Well, I just have to say that it was definately an amazing trip to St. John. As a first timer I was not disappointed in ANYTHING, maybe with the exception of the beaches. In Michigan we have the west coast on Lake Michigan, and you can walk the beach for miles and miles with nothing but soft white sand and maybe a person here and there. I was surprised how small some of the beaches were on the island and how crowded they got (esp on cruise ship days) BUT the VI has something MI doesn't have - spectacular snorkling and amazing blue water!! Oh, and not once while on St. John did we receive bad food or service like someone had posted on this board before. Not one rude person the whole 10 days we were there. Also bugs - WHAT BUGS??? There are no bugs...at least anything that is bothersome. The mosquitos are about 1/4 of the size of the ones in MI and not nearly as aggressive. That seemed to be the only bug that came around - and bug spray took care of them for hours.

Day 1
Sunday June 20
We arrived on STT around 3:20pm, right on time. I was so anxious to get off of the plane and get to STJ. We waited for our luggage for about 20min in a very hot, stuffy and crowsed baggage claim area - but I didn't care, I was just glad to be in the VI FINALLY after months and months of planning. After grabbing all of our luggage we headed for where all of the taxi's were located. We found one going to Red Hook and they loaded us up. $24 for my husband, me and 6 pieces of luggage. I was impressed by the taxi service - there was a main person directing people on which taxi/driver to go to - very organized. Nothing like I thought it would be. It was about a 40min drive or so to Red Hook, maybe less, maybe more I'm not sure I didn't have a watch and was already slipping into Island Time. When we got to Red Hook someone offered to load our baggage onto the boat for a few $$. We gave $6 for tip ($1 for every piece of luggage) and waited to buy tickets for the ferry. They only go on sale at 20min before the hour and it was only 4:30pm. Finally!!! On the ferry to St. John. They say that it leaves Red Hook/Cruz Bay on the hour but usually did not leave until 5 or 10 past the hour. We arrived on St. John about 5:30. As we were pulling into the harbor of Cruz Bay there were a ton of people standing on the dock cheering and yelling. It was Carnival and I guess there was some type of speed boat racing going on and everyone was watching from the dock. The streets in downtown were mostly blocked off. I was surprised at how crowded it was! We met with the villa representative from Destination St. John - extremely nice lady and she took us to our jeep rental, Conrad Sutton Car Rental. That was a little bit of a hassle. I reserved the jeep online but since I was not 25 yrs old they could not charge it on my credit card. My husband didn't have enough cash on him to pay it in full....we didn't plan for this!! So I ran to the ATM to w/drawl money and we paid for our jeep in cash. Ok, we have the jeep and are on our way to the villa. Wow, driving on the left - that is definately an experience especially on St. John. I didn't drive at all but even just being a passenger in a Wrangler with cars whizzing by was something I wasn't used to. And the hills - it was like Cedar Point but in a jeep!!! Loved it!!!! My husband had a BLAST driving around. We made it to our villa at about 6:30-7pm and were soooooo impressed with the place. So much better than the website online showed. We are already planning to rent the same villa again. Absolutely stunning!!! 3 levels plus a seperate guest bedroom/bathroom and a pool. The landscaping was spectacular, and the stone stairs were fabulous. There were 2 decks and the pool was in its own area for sunbathing and swimming. AND THE VIEW!!!! On Maria Bluff with unobstructed views of the ocean. We could see St. Thomas in the background to the right. And to the left other hills covered with villas. Words cannot describe!!! We made it, without any big hassle or disaster...and were extremely exhausted. We have been awake since 2:30am and so ready for bed. We had to wake up the next morning early to get to St. Thomas to pick up our marriage license before all the cruise ship people got there (there were 3 cruise ships in port on Monday)

