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My boyfriend and I just returned from STT and had the most glorious trip ever! The scenery was out of this world! We will be going back as soon as possible (there is no way to fit everything you want to do there into one week!) but wanted to share some highlights and lowlights of our trip...
Highlights:(tu)
Admiralty Dive Center - http://www.admiraltydive.com/
We were referred to this dive center from a couple at the Marriott and boy did we luck out! Seeing as it was our first open water dive (we were being certified in STT) we were both a smidge nervous. Our captain, Dwayne and our instructor, John or "Fishbutt" were amazing! I was truly encouraged and put at ease by them. It was a personal, one on one experience. On the first day of our dives it was literally me, my boyfriend and one other man. On day two, it was the two of us and a father/son duo. If you are diving for the first time and need that one on one attention, this is your dive center!
Mafolie Restaraunt:
Fantastic views of the harbor and strong drinks! The food was so-so and a little overpriced but the scenery is second to none!
The Banana Tree Grill:
Absolutely, hands down the BEST meal we had all week. Not only was the food spectacular (seafood and steak) but the service was great as well.
Jet Ski Tour:
From the Morning Star Beach we took a jet ski tour or the harbor and it was a blast!
Morning Star Beach:
We stayed at the Marriott and were pleased to find that the Morning Star Beach was not only a close walk but a beautiful beach as well. We were able to do a little snorkeling there too. Coco Joe's is the beach bar and Zane the bartender is a riot! We also at breakfast there one morning and I had what I believe to be the BEST pancakes I've ever tasted!
Lotus:
This is a pretty good sushi place in Red Hook and where we celebrated my birthday on the 30th. Fantastic service! They have saki mojito's which my boyfriend and I found unique and tasty. They also have a PB&J roll drizzled with chocolate that might sound out there but was delish!
Lowlights:(td)
Sapphire Beach:
The resort seems a bit run down and the beach had a strange vibe....maybe is was just me...
Tuesday's:
TONS of cruise ships arrive on Tuesday's and downtown is packed! Don't ever take a taxi/saffari from Charlotte Amalie to the Marriott on those days. Water taxi all the way!
Some of the service at the Marriott:
At times the bartenders seemed understaffed and overwhelmed. There were quite a few good waitresses/bartenders though, Hannah, Susan and Zane come to mind.
Other notes....
We learned the hard way that on a holiday weekend (Good Friday in our case) you MUST book a ferry/charter to places like Virgin Gorda in advance otherwise it is next to impossible to get one. We were super disappointed when we couldn't make the trip to The Baths due to unavailable transportation.
Overall, this was an amazing trip and we are dying to get back and do all the things we didn't have time to do! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your trip report...we leave a week from tomorrow...yea!
Oh, and please post some of your pictures to share with us!
Cheers...
My boyfriend and I are actually heading down to STT at the end of May and staying at the Marriott as well! I'm so glad you wrote on here... you had great tips!!! Did you guys rent a car at all, or did you just take taxis all the time?
What are the best beaches to go to? Does anybody recommend Brewers or Lindberg? I haven't read too much about those beaches on here. Also, now that Mountain Top is closed is there any other place similar to it that we could go to? Any info would be much appreciated! I am so excited to visit the beautiful Virgin Islands!!!
crave wrote:
. Also, now that Mountain Top is closed is there any other place similar to it that we could go to? Any info would be much appreciated! I am so excited to visit the beautiful Virgin Islands!!!
maybe St Peter great house....
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=109931726631417883397.00047f82424c66f82402f&ll=18.359958,-64.94261&spn=0.003727,0.008234&t=h&z=18&iwloc=000481529747bc3b9de8e
Hey there Brewers/Lindberg!
We did not rent a car and were kind of happy we didn't. The roads there are super steap, narrow and winding. Def take the water taxi when going to Charlotte Amalie. If you are going anywhere else just grab a taxi from the lobby of the Marriott, they come around every few minutes.
As for beaches, you might find that the most convenient beach is Morningstar which is just a short walk from your room. We loved it there and the bar (Coco Joe's) is right there so when you get thirsty it's only a few steps away!!! Like I said in my first message, Sapphire Beach did nothing for me but others like it so it may be worth checking out. Magen's is also very popular although we didn't have time to go there. We were actually told by someone that it's just as beautiful as Morningstar. Whether or not that's true I'm not sure.
I am SOOO jealous that you are heading down in May!! You are going to absolutely LOVE it! There is so much to do you will have to go back again, just like we plan to. One regret is not being able to book a charter/ferry to The Bath's in Virgin Gorda. You should really try to do that and then let me know how it was!
Haha.....clearly I'm still on vacation mode because I titled that last message "Brewers/Lindberg" instead of "Crave".....oh dear, it's gonna be a looong day!
Sherban,
I am SOOO jealous! Can I go with you?!?! Having trouble with my pix but will get some up asap! 🙂
just got back too, probably saw you there, was on island at the marriott from mar 31 to apr 6
Nice trip report, thanks for sharing! Like how you did the high lights and low lights. Sorry you didn't make it to the Baths, they truly are amazing. Next time! (tu)
Speedr1023,
Small world! We were at the Marriott from March 28th - April 3rd. I'm sure we crossed paths...what's your name? Perhaps we even had a drink together at the pool! 😉
Sherri,
I'm a teacher and have been called anal...hence the organization of the post! Haha! I am using the missed trip to The Baths as my excuse to get back there asap! 😉
so glad that overall you had a great time, and you seemed able to separate the factors that contribute to overall bad service... under-staffing is definitely one of them! seems like you'd have a great time no matter where you are. so a vacation is more than a piece of cake. nice way to live, i try to be that way too.
glad you mentioned checking in to see if there are any local celebrations and/or holidays taking place during your stay since quality service vendors are certainly in very short supply. boats, massages, chefs, caterers, provisioning, etc. people think we are trying to be difficult when we hustle them, but we know the disappointment and want to avoid that.
carnival is this month on st. thomas! if you're coming down late this month into the beginning of may and your island manager has been trying to make your itinerary, get crack-a-lackin'!
tortola has the bvi music fest with activities beginning in mid-may, culminating in a big memorial weekend blowout. if you are headed that way, get your stuff in line now, and have fun!
