Here is Part 2 of my trip report…

June 25

We arrived in Cruz Bay at 2:00 pm. The food festival was going on, so Cruz Bay was absolutely packed. We found our way to Courtesy Car Rental, where we picked up our Jeep Wrangler. We had some time to kill before checking into the villa, so we decided to take a drive. We went up North Shore Road toward Coral Bay. The vistas were beautiful, and I began to remember why I love St. John. Unfortunately, I also began to remember how crazy the driving can be – with steep hills, tight switchbacks, and an occasional donkey in the road. Yikes! I kept thinking about the words from “St. John Feet, Fins, and Four Wheel Drive” - “It may look like Mount Everest, but your jeep has already climbed it many times – it is possible.” By the time we got to Coral Bay, I was feeling a lot more comfortable behind the wheel, so we continued down East End Road. East End Road is a fun drive, but I was thankful for the posts about the giant pot hole at one of the switchbacks. It’s a doozy.

We then headed back to meet the villa owner at Calabash Boom Center. We met her at the bottom of the hill and followed her up to the villa. I expected the road to be steep, but it was REALLY steep. At one point, the owner stopped her Jeep and came back to tell me that I needed to follow her over a drop, though it will seem like I will be going over the edge of the world. She approached the drop, and disappeared over the edge. I approached the edge and sat there. There was nothing but blue sky ahead. I took a deep gulp and went over. As she promised, the road continued on. Phew! I then turned into the driveway, which was just as intimidating as the hill. We later began to call the hill “Hesitation Hill” and the driveway “the Driveway of Death.” With that said, by then end of the trip, I absolutely loved the drive. Looking back at it now, I kinda miss the nights of leaving the villa by going up the “Driveway of Death” in reverse.

We walked into the villa – Astral Cottage – and our jaws dropped. It was simply gorgeous. The villa had two levels – the first level had a living room with a screened-in, outdoor kitchen and wrap-around decks, while the second level had a bedroom with two separate decks. The decks provided breath-taking views of Coral Harbor, Hurricane Hole, and Round Bay, with Tortola in the distance. We sat on the bedroom deck for awhile, just marveling at the sights. I put some Buffett in the CD player, and my wife and I danced to “Back to the Island.” I couldn’t have been happier.

Once we recovered our senses, we went down “Hesitation Hill” for a bite at Island Blues. I was a bit concerned about what I would find. On our last trip to St. John, the site was occupied by a Boston sports pub (honest!) called Just Pepe’s. For obvious reasons, Just Pepe’s was near and dear to my heart. I wasn’t sure that Island Blues could measure up, but I’m glad to say it passed the test. We sat by the water and listened to a fantastic acoustic band (accompanied by a guy known as the “Spoon Mon”). I had a margarita and a couple of Caribs, and enjoyed the blackened mahi mahi sandwich. It was a great “welcome home” to St. John.

We went back to the villa, which was an adventure in itself. Our first time up “Hesitation Hill” was in the light, guided by the owner. We now had to do it in the dark, by ourselves. We drove up “Hesitation Hill” for a bit, and saw what we thought was the “edge of the world” drop leading to our driveway. My wife got out of the Jeep to scout it out, and confirmed that it was in fact the correct drop. Well, trusting in wife’s superior directional instincts, I went over the drop. Of course, it was the wrong one. I found myself heading down the steepest, rockiest “road” I have ever been on – in the dark I should add. Lucky for me, the road eventually flattened out, and I was able to do a three way turn (don’t ask me how) to get back on track.

At the villa, I sat on the deck until after midnight, reading a book and finding myself mesmerized by the sounds of nature. I remember thinking that the mosquitoes weren’t too bad. I lived to regret that thought, as you’ll soon read.

June 26

I awoke to a rooster right below our villa at 5:45 am. Who needs an alarm clock? The sunrise was beautiful, but a little on the hazy side. We went into Cruz Bay at Mongoose Junction for breakfast. I was disappointed to see that that the Mongoose Restaurant no longer exists, though I was told the Restaurant would be re-opening under new ownership. Instead, we went to the Mongoose Deli, which is a good spot for a quick breakfast.

We then headed over to Hawksnest Beach, which has always been one of my favorite beaches. We arrived at 9:30 am, and found only five other people on the beach. We set up our beach chairs under a sea grape tree, and I went snorkeling. I snorkeled the shallow areas perpendicular to the shore, but found the best snorkeling near the rocks on the right side. I followed the rocks around to Gibney’s Beach, which is an equally beautiful spot. I spent 15 minutes following a sea turtle. By 11:30 am, there were 40 to 50 people at the beach, so we decided to leave.

We went to Skinny Legs for lunch, and I felt at home with the Red Sox and Patriots posters on the walls. I had a burger and a couple of Red Stripes, while watching the World Cup. Now, I am not much of a soccer fan, but my wife is. Likewise, my wife is not much for hanging out at sports bars, but I am. So, the World Cup gave us an opportunity to enjoy the best of both worlds.

