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Hello, A little trip report of our stay from April 2 - 10.
Thurs-2nd Flew out of Chicago at 6:00 am on Spirit. Arrived at 3:30 at STT. Rented a car from Avis. Got a free upgrade on the car-Bonus!
Drove to Red Hook and took the 5:00 car barge to STJ.
Drove to Maho Bay Campgrounds. Really liked Maho but make sure you are in shape if you go! Hope it doesn't become a Mega resort!
Ate dinner at the campgrounds- We had steak burritos- They weren't anything special just ok.
Ck'd out the beach and camp after dinner.
Fri-3rd Snacked for B-fast
Went to Leinster Bay (WaterLemon Cay) for some snorkeling. We saw Turtles, an Octopus, So. Rays, some starfish, and of course lots of fish! That
was our first time there and it was great.
Went to Cruz Bay for lunch at a bar I don't remember the name of. It wasn't that good anyhow.
Spent the afternoon at Maho Bay Beach relaxing.
Dinner at Maho Camps. We had a italian dish that was very good.
Chilled out for the evening and watched the glass blowing. They had a visiting glass blowing artist who did some really neat pieces.
Sat- 4th Snacked for B-fast
Sat morning went on a 1/2 day snorkel tour with Sail Safaris. It was a great snorkel tour. I would highly recommend their tours. You go out on a Hobie
Cat sailboat that is just right for up to four people. They are fast and fun. We saw lots of turtles, rays, conch, eels, jellyfish, and of course fish!
Went to Skinny Legs in Coral Bay for lunch. Very good burgers- got a couple of shirts on the way out.
Toured around STJ for the afternoon taking lots of pictures
Wanted to go to Salt Pond to snorkel but ran out of time.
5:00 car barge to STT.
Burrito Bay Deli for dinner- pretty good stuff for the price.
Ck'd into Magens Point Resort and had a few drinks by the pool.
Sun-5th Snacked for B-Fast
Morning went to our favorite secluded no body there beach- Smith Bay. Well it is no longer hard to find or secluded but from what we hear it is for the better.
There weren't many people anyway so all is good. Snorkeled a little and saw some turtles, 1 ray, and fish.
Started raining hard late morning. Headed back to resort.
Ate at Indigo for lunch- My sandwich was good (Dorito chicken)- Wife had french toast- ok
Chilled out in the afternoon by the pool and hot tub with some cool drinks. AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!
Iggies for Dinner- very good meal!
Relaxed for the evening.
Mon-6th Snacked for B-fast
Went to Hull Bay in the morning for a snorkel and swim! We saw some big Tarpon, turtle, some new fish that I have the names of somewhere. The bay has some pretty
canyons and rocky areas to snorkel. Met some nice people from North Carolina who gave us some tips on places to go and things to do.
Lunch at Molly Malones- very good!
Afternoon at Secret Harbour- We saw lots of fish, barracuda, squid, A big fish about the size of a wheel( I think it was called a Pitrim), lots of rays and 2 turtles.
Dinner is just drinks at the hot tub. AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!
Tues-7th Snacked for B-fast.
Went to Sapphire for a swim and snorkel. Saw some squid, A big barracuda (4ft.), turtles, and lots of cool coral and canyons to swim thru.
Lunch at Fat Boys - Good (Thai Cheekn Tacos Good), Wifes wrap not that good.
Sapphire for the afternoon
Dinner at Thirteen- Very Good -Seared Halibut, Sirloin and Shrimp.
Weds-8th Snacked for B-fast
Took ferry to Water Island (first time) Hung out there for most of the day.
Heidis for lunch- ok to good
Honeymoon afternoon
Dinner and Drinks at Amigos in Red Hook. Not Good- Poor service and bland food.
Thurs-9th Ate at Hotel for B-fast
Went to Coki early before the crowds and then explored a bit.
Ate at the Greenhouse for lunch- Pretty Good.
Went shopping in the afternoon in town. The wifey bought 2 nice pieces of Larimar and a couple of shirts.
Had a great smoothie at a little ice cream place in town.
Ate sushi at Shinsen for dinner. Good. It shares the restaurant with Indigo.
Fri-10th D-Day (departure day)
Went to Tutu mall area and fueled up car and washed it. Also got some Mc'Ds for B-Fast.
Packed and got everything ready to go.
Relaxed by the pool for a couple of hours
Ate lunch at the Shipwreck Tavern- Good
Airport at 2:30- Flight at 4:00, Returned rental car.
Arrive Chicago at 11:00 and went to hotel.
Sat-11th Got up at 6:00 and drove home to Indy. WHEW! Great Trip- But how could it not be. Dave and Denise!
Thanks for the report! We will be 1st timers in June and I'm writing everything down so that we too can have a memorable vacation.
I can hardly wait - actually I'm not sure which we are most excited about - our daughter having her first child - due June 2nd (this will be our 2nd grandchild) ...OR ... our vacation to STT!! LOL
Glad you had a great time! It looks like you did a great job of mixing lots of variety with lots of relaxing on your trip. Thanks for the report!
VI
Sounds like you really got around and explored!
" big fish about the size of a wheel( I think it was called a Pitrim"
Could it have been a permit?? I once saw one the size of a Volkswagen!:P
Thanks for sharing! You sure got around, that is great! (tu)
Yes East Ender you are right. I researched a little and that is the right name. I have a lot of good pictures but have not been able to get them to work on this sight . I'll keep trying! We really like to get out and explore. Our funds were sort of low or we would have done a BVI outing.Thanks Dave!
I'm glad that your first trip here (which I assume it was?) was so filled with different experiences. Of course we have much more to offer and frequent returning trips will l'arn you even more!
Just for the sake of good order, the previous owners of ShinSen at Magens left Magens Point a while ago, right after Kirsten and Ryan who previously operated "Indigo" opened their new restaurant, "Thirteen" on the North Side. Katie now operates her sushi restaurant, "Enkai" at Gregorie East, close to Frenchtown. Word is that it's awesome.
Aaaaah! describes your whole trip so completely and I'm delighted that you had such a good visit... ...and also hope that you're already planning the next one?
Well, Chicagoan choppersd, the sun is shining as usual today, it's now about 2:30PM, my three loads of wash are drying on the line. the breeze is lovely, the sky is blue, I've almost finished my book which I started earlier today while laying out back rather than taking all that effort to "beach it!"
Do you YET have any sign of Spring up there? Friends in Ohio are seeing little glimpses of Spring but Southern States in Atlanta and Georgia apparently had some nasty weather yesterday. Stikll waiting to hear from the latter. Cheers!
Hello STT Resident. Yes we are having some glimpses of summer, a lot of rain. Its better than snow anyway! We actually are from Indianapolis - it is just half the cost to fly out of Chicago! This was our second trip to the VI's and absolutely wont be our last - we can't get enough! I wish I would of known about the other sushi place, it will be on the list for next year! We like to get out and explore as much as we can. I am a snorkel junkie and hope to start scuba lessons soon! Thanks for the responses and info and send some of that weather this way! Thanks Chops.
So thrilled to hear you had a GREAT vacation on a budget! Very few (if any) trip reports are posted by people who stayed at one of the camp grounds. I hope you post it on other forums to let people know how to have a good time in this difficult economy. You're the Budget Travel poster children!
Where did you get your larimar, and why did you choose larimar out of all the jewelry in the Virgins? I've often wondered if my friends/relatives would appreciate it as a gift, so I need an "outsiders" opinion. 🙂
When (not IF) you come again, there is also a similar facility on Water Island. Can't remember the name, but I'm sure if you google camp Water Island, it should come up.
Thanks for posting such a great trip report!
