Back from St John
May 31st, 2009, 07:55 PM
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Back from St John
We are back from another wonderful week on St John and we are still hopelessly in love with this little island. This was our 7th trip in a few years and we have made some great friends. When I arrive and see the ferry dock, I feel like I am where I should be...
We stayed at Gallow's Point again and I really have nothing negative to say except the cost is getting to be too much with us going so frequently
. Some of the rooms may be a little dated, but it really suits our needs there. We are actually looking into staying at The Grande Bay resort right in Cruz Bay next time. It is not finished and there is still some construction going on. Having said that, they are brand new and the price is right during construction. They don't have a pool and some other amenities, but really, who needs a pool on STJ. Unfortunately, I didn't even use the pool at GP once this trip although it is very nice.
Beaches-
STJ had a LOT of rain before we went and although we missed the worst of it, the skeeters were bad. We were given a can of OFF when we checked in. They really weren't bad at GP at all or in town. Then, some areas were bad. We stopped at a couple of places on Centerline Road and when we got back in the rental there would be a swarm of them. We did start closing the windows, but you get the idea. Luckily, I am not one of those people that get huge welts or I would have been in trouble. I had many bites, but just little pink dots that didn't itch. DH got none.
So, back to the beaches...
Hawksnest, we stopped here with our friends from STT as they came over for the day. We didn't have a lot of time due to later plans. This is a beautiful beach with good snorkeling but the water was rough near the reef and we were picking mosquitoes off of each other like monkeys and laughing about it
.
Honeymoon, We parked at Caneel and walked over to Honeymoon to meet a group of friends. This is a really beautiful beach and a great place to spend the day! Much fun here this day. The skeeters weren't bad at all and we wondered if they sprayed since it is on Caneel property.
Maho, One of my favorite beaches. It was overcast and the skeeters were out! Lathered up with bug spray and DH went for a snorkel and we made the best of it. How can things be bad on Maho??? We then decided to go to Skinny Legs for lunch. On the way, I suggested to go to the Annaberg School ruins. We actually drove right past it and missed it. In spite of many trips, we still had a few roads uncharted. We were never lost because there are only so many roads on STJ, but we ended up going up the road to The Maho Campground. I was getting the "where the hell are we going" look. I must say, that road is not the best and would be a little crazy at night with some rain.
White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, We took the ferry over the day before we left. Good weather all day and no skeeters. What more can I say about Jost Van Dyke other than it is a slice of heaven.
Food-
We ate at Rhumblines, very good, love the Pu Pu Platter. La Tapa, just got appetizers here our first night. Banana Deck, great lunches and steak dinners. Cafe Roma, always excellent and plenty for leftovers. Skinny Legs, can't miss their burger, must do. Cruz Bay Pizza Shop, got a medium pizza for $20, thin crust, yum, and a good price for dinner for two. A couple of new finds....
The Tourist Trap, I had been been wanting to try this new place out by Salt Pond for a while. It is a bit out of the way from Cruz Bay but it was worth it. This is basically a liitle shack located by the entrance to Concordia Eco Tents right before Salt Pond. If you "get" STJ, you will "get" this place. Great people, great food. Very friendly atmosphere. You can't really help but get to know others there because the seating is very close under some tarps for shade. I really had a "this is what STJ is all about" feeling while I was there. Larry the owner pretty much makes everything homemade. I had the lobster roll on a grilled, buttered bun and DH had the special of the day which was BBQ pork loin with red onion on a bun. Both were delicious!! They also have a signature drink called Drink right, Keep Left which is a frozen yummy concoction. I can't say enough good things about this place.....
Sheila's Pot, Located right by the ferry dock, this is a home cooking kind of place. This is basically just a little stand by the dock open whenever she wants to be open, I really don't know the hours, but think she closes by dark for sure. We got off the ferry from Jost our last day and I think we were both craving some home cooking. We saw pork chops on the chalkboard menu and looked no further. We placed our order and she said, "I'm closing". We must have looked disappointed and said, "bummer, we really were craving pork chops". She said OK, she would help us. "Do you want rice?". Us, yes, whatever you have. She gave us loads of rice, emptied the pork chop pan and threw in some meatloaf. I think she cleaned out her leftovers. She said, "give me $10 and I will be satisfied". Yikes, we gave her a nice tip and left very happy . This was enough food for both of us and very yummy! We will definitely return.
