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Trip report: Two more weeks in paradise, part 1
Trip report: Two more weeks in paradise, part 1
Two more weeks in paradise
Who we are: John and Becky, and our guests for the vacation: my sister Laura, her children Liam (15) and Caili (12), and John’s brother Sean.
Where we stayed: Altagracia on Contant Point (week one), On a Clear Day on Francis Bay (week two). Villa reviews forthcoming in the review section.
Rental car information: 2 jeeps, one four door and one two door, from St. John Car Rental. Both in good condition, no issues. We never tried to park in their lot while in town, and instead used the gravel lot or the paid parking lot at Wharfside.
Day one: travel day
The trip started out with a hitch when, halfway to the airport, I realized that I had completely forgotten to pack our coolers. My ideas of gourmet cooking and having island friends over for dinner and drinks went out the window. We ended up eating out a lot more than planned, and villa vittles were not too exciting for the most part, but we made do. Luckily, everything was frozen in my commercial freezer, so nothing spoiled and I now have a very well-stocked kitchen for weekend gatherings.
We took the red eye flight out of Boston on Friday night, arriving in San Juan at 3:45 AM Saturday morning. We then had a three-hour layover before our 7AM flight to STT. I am not going to lie, this was rough. Everyone was in good spirits, and dealt with it, but the trip, especially the layover in San Juan in the wee hours of the morning, was grueling. I would not do this itinerary again.
Despite having checked bags, we made the 9AM ferry to St. John, on one of the new ferries. The ride was smooth and faster than the old clunker ferry. Here we are on the ferry. Not looking too shabby despite three hours of sleep.
We had arranged for an early pick up of our jeeps at STJCR. Since we could not get in to our villa until the afternoon, we drove over to Caneel for the day, reasoning that our luggage would be safe stored in our jeeps in their parking lot. After stopping at the Gelatario for some very nice iced tea, we hiked over to Honeymoon for a swim and a nap in the sand. After a while we got hungry so headed back to Caneel for some sushi.
Spicy tuna bite:
Tuna poke, caviar roll:
Cracker roll:
Hawaiian roll:
Tuna tempura roll:
Liam avoids fish as often as possible (how he is related to me I do not know), and so got the pepperoni pizza:
After lunch we headed up to Altagracia. View:
Dinner was grilled pizza using dough from Sam and Jacks. Sean fell asleep at 8:30! Everyone else was fast asleep by 10 PM.
Day 2
We were wiped, so it became a pool day/villa day.
Hermit crab:
Plantings at Altagracia:
The guys went in to town and got fish at the Fish Trap market, so dinner was grilled wahoo and tuna with pineapple salsa, with Josephine’s greens salad and grilled pepper quesadillas. Villa vittles:
Villa tipples (passionfruit-lime margaritas):
Dinner with a view
STT at night from Altagracia’s deck:
Day three:
Beach day. The early Jeep headed to Maho. No snorkeling, just swimming.
The late Jeep showed up around noon. We had lunch later at Shipwreck Landing. Conch fritters:
Wahoo tacos:
Curry nut grouper:
The first of many cheeseburgers in paradise for Liam:
The kids also had the frozen pies for dessert.
After lunch we headed to Cinnamon to go swimming, then back to Altagracia for the sunset:
Day four:
Early Jeep decided to go to Gibney, but it was too crowded, so we ended up at Francis.
Snorkel time. Caili fish:
Arrow crab:
Turtle:
Juvenile French angelfish:
Liam fish:
Fry:
We stayed at the beach until about 3 and then headed home to get ready for dinner at Zozos.
Cambazola cheese:
Pineapple salad (new menu item):
Beet and goat cheese ravioli:
Pistachio crusted mahi mahi:
Some sort of dessert that the kids got. I think it was a nutella mousse:
Zozos night view:
Of potential interest to some, I learned that Zozos now has a kids menu of sorts. Our waitress started telling me the options, such as pasta with marinara or butter sauce, etc. Liam and Caili had looked at the online regular menu in advance and made their choices from those offerings so I don’t have any more information than that, but if you are taking a kid to Zozos and are concerned about what they will eat, it might be worth asking about.
Day five
It was a beautiful day, but both kids were wiped from their beach day and so they voted for pool beach. View from the pool:
John and I went to town to have lunch with Ruth and Ron from St. John Spice at Banana Deck. Such nice people. No food photos, I only subject my family to that, not my friends haha.