Day 2
Monday June 21 (WEDDING DAY!)
*yawn* Very sleepy on this morning. We woke up at 6:30 to catch the 7:15 ferry into Charlotte Amalie. The ferry didn't actually leave until about 7:20 so we made it to downtown a little after 8am. It was a nice ride over. Partly cloudy and the sun was out, but not too hot yet. It was really neat seeing St. Thomas from the water. And oh my word - were the cruise ships MASSIVE. I could not believe how big one was - it was about 16 stories or so. We were able to walk to the Territorial Court (it was about 5 blocks or so from the dock, not a bad walk at all) and there were already 3 couples ahead of us. I'm so glad we got there early. After we got our license we walked back just in time to make the ferry back to Cruz Bay. There were already alot of people shopping downtown by this time. I was actually surprised. There were alot headed to St. John too. On the boat ride back I could not believe how blue the water was. It was like electric blue! When we arrived it was very cloudy and overcast so didn't get to really see the brilliance of the water. After getting to St. John we stopped at Starfish Market to pick up some food - and yes, they are extremely expensive. Back to the villa for a swim in the pool before getting ready for the big event. I started getting ready about 1pm and I wouldn't even have bothered if I would have realized my hair wasn't going to hold a curl in the heat and humidity. Before I was even done curling 1/4 of my hair it was already limp and almost straight again. Oh well - I finished getting ready and Stacy Mulcare of Ceremonies of St. John was at our villa about 3:30 to take us to Hawksnest. We have not had a chance to see any of the beaches yet and I'm glad b/c it was a complete surprise when we arrived. Absolutely gorgeous! We met with the photographer and videographer and minister - all extremely nice and friendly. I will definately reccommend Ceremonies of St. John - they were all so professional! After the ceremony and pictures we headed back to the villa to take some pictures of our own with my digital camera. We had dinner reservations at ZoZo's for 7:45. It was a very nice and romantic resturant. Our first dining experience on St. John! We had a great view of St. Thomas at night and the sliver of a moon. The food was excellent. Service was good too. $106 for our wedding dinner with dessert for both and wine. I had a tuna steak and my husband had the duck. Both were excellent! A perfect wedding day!!

Day 3
Tuesday June 22
This day was definately a lazy day. We didn't go anywhere and stayed at our villa the entire day. I slept in until 10am then layed around and in the pool. It was very nice to just kick our feet up and relax. I was a little anxious to see the beaches but it was definately nice to have some down time. Especially with all of the travelilng we did the past 2 days. We cooked hotdogs on the grill and enjoyed the warm Carribbean sun. My husband more than I since he was as red as a beet after the day was over. Glad he used plenty of sunblock! He didn't get badly burned but was red. That sun is definately intense!! We went and picked up some Chinese from China Shack in the Starfish Marketplace for dinner - it was ok, not great. I do not reccommend the sweet and sour chicken but I definately reccommend the Mongolian Beef! $38 for 2 dinners. They deliver too but thats a little extra. Relaxing was definately nice.

Day 4
Wednesday June 23
BEACH DAY!!!!!!! We woke up around 9:00am to hit the North Shore beaches. We packed up the cooler and beach chairs and towels and sunblock (of course) and headed out after breakfast. WOW!!! That is all I have to say. The drive was very pretty. The road turned very curvy and hilly after Cinnamon Bay. Hawksnest and Trunk bay were packed so we kept driving. We ended up at Francis Bay - this was our favorite. For anyone wanting to see sting rays and sea turtles, go to Francis. We didn't bring our snorkling equipment this day but really wish that we had. Someone snorkling found a sea turtle and a good sized sting ray from what they were yelling to their counterparts on the beach. We just layed around and enjoyed the scenery and nice warm weather. Could not believe the water temperature - it felt warmer than the air temp! Took some pictures and then decided to head back to the villa for a little while (we REALLY enjoyed the villa) We saw a donkey on the side of the road on the way back and stopped to take pictures of Leinster Bay. Very very very pretty bay and I wish we would have snorkled it. It was barely ever crowded. For dinner I made stirfry with some beef from the market and the leftover rice from the Chinese. Cheap and tasty! We then headed into town to do some window shopping. We spoke to a lady in a jewelry store (can't remember the name of it but it was in the middle of Versace Jewelers and Island Jewelers) and she said at Francis Bay, if you sit on the beach and just look out at the water, you can just wait for the sea turtle to surface and then snorkle out to it. I guess there is mainly one who frequents the area and doesn't swim away from people.

Day 5
Thursday June 24
Ok, this is one of the best times I had snorkling the entire trip. We went back to Francis Bay, this time with our snorkling gear. I couldn't believe how cool snorkling was. There were fish all over the place! Big ones and schools of tiny baby fish - very cool to swim with. I even saw a stingray. The water is a little murky at Francis but the sea life is very nice. There was a lady snorkling for a while in the same general area. We sat back and watched and she was following something - then all of a sudden its head popped up out of the water for a breath of air - it was a sea turtle!!!! We hurred up and put our gear on and went out to snorkle with it. WOW. It was one of the most serene experiences of my life. Got some nice pictures of the sea turtle and a great experience. It was so neat to look down and see it eating the sea grass not even caring about the snorklers above it. My husband even got to touch it b/c it swam so close to us. It didn't even act like it cared...just kept swimming up, getting a breath of air and then going back down to eat. Too cool. We snorkled a little bit more after that then went in to relax in the sun. Then went out again...and we saw another sea turtle!!! It may have been the same one but we saw it again and snorkled for a little while then headed back to the villa. St. John is such a magical place! 🙂 Ordered pizza that night for dinner from La Senorita - good pizza - $24 +tip for a large supreme delivered.

