Ok, I am not really good at this, but I will give it my best shot. My wife and I went to St. Thomas from July 7th to July 14th. This was a vacation/ friends wedding trip. We went along with one other couple, I will call them JD and BD. We pretty much did our own thing

Day one. This was my first time to fly so I was a little nervous. Our flight was from Pittsburgh to Chicago then to St. Thomas. Being scared and excited I did not get any sleep the night before and with a 6am flight we arrived at the airport at 3am. We wanted to get there early so we didn’t feel rushed finding our way around. Well, they don’t even open the United counter until 4:20 so we stood there for over an hour waiting to get our boarding pass. The flight was uneventful, but I noticed that you get weird looks when you order a beer at 6am, it was a Miller, but beggars can’t be choosers. About 6 beers later we landed in St. Thomas and I can say two things. First the pictures do not do it justice, and the other is that it was hot. I was sweating from places that never have seen sweat waiting for our luggage, but I didn’t mind, I was in paradise. We rented a car from Discount Car Rentals and they were wonderful to work with. We rented a 4 door Jeep for the week. I called them once we got our luggage and the picked us up at the airport and took us to fill in the paper work. Once we crossed the T’s and dotted the I’s we were off to Secret Harbor. It was difficult for me to drive to SH because I wanted to see the sites, but soon I knew I had to focus on driving on the left hand side. Once you get used to it, you can do it with out even thinking. Then we reached SH. All I can say is beautiful, we had a one-room suite and it was more then I was expecting. We dropped off the luggage grabbed the snorkeling gear and headed to the beach. The beach here is small but nice and there was never a real crowd. This was my first time snorkeling and it blew my mind.


After about 3 hours of that it was starting to get dark, so we thought we would go in and unpack. We ordered pizza from Senor Pizza, it wasn’t bad, but they did forget my 2-liter of Mt. Dew, no worries though I just walked to the bar and ordered a Budweiser. After the pizza and unpacking my wife finally crashed after 36 hours of no sleep, so I once again walked to the bar and made friends with the bartender. Once the bar closed, I had gone 40 hours of no sleep I finally went to bed.

Day two. This was our relax 100% day. Too much surprise I woke up after only 5 hours of sleep wide-awake. I guess when you are in paradise there is no time to sleep in. My wife however made sure she got her sleep. I walked the beach and did some more snorkeling before she woke. Then we went to Blue Moon for breakfast. I have to say that I think the Blue Moon was the best place we ate. I am not sure if that judgment is based on food or location. It is nice when you don’t have to leave the beach. The staff of the Blue Moon and SH were wonderful the entire stay. I do not believe that I have ever felt so welcomed in my life. Everyone from the grounds keeper to the maid had a smile on their face and greeted you like an old friend. After breakfast we just relaxed on the beach all day. Well, some of my time was spent at the bar, ok a lot of my time was spent at the bar, but it was on the beach so it counts. Normally I am not one for the beach, but I am used to Myrtle Beach where the waves beat you up, it is crowded, there is no shade, and the water is murky. Here I loved the beach, you could just float on your back for hours and just enjoy the quiet. Wonderful. After an all day chill session we went to a store and bought some supplies to stock the kitchen. I am not sure what the store name was, but it was close and it had what we needed. Once we loaded up the fridge and cupboards we decided that we didn’t want to cook so we went to Red hook and ate at the Caribbean Steak house and Saloon. We both had the Prime Rib and I thought it was good. Then we cruised on back home and called it a night.

Day Three. This day we woke up early and called our friends JD and BD to meet up with us and go shopping at Havensight Mall. I love shopping almost as much as I love hitting my thumb with a hammer, but I took one for the team and went. Shops were nice, a little too classy for a farm boy in Ohio. My wife was like a kid in a candy store, we (we meaning my wife) bought some Waterford Crystal stuff, little stupid things like shot glasses and key chains to give to family when we got back, and then we found a store that sold booze. I was in heaven, I don’t drink much of the hard stuff, but I like buying it. I know that is weird, but I am building a personal bar in my basement and I want a well stocked one. So, I reached my (my meaning mine and my wife’s) limit on booze and then we moved on. Next we went down town to see more shops. Oh happy day! We had lunch at Gladys' Café. This was a nice little place, and the food was good. Then it was back to SH to chill and relax some more. Tonight’s menu was hot dogs for me and left over prime rib for her.

