Margy’s Trip Report – St. Croix 2009 – April 1418-30 - Hubs and I, April 14-23 - Part 34 (just kidding) - PART 4 – Apr 18-21

Sunday, April 19

It’s another beautiful, breezy day. Based on the way we are both still feeling we decide to make this a complete villa day. There are NBA playoff games on today and I’m keeping up with the scores on the iPod while I’m in and out of the pool. The Bulls beat Boston yesterday but we are not sure they are really going to get out of this first round even though Boston is playing without Garnett. It’s just a nice, lazy day, sports, pool, drinks, repeat. We grilled up some burgers for an early lunch and just kick back and watch the boats come and go. Getting out and about and seeing new things is nice but this is really why we are here.

We are looking forward to a dinner delivered tonight by Chef Jill at Café Fresco in C’Sted. We talked over what things we might like a couple of days ago but left the final menu up to her so we can’t wait to see what she comes up with for us. Chef Jill comes highly recommended but she is from Indiana and a Purdue Boilermaker. As my Irish relatives from Indiana are in the Notre Dame camp, we joke that I can’t cut her any slack so this meal had better be great. From the way she discusses food and what she might do I don’t think we have anything to worry about.

Chef Jill arrives at Island Time with a fantastic spread, hot and ready to serve. Beef tenderloin, cooked perfectly pink with accompanying balsamic mushrooms; local Mahi with fresh dill; mixed veggie grill, spicy West Indian rice and beans, mixed field greens salad, bread, huge homemade chocolate cookies and even chocolate ice cream. The meal is wonderful and we are amazed that everything arrived so perfectly after being transported. All we have to do is set the table and open a bottle of wine – if this isn’t heaven then someone tell me what’s missing. We definitely have to do this again with Jill – it is such a treat to just “be” at the villa and not have to do a thing but open the door to something this delicious.

We end the day with a bottle of dessert wine out on the deck and, as on our arrival day, we watch the sun work its way down behind Teague Point – it’s doing a wonderful job!

Monday, April 20

I had previously approached Vacation St. Croix about the possibility of touring a few rental villas and this morning Ann is graciously going to take me around lookie-loo’ing. Hubs has agreed to go with me – if I will take him somewhere good for lunch after we’re finished. There’s always a price…(sigh). Paul has also arrived to give Island Time a mid-stay spruce up – a very gregarious guy, very knowledgeable about St. Croix and the villa scene here. We swap some stories about the good, the fabulous, the bad, the really bad, and the downright ugly learn quite a bit about various areas and villas. Ann gets set comparing my “wanna see” list against her occupancy report, makes some calls, we settle on a route, and off we go. There are so few STX villa reviews that I am going to include some pix and just a couple of blurbs here about the villas. I took notes about each one and a few more pix so if anyone would like more details, just PM me.

Our first stop is only a couple of driveways over from Island Time – Whispering Winds, located around Romney Point from the yacht club. WW is a 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath (4th bedroom is a complete guest house) full a/c villa just finishing up a total renovation and new furnishings are still being loaded in. It has a killer view of the reef, Buck Island to the west, and open ocean, a large pool newly tiled with swimming sea turtles and a nice white sand beach. WW is luxury and comfort on a stick, even Hubs was impressed, and he usually leaves the ooing and ahhing to me. I know he is mentally running through the list of people we like well enough to do a group trip with so we can stay here – the list is getting shorter all of the time (See Rick G’s #1 Rule: NO WHINERS!).

Our next stop is west a bit to Paradise Found, a beachfront villa in Cotton Valley Shores with a Buck Island view. This is a five bedroom full a/c villa that has a two-story guest house across the pool deck from the main house, and is beautifully furnished and appointed. Again, killer views from every window, lots of both sunny and shady places to relax and there’s a kitchen in the guest house that has a pass through/bar window that opens to the pool deck. Large, graded beach area, very good for a crowd. Lots of TLC and thought has gone into furnishing this villa – there are many beautiful owner touches.

