Owa's family trip report--Caneel/Gallows Point --St. John
Aug 19th, 2007, 05:59 AM
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Owa's family trip report--Caneel/Gallows Point --St. John
wish I could write a humorous, entertaining trip report just like dawnie9 did. I really enjoyed reading her adventures. Here goes.
This was the fourth trip to St. John and Caneel for us The first for the family. They have heard us give glowing reports of Caneel for the last six years. I have to admit I was a little worried that we had built our version of paradise to unachievable heights. That was silly. Hubby and I have always gone to Caneel in October or November. Now we will go back in June or July to take advantage of their summer special rate.
TRAVEL TO ST. JOHN
Six of us left Sioux Falls, South Dakota at 5AM to unite with our other daughter and family of four from Bemidji, Minnesota in Minneapolis. This is the only portion where we used Northwest Airlines. All other flights were on Delta. Each family used their own frequent flyer miles. Months ago I called Northwest elite line to ask for 10 frequent flyer seats only to connect with a female that was not willing to take the time to help me. I have learned when this happens to quickly say thanks, wait a few minutes, and try again. I can usually tell in half a minute if I have someone that is willing to work for me. She found the seats quickly within the dates I gave her. We had outstanding flight attendants on all Delta flights.
We stayed overnight in Atlanta. Northwest made some mistake in our booking from Atlanta to STT. I couldn't print everyone's boarding pass and neither could the Delta agent. I was extremely lucky with the gentleman at the Delta counter. He waited on the phone for 45 minutes before Northwest even answered the phone. The problem was fixed by breaking up two confirmation codes. I thanked him profusely for his willingness to fix the problem.
CHRISTOPHER ‘S TAXI AND DOHM’S WATER TAXI
I had arranged for Christopher's taxi to meet us to take us directly to Dohm's water taxi. I had also asked if we could make a stop at a grocery store before we left St. Thomas. We bought all drinks and snacks for our stay at Caneel. We only waited at the dock a few minutes after Chris called Dohm's. It was a perfect arrangement to be transferred to Caneel's dock, and I would definitely do it the same way again. Otherwise we would have had to unload our luggage, find at least three taxis, load up again and make our way to Caneel. On the way back to St. Thomas, we took the public ferry to Red Hook where Chris was waiting for us. He gave us a thrilling ride to the airport by taking some narrow, narrow back streets. Chris is reliable, friendly, and informative. I highly recommend him.
I decided against Caneel’s ferry because it is $85/p round trip. Dohm’s is $20/p one way. Ferry to Red Hook was $5/p plus $2/bag. Chris was $15/p plus tip.
LUGGAGE
I think I made converts concerning carry on luggage only. I printed our boarding passes at Gallows to get us all the way to Minneapolis. We breezed right through customs and security. When I was on the Delta site, I noticed that we had a full plane again. When it was time to leave I noticed many empty seats available. I heard the flight attendant say we were leaving passengers because there was one agent and 4 trainees at the Delta counter. She joked that they would get an extra day in the sun. We ended up waiting for a few more. One of the last passengers on said, with disgust, that the line to check in was long and slow. There was not one in my family that had a problem with enough clothes, although my daughters did wash at Gallows. I hate to say this, but after all the preaching, I was the one with the most clothes. I have learned how to pack it in, but I did tell my husband to remind me before the next trip to go lighter.
CANEEL BAY
One of my grandsons expressed his delight and appreciation the minute he exited his room on Hawksnest beach. "Thank you, thank you Owa, this is the best". Every request I had for our rooms was granted. We had the bottom four rooms of unit number one. My hubby and I have always stayed in the premium ocean view rooms thinking we wouldn't like Hawksnest. We were so wrong. There is a constant breeze, we were steps out to the beach, tons of
shade, and what the family thought was the best snorkeling of Caneel's beaches. We loved the long walk to breakfast and the exercise room. They told us the resort was 80% full, but it never felt that way. The buffet breakfast was included in our room price. The fruit was outstanding. There is an extensive variety of foods from which to choose each morning. We always ate about 9AM. We weren't hungry until late afternoon, and then we had sandwiches, chips, beer, etc. We didn't go into Cruz Bay at night instead electing to eat at the beach bar. It would have cost $100 for the ten of us to get back and forth. It worked for us. The grandsons think Caneel would be absolute perfection if they were an all inclusive. They don’t mean breakfast, lunch and dinner. They want food available all day long!!
