YUM!

Thanks for the painkiller recipe.

As for the ferry, I did not find the CA to Cruz Bay ferry choppy in either direction. The ride from the airport to Red Hook however made me want to toss my cookies! I'll take the CA ferry anyday.

Great trip report Meredith ! We too
thought highly of our meals at Asolare
over the past few years.
Thanks for the tip on New Horizons II
excursion to BVI as it keeps moving to
the "next time" list.
Can't wait to return !
R5

My recipe says cream of coconut, not coconut juice - but maybe those are the same thing... Anyway, YUM.

Sorry for my typo before... obviously those were the ingredients of a painkiller, not of a pineapple.

I agree with cdt's recommendation of Maho for the non-adventurous swimmer. The sand does descend into the water extremely gradually, so that one can go quite far out without getting very deep. It would be a great place to get used to snorkel gear, though I didn't really see many fish when I tried to snorkel there. On the other hand, one really doesn't even need to snorkel to meet some ocean life at Maho, as there are all these little jack that like to swim around your ankles while you're wading, as well as these interesting long, thin fish, whose name escapes me, that like to swim along just under the surface. There are also plenty of other places in St. John to snorkel and see beautiful fish without having to go far from shore or into deep water.

Here is the "official" painkiller recipe.

4 parts pineapple juice


1 part orange juice (some variation here- some people like 2 parts


1 part cream of coconut

Pussers rum to taste (about 2-4 parts)

Lightly sprinke with freshly grated nutmeg

Serve over crushed ice. The freshly grated nutmeg is essential.

I have not yet tried a pain killer but looking forward to it!

I agree that the nutmeg is very important. The best pain killer I've had featured nutmeg that had just been picked from some nearby island, and was grated liberally on the top of the drink. It was wonderfully aromatic. I wish I could find nutmeg like that at home! Of course, I don't think a pain killer would be quite so special if consumed anywhere other than the Caribbean.

Maho is a great beach. If you go all the way to the right end (looking at the water) there are a collection of rocks with lots of smaller fish. It is a great introduction to snorkeling especially for kids. My friends' four went wild when they spotted all the "Dory" fish. It is also one of the beaches with the consistently calm water. My 2 year old can't get enough.

Meredith..we just got back from St John last night and I have to agree with you on the Lime Inn.We waited forever to sit down and then our food was not that great.