Jost Van Dyke, We just kind of snacked here. I wanted to eat at Seddy's One Love but DH wanted a burger. We split a lobster quesadilla there, DH got a burger at Jewel's and we split conch fritters at The Soggy Dollar Bar. The first two being just OK and the conch fritters pretty darn good. No complaining here, everything is good on White Bay. Maybe were are getting a little picky after eating at restaurants all week.
One final one, Hook, Line and Sinker on St Thomas. We have friends on STT, so met them here twice. We love this restaurant for the food and atmosphere right on the waterfront in Frenchtown. Very, very good.
We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back, hopefully the end of November.
We stayed at Gallow's Point again and I really have nothing negative to say except the cost is getting to be too much with us going so frequently
. Some of the rooms may be a little dated, but it really suits our needs there. We are actually looking into staying at The Grande Bay resort right in Cruz Bay next time. It is not finished and there is still some construction going on. Having said that, they are brand new and the price is right during construction. They don't have a pool and some other amenities, but really, who needs a pool on STJ. Unfortunately, I didn't even use the pool at GP once this trip although it is very nice.Beaches-
STJ had a LOT of rain before we went and although we missed the worst of it, the skeeters were bad. We were given a can of OFF when we checked in. They really weren't bad at GP at all or in town. Then, some areas were bad. We stopped at a couple of places on Centerline Road and when we got back in the rental there would be a swarm of them. We did start closing the windows, but you get the idea. Luckily, I am not one of those people that get huge welts or I would have been in trouble. I had many bites, but just little pink dots that didn't itch. DH got none.
So, back to the beaches...
Hawksnest, we stopped here with our friends from STT as they came over for the day. We didn't have a lot of time due to later plans. This is a beautiful beach with good snorkeling but the water was rough near the reef and we were picking mosquitoes off of each other like monkeys and laughing about it
.Honeymoon, We parked at Caneel and walked over to Honeymoon to meet a group of friends. This is a really beautiful beach and a great place to spend the day! Much fun here this day. The skeeters weren't bad at all and we wondered if they sprayed since it is on Caneel property.
Maho, One of my favorite beaches. It was overcast and the skeeters were out! Lathered up with bug spray and DH went for a snorkel and we made the best of it. How can things be bad on Maho??? We then decided to go to Skinny Legs for lunch. On the way, I suggested to go to the Annaberg School ruins. We actually drove right past it and missed it. In spite of many trips, we still had a few roads uncharted. We were never lost because there are only so many roads on STJ, but we ended up going up the road to The Maho Campground. I was getting the "where the hell are we going" look. I must say, that road is not the best and would be a little crazy at night with some rain.
White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, We took the ferry over the day before we left. Good weather all day and no skeeters. What more can I say about Jost Van Dyke other than it is a slice of heaven.
Food-
We ate at Rhumblines, very good, love the Pu Pu Platter. La Tapa, just got appetizers here our first night. Banana Deck, great lunches and steak dinners. Cafe Roma, always excellent and plenty for leftovers. Skinny Legs, can't miss their burger, must do. Cruz Bay Pizza Shop, got a medium pizza for $20, thin crust, yum, and a good price for dinner for two. A couple of new finds....
The Tourist Trap, I had been been wanting to try this new place out by Salt Pond for a while. It is a bit out of the way from Cruz Bay but it was worth it. This is basically a liitle shack located by the entrance to Concordia Eco Tents right before Salt Pond. If you "get" STJ, you will "get" this place. Great people, great food. Very friendly atmosphere. You can't really help but get to know others there because the seating is very close under some tarps for shade. I really had a "this is what STJ is all about" feeling while I was there. Larry the owner pretty much makes everything homemade. I had the lobster roll on a grilled, buttered bun and DH had the special of the day which was BBQ pork loin with red onion on a bun. Both were delicious!! They also have a signature drink called Drink right, Keep Left which is a frozen yummy concoction. I can't say enough good things about this place.....