STAFF AT CANEEL
There are absolutely wonderful staff that have been there for many, many years. Are there problems? Yes. I expressed my sadness about the tension and discontent I felt among the staff to a manager. She asked if I wanted to express my concerns to the General Manager of eight months. He says staff is a priority. I hope he is true to his word.
GALLOWS POINT
After four nights at Caneel, we moved to GP which became our only regret of the trip. We wished we had stayed the entire eight nights at Caneel, but I will also add that basically there is nothing wrong with Gallows. I paid $400/night for two upper units, and $300/night for a lower unit. I booked with St. John Suites because he didn't charge me $35/N for each grandchild. I guess this is where I say the couch beds were awful. Dawnie9 said in her report that a few loving touches could make these units much nicer. She was right. The grounds are beautiful and well tended. Our conclusion was we could find a GP anywhere, but not a Caneel. Caneel is unique.
A very bright spot at GP is the Everyting store, that stocks quite a variety at a very good price. They will grind coffee beans, rent movies, and they are actually cheaper for some items than at Starfish. Best of all, the ladies that own and run the store are very helpful, friendly, and genuinely interested in answering any questions. I can't stay enough good about one of the best stops in CB.
FOOD
Our most expensive meal was at Café Roma--$350. We ended up with lunch for the next day because the servings were so huge. I knew before we left we were NOT going to a place like Zozo’s. I did not want to walk away with a $1000 bill. We ate breakfast in the condo at Gallows, lunch in Coral Bay twice, and dinners in Cruz. We especially enjoyed Skinny Legs in Coral Bay. We had just finished a productive morning of snorkeling, we had the best waitress of the trip, and everyone was in top form with witty comments. When hubby and I go back, we will definitely go to a place like Zozo’s.
VEHICLES
The decision was made before we left home to enjoy Caneel to the fullest by not renting vehicles until we moved to Gallow’s. We rented two 5-passenger vehicles from Bougainvillea Leasing for 3 days without any problems. My son-in-laws wanted to purchase extra insurance, but they didn’t offer it. They said tourist didn’t request it enough to make it worth their trouble. My engineer Design Build son-in-law marveled at the roads. He could not believe the steep side roads. He loved driving on St. John. My other son-in-law stalled on the first steep hairpin incline causing the tires to smoke because he was just spinning (we watched from behind grateful that he could not see or hear our laughing), but he did not have a problem after that.
SNORKELING
We were extremely lucky with the weather, and the calm, clear water. I’m sure I could not say that if we were there this week.
We snorkeled places that my hubby and I had never been. We have had a terrible time leaving Caneel and the beaches there. Now when we go back, we will seek out more snorkeling spots. We especially liked Pelican Rocks, and Haulover. I saw at least four sharks. Two were resting on the bottom, and two were swimming. My oldest grandson (the muscular Minnesota hockey player) would swim the other way when we spotted one. It was hilarious because he also didn't like barracuda and one kept following him. I told him that I have been followed by a barracuda for over an hour. They are just curious. Shark didn't bother the rest of us. My son-in-law saw a Flying Gurnard on Hawsnest much to our envy. We have only seen one on St. Lucia. I went snorkeling on Hawksnest by myself early one morning. I saw the biggest stingray I have ever seen. I think St. John still has some of the best snorkeling in the Carribean.
FAMILY HEALTH
I unfortunately provided some of the biggest laughs of the trip. I developed sun blisters on my lips and in my mouth. I didn't care how I looked. I just wanted relief. They would look at me and start laughing. They couldn’t help themselves. One evening we were walking in CB after dinner. One daughter heard someone say, “Did you see that lip”! On the plane leaving St. Thomas, I sat next to a gal that also snorkels and dives. I pointed at my lip, and asked her if she has ever had sun blisters. She said she has had them to the point where she can only open her mouth to insert a straw. The bad news is that once they occur they are likely to return. She told me she starts taking lysine tablets a few days before a trip and while she is gone. My research on the internet started as soon as I arrived home. I found there is a lysine lip balm. Also, it is extremely important to have sun tan lotion or balm on the lips at all times. I’m determined that this will not happen to me again. I also had a bite become infected on my leg. A topical anti-biotic took care of that. Today my lip is all crusted and finally not so swollen.
