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Ok, here's a quick report:
We were on St John from 11/29-12/10
Virgin Grand Estates, Cocotier: beautiful and comfortable home (Cocotier) w/pool and hot tub, minor construction in the area, no dogs or roosters close by, amazing view and sunsets (Cruz bay side of island), housed 8 of us very comfortably (4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms), felt like home.
Miss Lucy's: worth the drive to the other side of the island 3 times! Would've gone back more if we weren't worried about looking like stalkers! Brunch, lunch, dinner, all fantastic food! The best view (daytime) book-ended by the most beautiful sea grape trees, the best breeze, lunch with the goats, brunch with the chicken in the tree, no-foolin' drinks (try the dirty banana), normal island prices.
Snorkeling: Haulover Bay (follow the trail on the other side of the road for more good snorkeling but more waves)! The left side of the bay is better than the right but they're both fantastic. Water is clear and calm but beach is mostly stone w/some sandy patches. Watch for sea urchins when you first walk into the water (we didn't have any where we entered). The rocky cliffs and rock formations on either side of the bay make the coolest spots to see beatuiful coral and fish and amazing underwater scenes. Even right off the beach, look close and you can see amazing feathered worms and other cool stuff. I took all of my underwater pictures here and snorkeled for 3 hours (burned my butt pretty good). Also, the snorkeling at Trunk Bay was surprisingly good. The fish aren't as skittish and we went on an off/on rainy day so it wasn't crowded at all. You can get some great underwater pictures of parrot fish here.
New Horizons II: Was a lot of fun! The crew was really great and energetic and very funny. The food quality and presentation was really nice (breakfast and lunch snacks). We went to Virgin Gorda, Guana Island, Marina Cay, Jost van Dyke then home. The only downside was the snorkeling at Guana Island. The bay we were brought to was very wavy and the water was murky. Virgin Gorda was very cool to see but crowded. Got a lot of good pictures of the Baths. The highlight of this trip was lunch on Marina Cay at Pussers. The beach was so beautiful at this site and the drinks were VERY strong. We sat under the thatched roof table and I could've stayed there all day. All in all, we would've had more fun if some of the other passengers weren't such downers, but we had a good time anyway.
These were the higlights of our second trip to St John. Hopefully this will become an annual trip for my husband and I (his family has been several times). I feel like I'm at home on St John. However, that afternoon sun kills me!!! Whew!
A great place for afternoon drinks is Rumbalaya, right off the dock on Cruz Bay. A nice place to hang and people watch in the shade. Normal island prices and a really great staff. Very realxing. Island Blues is another great place for appetizers and sandwiches and drinks!
The Dolphin Market was found to have better prices than Starfish.
We made reservations for eight people at Zozo's and were almost turned away because we had an infant. When we made the reservations, they failed to inform us of the "no child under 5 yrs" rule, but they couldn't find another restaurant that would take us so they had to seat us (the baby was great, by the way). The food was good but I'm not really into high end food. It seems kinda snobby to me (sorry, no offense).
Honestly, we cooked at the house a lot. It was fun, it didn't cost as much, we were pool side and no one cooks a filet like my father-in-law!
And, hey, what's up with the roving band of merry cows? Donkeys, goats, chickens, I understand. But cows? Sometimes accompanied by a 500 lb pig? Did a farmers fence fall down?
And the mosquitos were nasty (we're used to it in New Engalnd). My aunt-in-law is in the hospital with what appears to be Dengue Fever. She's the only one who got sick. Please be careful and wear bug spray!
Anyway, I hope I was helpful to someone planning a trip. I can't wait to come back next year.
PS- on St Thomas, go to Imerial Jewelers. My mother-in-law has gone there for years and has never had a problem!
Lysa,
Can you give a few more details about Cocotier? We are arriving on the 17th, and I am hoping the villa is everything I expect.
Did you have to buy every little thing for the kitchen, i.e. salt, pepper, foil, garbage bags, dishwasher soap, laundry detergent, etc. etc.?
Also, did the home have any videos, board games, beach toys?
Is it correct to assume the T.V. stereo, and computer connections are all working and up to date?
One more question, did you get eaten alive by mosquitoes, or were they controlable
with proper precautions?
Thanks for any info on these subjects, or anything else that I might have forgotton to ask.
Hey Deb! I am very jealous. Can I come with you?!
Coctier is a beautiful home! It is brand new so everything is up to date. The living room furniture is beautiful, the beds and linens are top quality, the showers are beautiful. I don't think you can go wrong with a Destination St John house.
The TV has a satellite dish but we couldn't figure out how to get ABC, NBC, CBS. But they have a DVD, nice stereo, games, books, beach chairs, some floats for the beach or pool, more dishware than you can shake a stick at and an amazing grill (wait till you see it).
I'm not sure about what they leave in the kitchen. My husband and I came a few days after the rest of the family. My impression was that the cupboards were bare. I know we left some salt pepper detergent dish soap trash bags etc but I think they have to remove some food stuff due to critter potential. I'd visit the house first, make a list and head to the store.
Definetely hit St John Spice, a fun store with great, all natural, bug stuff. We had two different kinds and they both smelled like Thai food (lemongrass, citrus, coconut). I'm not sure where you are from, but in New England we are used to bugs in the early AM and bugs at dusk. Don't risk it. I'm almost positive Dengue Fever is what my aunt-in-law had based on the symptoms listed on the message board.
The sunset from Cocotier is amazing and we had a rainbow almost everday. I can't wait to develop my pictures. Also, the view of the twinkling lights of St Thomas at night is what makes it worth staying on this side of the island. I like the Coral Bay side during the day and the Cruz Bay side at night.
There was minor construction in the development but that's what you get for being in a brand new developent. It didn't bother me cuz we didn't spend much time at home during the workday, we were at one of many white sand beaches!
While we stayed there, we watched two hummingbird hatchlings go from poofballs of feathers to taking their first flight out of the nest. You can see the tiny nest on a palm frond right off the driveway near the walkway. Keep an eye out for the little guys for us, will you?!
Have a great time!
Thanks for the warning about bug spray. I sell Avon and the bug's are usually nasty at my house on the coast of Maine. Wouldn't have thought about it in the USVI. 🙂
I'll remember my Bug Guard!
Thanks Lysa for the review and the laugh... merry cows, donekys, goats, pig - LOL LOL. Glad you enjoyed yourself.
--Islander