Day 6
Friday June 25
This was our 'exploring' day. We decided to head east and check out Coral Bay and Salt Pond. The drive was absolutely stunning. We took a wrong turn and headed towards Reef Bay by mistake but turned around and finally found the correct road. I wish we would have been able to explore the south shore a little more - the water was the blue-est I'd seen so far. And no people at all besides whoever was staying at a villa. The drive through the National Park was spectacular. It was like driving through another counry in a tropical rainforest. Birds were heard every where and it was so much cooler b/c of the higher elevation and the shade from the trees. There is a spot on the way to overlook the VI National Park and the BVI. Spectacular picture opportunity. As we were driving to Coral Bay we passed Chateux Bourdeux and decided to eat there for dinner that night. Coral Bay was dead compared to Cruz Bay. Such a contrast. But it sure was pretty. The bay was alot bigger and not as many houses or shops. We made it to Salt Pond Bay but it was packed. And really no shade anywhere. We didn't have our beach gear/wear either so just took some pictures then went back to our villa for lunch. I loved the drive to and from Coral Bay - its worth going just to do the drive. ST. JOHN IS SOOO BEAUTIFUL!! After lunch we headed to Hawksnest for some snorkling. It was so different from Francis - the water was very clear and there was coral everywhere. It was so neat to see all of the colorful fish and the different types of coral. My depth perception was horrible though and as we were snorkling over some coral I freaked out - I kept thinking I was going to fall on the black sea urchines (OH MY WORD THEY WERE HUGE) and really injure myself. I had a panic attack and had to stop snorkling. We decided to just go to the villa and swim in the pool and get ready for dinner. We called and made reservations for 7:30pm at the Chateux. They were busy! And the place was soooooo tiny. We didn't get seated until about 8pm but it was worth the wait. We got to sit out on their outside deck and overlook Coral Bay. The sun just set and it was dusk when we arrived, by the time we were seated it was almost completely dark and all of the lights were starting to come on in town. And looking to the north we could see Tortola in the background all lit up. Just gorgeous and a very romantic setting. I wished already that our wedding dinner was there instead of ZoZo's! Our waitress/hostess was extremely nice and very accomidating. The prices were a little more expensive than ZoZo's but the food was definately worth it. It was the best food I have tasted in my entire life!! My husband had lamb chops and a salad; I had the MahiMahi and the broccolli soup. Anyone who goes HAS TO GET THE SOUP - my mouth was tingling with sensation it was so good!! And if you are considering lamb - get it over anything else - the best lamb chops ever. They really know their stuff there. The desserts were also spectacular. mmmmmmmmmmm I'm salavating just thinking about the food there! Highly highly HIGHLY reccommended if you have the $$. Dinner, dessert and 2 glasses of wine $116 plus a very nice tip. Well worth the drive and money. We got home about 11pm and this was the latest we had stayed up so far on the trip. When we got back we sat on the porch under the moon for a little while. What a perfect day!

Day 7
Saturday June 26
Back to Francis Bay again!! The beaches were pretty deserted since no cruise ships were in port which was very nice but we decided to head to Francis Bay for another sea turtle encounter again. And boy did we ever have one! While we were walking to our spot on the beach we looked out to sea and there was the sea turtle, surfacing for air about 20 yrds out. We got settled and I decided to go find it. I found him on the bottom munching on some sea grass. My husband came out and we followed him around for a little bit. We got out and layed out in the sun and heard some people saying they found a sea turtle - not sure if it was the same one or not. After getting really hot and swimming and laying out for awhile we decided to go snorkling again. And we found the same sea turtle!! We used up the rest of our film in our underwater camera and my husband went in. Right after he went in I found a 2nd sea turtle just munching away on the sea grass about 5 ft from the other one. They are such fasinating creatures! We layed out and caught some sun, went swimming, caught some more sun, snorkled some more then went to the villa. Stopped at the market place for dinner - burgers on the grill.

Day 8
Sunday Jun 27
Headed to Trunk Bay for a few hours. My husband went snubaing but I chickened out and ended up heading back into shore...another panic attack while under water. So I walked around the beach taking pictures of the beautiful scenery. I was surprised how busy the beach was and there weren't even any cruise ships in port. It is a pretty beach but I like Hawksnest better. Guess I'm partial since I was married there! After the snuba we went back to the villa for a few hours then headed to Mongoose Junction for a little shopping. Didn't buy very much - a bikini top and a snorkle mask since my husband broke his yesterday. We then headed to Fish Trap for an early dinner. It was O.K. for all of the reviews on the place I thought it would be a little better. Don't get me wrong, it was good just not what I expected. Price was right and I was full so no complaints. There was a beautiful sunset that night and we were able to watch a storm offshore head northwest. I loved watching the lightning in the clouds....