One daughter searched around in my son-in-laws eye for about two hours in the middle of the night. He thought he had forgotten to take out his contact. They almost went to the clinic because it was so painful. His eye was extremely red and swollen the next morning. When the other eye became red, he decided it was an allergy to something on the island or in the water. A grandson also had allergy problems.
The day before we left one daughter woke with a fever, that was followed by a cold.
TRIP COST
If anyone is interested in what it costs for me to take ten on a trip to St. John, I added it up. Everyone using their FF miles really saved me a bundle of money.
Flights--0
Lodging--Atlanta, Caneel, Gallows, and Minneapolis $10,000
Food--$2,000
Transportation--Christopher's taxi, Dohm's water taxi, cars, and red hook ferry $1300
Misc.--$1,000
Total--$16,000
CONCLUSION
Everyone loved this trip. Better than any of the thirteen previous. For us, it is the grandchildren that make these trips so much fun. I always have taken a book for everyone to write thoughts about the trip while flying back. I started with children’s story books to get them interested. This trip the book was Caribbean reefs, coral and fish. I mention this because my seventeen year old grandson gave me a gift at the airport by asking me if I had remembered the book. I will tell him when we next go to Bemidji how much that meant to me. I don’t plan to do a family trip next year. Hubby and I are going to make the actual 50th anniversary year a one filled with travel. We will do another grandparent/grandchildren trip. The grandchildren don’t want to give it up, and neither do we. owa
This was the fourth trip to St. John and Caneel for us The first for the family. They have heard us give glowing reports of Caneel for the last six years. I have to admit I was a little worried that we had built our version of paradise to unachievable heights. That was silly. Hubby and I have always gone to Caneel in October or November. Now we will go back in June or July to take advantage of their summer special rate.
TRAVEL TO ST. JOHN
Six of us left Sioux Falls, South Dakota at 5AM to unite with our other daughter and family of four from Bemidji, Minnesota in Minneapolis. This is the only portion where we used Northwest Airlines. All other flights were on Delta. Each family used their own frequent flyer miles. Months ago I called Northwest elite line to ask for 10 frequent flyer seats only to connect with a female that was not willing to take the time to help me. I have learned when this happens to quickly say thanks, wait a few minutes, and try again. I can usually tell in half a minute if I have someone that is willing to work for me. She found the seats quickly within the dates I gave her. We had outstanding flight attendants on all Delta flights.
We stayed overnight in Atlanta. Northwest made some mistake in our booking from Atlanta to STT. I couldn't print everyone's boarding pass and neither could the Delta agent. I was extremely lucky with the gentleman at the Delta counter. He waited on the phone for 45 minutes before Northwest even answered the phone. The problem was fixed by breaking up two confirmation codes. I thanked him profusely for his willingness to fix the problem.
CHRISTOPHER ‘S TAXI AND DOHM’S WATER TAXI
I had arranged for Christopher's taxi to meet us to take us directly to Dohm's water taxi. I had also asked if we could make a stop at a grocery store before we left St. Thomas. We bought all drinks and snacks for our stay at Caneel. We only waited at the dock a few minutes after Chris called Dohm's. It was a perfect arrangement to be transferred to Caneel's dock, and I would definitely do it the same way again. Otherwise we would have had to unload our luggage, find at least three taxis, load up again and make our way to Caneel. On the way back to St. Thomas, we took the public ferry to Red Hook where Chris was waiting for us. He gave us a thrilling ride to the airport by taking some narrow, narrow back streets. Chris is reliable, friendly, and informative. I highly recommend him.
I decided against Caneel’s ferry because it is $85/p round trip. Dohm’s is $20/p one way. Ferry to Red Hook was $5/p plus $2/bag. Chris was $15/p plus tip.
LUGGAGE
I think I made converts concerning carry on luggage only. I printed our boarding passes at Gallows to get us all the way to Minneapolis. We breezed right through customs and security. When I was on the Delta site, I noticed that we had a full plane again. When it was time to leave I noticed many empty seats available. I heard the flight attendant say we were leaving passengers because there was one agent and 4 trainees at the Delta counter. She joked that they would get an extra day in the sun. We ended up waiting for a few more. One of the last passengers on said, with disgust, that the line to check in was long and slow. There was not one in my family that had a problem with enough clothes, although my daughters did wash at Gallows. I hate to say this, but after all the preaching, I was the one with the most clothes. I have learned how to pack it in, but I did tell my husband to remind me before the next trip to go lighter.