Sheila's Pot, Located right by the ferry dock, this is a home cooking kind of place. This is basically just a little stand by the dock open whenever she wants to be open, I really don't know the hours, but think she closes by dark for sure. We got off the ferry from Jost our last day and I think we were both craving some home cooking. We saw pork chops on the chalkboard menu and looked no further. We placed our order and she said, "I'm closing". We must have looked disappointed and said, "bummer, we really were craving pork chops". She said OK, she would help us. "Do you want rice?". Us, yes, whatever you have
. She gave us loads of rice, emptied the pork chop pan and threw in some meatloaf. I think she cleaned out her leftovers. She said, "give me $10 and I will be satisfied". Yikes, we gave her a nice tip and left very happy . This was enough food for both of us and very yummy! We will definitely return.Jost Van Dyke, We just kind of snacked here. I wanted to eat at Seddy's One Love but DH wanted a burger. We split a lobster quesadilla there, DH got a burger at Jewel's and we split conch fritters at The Soggy Dollar Bar. The first two being just OK and the conch fritters pretty darn good. No complaining here, everything is good on White Bay. Maybe were are getting a little picky after eating at restaurants all week.
One final one, Hook, Line and Sinker on St Thomas. We have friends on STT, so met them here twice. We love this restaurant for the food and atmosphere right on the waterfront in Frenchtown. Very, very good.
We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back, hopefully the end of November.
Jun 1st, 2009, 09:55 AM
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loved reading your report! It's really nice when a vacation spot starts to feel like home, isn't it?
I swear, one of these I'll actually get to St. John. But until then I'll keep on reading your vivid trip reports!
I swear, one of these I'll actually get to St. John. But until then I'll keep on reading your vivid trip reports!
Jun 1st, 2009, 04:04 PM
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We ate at Hook, Line and Sinker this past March with Fodorite Carrybean, it was excellent!
There is a great BBQ place right near the dock in Cruz Bay, we had take from there and it was top notch, Uncle Joe's I think. Have you gotten food from there?
We also finally got to Vi's and had wonderful garlic chicken and her coconut tart. Conch fritters too.
We also had breakfast at Donkey Diner and had pizza from there one night too, both very good meals.
That intersection by Annaberg School ruins, Maho etc is really confusing, even after driving it more than a dozen times.
I always smile when I read your TR, it reminds me of our chance encounter at Miss Lucy's.
Deb
There is a great BBQ place right near the dock in Cruz Bay, we had take from there and it was top notch, Uncle Joe's I think. Have you gotten food from there?
We also finally got to Vi's and had wonderful garlic chicken and her coconut tart. Conch fritters too.
We also had breakfast at Donkey Diner and had pizza from there one night too, both very good meals.
That intersection by Annaberg School ruins, Maho etc is really confusing, even after driving it more than a dozen times.
I always smile when I read your TR, it reminds me of our chance encounter at Miss Lucy's.
Deb
Jun 2nd, 2009, 04:35 PM
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We have eaten at Uncle Joe's but not the last couple of trips. It's definitely a good take out option which we do a fair amount.
Have not tried Vie's yet. The pull to Skinny Leg's and now The Tourist Trap will be strong when we are on the Coral Bay side.
We do OK on the Maho area up to the turnoff for Centerline. Then it gets a little trickier. Now we know where the school is though, at least we saw the sign to the trail. It's probably just as well that we didn't stop this time. The flying vampires probably would have got the better of me! I hate it when they buzz by your ears, zzzzzzzz.
It's really too bad we didn't know who each other were at Miss Lucy's. It would have been nice to meet you! Twice while we were at restaurants this time we met different people from another forum just having conversations. Once at La Tapa and once at The Tourist Trap. Did you do a TR, Deb?
Have not tried Vie's yet. The pull to Skinny Leg's and now The Tourist Trap will be strong when we are on the Coral Bay side
.We do OK on the Maho area up to the turnoff for Centerline. Then it gets a little trickier. Now we know where the school is though, at least we saw the sign to the trail. It's probably just as well that we didn't stop this time. The flying vampires probably would have got the better of me! I hate it when they buzz by your ears, zzzzzzzz.
It's really too bad we didn't know who each other were at Miss Lucy's. It would have been nice to meet you! Twice while we were at restaurants this time we met different people from another forum just having conversations. Once at La Tapa and once at The Tourist Trap. Did you do a TR, Deb?
Jun 2nd, 2009, 05:11 PM
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I wanted to make sure that linked worked before I posted more.