Day 9
Monday June 28
Woke up early to head to St. Thomas to check out Coral World and go shopping. We missed the 9am ferry so waited for the 10am. I was surprised there really isnt' anything going on in Cruz Bay before 10am. We passed the time by walking around town and then eating "breakfast" (fried fish sandwhich and hamburger) at a roadside stand (forgot the name) across from Cool Breezes Jeep rental. Let me tell you, that was the best breakfast on the trip so far! Very tasty and cheap. $10 for the sandwiches and 2 cans of pop. Well we made it to Coral World around 11am or so. It was so neat! Like a zoo but only for animals found in the carribbean. The touch pool was cool - the sea cucumber felt the coolest. There were iguanas all over the place and it was funny to see people kinda freak out about them. I think the only thing we didn't see were sea horses besides a few they had in some salt water aquarium setups. I loved the shark tank. I didn't like the sea turtle tank b/c they seemed really crowded and looked like they wanted to escape. We did a little souvinier shopping and then waited for a taxi to go to downtown. A nice older man stopped us and offered to take us to town but we just had to wait to see if anyone else would be going to town to fill up the taxi a little bit. He was excited to hear that we were newly weds and said he had some good advice for us. When we were in the taxi on our way he did have some good advice - never stop courting. Then he went on and on and on about Jehova and Adam and Eve and just preached from there almost reciting the whole bible. He even took a longer way to town I think just to preach to us some more. He was a very nice old man but I just wish he could have kept his religion to himself!! Shopping was very different in STT then STJ - there were a ton more people (2 cruise ships were in) and there was alot more things to look at. And the prices were alot better. We picked up a few things for family members back home then headed to Cardow to check out some jewelry. I had been anxious on looking since learning about the discounts on jewelry in the VI. I was disappointed. Quality was not very good in most of the pieces I saw. The lose diamonds were nice, but the SI quality was 2 or 3 at the most it seemed in the ring setting pieces. Could not find any pieces with VS1-2 side stones. Quality was definately not the same as in the states. Maybe for loose diamonds, but not in the settings. We caught an opened aired taxi back to Red Hook (I liked them better than the van taxis) but missed the 2pm ferry. We decided to walk a few blocks and find some lunch. We stopped at Burrito Bay and had some delicious food!!! The minced meat tacos and burritos were excellent. Would definately reccommend the resturant. You could sit outside with a view of the harbor. We finally made our ferry back to STJ and once back at the villa we decided to go to Jumbie Beach for some snorkling. It was deserted!! Very pretty beach and right next to Trunk Bay. You could probably swim to Trunk if you wanted to. We started snorkling when my husband freaked out and swam as fast as he could into shore. I wondered what was wrong and asked him - there were hundreds of baby jellyfish in the water. I backed out of the water then went slowly back in to check them out. Yup, tons and tons of tiny little clear things floating in the water. Definately jellies. Oh well - headed to Hawksnest to snorkle for about 30min - no jellies there! We headed back to the villa and cooked some hotdogs then went to bed at about 8:30. We were soooo worn out.

Day 9
Tuesday June 29
Our final full day on the island *cries*....We decided to head back to Jumbie to see if the jellies were still there....yup they were. So we went to Hawksnest again to snorkle. Saw some spectacular brain coral and fan coral (bright purple!). We didn't stay too long though, it was getting crowded and it wasn't a very sunny day yet. We thought we might head to Leinster Bay later but not sure. We went back to the villa and were pool bums the majority of the day, both working on our tans. Hotdogs again for lunch, poolside, with an ocean view. Ahhhhhhh the life! We layed around for about 4 hours then decided to go into town for dinner and to get some souviners for us. We finally ate at Cafe Roma (I have wanted to try the resturant since arriving) and I wish we would have went sooner. The food was excellent and the prices could not be beat. Veal Marsala and Chicken Parmasagne were very very tasty. About $60 + tip for the both of us which included wine and appatizers. Well worth the money. We finished dinner and walked around some of the shops across the street from Cafe Roma. Got a couple of t-shirts and window shopped. Some very neat items for sale on STJ - wish we had a little more money! There was an iguana and sea turtle carved out of wood and both were absolutely amazing craftsmanship. Wish I could have afforded to bring one home. We went back to the villa and finished packing. We had to leave at 10am the next morning to return the jeep and check out of the villa. It was a sad night. But we did get to enjoy an almost full moon and watch passing cruise ships for a little while before bed. The beauty of the island is something that cannot be matched and this trip was the best trip - would not have done anything any other way. It worked out perfectly and we both had a fabulous honeymoon on STJ!!!

Day 10
Wednesday June 30
.....we leave..................wishing we could go back before we even leave STT airport.