipate any of the curves, turns, hills, undulations, or any other features of the road so it was like driving it for the first time. Eventually we made our way into Coral Bay and met Marijean, our greeter, across the street from the fire station.
We followed her up the road that goes up Seagrape Hill. When I saw her car swing way out towards the right side of the road ahead of the first switchback I knew we had an interesting ride ahead of us! I've seen a lot of driveways on STJ that look more daunting than this one, but under the circumstances, my initial impression of this one was that it ranked up there with the best of them. Leslie's was more along the lines of "OH MY GOD!!!!". Marijean told us that most people prefer driving it at night since they can't see the dropoffs on either side of the driveway when it's dark!
We made it to the top and parked next to (really in back of) the villa (YAY!) safely, then followed Marijean around the side to the front porch of Reef Madness. Let me take a minute to address the fact that it's only natural for people that are marketing villas to put pictures on their web sites that while not quite deceiving, do often flatter reality as it pertains to how they look in person. When we rounded the corner to the front porch, tired, in the dark, my first thought was WOW! Like a lot of beautiful places and things that I've seen, the photos of Reef Madness in no way do it justice to how gorgeous it is in person. My photos of the place (once again, in a later installment) are no different - I guess you just can't capture the sheer beauty of the place in a picture.
So we got the tour of the place, were shown how to turn things on/off, how to find what we needed, who/where to call if we needed help, then signed a piece of paper that ostensibly proved all of the above, then we were on our own. Of course the very first thing we did was just stand out on that porch, looking at that view, of that island, and that water, and...well, you get the idea.
Then we realized that there was a lot of stuff to bring in from the car, so we did that. Then we put all of said stuff away. Then we realized that the lunch we ate on the plane was wearing awfully thin. The original plan was to go to the Halloween party down the hill at Skinny Legs (we even brought costumes!)and get something to eat there. But Leslie was valiantly trying to fight off a cough/cold, we were both very tired, and neither one of us was willing to admit it out loud, but we didn't relish the thought of tackling that driveway again, not just yet.
So we found some microwave popcorn in our welcome basket, made our first on island drinks, and after the hunger and thirst were abated, crawled into a very comfy bed and passed out.
Can't wait to hear more and see the pictures!!