CANEEL BAY
One of my grandsons expressed his delight and appreciation the minute he exited his room on Hawksnest beach. "Thank you, thank you Owa, this is the best". Every request I had for our rooms was granted. We had the bottom four rooms of unit number one. My hubby and I have always stayed in the premium ocean view rooms thinking we wouldn't like Hawksnest. We were so wrong. There is a constant breeze, we were steps out to the beach, tons of
shade, and what the family thought was the best snorkeling of Caneel's beaches. We loved the long walk to breakfast and the exercise room. They told us the resort was 80% full, but it never felt that way. The buffet breakfast was included in our room price. The fruit was outstanding. There is an extensive variety of foods from which to choose each morning. We always ate about 9AM. We weren't hungry until late afternoon, and then we had sandwiches, chips, beer, etc. We didn't go into Cruz Bay at night instead electing to eat at the beach bar. It would have cost $100 for the ten of us to get back and forth. It worked for us. The grandsons think Caneel would be absolute perfection if they were an all inclusive. They don’t mean breakfast, lunch and dinner. They want food available all day long!!
STAFF AT CANEEL
There are absolutely wonderful staff that have been there for many, many years. Are there problems? Yes. I expressed my sadness about the tension and discontent I felt among the staff to a manager. She asked if I wanted to express my concerns to the General Manager of eight months. He says staff is a priority. I hope he is true to his word.
GALLOWS POINT
After four nights at Caneel, we moved to GP which became our only regret of the trip. We wished we had stayed the entire eight nights at Caneel, but I will also add that basically there is nothing wrong with Gallows. I paid $400/night for two upper units, and $300/night for a lower unit. I booked with St. John Suites because he didn't charge me $35/N for each grandchild. I guess this is where I say the couch beds were awful. Dawnie9 said in her report that a few loving touches could make these units much nicer. She was right. The grounds are beautiful and well tended. Our conclusion was we could find a GP anywhere, but not a Caneel. Caneel is unique.
A very bright spot at GP is the Everyting store, that stocks quite a variety at a very good price. They will grind coffee beans, rent movies, and they are actually cheaper for some items than at Starfish. Best of all, the ladies that own and run the store are very helpful, friendly, and genuinely interested in answering any questions. I can't stay enough good about one of the best stops in CB.
FOOD
Our most expensive meal was at Café Roma--$350. We ended up with lunch for the next day because the servings were so huge. I knew before we left we were NOT going to a place like Zozo’s. I did not want to walk away with a $1000 bill. We ate breakfast in the condo at Gallows, lunch in Coral Bay twice, and dinners in Cruz. We especially enjoyed Skinny Legs in Coral Bay. We had just finished a productive morning of snorkeling, we had the best waitress of the trip, and everyone was in top form with witty comments. When hubby and I go back, we will definitely go to a place like Zozo’s.
VEHICLES
The decision was made before we left home to enjoy Caneel to the fullest by not renting vehicles until we moved to Gallow’s. We rented two 5-passenger vehicles from Bougainvillea Leasing for 3 days without any problems. My son-in-laws wanted to purchase extra insurance, but they didn’t offer it. They said tourist didn’t request it enough to make it worth their trouble. My engineer Design Build son-in-law marveled at the roads. He could not believe the steep side roads. He loved driving on St. John. My other son-in-law stalled on the first steep hairpin incline causing the tires to smoke because he was just spinning (we watched from behind grateful that he could not see or hear our laughing), but he did not have a problem after that.
SNORKELING
We were extremely lucky with the weather, and the calm, clear water. I’m sure I could not say that if we were there this week.
We snorkeled places that my hubby and I had never been. We have had a terrible time leaving Caneel and the beaches there. Now when we go back, we will seek out more snorkeling spots. We especially liked Pelican Rocks, and Haulover. I saw at least four sharks. Two were resting on the bottom, and two were swimming. My oldest grandson (the muscular Minnesota hockey player) would swim the other way when we spotted one. It was hilarious because he also didn't like barracuda and one kept following him. I told him that I have been followed by a barracuda for over an hour. They are just curious. Shark didn't bother the rest of us. My son-in-law saw a Flying Gurnard on Hawsnest much to our envy. We have only seen one on St. Lucia. I went snorkeling on Hawksnest by myself early one morning. I saw the biggest stingray I have ever seen. I think St. John still has some of the best snorkeling in the Carribean.