After our lunch we tried to rustle the troops to go to the beach, but everyone was firmly ensconced in the pool, so we stayed there until dinner at La Tapa. La Tapa is too dark for food photos. I did not even bother trying. We enjoyed everything we tried: lobster seveche, bacala fritters, scallops, tuna, and mahi mahi. Liam had a mozzarella soup special that he pronounced “amazing.” Caili had the pork belly which was another big hit.
Day six
Daysail on Spitfire. The day sail is always one of our favorite days, and this day was no exception.
We went snorkeling at Waterlemon. It was nice to hit this spot without having to hike in. John, Liam, and Sean went around the cay, while Laura and I stayed in the front with Caili as I was concerned that the current might be too much for her. This turned out to be a good decision. John reported that the current was the strongest he has ever felt it around the back. It was fine in the front. Here are some sightings. Flounder:
Turtle duo:
Stoplight parrotfish:
Blue-headed wrasse:
Juvenile spotted drum:
Trumpetfish:
Liamfish and Cailifish:
Sand diver:
After our daysail we swam on Caneel’s main beach and enjoyed a drink, then headed home for dinner and a sunset:
Day seven
This was supposed to be our last night at Altagracia, but Tropical Storm Bertha was supposed to be impacting the island in the morning during our changeover, so I contacted the property manager of the house we were moving to to see if we might possibly be able to come in Friday night rather than Saturday morning. Luckily, they were in fact able to accommodate us. I was extremely grateful!
We spent one last morning at pool beach, then headed in to town for lunch at Joe’s Rum Hut at Liam’s special request. I was not a fan of my food here, but perhaps we ordered wrong. “Superbad” (their name for it, not mine), grilled cheese:
Liam ordered (shocker!) a pepperoni pizza:
Pineapple mahi sandwich:
We got to our new home in the early evening. We were staying at On a Clear Day, on Francis Bay. John and I actually won this stay in last year’s Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park auction. The owners generously donated a week of the winner’s choosing, including during the on season!
We got settled in and were able to enjoy a slightly hazy sunset before the storm’s arrival sometime during the night.
[
Who we are: John and Becky, and our guests for the vacation: my sister Laura, her children Liam (15) and Caili (12), and John’s brother Sean.
Where we stayed: Altagracia on Contant Point (week one), On a Clear Day on Francis Bay (week two). Villa reviews forthcoming in the review section.
Rental car information: 2 jeeps, one four door and one two door, from St. John Car Rental. Both in good condition, no issues. We never tried to park in their lot while in town, and instead used the gravel lot or the paid parking lot at Wharfside.
Day one: travel day
The trip started out with a hitch when, halfway to the airport, I realized that I had completely forgotten to pack our coolers. My ideas of gourmet cooking and having island friends over for dinner and drinks went out the window. We ended up eating out a lot more than planned, and villa vittles were not too exciting for the most part, but we made do. Luckily, everything was frozen in my commercial freezer, so nothing spoiled and I now have a very well-stocked kitchen for weekend gatherings.
We took the red eye flight out of Boston on Friday night, arriving in San Juan at 3:45 AM Saturday morning. We then had a three-hour layover before our 7AM flight to STT. I am not going to lie, this was rough. Everyone was in good spirits, and dealt with it, but the trip, especially the layover in San Juan in the wee hours of the morning, was grueling. I would not do this itinerary again.
Despite having checked bags, we made the 9AM ferry to St. John, on one of the new ferries. The ride was smooth and faster than the old clunker ferry. Here we are on the ferry. Not looking too shabby despite three hours of sleep.
We had arranged for an early pick up of our jeeps at STJCR. Since we could not get in to our villa until the afternoon, we drove over to Caneel for the day, reasoning that our luggage would be safe stored in our jeeps in their parking lot. After stopping at the Gelatario for some very nice iced tea, we hiked over to Honeymoon for a swim and a nap in the sand. After a while we got hungry so headed back to Caneel for some sushi.
Spicy tuna bite:
Tuna poke, caviar roll:
Cracker roll:
Hawaiian roll:
Tuna tempura roll:
Liam avoids fish as often as possible (how he is related to me I do not know), and so got the pepperoni pizza:
After lunch we headed up to Altagracia. View:
Dinner was grilled pizza using dough from Sam and Jacks. Sean fell asleep at 8:30! Everyone else was fast asleep by 10 PM.
Day 2
We were wiped, so it became a pool day/villa day.
Hermit crab:
Plantings at Altagracia:
The guys went in to town and got fish at the Fish Trap market, so dinner was grilled wahoo and tuna with pineapple salsa, with Josephine’s greens salad and grilled pepper quesadillas. Villa vittles:
Villa tipples (passionfruit-lime margaritas):
Dinner with a view
STT at night from Altagracia’s deck:
Day three:
Beach day. The early Jeep headed to Maho. No snorkeling, just swimming.
