Just back from a week in the islands. I'm still warm and on my "island high" even though we returned to cold and snow in Lexington, Kentucky last night. Here's my trip report!

Sunday Feb 5th: Up EARLY (4am) to catch the 6am Delta flight to Atlanta then on to St. Thomas. Easy check-in at Lexington and a 2 hour lay-over in Atlanta made the trip go like clockwork. Arrived around 2:20 to beautiful skies and 83 degree temps. Went to Budget to get keys to the Tauras. Young lady helping me was friendly and helpful. The car was still being cleaned and took around 20 minutes to get to the airport - no big deal since I went to the booth while the others (wife, 17 yr old son, and husband/wife friends of many years) waited for luggage. It gave us time to get some rum and wine at the airport liquor store before heading out to begin our stay. Car arrived promptly. I earlier posted a comment about last year's car being dinged and dented (completely true). This year's car was nearly brand-new! 1400 miles and not a scratch on it. Anyway, we headed over to the Marriott for our 6 night stay. Easy check-in and a large, clean room awaited us. No time wasted, we changed into beachwear and immediately went down to the hotel beach. Happy! It was Super Bowl Sunday so we stayed on the beach until sunset, cleaned up, and went to the Shipwreck Tavern for a very casual dinner and to watch the first quarter of the game. We got a table quickly and ordered their "Best in the VI Burgers". A quick trip to the Pueblo for final supplies and our first day ended with 5 very tired, but happy travelers.

Monday Feb 6: Our traveling partners had been to St. Thomas only on a cruise day. They saw Magen's Bay from Mountain Top, but did not get to go. So --- my plan was perfect -- take them to Magen's Bay early in the trip, then build on that by going to St. John mid-week and Jost Van Dyke on Friday. Weather was perfect for our first full day. We woke up early, so we went down to the Marriott exercise room for a quick run. It's well equipped with cardio machines, and has enough weights for a moderate lifting session. After burning a few calories, we headed to Mountain Top. We've been to St. Thomas 3 consecutive years and still love the view from this spot. After taking in this spectacular view and buying a few small souveniers (my 17 yr old son's most exciting moment - they stocked tropical flavored Skittles!) we headed to the Bay. This is such a great first-day spot. Everything you need is there. Rented a few lounge chairs, picked out a spot on the beach and our beach-server (Traci) took care of the rest! There's just nothing like that first Bushwacker to bring me "completely" into the trip. We took advantage of the sun, the snack-shack for grilled chicken sandwiches for lunch, and Traci's great service and stayed until 4pm. To the hotel to clean-up then to the Greenhouse for dinner. I was surprised that the Greenhouse wasn't busier - it's our favorite spot somewhere between the entry-level tavern experience and the $25 per plate "nicer" restaurants. 2 for 1 Margaritas allowed us to taste several new flavors and we had a great time as usual.

Tuesday, Feb 7: My wife's birthday! I planned a big day for her and I know she really enjoyed it! Up early to head for Red Hook. We booked a day sail with Captain Sharon Allen on the Winifred. Yes, Red Hook is a mess. But - having read the previous posts here, I took the stress out of it by dropping my group at the Harbour and driving back past the high school to the temporary parking lot. Gave the attendant my $5 and walked back to join the group - a 5-6 minute walk. Just keep your head up since the roadways are tight and there are no sidewalks. We went to Burrito Bay for breakfast sandwiches. Food was good. Only issue was our timing. We were to meet Captain Sharon at 9:30am. Ordered food at 8:55 just as several locals called in larger orders. They kept "bumping"our order back as they prioritized the local call-in orders. Finally got our food at 9:25, so (again - my no-stress motto kicked in) we just took our sandwiches with us and ate breakfast on the Winifred. Captain Sharon met us promptly at 9:30, and made us feel very welcomed and comfortable as we piled into her dinghy and the commute to the sailboat. Sharon is a fabulous person! After a quck get-acquainted session, and introduction to her first-mate, Billy, we headed off on our very first sailing experience. The weather on Tuesday was uncooperative and the rain began as soon as we unhooked from the mooring. Billy and Sharon handed out yellow slickers to keep us warm, and while we were obviously disappointed in the weather, our crew kept the rainy trip engaging and fun. Once we anchored at St. John, the sun did come out and played "peek-a-boo" the rest of the afternoon. Billy led us on what was, at the time, our best snorkeling adventure ever! We saw so much underwater life on this trip: Eels, sting rays, beautiful coral, flounders, hundreds of species of fish, and finally as we approached a beach for a quick break, sea turtles (3 in all). Billy was funny - telling great stories about his adventures in moving from Pennsylvania to the islands - and informative about the sea life we were seeing. I HIGHLY recommend the Winifred if you are considering a day sail. After the snorkeling time, lunch was prepared for us, and Captain Sharon opened a bottle of champagne to toast the birthday girl - great touch from a great person.

