“In one corner: The security of a job, a steady income, a home, a daily routine – comfortable, safe, predictable. In the other corner: Escape from work, winter, and daily routine; the excitement and risk of the unknown – tempting, and more than a little scary.”
Ann Vanderhoof, “An Embarrassment of Mangoes”

Boy did I need this trip. I hit 36 years old, and got whacked by what can only be described as early mid-life crisis. It was time for another trip to the Islands. My wife and I had been to St. Thomas and St. John on three earlier trips, but five years had passed since our last adventure there. In 2004, we visited St. Kitts. We had a good time, but found ourselves saying that we should’ve gone back to St. John. We agreed that, on future trips to the Caribbean, we would stick to St. John.

We wanted to stay on St. John, while also enjoying a bit of what St. Thomas has to offer. So we stayed for three days at Point Pleasant in St. Thomas, before heading over to St. John for seven days at Astral Cottage in Coral Bay.

June 22

This was the big day.

A few words about packing. On our trip to St. Kitts, the airline lost our luggage, which made it difficult to ease into “island time.” So, this time, we only brought carry-ons. We each brought one carry-on and one back-pack. I really didn’t think that that we could pack 10 days worth of clothing as well as our snorkeling stuff into carry-ons, but with a little prioritizing, it wasn’t all that hard. I opted to skip on long pants, which turned out to be a good decision, since I never needed them at any restaurant we visited.

We were picked up at home (an hour south of Boston) at 4:00 am and were sitting at the airline gate by 5:15 am. For those of you familiar with Logan Airport, this was no small feat. With the carry-ons, we were able to avoid the long check-in lines and head straight through security to the gate. Now that I’ve gone carry-on, I’ll never go back.

The flight was a bit of a roller coaster ride, but we made it to San Juan in one piece. My wife is a HUGE soccer fan. So, we watched the U.S. take on Ghana in the World Cup while waiting for our connection. After a short layover, we were off to St. Thomas. We touched down at 1:45 pm. We didn’t need to wait for luggage, so we went straight to the car rental booth. We rented a Ford Echo from Hertz. It was an inexpensive rental, but the car was pretty much a skateboard with an engine. With that said, the Echo was able to make it up and down Donkey Hill – what else do you need?

We checked in at Point Pleasant at 2:30 pm. When we got to the suite, fresh flowers and a bottle of wine were waiting for us. We had asked for a suite up on the hill, but ended up with a place on the lower level. This worked out just fine – we didn’t have to do as much walking up and down the hill, and we could hear the sound of the surf from our deck, but the views were still exceptional. The suite itself was ok, but looked like it hadn’t been renovated in a long time.

We went straight to Fungi’s, which has become one of my favorite places in the world. It’s on the water at Point Pleasant, and has all the right Caribbean ingredients – good food, good drinks, a friendly atmosphere, and a beautiful view of the water, with reggae music in the background. I got the vacation going with a bushwacker and a few Red Stripes. I also had the conch fritters and, of course, a cheeseburger in paradise. The stress slowly began to fade away…

We spent the rest of the afternoon at poolside, which (like all of Point Pleasant) had a wonderful view. It was a little sad to look out onto what used to be the Renaissance resort. We stayed there in 1999, and really enjoyed the experience. I hope the new owners do a good job of re-invigorating the place.

We went to dinner at the Agave Terrace at Point Pleasant. The Agave is actually what got us interested in Point Pleasant – we had been to the restaurant in each of our earlier trips, and loved it. Before this trip, I had read some posts suggesting that the Agave was not quite what it used to be. IMHO, the Agave has not lost its fastball – it was top-notch, just as I had remembered it. We sat at the rail for what I think is the best view in all of St. Thomas. I had the lobster bisque to start, with butter poached mahi mahi, and mango sorbet for dessert. It was SOOOO good.

After dinner, we went back to the suite. My wife turned in, but I sat outside on the deck until after midnight, listening to the waves, reading “An Embarrassment of Mangoes,” and wishing that I had the guts to take two years off from “reality” to sail down to the Caribbean like the writer of “Embarrassment.”

What a great first day!

June 23

It’s shopping day. My wife is, how should I say it, an enthusiast of jewelry. I promised that we’d go shopping in Charlotte Amalie while on St. Thomas. I knew from this forum that no cruise ships were in Charlotte Amalie on June 23, so that seemed to be the best bet.

We drove into Charlotte Amalie and parked at Fort Christian. We went to an old favorite - Gladys Café - for breakfast. It was as good as always. I had eggs and grits, while the waitress serenaded us. Now, being from Boston, I don’t usually eat grits. But, when you go to Gladys Café, you gotta have grits.