We went to Maho Bay Beach in the afternoon. I found the best snorkeling near the rocks on the right side, which I followed around to Little Maho Beach. I spent what seemed like forever snorkeling the sea grass in the center of Maho Bay, patrolling for sea turtles. I eventually found one, and had fun watching it eat. I sat on the beach for awhile, and enjoyed watching for sea turtles periscoping to the surface for air.

We then went to the Starfish Market to stock up on groceries. We found what we needed, though everything was pricey. We headed back to the villa, and I soaked in the hot tub.

For dinner, we went to Morgan’s Mango. It was just as good as I remembered it. Morgan’s Mango knows its way around frozen drinks - I had the Hurricane Marilyn. I also had a fish dish called the Vodoo Snapper. It was very spicy, but tasty. There was a steel pan performer that night. We listened for awhile, then headed back to the villa.

June 27

We went into Cruz Bay to meet up with Capt. Phil for a sailing/snorkeling trip around St. John. We stopped off at the Mongoose Deli for breakfast and parked at the Courtesy Car Rental place.

We met Capt. Phil at 9:00 am. Capt. Phil was exactly what I expected – a real nice guy with some unusual stories about life in the islands. We took a dinghy out to his boat, a beautiful 32’ foot boat with a tiller called the Wayward Sailor. We sailed out to Great St. James for what was probably the best snorkeling of our vacation. We had lunch on the boat, after which Capt. Phil gave us a presentation on sea creatures. My wife is a science teacher and absolutely loved comparing notes with Capt. Phil. We then sailed to Little St. James through some torrential rains for our second snorkeling stop. This was also a lot of fun. We returned back to Cruz Bay by 4:00 pm. It was a terrific day. A couple of things to keep in mind about the Wayward Sailor – It’s a small boat, so be prepared to be a bit cramped. Also, the focus of the trip is more snorkeling, than sailing. So, if you’re looking for a pure sailing experience, Capt. Phil may not be for you.

Back at Cruz Bay, we went to J.J.’s Roadhouse for some margaritas, Blackbeard’s Ale, and (you guessed it) more World Cup.

We returned to the villa, chilled for a bit, then went to Paradiso for dinner. We had a great spot on the balcony, and I enjoyed the shrimp and lobster papardelle. You can’t go wrong with Paradiso. Our waitress was a school teacher who had moved from Massachusetts to St. John. She and my wife had a lively conversation about the education system in the islands.

June 28

We went to the Donkey Diner for breakfast. The food was good, the service was much quicker than I expected, and the atmosphere was just as KarrieB had described it – “funky.” I loved it!

We then went to Salt Pond Beach, a beach I had never been to. We got there at 10:00 am, and there were only five or six other people on the beach. I spent a lot of time snorkeling the left side of the bay, where I found a sea turtle, some flounder, and an octopus. I also snorkeled the right side, which was not as good, but still enjoyable. I will definitely add Salt Pond Beach to my “must do” list of St. John beaches. By noon, there were about 30 people at the beach, and we decided to grab lunch. It’s amazing how your perspective changes in St. John. Back home, a quiet day at the beach is one where there’s 500 or 600 other people. On St. John, 25 people are a crowd.

We went to Shipwreck Landing for lunch, which I was really looking forward to. Unfortunately, I think we caught them on a bad day. I had the conch fritters and a mahi mahi sandwich, which were excellent. But, the waitress was less than friendly. We did enjoy watching the waitress try to shoo away a rooster – we were rooting for the rooster… We went next door to Jolly Dog, and I picked up an “I’m on Island Time” cap.

We then went to Leinster Bay to check out Waterlemon Beach, another beach I had never been to. The walk from the Annaberg parking area to Waterlemon was hot, but I was too distracted by the beautiful views of Leinster Bay to really notice. We walked to the sandy beach at Waterlemon, where I started my snorkel. I snorkeled the rocky area on the right side leading to the point, and was impressed by the number of barracuda. I snorkeled out to the point, where I almost chickened out before snorkeling across to the cay. No guts, no glory, so I continued on to the cay. The distance is farther than it looks, but I made it. I was really glad I did because the snorkeling was fantastic. The coral was in excellent shape. I also saw sea turtles, stingrays, and a spotted eagle ray. I followed the spotted eagle ray for a bit, before heading back to the beach. I will definitely be back!

We went back to the villa for some rum punch on the deck, then left for Zo Zo’s for dinner. We were given a table front and center on the rail. It was a perfect spot to watch the sunset over St. Thomas. The wine list and the menu were impressive. We shared the antipasto for two, and I had the veal saltimbocca with tiramisu for dessert. The food was excellent. I read some posts before the trip suggesting that there are problems with the service at Zo Zo’s. I had the exact opposite experience. Dana was our waitress, and she was very friendly and helpful - so much so that we specifically asked for Dana on our second visit to Zo Zo’s later in the week.

We then went to Skinny Legs to catch the Red Sox game on TV. I had a couple of Red Stripes and chatted with the folks at the bar. While at Skinny Legs, it rained buckets outside. I was pretty sure that we wouldn’t be able to make it up “Hesitation Hill” in the mud, but it was a breeze in the Jeep.

Stay tuned for adventures in fishing for tarantulas…