FAMILY HEALTH
I unfortunately provided some of the biggest laughs of the trip. I developed sun blisters on my lips and in my mouth. I didn't care how I looked. I just wanted relief. They would look at me and start laughing. They couldn’t help themselves. One evening we were walking in CB after dinner. One daughter heard someone say, “Did you see that lip”! On the plane leaving St. Thomas, I sat next to a gal that also snorkels and dives. I pointed at my lip, and asked her if she has ever had sun blisters. She said she has had them to the point where she can only open her mouth to insert a straw. The bad news is that once they occur they are likely to return. She told me she starts taking lysine tablets a few days before a trip and while she is gone. My research on the internet started as soon as I arrived home. I found there is a lysine lip balm. Also, it is extremely important to have sun tan lotion or balm on the lips at all times. I’m determined that this will not happen to me again. I also had a bite become infected on my leg. A topical anti-biotic took care of that. Today my lip is all crusted and finally not so swollen.
One daughter searched around in my son-in-laws eye for about two hours in the middle of the night. He thought he had forgotten to take out his contact. They almost went to the clinic because it was so painful. His eye was extremely red and swollen the next morning. When the other eye became red, he decided it was an allergy to something on the island or in the water. A grandson also had allergy problems.
The day before we left one daughter woke with a fever, that was followed by a cold.
TRIP COST
If anyone is interested in what it costs for me to take ten on a trip to St. John, I added it up. Everyone using their FF miles really saved me a bundle of money.
Flights--0
Lodging--Atlanta, Caneel, Gallows, and Minneapolis $10,000
Food--$2,000
Transportation--Christopher's taxi, Dohm's water taxi, cars, and red hook ferry $1300
Misc.--$1,000
Total--$16,000
CONCLUSION
Everyone loved this trip. Better than any of the thirteen previous. For us, it is the grandchildren that make these trips so much fun. I always have taken a book for everyone to write thoughts about the trip while flying back. I started with children’s story books to get them interested. This trip the book was Caribbean reefs, coral and fish. I mention this because my seventeen year old grandson gave me a gift at the airport by asking me if I had remembered the book. I will tell him when we next go to Bemidji how much that meant to me. I don’t plan to do a family trip next year. Hubby and I are going to make the actual 50th anniversary year a one filled with travel. We will do another grandparent/grandchildren trip. The grandchildren don’t want to give it up, and neither do we. owa
Aug 19th, 2007, 06:12 AM
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I loved your trip report, Owa!
I wish I had grandparents like you!
I'm so jealous that you were staying on Hawksnest. We went over to Scott one day, but we kept going back to Hawksnest because there was hardly anyone there and the views were out of this world.
I agree about the tension between the staff and management at Caneel. We had great service there overall. However, I think some of the acrimony is a result of a good portion of the staff being locals, and the management being brought in from off island. It seems like Caneel would help tensions by picking several really good locals to assume management positions.
I wish I had grandparents like you!
I'm so jealous that you were staying on Hawksnest. We went over to Scott one day, but we kept going back to Hawksnest because there was hardly anyone there and the views were out of this world.
I agree about the tension between the staff and management at Caneel. We had great service there overall. However, I think some of the acrimony is a result of a good portion of the staff being locals, and the management being brought in from off island. It seems like Caneel would help tensions by picking several really good locals to assume management positions.
Aug 19th, 2007, 06:37 AM
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mah1980, What you express about the management is exactly the same observation of one daughter. The General Manager is from Germany. It is very interesting that you noticed the staff tension on your first visit to Caneel. Another first timer asked me "what is going on with the staff?" I certainly hope this situation is fixed. owa
Aug 19th, 2007, 07:52 AM
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I forgot to mention a new magazine about St. John that will be published starting this fall. It will be called St. John magazine. While at Skinny Legs, we were asked if our family would mind if they took our picture while we ate. Whether it will be in the magazine, I don't know. In all my vanity, I hope not. Our hair and clothes were not top notch after snorkeling all morning.
Aug 19th, 2007, 01:20 PM
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Hello owa....i have been following your family trips for several years. You are an amazing mother and grandmother and I admire you very much.
One question regarding Gallows Point: I had hoped that by renting through Suite Saint John I would obtain a better quality and sufficiently comfortable sofa bed. I will be taveling with another woman, and one of us would need to use the sofa bed. I gather that, even with the supposedly better furnished Suite Saint John units, the sofa beds are very uncomfortable. Would my sixty year old back be unhappy on one of the sofa beds?
