We just returned from a vacation on the 13th and the construction did not seem to bother us any. We stayed in a villa near Chocolate Hole. Only thing that was a small problem was near the ferry docks, with all the construction trucks coming and going off of the ferry. Hope this helps.
Brian

Hey Brian,

Mind if I ask where you stayed?

We're headed to Time Out villa end of next week, it's south Chocolate Hole area, per the description. Based on pictures I have a good idea where it's located, was particularly curious if they've started clearing land at Pond Bay Club (if I got the name correct?!?).

I get the impression that you head out Bovacoup (sp?) road, and it is on the right a short distance out, not way out on the point.

We've visited St. John (cruise and STT stay) but have never stayed there, so our knowledge is limited.

Thanks for any info,

Bernie

And any info on the east end of the island?? We're staying at The Retreat Villa in June and have heard of possible road noise. Any ideas?

We stayed at a private villa called the Inn Paradise. It is the first left past the Westin resorts. You keep bearing left and go way up the hill overlooking chocolate hole. It is the second house from the top of the hill. The east side you are talking about is coral bay? We went there only a couple of times. One for the blues festival and the other was to the beach at salt pond. The were in the process of paving the road towards salt pond.
The island is very quiet, especially at night. You won't hear any construction at all. If you have any more questions I would be glad to try and answer them.
Brian

Brian,

If I understand correctly, we take a right off the main road to Time Out, thus the South Chocolate Hole designation, you would have been what is considered the North. Basically just which side of the main drag you're on, me thinks.

I'd be curious about any general comments you'd have, where you went, good/bad, grocery shopping in the area, etc. Have the comments from grocery on earlier threads, but if you could add any comments, that would be great.

Our basic vacation schedule and the plan for this trip is to head out to a beach each morning, I like to snorkel, the wife is not so hot on that, so there will be some compromise. We have only been to Cinammon before, thought it was great. Modest hikes, don't have to park next to the beach, but not ready to park on Centerline and go down to Reef and back, either. Then lunch at a dive, afternoons at the villa for a nap and some pool time, dinner will probably be half and half out vs. getting something to prepare. Nothing outrageous, but grabbing a steak or seafood, toss it on the grill, when grabbing lunch we might get some of the side dish type things at a deli type place, make dinner preparation painless, we're on vacation after all, just not ones to eat out all the time. Figure we're paying for a nice place to stay, enjoy it some.

Other possible activities are the Reef Bay Hike with the park service, hike down, boat ride back, and also debating a trip to the Baths on Virgin Gorda. Would like to go sometime, don't get there often, but also not sure about spending a whole day elsewhere, we've only got 7 full days to explore with our 8 night stay.

Thanks for any input you have! While I like to plan somewhat, I also figure I have a couple of books to check on things, and I'm on vacation to relax and enjoy, so too much planning and all out trying to see everything is not in the cards. Got my MP3 loaded for the trip, and can read the books on the way down while listening, so a lot of possible places will get hatched then, just happy to have input from someone looking through my eyes, so to speak.

Bernie

Hey Bernie, I'll try and answer all your questions. The main drag you are talking about is route 104. It is a winding road that takes you past the police station and towards the south to Chocolate hole. Or you could stay on Centerline road and come down on 104. Are you staying at the Westin? The westin is actually on both sides of the road. The resort is on the right near the beach and the villas are up on the hill. The house we stayed at was just above the resort way up on the top of the hill. We went to the beach every day except one. We did the snorkeling trip to Virgin Gorda and the baths. That was pretty cool. It was through New Horizons. All the drinks you want, beer, soda, water, and snacks. The beaches we went to were Francis bay, cinnamon bay, salt pond, and trunk bay. We shopped at starfish market for food. Which is on the road I was talking about. They have everything that you could want. We also stayed in our share of the nights and ate at home. Our favorite restaurant was Pannini Beach Trattoria, right next to the beach, and dock in Cruz bay. We also went to the Fish Trap, Island Blues, and Morgans Mango. We also had dinks, after a long hot day at the beach, at Woody's and the Beach Bar. We also ate at he BBQ joint in downtown Cruz bay. It is called Uncle Joe's BBQ. You won't see a sign for it, but you will smell it for sure. It is across the street from Cap's place. Cap's place is a bar where the locals hang out. They have one dollar Miller lite or MGD bottles. You can walk around with drinks or beers if you like but make sure you keep a shirt on. I was walikng around one day without a shirt and was stopped by a local who informed me of this law. There is so much to do at night. Live music is always to be had. It varies from bar to bar. I hope this helps and ask away. It is nice to think back and remember our vacation. We plan to go back in 2006 and stay for a couple of weeks. The time will fly by because of all the fun you will have. See ya.
Brian

Thanks for the info Brian!