We returned to the harbour around 3:30 and made an immediate stop at Cold Stone Creamery, and some shopping before heading back to the hotel for showers and a special evening for my wife's birthday. I had "secret" reservations at the Banana Tree Grill (thanks for the recommendation Bluewater!). I called and spoke to Liz (the proprietor) when I booked the time and she referred me to Roses Two a local florist. I ordered a tropical themed table arrengement to be delivered, and Liz accepted them on our behalf. We arrived at the restaurant and were promptly greeted by Liz and seated on time. The flowers were beautiful! My wife was so happy, and several people stopped by to comment on how great the table looked (and to inquire our reason for celebration). The meal was fabulous, and ended with the best Key Lime Pie of the trip.

Wednesday, Feb 8: Took the car ferry to St. John. Absolutely, positively NO PROBLEM! Caught the 9am ferry. Very cloudy that morning. Arrived at Trunk Bay shortly after 10, and found a parking spot quickly. No sooner got situated on the beach that the rain came. Never a pouring rain, but an hour or so of steady sprinkles and heavy mist. I took advantage of the time to snorkel and enjoyed the under-water trail. The sun came out around noon, and we enjoyed the warmth for awhile until hunger drove us off the beach and to our favorite lunch stop, Woody's. It was tough finding a parking spot, but we finally got one and made a quck walk to the restaurant. This was our friends' first time on St. John so a Woody's Bushwacker and fresh fish sandwich was the order of the day! It was great, as usual. Lunch and a few Woody's wearables later we headed to Cinnamon Bay for the afternoon. Weather remained unpredictable - mostly cloudy with just enough sun to keep us happy. Left around 4pm and headed back into Cruz Bay for some shopping before catching the 6pm ferry back. I knew I was going to get a St. John Hook bracelet, so we went to Palm Jewelers. Great variety and I found the one I wanted quickly (very traditional style - elongated U shape clasp) silver with gold wrap on one side. Ferry didn't leave until nearly 6:30 (not unusual at all) so we decided to grab pizza at Pizza Amore in Havensight. I have no island pizza comparison, but I would not do pizza again. With all of the choices for a quick, casual bite to eat, our Pizza Amore experience ranks way-down the list. Downright rude cashier and very average product. But - it was food, we were full and still on St. Thomas (average pizza on an island beats the best Lexington pizza every day!). Best thing about this stop was another patron told us her favorite spot on St. John was Watermelon Bay (or Waterlemon - it's actually stated both ways on different maps!) - we've never been there, so decided to do that new adventure on Thursday.