One question regarding Gallows Point: I had hoped that by renting through Suite Saint John I would obtain a better quality and sufficiently comfortable sofa bed. I will be taveling with another woman, and one of us would need to use the sofa bed. I gather that, even with the supposedly better furnished Suite Saint John units, the sofa beds are very uncomfortable. Would my sixty year old back be unhappy on one of the sofa beds?
Aug 19th, 2007, 01:29 PM
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Owa, thanks for the great trip report, as always! It brought back a lot of great memories and reminded me how much I loved St. John. Too bad about your blisters - ouch! As I said before, I wish I belonged to your family. Lucky them!
Maggi
Maggi
Aug 19th, 2007, 02:16 PM
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Owa, Great trip report! and BIG thanks for the huge compliments you have given me! Don't be so modest, your family is pretty lucky to have you!!!! I think that between both of us & our shark stories, we are going to scare away a lot of "fraidy cats" from the beautiful waters of St. John! The marine life is fairly plentiful but if you want to see some amazing reefs for snorkelling, you may want to give Cayman a try.
Note to Marthag, trust me when I tell you that you and your female friend will definitely be sharing the King bed as my dad & I ended up doing (just grab & then hide the extra sheet!). The only 60 year old back that can take that sofa bed is one that belongs to a teensy, tiny lizard!
Note to Marthag, trust me when I tell you that you and your female friend will definitely be sharing the King bed as my dad & I ended up doing (just grab & then hide the extra sheet!). The only 60 year old back that can take that sofa bed is one that belongs to a teensy, tiny lizard!
Aug 19th, 2007, 02:53 PM
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Hi Owa and welcome back! All these wonderful recent trip reports on St. John... makes me wanna go back now! I'm so glad your family time at Caneel was a wonderful one. Let me know if you'd like to adopt a daughter. 
Aug 19th, 2007, 04:00 PM
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marthag, I'm with dawnie9 on the sofa beds. My 13 and 15 year old grandsons said just tonight that there are two bars across the bed that feel terrible. One said he slept sideways. I was told these were recently purchased. Maybe they were, but-----. I'd suggest the cots except I saw one. Very, very thin mattress. I hope you find something that works for you.
Tonight my son-in-law mentioned what he did like about Gallows. We were all able to gather at night in one Condo to be together to watch movies, etc. Not possible at Caneel. One of my fondest memories of the trip is all four grandchildren huddled together on one couch watching a movie.
Tonight my son-in-law mentioned what he did like about Gallows. We were all able to gather at night in one Condo to be together to watch movies, etc. Not possible at Caneel. One of my fondest memories of the trip is all four grandchildren huddled together on one couch watching a movie.
Aug 19th, 2007, 10:02 PM
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What a pleasure to read your family trip report. Everyone is right, what a fortunate, terrific family to be able to enjoy your time together. As for the bad sofa beds, I've never met a sofa bed I liked. One possible alternative is to bring a blow-up mattress which can be placed on top of the sofa bed. A good model might cost you about $150 including portable inflating gadget, but that seems a small expense and trouble when it comes to saving your back. We keep a couple of mattresses around for the occasional guest and they've always said it is very comfortable.
Aug 20th, 2007, 06:03 AM
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great trip report, owa! I enjoyed reading every bit of it. How deep was the water where you saw the sharks, and were they at Pelican or Haulover or elsewhere? Reef sharks or nurse sharks? How big? Were you far from shore or not? I think I'm just getting comfortable enough to want to see a shark when I'm snorkeling, so it looks like I might have to go to St. John to do it!
Glad your trip was so full of great memories of your family, and I hope you and your husband celebrate your 50 years together with lots of fun travels and that you tell us all about them right here!
Glad your trip was so full of great memories of your family, and I hope you and your husband celebrate your 50 years together with lots of fun travels and that you tell us all about them right here!
Aug 20th, 2007, 08:32 AM
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If money was not a factor would you have preferred staying at Xaneel for the full time but since you have been there 4 times before was it that much of a elcome change? What about the majority of the rest of your family?
Did you go out with Sally and her tug boat at Caneel? She really gives a great 2 hour snorkel explaination and finds things we always missed.
Did you go out with Sally and her tug boat at Caneel? She really gives a great 2 hour snorkel explaination and finds things we always missed.