We move on to look at Lee Jaa, also in Cotton Valley Shores. It’s also under renovation, the guys are working away and some rooms are sealed off against dust. But you just can’t mess with the outdoors and the view I am here to see and it is east-end spectacular, out over the reef to Buck Island. Lee Jaa is a two bedroom with a courtyard pool and a stone path directly into the water. This would be a perfect villa for a couple who wants pool privacy along with beachfront for good snorkeling right at the villa.

We then head on up the hill into Cotton Valley to see two villas that are on our short list: Reef Watch and Caribbean Pearl. We are trying to move quickly and see as many villas as possible as Ann is taking time from her day to do this for us. There is a lot to see at each villa but we are just trying to hit the high points.

The road climbs a bit higher and the views get broader up here in Cotton Valley. Out first stop is Reef Watch where there are two a/c bedrooms in the main house, a gorgeous all-white fully equipped kitchen, spectacular views from every window, and an a/c pool house with living area, twins to king beds and a kitchenette. The pool is large and surrounded by an ample curving pool deck. The landscaping here is so lush, even under the currently dry conditions, there is just so much green and so many beautiful colors.

We move on to Caribbean Pearl, a 3 bedroom white gingerbread trimmed cottage. Some “cottage” – lots of room here. Relaxation is the key here – there’s a very sunny pool deck but abundant shaded veranda areas, too. Each bedroom in the main building has a large hammock on its private veranda. There is a big pool with a chiminea on the surrounding deck – it must be very romantic to have a fireplace right by the pool in the evening. The kitchen has lots of built-ins, a gas cook top and even a pro shake maker like you would find at a soda fountain (well, I’m not old enough to remember soda fountains but I’ve seen them on TV – right).

I have been moving too fast, I guess, and by the end of seeing Caribbean Pearl I am over-heated, red in the face and hacking but still ready to head to the south, near the Divi Resort, to look at more villas. I’m having such a great time I don’t want to stop. Hubs just has to be the voice of reason (what a killjoy) and reign me in to call a halt to the day. Ann, the sweetie, offers to take us out again tomorrow morning so I can continue my villa snooping, uhhhhh TOUR.

We get back to a clean, orderly villa with fresh linens and towels. I just love a mid-stay cleaning. Got my breath back over lunch, then we took a ride over to Shoy’s Beach for a bit of a lazy swim and some sun.

Talked about dropping in at the Buccaneer for a snack but we were both pretty done in after the sun at Shoys so we ended the day cooking in at the villa and watching Dancing with the Stars. We’re old, for sure – that was official long ago.

Tuesday, April 21

Ann arrives early and we agree to not make this a marathon villa tour today but that I would really just like to see Sugar Bird Rest – lucky for us that it’s between guests. Since we are planning to go out to the Cane Bay area tomorrow we may then try to meet up with someone from Vacation St. Croix to see one or two villas out there. Hubs thinks I am loony, but for me, this is a great opportunity, and it really doesn’t take that much time. Last year, we toured Amonoka (a wonderful villa over Teague Bay), Sugar Bay House over Columbus Landing and D’Estasi in Solitude Bay. We booked D’Estasi for my girls’ portion of this trip and I have been able to recommend SBH and Amonoka to others because I have actually seen them. Besides, Hubs never got his lunch out yesterday because I was so done in, so if he’ll go with me to Sugar Bird I’ll try to make good on that deal today. I get an agreement – boy knows when to fold ‘em and just give in to me – after 34 years, he should know how to pick his battles!

Before we head out we make a reservation for the late afternoon sail on The Roseway schooner.

