Wanted to thank all those on the board who helped make our (hubby and I) trip a success and pass along a few other tips. Opinions here are from my perspective. Pretty much followed Fins, Feet, 4 Wheel book. We saw everything we set out to see underwater with the exception of an octopus. Hope you have a safe and fun vacation!!!!

What to pack:
Insect repellant with deet...we varied from 29%-100% and were pretty much okay
Plastic bags to keep food from the red ants..still got a few
A small soft cooler and cool packs
A backpack to carry your snorkel/fins/mask
Tennis shoes or hiking boots..keens worked great and you don't have to switch b/w shoes
Plastic bags with sippers (that sheets or bedding usually come in) These worked great to put dry items in while we were snorkeling. With the frequent DOWN pours we needed them.
E-coupons from the internet for drinks downtown
Cruise schedule to avoid crowds
Cell phone

What to do:
We hiked and snorkeled everyday.
Reef Bay- You don't need to hike the Reef Bay trail with the National Park. We started from Lameshur through to Reef Bay. Saw baby sharks but not much else.
Trunk- Striped baracudas, Tarpin...this was worth it
Waterlemon- 2 turtles and several string rays
Great Lamsure- We scrambled the rocks for a long way and it was not worth it..saw a school of blue tang
Peter Bay-NOT MUCH......very dissapointing. We snorkeled/swam a while to get there. Looks like the development has destroyed much of the beautiful reef described in the book. Pretty much a waste of time.
Our favorites: Brown Bay (a 30 minute hike and worth every minute) Private, nice reef, conch, star fish-very cool
Haulover North- Scramble to the right, TONS of live reef varying from a few feets to maybe 90 feet drop offs
Salt Pond- very nice, great reef, turtles, rays Gets very crowded by mid morning/afternoon
Fishing- We charted with Double Header out of St. Thomas and had a great time. I highly recommend the 6 person boat. It had a closed area that protectd us from the waves and rain shower. Our captain was fun and the 1st mate worked his tail off to make it a great trip. We found another group via this board and shared the cost.

Where to stay and eat:
HIGHLY recommend www.horizonscottage.com The owner was great and very easy/fast communication to book with her. The view is breathtaking and since it faces the east we got a lot of breeze at night. We prefer more remote locations and this was perfect. We had a 5 minute drive to Coral Bay. It's not new and doesn't have a pool, but those didn't impact us.

Our favorite restaurant was Shipwreck. We stayed mostly in Coral Bay but did eat at the Lime Inn and Morgan's Mango in town. Miss Lucy's was dissapointing. Pretty expensive and small portions. If you're in the mood, Sweet Plantains was AWESOME. It's all curry and my dinner was delicious!!! We had snacks at Skinny Legs and Island Blues.

Happy Travels,
Shamrok_gal