Day Four. This is the day that we heading to Trunk Bay on St. John. We left the jeep at the resort and took a cab to Red Hook. We ate breakfast on St. John at Chilly Billy’s (I think this is the name) I had French toast made out of monkey break, this was delicious. It really goes well with Budweiser.

I know some of you out there may think that I drink too much, but I don’t. I was on vacation and I enjoy a cold beer when it is so hot. Plus I was sweating more then I was drinking. Just wanted to clear that since I will mention more trips to the bar later on. After breakfast we went to Trunk Bay, and this is a truly amazing place. I have been impressed with the beaches on St. Thomas, but this blew them out of the water. My wife and I went snorkeling and saw some awesome sites. The snorkel trail was a little crowded so I told my wife that we would snorkel the backside of the little island. She wimped out and went alone. This is where the best snorkeling was, I swam with a turtle for almost an hour and the coral was just breathtaking. The water was a little rougher on the back but well worth it. Also that island is bigger then it looks I went all the way around it and headed for the beach.




Soon it was time to leave, so we headed back on down the road to St. Thomas. For dinner we made pasta.

Day Five. This was the day our friends JD and BD were getting married so my wife and I ran to town to buy them a little honeymoon gift and then met them at the Lutheran Church for the service. It was nice and quick, just the way I like them. We then took some pictures and soon headed back to SH. Once there we took more pictures of them on the beach. We ate at the Blue Moon and I had Surf and Turf. This was by far the best meal I had while on the island. The waiter was wonderful and beer was cold. What more could you ask for. After dinner we went to Duffy’s Love shack for drinks. I had the Shark Tank, and yes I put some straws up my nose, but it was all in good clean fun. Just a note, the shark that comes with the drink is full of rum, and once I was done with it I gave it to my nephew as a gift and he loves it. So you get a drink and a toy all in one, can anyone say good deal? After a couple drinks we call it a day.
Day Six. This is the day that my wife and I planned on going SCUBA diving at Coki Beach. I am a certified diver and she is not, so she sat through 10 mins of training and she was in the water. This was nice for me to be able to dive with my wife, but I was not too impressed with the dive. We only went 40 feet, because she was not certified. I guess I wanted more, but we did see some nice coral.


Next we went to Coral World, and this was an all right thing. We ate lunch there and walked around, my wife really enjoyed it. Next we headed to Paradise Point, we took the sky ride to the top, what a view. Hung out up there for a few drinks and soon went back to SH to enjoy the beach a little before nightfall.

Ran to Whale of a Tale in Red Hook for dinner, and I we kind of had a bad time. We got there early and we were the only table, I had beer and water to drink and they both sat empty for over 20 mins. I know I am on island time, but I am fat and hot I need liquids finally I had to stop the waitress and ask for a refill on both. We sat out on the patio and once the food came so did the bugs. I had to eat with one had and swat the bugs with the other. I had lobster and it was like leather, but the scallops and shrimp were good. I guess if the service had been a little better it would have made a world of difference. After dinner we went back to SH and I decided to try night snorkeling. This was a little scary it gets pretty dark out there in the water, but you see so much more sea life. I say a school of squids, lobsters, shrimps, a sleeping turtle and octopus. I just wish I could take pictures at night.

Day Seven. This is the last full day on the island, so we just wanted to relax on the beach (not that we haven’t done that all week), but I thought it would be best if we at least saw Megan's Bay. I have to admit that this beach did not impress me. I was expecting so much more and when I compare it to Trunk, it falls short. I am willing to give it another chance once we return, I am not sure if it being our last day might have clouded my judgment, but it was just an ok beach. I think because I like to snorkel and there wasn’t really much for me to see. So after an hour or two we headed up to Drake’s Seat, and from that view, it is a beautiful beach. So maybe I need to head to Drake’s Seat first and then I will appreciate it more.


After that we headed back to SH and stayed on the beach until dark. Then we went to Blue Moon for dinner again, and they were outstanding once again. After dinner we went to our room and started packing for the long ride home.

Day eight. This day was nothing special we said good-bye to all of the friends we had made and headed to the airport. Our flight was on time and so we left saying that we would return. Made it to Pittsburgh on time, but our luggage did not. It wanted to stay an extra night in Chicago, I was mad, but happy it happened on the way home and not on the way down. Got home picked up the dog and ran to Wal-Mart for ink for the photo printer to start printing out the memories. Next day luggage showed up, and all was at peace. Now I am planning my next trip. If anyone has any questions please ask, I will be happy to help answer what I can.