The late Jeep showed up around noon. We had lunch later at Shipwreck Landing. Conch fritters:
Wahoo tacos:
Curry nut grouper:
The first of many cheeseburgers in paradise for Liam:
The kids also had the frozen pies for dessert.
After lunch we headed to Cinnamon to go swimming, then back to Altagracia for the sunset:
Day four:
Early Jeep decided to go to Gibney, but it was too crowded, so we ended up at Francis.
Snorkel time. Caili fish:
Arrow crab:
Turtle:
Juvenile French angelfish:
Liam fish:
Fry:
We stayed at the beach until about 3 and then headed home to get ready for dinner at Zozos.
Cambazola cheese:
Pineapple salad (new menu item):
Beet and goat cheese ravioli:
Pistachio crusted mahi mahi:
Some sort of dessert that the kids got. I think it was a nutella mousse:
Zozos night view:
Of potential interest to some, I learned that Zozos now has a kids menu of sorts. Our waitress started telling me the options, such as pasta with marinara or butter sauce, etc. Liam and Caili had looked at the online regular menu in advance and made their choices from those offerings so I don’t have any more information than that, but if you are taking a kid to Zozos and are concerned about what they will eat, it might be worth asking about.
Day five
It was a beautiful day, but both kids were wiped from their beach day and so they voted for pool beach. View from the pool:
John and I went to town to have lunch with Ruth and Ron from St. John Spice at Banana Deck. Such nice people. No food photos, I only subject my family to that, not my friends haha.
After our lunch we tried to rustle the troops to go to the beach, but everyone was firmly ensconced in the pool, so we stayed there until dinner at La Tapa. La Tapa is too dark for food photos. I did not even bother trying. We enjoyed everything we tried: lobster seveche, bacala fritters, scallops, tuna, and mahi mahi. Liam had a mozzarella soup special that he pronounced “amazing.” Caili had the pork belly which was another big hit.
Day six
Daysail on Spitfire. The day sail is always one of our favorite days, and this day was no exception.
We went snorkeling at Waterlemon. It was nice to hit this spot without having to hike in. John, Liam, and Sean went around the cay, while Laura and I stayed in the front with Caili as I was concerned that the current might be too much for her. This turned out to be a good decision. John reported that the current was the strongest he has ever felt it around the back. It was fine in the front. Here are some sightings. Flounder:
Turtle duo:
Stoplight parrotfish:
Blue-headed wrasse:
Juvenile spotted drum:
Trumpetfish:
Liamfish and Cailifish:
Sand diver:
After our daysail we swam on Caneel’s main beach and enjoyed a drink, then headed home for dinner and a sunset:
Day seven
This was supposed to be our last night at Altagracia, but Tropical Storm Bertha was supposed to be impacting the island in the morning during our changeover, so I contacted the property manager of the house we were moving to to see if we might possibly be able to come in Friday night rather than Saturday morning. Luckily, they were in fact able to accommodate us. I was extremely grateful!
We spent one last morning at pool beach, then headed in to town for lunch at Joe’s Rum Hut at Liam’s special request. I was not a fan of my food here, but perhaps we ordered wrong. “Superbad” (their name for it, not mine), grilled cheese:
Liam ordered (shocker!) a pepperoni pizza:
Pineapple mahi sandwich:
We got to our new home in the early evening. We were staying at On a Clear Day, on Francis Bay. John and I actually won this stay in last year’s Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park auction. The owners generously donated a week of the winner’s choosing, including during the on season!
We got settled in and were able to enjoy a slightly hazy sunset before the storm’s arrival sometime during the night.
[
Last edited by liamsaunt on Tue Aug 12, 2014 10:17 am, edited 4 times in total.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
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ColumbiaSCTraveler
- Posts: 528
- Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:33 pm
- Location: Columbia, SC
Re: Trip report: Two more weeks in paradise, part 1
It was so nice meeting you and your family in the rainy drizzle at Maho on y'alls last full day on-island!
GREAT trip report (part 1), as always! Looking forward to the rest!
Hopefully I will be as on-the-ball about our trip report...we'll see....
GREAT trip report (part 1), as always! Looking forward to the rest!
Hopefully I will be as on-the-ball about our trip report...we'll see....
Re: Trip report: Two more weeks in paradise, part 1
I love your trip reports! What are great part 1 and I can't wait for part 2.
We stayed at Caneel, this time and we were on island around the same time as you, I was wondering if I might run into you while at Caneel and finally get to meet you.
