rosebud: Congrats and best wishes to you two! Can you give us an idea of things you like to do or want to try? Are you water people? Sailing? Snorkeling? Diving? Are you sit-on-the-beach-and-read-a-book people? Hikers? Shoppers? History buffs? Are you coming down soon?

Congratulations!!! You will have a great time and you have many choices. Like East said, let us know what you want to do and somebody can point you in the right direction.

here are some ideas.

1. Take a day sail to ST. John. True Love, Nightwind, New Horizons are my favoriate.

2. Take a day trip to the Baths. You can get there by the New Horizons or take a ferry.

3. Do a tour of the local beaches on STT. Start with Megan's, Hull Bay, Emeriald, Cokie, Lindquest (Smith Bay), then save the beats for last, Sapphire.

4. Spend a day shopping for food, and all other things. Lok for days when the boats are not in but watch out for Sunday. They sometimes limit the shops that are open. You can go to town pr Havensight.

5. Go to Mountain Top and Paradise point. If you go to Paradise point and are driving go early. Parking is pretty bad up there.

6. Go to lunch at the following. Roberts, Shiprwreck (2 for burgers on Fridays), Deli Deck, Molly Malones, Carbibean Salon (1/2 price finger foods before 6:30 on Week Days.

7. Spend time in the water. Snorkel you heart out. Coke and Sapphire are the best I have found.

Remember the beauty of the islands is that you do want you want to when you want to.

Have a good time.

billd

Thanks for the replies, we both love the ocean,fishing, the mountains,jeeping,shopping,anything and everthing or something different.
For sure going on the horizon day trip to bath/soggy dollar/etc. Have a car rented for 2 weeks so we can get around, would like to go to some of the islands, not sure which, if the horizon goes to some, but maybe not long to see things and we would like to return again. anything you can come up with, I'm going to print them all off and take them with...Will be in st thomas Christmas day thru jan08,2009.
thanks.......Rosebud

Christmas in the Caribbean! What fun! But, that time frame is about the busiest time of the year. Watch the cruise ship schedule and go downtown or to Magens on the day(s) with the fewest ships. With your rental, you can always leave and search for a quieter spot if need be!

A day trip on New Horizons or Pirate's Penny/Stormy Petrel is a great idea for an overview of the USVI/BVI.

Restaurants for people who are lucky enough to have been married 40 years: Robert's (wonderful food and a great piano bar!), Randy's (favorite spot for lots of locals) , Room With a View and Banana Tree, Mafolie (those three for great food and views), Bella Blu or Craig and Sally's in Frenchtown. For fun: Iggie's at Bolongo, Latitude 18 (check who is playing and type of music- watch out for the road out there!)

If you like hiking, call the National Park office and sign up for the Reef Bay Trail. Lots of other trails and activities available through them also. (340-776-6201) This is on St John, BTW.

Fun things: Coral World, Paradise Point, golf at Mahogany Run.

Look for the "Island Trader", a free newspaper that comes out Thursdays, for any plays, art openings, concerts, special events. :-).

Thank you East Ender and billd, connie Etc.?, as it gets closer it gets more exciting, except we are leaving our kids on Christmas Day,of course who are all Adults, but grandchildren too, so I kinda feel bad about that, but just this once. We live in the Midwest hasn't been bad yet, but shurly it will get the better of us and we will welcome the sun and warm weather by the time we get there. I welcome all of your input and will print it off, thank-you for taking the time..............Happy holidays..Rosebud

2 weeks, huh? We had one and wish it had been 2 - or even 3. You'll have more crowds then we did but the advice everyone gives and is right is just relax and take it all in stride without a care for the time.

Another advice we took was taking our own snorkelng gear so you can pick and choose the beaches and take as much or as little time at each as you like - take a few Milk Bone dog treats to feed and draw the fish. Take lots of photos and take an underwater camera -- digital or film, but the highest speed you can find - we had a flash but forgot to turn it on and the underwater shots still came out good.

For sure, take the car barge over to STJ and enjoy the sites and beaches there - we only had time for the north route, but if you can do two days or more there you can do the route to the east and south sides, which we wouldv'e done had we had the time. You guys are younger then we are so you can probably do it at a faster pace -- but we agree with what some have said - slow is good over there.

Mofolie's restaraunt above CA for a romantic dinner (better than Room With A Few or Banana Tree IMHO) - call for reservations and tell them you're celebrating your 40th and want the best view and they will take care of you. It's best if it's just the two of you as the tables right next to the railing are all tables for two - where you get the feel for the view that lies directly below you (all the tables have a decent view but the ones next to the rail is where you want to be if you can get one).

Congratulation and enjoy celebrating your special "coupleness" - the kids and grandkids will do just fine and be happy for you!