We head around the loop that is 82 on the east end and hit the south shore. Sugar Bird, down the beach from the Divi, does not disappoint. No pool, but it is just steps off the sand where there is a swimmable entry into turquoise water with a sandy bottom. Even Mr. Unenthusiastic perks up when Ann opens the shades and the sliders and he sees the close-on view of the water and feels the breeze. He suggests that we consider splitting our time next trip between Island Time and here - the lanai would be such a comfortable place to just hang out, the kitchen is fully equipped, nice TVs, etc., etc.. Okaaaaayyyyy, aren’t you glad you came along, Hubs??

We say thanks and goodbye to Ann and wander on up the hill to see if we can get a long shot of Sugar Bird (at the lower right, just down the beach from the Divi):

We head back down to earth and have lunch at the Divi beach-side restaurant, just sandwiches and a couple of Red Stripes. It was just ok and we later joked about “well, what did we expect for a $50 lunch?” – obviously, a bit more, lol.

We spend a little pool time and then get ready to head to Gallows Bay to meet The Roseway at 4:00. We have seen this ship around STX for the past couple of years and have been curious about it:

A registered US Historic Landmark, she has a fascinating history. Built as a racer in 1925, she was later classified as a pilot boat and fitted with a 50 caliber machine gun and thus armed she protected the port of Boston during WWII after the surprise on Pearl Harbor in ‘41. Unfortunately, she fell to disrepair and rode lower and lower in the water until she was acquired by the World Ocean School in 2002 and underwent three years of restoration – all wood and pegs. Now she sails the world as part of the World Ocean School and conducts educational seminars on board for STX’s junior high school students when she summers on STX.

We all became part of the crew and helped to heave and ho and raise the sails: Ready on the Throat? AYY, READY ON THE THROAT! Heave, HO! Stand FAST! We were pretty p’poor sailors but we got those ton-plus sails up there, the crew was very patient and understanding with the mess of lines we created on the deck and no one was keel-hauled for their poor performance before the mast.

It was a beautiful night and the seas were high and it was fun to move so fast on the wind with a lot of spray. Unfortunately, Hubs was feeling indestructible but, as someone who used to have a lot of trouble on boats, he should have taken some precautions with some sea-sick meds. After spending most of the gorgeous sail having cold sweats and with his head in a bucket being tended to by one of the valiant crew (thanks, guys) Hubs learned that while he may no longer have difficulties with power boats, sailing may just not be his thing. Poor guy – but, hey, I warned him and even put the Bonine out on the counter.

While coming out of Gallows Bay Harbor we closely encountered the mega-yacht Shalimar that had been spending a lot of time anchored at Buck Island during the week. (The Roseway crew said way too closely – something about being in the wrong channel.) A little internet research on this vessel yielded that she charters out of Tortola at a weekly rate of $60,000 plus expenses. Yes, I AM impressed, but please don’t unload those jet skis and buzz them around between Island Time’s front yard and Buck Island.

Poor Hubs could not wait to get off the ship so getting the Roseway docked seemed to take forever. This was a really great time (for me) and I would highly recommend sailing on the Roseway. It is a very good value at $45 pp for about 2 ½ hours and you can buy a galley ticket for $10 that nets you any combination of 4 beers, sodas, or snacks. There were lots of very nice passengers that evening and I’m not ashamed to say that I pretty much ignored the heaving Hubs and had a great time. I initially tried to give him some advice about watching the horizon in order to feel better. I can’t repeat his response here but, after that, he was pretty much on his own, as far as I was concerned. We were also entertained by a guy who persisted in doing the exact opposite of what he had been told to do and not to do. Finally, after an alert crew stopped him a few times and he tried to park his heinie on the low rail of the heaving ship, two crew members were assigned to stick with him for the duration to keep him safe from himself. There’s one in every crowd…

Hubs was still feeling a bit green after we got back to the villa. I encouraged him to eat some pasta later in the evening (ok, I threatened him) and he gradually started to feel like he owned his stomach again and had his legs under him. Next time, just take the damn pill, willya?

Next: last full day for Hubs, Carambola, Cane Bay, we move over to Villa D’Estasi, and the girlfriends arrive