The Tourist Trap
Lobster Roll and Pork sandwich. I forgot to take the picture until I had taken a bit of the lobster roll, oops.
Us at The Tourist Trap
Beach Bar Gathering, old friends and new
Beach Day at Honeymoon
Yummmmm, Skinny Legs burger
White Bay, Jost Van Dyke from the overlook
The Tourist Trap
Lobster Roll and Pork sandwich. I forgot to take the picture until I had taken a bit of the lobster roll, oops.
Us at The Tourist Trap
Beach Bar Gathering, old friends and new
Beach Day at Honeymoon
Yummmmm, Skinny Legs burger
White Bay, Jost Van Dyke from the overlook
Jun 9th, 2009, 10:54 AM
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I know how great that feeling of "I'm home!" is. It's too bad that GP has become so pricy. We've stayed there many times, but have found that we can rent a small villa with a pool for less than half the price of Gallows Point after mid-April.
Has anyone gone to the island in early June. We've encountered a lot of rain in late Apr and mid-May.
Thanks for the trip report. This year, Italy. Next year back to St. John.
Has anyone gone to the island in early June. We've encountered a lot of rain in late Apr and mid-May.
Thanks for the trip report. This year, Italy. Next year back to St. John.
Jun 10th, 2009, 04:47 PM
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This is according to one of our friends that lives there. There is usually a solid week of rain in May and November. It was a little unusual that they had more than a week of rain prior to our trip. That's why the mosquitos were so bad. We have gone once about the middle of June and it was hot and humid. I guess those are relative terms in the Caribbean but I remember being very hot walking around town. The pool at Gallow's Point was a very unrefreshing 93 degrees. Not that that would deter me at all from going in June .
.
Jun 11th, 2009, 05:33 AM
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Just returned from STJ June 7th. I, too, love the island so much Ihave been there for the last 7 years. I own a time share at the Westin which keeps expanding its timeshare units by taking away hotel rooms.
About the skeeters - I use Avon-Skin-So-Soft bug repelent which couples as a sun-tan lotion and I have NOT been beaten at all. I use it esp at night downtown in Cruz Bay and at teh beach. June is the rainy season but we lucked out as it only rained at night(but it rained during the week before we got there). Also, the island is getting pricey and the shops that carried nice little items, still sell them but for more than they were before - shops are closing and being replaced by grocery stores - StarFish market watch out!
I have booked my time share for next year and keep going to STJ. The people get to 'know you' and like someone else said. STJ makes you feel like you're at your 2nd home.
About the skeeters - I use Avon-Skin-So-Soft bug repelent which couples as a sun-tan lotion and I have NOT been beaten at all. I use it esp at night downtown in Cruz Bay and at teh beach. June is the rainy season but we lucked out as it only rained at night(but it rained during the week before we got there). Also, the island is getting pricey and the shops that carried nice little items, still sell them but for more than they were before - shops are closing and being replaced by grocery stores - StarFish market watch out!
I have booked my time share for next year and keep going to STJ. The people get to 'know you' and like someone else said. STJ makes you feel like you're at your 2nd home.
Jun 18th, 2009, 10:03 AM
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Been away from the site for a bit and was so happy to read your fabulous report! BTW, Tuxedocat gave Miss Lucy's Sunday brunch on March 29th "four paws!" 
I haven't been out to Jost in a couple of years and your recount makes me want to go back next trip. I smiled at the feeling you get when you arrive and when you're on STJ... it's not just like a second home... I feel I've finally come home.
I haven't been out to Jost in a couple of years and your recount makes me want to go back next trip. I smiled at the feeling you get when you arrive and when you're on STJ... it's not just like a second home... I feel I've finally come home.
Jun 18th, 2009, 06:13 PM
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Here is a little more Jost Van Dyke and BVI footage. We did a boat day with friends last November on Palma Bella with Captain John Brandi. palmtreecharters.com
Here is the link to our very fun day. I will not take responsibility for how many Painkillers we consumed that day, hiccup...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jbQRrBa-tI
I very highly recommend Captain Brandi if you would want a boat to yourselves for the day. We had a blast!.
Here is the link to our very fun day. I will not take responsibility for how many Painkillers we consumed that day, hiccup...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jbQRrBa-tI
I very highly recommend Captain Brandi if you would want a boat to yourselves for the day. We had a blast!.
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