Thursday, Feb 9: Back to St. John and our new by adventure. We've never been past Cinnamon Bay before so our jaws dropped as we got our first view of Maho. We stayed in awe as we finally found our final destination. We were a little unprepared for the hike to the beach area. All wearing sandals and carrying snorkel gear, towels, and a cooler of drinks, lunchmeat and condiments (bringing luch was a brilliant move - much too far to drive back to Cruz Bay for lunch). We had clear blue skies and abundant, hot, oh-so-desired sunshine the entire day. I was amazed at how busy this little beach was. By no means was it too crowded to be enjoyed - in fact it was amazingly quiet given the number of people there - just so out-of-the-way that I didn't think it would be that popular. I discovered why so many people went to the effort to get there as soon as I put my snorkel gear to work. WOW!! Snorkeling the right side of the beach along the reef brought an amazing snorkel experience. Many fish along the way then 20 yards from the beach began the Starfish tour. Huge colorful starfish laying everywhere! It was really neat. I also saw a Stingray swimming effortlessly just where the reef drops to the sandy bottom, more flounder swimming then stopping and nearly disappearing on the sandy rocks below. We also had a resident sea turtle calmly eating sea grass for hours and allowing all of us curious visitors to watch him dine. This was the kind of day that both excites you by the new adventure, and calms you into just enjoying the moment. My wife and son liked my hook bracelet so much that they decided to get their own (ended up being my birthday present to my wife (see Tuesday above) and my son's 18th b-day is in April so we pre-purchased his present. We hiked back to the car and headed to Mongoose Junction for our final St. John shopping (and Bushwacker) experience. Bought the hook bracelets from Blue Palm (sister store of Palm Jewelers). They were so nice - my wife wanted a bracelet with the blue Larimar stone on one side. They didn't have her size at Blue Palm so an attendant from the other store delivered her bracelet to us. We're all "hooked" now! Back to the Greenhouse for dinner.

Friday, Feb 10: Took the ferry to Jost Van Dyke from Red Hook 9am. Captain Sharon recommended the Lock and Key lot as a parking option. I found a spot there immediately, but left with an uneasy feeling - why wasn't that lot full? I can't guarantee you anything, but my car was there safe and sound when we returned that afternoon. The ferry stopped at St. John (for far too long) then off to West End Tortola to stop at customs (again far too long). The $50 fare is the only expense - you do NOT pay the $20 BVI fee in addition. Got to Jost around 11am. Took a taxi to Ivan's Stress Free Beach Bar ($5 per person each way). It is certainly that! Perfect weather today allowed us to lay on the beach until we got warm, then hop in the incredible turquoise water to cool off. Got hungry around noon so ordered cheeseburgers and fries from the small food hut next to the bar. These simple burgers tasted sooooo good! Had to try the Banana-wacker, and I think I've found my new favorite drink! Had another - then wisely stopped. We walked the trail along White Bay over the hill to the Soggy Dollar bar. I'm not sure why, but we all agreed that the Soggy Dollar part of White Bay was even more beautiful than the Ivan's side (maybe it was the Banana-wackers follwed by a couple of famous Soggy Dollar Bar Painkillers?). Anyway - we fell in love with Jost all over again - seeing the boats tied to the moorings just a short swim from the beach, the absolutely perfect water and our good friends and family to share it with. Grabbed a taxi over to Foxy's with just enough time left to see it for the first time. Got a treat as Foxy was playing his guitar and singing some calypso music for the small crowd. Grabbed some quick souveniers and walked along Great Harbour to catch the 3pm ferry back to St. Thomas. Really hated to see this day end - not only because it was Jost, but it was also our last beach day. But -- have no fear -- shopping in Charlotte Amalie is still to come!

Our last evening meal was reserved for our favorite place, Craig and Sally's. I know they get mixed reviews on this discussion board, but we have only had the best experiences there. This year was no exception. I had the Lamb Shank - tender and tasty - coupled with a glass of wine created another memory that will last until we return next year.

Saturday, Feb 11: Going home today, but flight doesn't leave until 5:40pm. Off to downtown for our shopping day! Only 1 cruise ship in town today kept the shops open, but not at all crowded. Took our time meandering from place to place. No major purchases - just gifts for our younger daughters (8 and 11) at home, some Christmas ornaments, Shirts, Hats, and Coffee Mugs to keep that warm Carribean feeling going for the next 12 months! Had a leisurely lunch, a little more shopping and a final stop at the Greenhouse for an afternoon drink and one last Key Lime Pie. Filled the rental with gas ($2.98/gallon) and headed to the airport. Smooth, uneventful flights brought us home last night 11:30pm.

Thanks for allowing me to re-live my week by posting it here for you. I'm hoping to post my digital pics on a shared site soon (I took 201 photos!) Thanks to all who contributed to this trip by either providing information OR asking just the right question to help my planning. Our friends have vowed to return to the islands, and I'm already planning next year's trip!