We then embarked on some heavy-duty shopping, covering Main Street from one end to the other. My wife went to just about every jewelry shop before deciding to do business at a jewelry shop called Beverly’s. If you’re into shopping for jewelry, I recommend Beverly’s – good prices, friendly staff. Ask for Anita. The folks at Beverly’s offered me a couple of Heinekens while I was waiting – you don’t get hospitality like that in the States!

We then went to another old favorite – Café Amici – for lunch. It’s a Hemingway-esque spot, where you sit out on a patio, with a mahogany bar, ceiling fans above, surrounded by centuries old passageways. It’s a great place to retreat from the hustle and bustle in the rest of Charlotte Amalie. I settled down to my first rum punch and painkiller of the trip, and had pasta topped with a perfectly prepared piece of tuna. It was very good.

I was wearing my Red Sox cap that day. On the way back to the parking lot, we were offered a “Red Sox Discount” by the hawker for one of the jewelry shops. I told him that we would be happy to stop in if he could tell me who plays second base for the Red Sox. He just gave me a big smile.

We spent the rest of the afternoon poolside at Point Pleasant. We also popped into Fungi’s to grab a rum punch and watch the World Cup. While there, a couple walked through on their way to the beach. She was dressed in white, and they were obviously headed to their wedding. The crowd at Fungi’s gave the couple a round of applause, which was a nice touch. The couple was taken by dinghy to a boat in the harbor, where the ceremony was held. I thought it was kinda odd to start your life together on a boat named Jester.

For dinner, we went back to Charlotte Amalie to eat at Herve’s. It was an excellent meal, and we were treated to a lightning show in the distance. I had the country pate to start, with New Zealand venison, and key lime pie for dessert.

June 24

It was a rainy morning. We went to Bonnie’s by the Sea for breakfast. With the rain, we had to sit under the deck, and couldn’t sit on the beach. This was a bit disappointing.

We then went for a trip around the island, through Charlotte Amalie to the west end, and back to Point Pleasant along the north shore. I had forgotten how quiet the north shore is and how magnificent the views are. Of course, we made the obligatory stop at Drake’s Seat.

We stopped for lunch at the East End Café in Red Hook. I had a mahi mahi sandwich with a pasta salad to die for. I tried my first Virgin Islands Pale Ale. It kinda reminds me of Sierra Nevada.

We then went off to Secret Harbor for some white sand and turquoise waters. The beach itself was beautiful. I did some snorkeling, while my wife went on an iguana quest. I enjoyed the snorkeling on the left side of the beach, where I saw a sea turtle and a school of squid.

We then returned to Fungi’s for afternoon drinks and more World Cup. (Are you sensing a pattern?) I had a couple of Presidentes and tried what the bartender called a Cruzan Confusion. WOW! The drink consisted of seven different Cruzan flavored rums, with a tiny splash of fruit juice, and a float of Cruzan Black Strap Rum. It wins my award for the best drink of the trip. We spent the next two hours chatting with a couple on their honeymoon from Seattle.

We went to the Toad and Tart for dinner. The Toad and Tart is a British style pub, with a casual and unpretentious feel. It’s a great place to hang out with local residents. I had onion rings to start, with the bangers and mash. It was good to have a home-style meal. I also had the pleasure of meeting STT Resident, who is just as delightful in person as on the forum.

We went back to Point Pleasant for an evening stroll of the grounds. We stopped by the Agave for dessert at the bar. As you sit at the bar, you are facing a panoramic view of the entire harbor. It is breath-taking. I enjoyed the rum crème brulee.

June 25

We took East Ender’s advice and went to Molly Malone’s for breakfast. It was as good as advertised. The food was tasty and there was a fun island atmosphere.

We then checked out, dropped off the car at the airport, and took a taxi into Charlotte Amalie. We went back to Café Amici for lunch while waiting for the ferry connection to St. John. We had pizza and a few drinks. This is definitely a stress free way to get to St. John. Had one small problem. My wife’s jewelry purchase caused Mastercard to put a stop on our card. Whoops! I spent 20 minutes on the telephone trying to get a live person at Mastercard to help me.

The ferry ride from Charlotte Amalie to St. John was enjoyable. There was a large wedding party on the ferry, and the groom missed the ferry. As we pulled away from the dock, he finally arrived and began waving frantically. The ferry operator turned the boat around to pick up the very embarrassed groom. Can you imagine this ever happening in Boston or New York?

Next stop St. John…