Again, love the trip report
We stayed at Caneel, this time and we were on island around the same time as you, I was wondering if I might run into you while at Caneel and finally get to meet you.
Again, love the trip report
Re: Trip report: Two more weeks in paradise, part 1
Thanks for the great pics and TR, can't wait to read the next parts!! We've had some dreary days here, so it was nice seeing my happy place!! 
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hoosierdaddy
- Posts: 920
- Joined: Tue Jan 20, 2009 11:53 am
- Location: Indiana
Re: Trip report: Two more weeks in paradise, part 1
Thanks for the first week report. As always great food and snorkeling pics.
Re: Trip report: Two more weeks in paradise, part 1
Great report and pics! Good pick me up for a rainy Tuesday.
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Re: Trip report: Two more weeks in paradise, part 1
I saw your post yesterday but waited to enjoy it during my peaceful morning hours.
That overnight flight would have kicked my butt. At 23 yo no problem but the 43 yo me, no way.
Anxious to see the villa reviews!
ETA - I clip my keys to the cooler so I can't leave the house without it.
That overnight flight would have kicked my butt. At 23 yo no problem but the 43 yo me, no way.
Anxious to see the villa reviews!
ETA - I clip my keys to the cooler so I can't leave the house without it.
Re: Trip report: Two more weeks in paradise, part 1
Yeah it was really rough. The only reason why we booked it in the first place is that this multi-day meeting that I run was originally scheduled to end Friday afternoon. I was going from the meeting to the airport. The meeting ended up getting pushed back a day and ending on Thursday, but by the time that decision was made it was too expensive to change the tickets. I really don't recommend it.PA Girl wrote:That overnight flight would have kicked my butt. At 23 yo no problem but the 43 yo me, no way.
ETA - I clip my keys to the cooler so I can't leave the house without it.
Haha that is a good tip on the cooler. The cooler was only the first of many things I forgot/misplaced on this trip. Chemo brain...
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
Re: Trip report: Two more weeks in paradise, part 1
As always I love, love, love your reports and pics! Thanks so much for sharing! Can't wait for part 2
Re: Trip report: Two more weeks in paradise, part 1
Very cool trip report. Love the pictures. Did you have 2 cameras (Land & Water) - the pictures are great. I'm looking for a new camera. Can't wait fro Part 2
FlaGeorge
"Swim Against The Current - Even a Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow"
"Swim Against The Current - Even a Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow"
Re: Trip report: Two more weeks in paradise, part 1
Your pictures are beautiful, so clear and crisp! I read your report last night and you really made me hungry with the food pictures. Looks like the kids are having a great time. Thank you for taking the time and effort to write a report. I always have good intentions, I'm going to try it on my upcoming Fall trip
Re: Trip report: Two more weeks in paradise, part 1
I love your trip reports! Thanks!
Cheers, RickG
Cheers, RickG
S/V Echoes - Coral Bay - St. John, VI
Re: Trip report: Two more weeks in paradise, part 1
Your pictures are amazing and that sushi looks freaking ridiculous! I am so bummed that Caneel is going to be closed while we are there in October. I really want to try that sushi and Zozo's!!!
Re: Trip report: Two more weeks in paradise, part 1
Hi FlaGeorge, I hope you are well.FlaGeorge wrote:Very cool trip report. Love the pictures. Did you have 2 cameras (Land & Water) - the pictures are great. I'm looking for a new camera. Can't wait fro Part 2
I had a bunch of different cameras with me on this trip. For underwater, I really liked the Olympus tough. It died towards the end of the trip, but by the time I got home I already had a message from amazon that my camera was part of a defective batch and they would replace it for free. I also was really pleased with the quality of the pictures from my Canon powershot s120 with seperate UW housing, but that's more of an investment than the olympus tough. I also had my old Canon D20, which is fine but not my favorite, and an old Nikon coolpix, which flooded at the end of the trip (the day after the Olympus died, ha. This is why I bring so many cameras).
Most of the above ground pics were also taken with one of these cameras. I had my DSLR with me but rarely used it because I did not want to being it to the beach. The Zozos pics were taken with that camera, as well as the ones around the grounds at Altagracia. The pictures with frames on them are just iphone pictures run through the snapseed app (that's probably pretty obvious).
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
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Wanda Creech
- Posts: 345
- Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2007 7:47 pm
- Location: Raleigh,NC
Re: Trip report: Two more weeks in paradise, part 1
As always I enjoy your wonderful report, great pictures and you are
looking beautiful.
Thanks,
Wanda
looking beautiful.
Thanks,
Wanda
Beach Creecher