Since we relied on this message board for much information on our February trip to STT, it is only right to post our brief trip report. All in all, STT was much more than we had anticipated. Our lodging at David Paresky’s Crystal Cove condo A6 was very nice. It is a one-bedroom, 2-bath condo with comfortable twin Murphy beds in the living room. The two couples of us were very comfortable. And Norma, the facility supervisor, was just great. Always inquiring if we had all that we needed, etc. We enjoyed talking to her.

We ate in 5 restaurants—and yes, they were more expensive than on the mainland, but you have to remember where you are—on an island where almost everything is imported. In Red Hook, we ate at Whale of a Tale—very good, on the more formal side, Molly Malone’s—downstairs at Whale of a Tale—more casual, good Irish music, and Caribbean Saloon—good with large portions that morphed into dinner a couple of days later. We also ate at the Grapevine Grille at Sapphire Beach Resort—nice setting by the swimming pool and within easy walking distance from Crystal Cove. On St. John, we ate at The Balcony after spending the day at Trunk Bay. It was quite good, and the sunset was beautiful.

We like snorkeling, and it was very good right at Sapphire Bay. We saw everything from the usual sergeant majors and parrot fish, to longspine squirrel fish, porcupine fish, ballyhoos, and palometas. We also saw a large Southern sting ray (and a smaller one) and a small octopus. Actually, the best snorkeling we had was right at Sapphire Bay. We did go to Coki Beach which also had good snorkeling, but be sure to go on a day when few cruise ships at in port.

We took the ferry to St. John and spent the day at Trunk Bay. (It was easy to get a taxi bus at the ferry dock.) The snorkeling was good with beautiful coral being the high point. Traffic was even more congested on STJ than STT and roads were curvier and hillier! After reading several posts regarding parking, we paid $10 to park all day in Mencia’s parking lot behind the Marina Market. They even provide a shuttle to and from the ferry—worth every bit of the $10!

Practical tidbits: The Marina Market in Red Hook was a fine place to stock the kitchen. The little shop between Crystal Cove condos and Sapphire Bay west is fine for picking up an item or two that was forgotten at the market, but is pretty expensive for general shopping. We did not drink tap water—on the advice of David Paresky and a couple of locals. The Paradise Point tram ride is great—what a view.