We're not staying at the Westin, we're at a private villa called Time Out. It's south of the main road.

Questions about the New Horizons trip...

Doesn't it depart from Red Hook? Or will they pick up on STJ?

How rough a ride, did anyone get seasick?

How about when you get to the Baths? Don't you swim in?

We are considering the New Horizons trip as opposed to some of the catamarans. Haven't booked anything yet, figured we'd wing it when we get there, did you plan far ahead?

Thanks again for responding,

Bernie

The thing that caught my attention was that Brian thought it might be all right to walk all around town WITHOUT his shirt on. I will try to put this as tackfully as possible.
This is our home. We build our lives around helping and being nice to thousands upon thousands of people each year on our small rock. All we ask is you follow a few rules.....one is to wear clothes when you arent at the beach. The fustrating thing is, would people go shirtless in their respective towns? Beach attire is for the beach. We don't want to see your flesh when we are going to pick up our mail or run errands. (at least think of the children!) When you go to the beach we expect to see that stuff. (Thats why we alter our beach destinations during busy seasons. ) Its just insulting that people come here and lose all common sense by doing things you wouldnt normally do when you were in your respective home. Who doesnt know common health codes or at least the cliche,"no shoes, no shirt, no service?"

Sorry, I just needed to vent a tiny bit.
🙂

Hey Chris, I wasn't trying to be rude. I just didn't know there was a law against not wearing a shirt. There is no law at home that says you have to wear a shirt while walking around. I would never walk into a restaurant without a shirt or shoes. I also didn't say I was against the law either. I made a mistake, someone was nice enough to correct me, and that was it. Now I was just trying to give some advise to someone to not make the same mistake. I should have been more respectful about the kid who asked me if I wanted some pot while trying to enjoy some music at Freds. Well we could argue for hours about laws and stuff. Let it go and have a nice day.

Well back to your questions Bernie. The boat picked us up on St. John, near the National park service boats. No one got sea sick. The boat moves pretty quick, probably around 30 knots. It was no small boat either. I think there were about 15-20 people on board. You do have to swim in to the Baths. You should bring your snorkel gear with you. They also provided floating boards and those noodle things, if you needed them. We booked the trip a few weeks in advance because we wanted to go on a specific day.

Thanks
Brian

Brian, I dont have any problem with what you did nor take any offence to it.
Like I said, though, it is nice when people bring thier common sense with on vacation.
You see my point?

Stateside during the summer months many males go without shirts in various situations, mowing grass, working outside (roofers especially come to mind) for instance. It seems like Daytona Beach has a law restricitng the wearing of beach attire more than a certain distance from the beach.

The question arises though if the same standard applies to both genders? What once was considered a bikini bathing suit top has now become common summer attire for females (mostly young & nubile) so they may cover their tops with very few square inches of fabric material with spagetti straps, while a male is supposed to wear a shirt? What is the answer?

PH

Hello,

The bareback taboo applies to both women and men. Women should not wear just a bikini top to go shopping in town - they should wear a beach coverup, tank top... over the swim wear. Beach attire for the beach for men, women and children; not on the streets.

--Islander

And in some cases, whether here or in the states, it is just frowned upon and not necessarily against the law. I worked at a restaurant on a lake in the midwest and we had these people dock their boats and walk right in off the lake without shoes or shirts (or swim suits). I just don't understand it. They would sometimes be offended that we wouldnt serve people that had no shoes or shirts. Do people not have consideration for other people's enjoyment of a public place?
The thing that gets me, though, is the parents who use a diaper as shorts for their kids.
That one makes me shake my head. That might be more of a jeff foxworthy line.....like you might be a redneck if......you walk into a bar without a shirt and you get offended because they wont serve you or think clothing shopping for your child is picking up another bag of disposable diapers. And i dont know if anyone else can side with me but at least once a week, i see something that is above and beyond offending me.....its like something so absurd that you have to laugh because its just crazy. Anyone else know what i am talking about? Like someone in line at Starfish and they are offended that the person asks for ID for a credit card purchase.....that stuff just makes me laugh.

When visiting someplace that is not your home, just respect the local customs. There are many tourist books around that will inform you of the local customs. What we might not find offensive at home, places you are visiting might find it upsetting.