Aug 20th, 2007, 12:58 PM
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ej, I saw a shark swimming at Hawksnest. The next one we saw was at Salt Pond resting on the bottom. In fact, my grandson (the one that didn't like sharks) was diving down towards it (he had not seen it) when my son-in-law grabbed him just in time. Then we saw one on the bottom at Haulover, and one swimming. Not one was in deep water. They were nurse shark varying from 4-7 ft. long. We also saw a 6ft barracuda at Salt Pond.
Stan, I definitely would rather have stayed at Caneel. One of my grandsons wrote in the book that he liked Gallows. Even though the majority liked Caneel better, maybe eight nights at Caneel would have been too long for everyone. If I had to do it over, I would have rented vechiles for one day longer.
No, we didn't go out with Sally. I think it would have been really hard to lead ten in a snorkeling search. My hubby and I went on guided snorkeling in Bonaire, and it was difficult with three.
Stan, I definitely would rather have stayed at Caneel. One of my grandsons wrote in the book that he liked Gallows. Even though the majority liked Caneel better, maybe eight nights at Caneel would have been too long for everyone. If I had to do it over, I would have rented vechiles for one day longer.
No, we didn't go out with Sally. I think it would have been really hard to lead ten in a snorkeling search. My hubby and I went on guided snorkeling in Bonaire, and it was difficult with three.
Aug 20th, 2007, 02:21 PM
#17
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owa; Actually Sally may not be able to handle 8 plus her based on my memory of a few yrs. back. She is an experience.
Would you agree that the snorkeling at Caneel and Pelican is far superior to Biras? I just hope St. John can stay that way for 3-4 more years. The Marine Sciences Institute in St. Thomas said St. John will be 50-60% bleached by 2010-2011, hopefully they will be wrong.
I thought you were going to Curacao or am I confused.
I think we may make 1 more trip to caneel next year and Andros Island and a 4th trip to Curacaoo in 2009 and then will go back to Roatan and Belize ( looks like Lighthouse Reef Resort may never re-open-now 2008 so they say (still only 5 hrs. flights) and then back to Indonesia,Malaysia, Maldives, but the 16-20 hr. flights are really tough and we have to go for 3+ weeks to make it worthwhile.
Would you agree that the snorkeling at Caneel and Pelican is far superior to Biras? I just hope St. John can stay that way for 3-4 more years. The Marine Sciences Institute in St. Thomas said St. John will be 50-60% bleached by 2010-2011, hopefully they will be wrong.
I thought you were going to Curacao or am I confused.
I think we may make 1 more trip to caneel next year and Andros Island and a 4th trip to Curacaoo in 2009 and then will go back to Roatan and Belize ( looks like Lighthouse Reef Resort may never re-open-now 2008 so they say (still only 5 hrs. flights) and then back to Indonesia,Malaysia, Maldives, but the 16-20 hr. flights are really tough and we have to go for 3+ weeks to make it worthwhile.
Aug 20th, 2007, 02:48 PM
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StanKase,
Where do you go snorkeling in Malaysia? I am starting to look into a trip to Thailand and Mayalasia and want to include snorkeling amongst other activities. You can e-mail me off board at [email protected] if you'd like. Thanks.
Where do you go snorkeling in Malaysia? I am starting to look into a trip to Thailand and Mayalasia and want to include snorkeling amongst other activities. You can e-mail me off board at [email protected] if you'd like. Thanks.
Aug 21st, 2007, 02:30 AM
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Stan, You are correct. We are going to Curacao and Bonaire at the end of October.
I also have all of my reservations made for Belize for January. One week for the jungle and almost two weeks for various stops along the coast. Dean may change all of that. This has been a horrible storm. Owa
I also have all of my reservations made for Belize for January. One week for the jungle and almost two weeks for various stops along the coast. Dean may change all of that. This has been a horrible storm. Owa
Aug 21st, 2007, 02:53 AM
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owa
What a wonderful trip report. I enjoyed it over my morning coffee! I really love STJ and my favorite memories are swimming with the turtles on several different occasions at Salt Pond Bay. You are wonderful grandparents! Seems like the kiddos are well aware of it, though
What a wonderful trip report. I enjoyed it over my morning coffee! I really love STJ and my favorite memories are swimming with the turtles on several different occasions at Salt Pond Bay. You are wonderful grandparents! Seems like the kiddos are well aware of it, though