I agree with all the suggestions so far. Go to the beaches - Secret Harbour, Sapphire, Magen's Bay. Yacht Haven Grande is a nice place to stroll and have lunch at Wikked or the Fat Turtle. Crown Bay Marina on Friday evenings has live music on the water - free and fun. Tavern on the Waterfront has live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights. You can go for dinner or just dessert or just drinks and listen to some great music.

Lojeep: PLEASE don't feed the fishies or you will end up like a chapter in Connie's trip report:

"Back to the snorkeling and what we like to call nipplegate. We were lazy and decided to get a raft from the beach shack (10.00 whole day). We didn't put on our fins or vests, only our mask and snorkel. We figure, take it easy, get the dog bones out, lay there and feet the fish. I don't know the name of every fish, but these fish were silver and had black tip fins (no, not the shark). Soon as we put that dog bone in the water, they're circling us...around and around and around. Milk bone gets wet, they start feeding (all I could think of was JB's "Fins". The milk bone starts crumbling and these fish are in our face going crazy. All of a sudden I hear husband scream JC, scared me!! What's wrong? One of the fish had bit his left nipple thinking it was a piece of a dog bone. We still laugh about this. Not funny when it happened and it hurt pretty good, but another memory."

rosebud - a couple more notes; when shopping downtown there are historical buildings you can include in the day... so shop, sight-see, have lunch. If you want to try some local dishes there are a few good spots downtown like Cuzzins and Gladys. On New Year's Eve restaurants usually have fixed menus and require reservations. Pick where you want to go early and reserve it, a couple weeks in advance should work.

Enjoy and Congrats!

--Islander

Thanks everyone for your input, just about 4 weeks away now, and I am so ready, I already know my biggest hurdle will be to slow down to the island pace, some one somewhere said take your watch off, great idea,maybe throw away the car keys too, and do some walking. I have the ipod all filled up with tunes, the hubby will always be wandering around checking things out, am bringing the laptop to send pictures home to our kids, and too communicate alittle. Other than that I am hoping that this will be the most restful vacation we have had in years for both of us. If you see 2 people wandering around like they are lost, its us, just wave and smile.............Thanks!!!

Well the time has finally come one week out, the bug spray is packed, 2 kinds of it for all the little nasty guys out there,3 different levels of suntan lotion. a little note book full of wonderful ideas to do, a list of all the happy hours and best places to go for snacks. Best Places to eat for a great view at night, and a wonderful boat ride of the VI. I f anyone else has anything to offer please do so, as time is getting short, we are still open to all ideas. Thanks everyone and Merry Christmas..............Rosebud P. S. did I mention how excited I was..................................................Wow!!!!

Felicitations on your anniversary!

A nice thing to do is meet and chat with some locals whenever possible. This will really enrich your experience. A few things to facilitate this:

1) Visit Magens Bay in the early morning (before 8:00), when the water is wonderful (and a little cool!), and many local folks are waterjogging, swimming etc.
2) Attend a church service, whether you're religious or not. The warmth and spirit are unforgettable.
3) Get some take out food from T-restaurant, Mandahl Market, or another small local place and take it to the park or beach for a picnic.
4) Make a visit to the K-Mart early in your trip. (Don't groan). You'll find there lots of things you might need (extra flip flops, sun screen) at a relatively low cost, and probably get a kick out of the social scene.

Have a wonderful time!

Islandlola

Forty years.....Whew! That's a long time. Congratulations! What better way to celebrate than a visit to the islands.

Islandlola, your post includes the second time I've heard of T restaurant. Last August the woman at the desk and the bellman of the resort I visit also recommended it. They were discussing a bunch pf different restaurants and I didn't catch any details about it? Is it in Vitraco (park/mall/center?) What kind of food do they serve? Now I'm really curious.

Thanks.

T Restaurant offers good, hearty, local food, such as stewed mutton, salt fish, peas and rice, fried chicken and fish and conch. It's reasonably priced, the quantity is good, and going there is an experience in itself (people from every walk of island life are to be found in there.) I go early, sometimes around 11 or 11:30 a.m. to have the best selection.

It's near Eulla F. Muller Elementary School and next to the club La Bamboushay.

Enjoy!

Islandlola

T restaurant is on the NE corner at the Nisky Intersection on the inner road by the school - it does have some great local food choices - has a friendly staff - and is named T for "Trini" the Trinidadian who started it. It is not the greatest area in the late evening or late night when the nightclub scene nearby ramps up but even then it is full of local and off island folks partying -- and interesting.

Thanks Islandlola and e-z! Something new to check out.

My family and i spent a day on Captain Dave's boat - Oh Be Joyful Sailing out of Red Hook and loved it so much we went back the next week. I recommend his Sunday trip. He takes you sailing and snorkeling all afternoon and to St John to listen to live jazz on the beach. You then sail back under the stars. Great price and the best thing to do in the islands. Have fun!