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May 2-11 Trip Report
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JohnThomas
- Posts: 73
- Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 4:39 pm
- Location: MA
May 2-11 Trip Report
St. John 2016 Trip Report
May 2-11, 2016
May 2
Boston to St. Thomas direct via JetBlue (3 tickets) total $804.78
Depart Boston 8:37 am Arrive St. Thomas 12:35pm
20160505_131458 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Day 1
Arrived in St. Thomas and picked up by Rachel. Wonderful ride with Rachel and a great tour of the island on our way to Red Hook. 2 adults + 1 child & 3 suitcases $60 + tip-well worth it!
Picked up our jeep from Varlack. We rented a 4 door jeep for 9 days $825.75
Drove straight to Samuel Cottages which we also rented for the full 9 days that we spent on St. John. (Previous stays at Villa Spendore, Rick’s Hideaway, Maho Bay Camps, villa on gift hill) Perfect cottage for the price and we were happy with the location close to town as we haven’t stayed this close to town before.
20160505_085808 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
After we unpacked we headed for Maho, we stopped at the deli at Mongoose Junction and got a few sandwiches-seemed a little different from Deli Grotto-not as many baked goods & sandwich options but I may just be forgetting.
20160505_095104 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
That evening we went to Starfish Market to pick up a few groceries as we were traveling with a 4 year old and needed some basics. Having been to this market many times in the past, this time was a little disappointing. We are aware of the cost of food but found many spoiled foods and visible mold on many items. We ended up purchasing half of what we normally do because of this.
Day 2
We usually get up early, around 4am-coffee at the cottage and then off to Hawksnest about 8am. Beautiful as it always is and not many people at that time of morning. The water was calm & warm. For lunch we went to the Tourist Trap which we have always enjoyed and had the usual-lobster rolls & nachos! Yum! Mary is always entertaining!
20160503_123459 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
20160503_130045 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Later in the day we went to Woody’s for a couple of drinks and to Shipwreck Landing for Dinner.
20160511_074339 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Day 3
Up early again and straight to Oppenheimer/Gibney. We easily obtained one of the 3 spots at about 8am but the only downfall with arriving early was that the bugs were in full force. We left and headed for Leinster. Lovely walk to Leinster and enjoyed looking at all the crabs. We swam once we got there for a bit and then decided to head to Honeymoon for the afternoon. I always love going to Honeymoon, there is just something about this beach, beautiful. We went to the gift shop and purchased a few gifts and then had our $20 parking fee validated. Off to the smoothie stand in town and then The Lime Inn for dinner.
20160502_170958 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Day 4
High Tide for Breakfast and then to Sam & Jack’s deli for lunch to bring with us to Maho. This place was amazing and one sandwich could have fed all three of us! Loved the roast beef on the onion roll, the $1 muffins, and the homemade chips! Great place! Later in the evening we went to Lameshur but left because of bugs, I made the mistake of bringing all natural bug spray-I will not do that again. We all looked we had chicken pox by the time we got back to the cottage.
20160502_145119 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Day 5
Laundry day $51 dollars for 3 medium loads, 3 dryers and laundry soap. A little too much sun the past few days so we headed to Mongoose Junction for a little shopping. Finally got a hook bracelet for myself and for a couple of family members. Went to Maho again that afternoon. Also went to the St. John Animal Care Center to make a small donation and see the cats & dogs-a great place and glad we went, they are doing a great job! Spent some time exploring the island by jeep.
20160508_113858 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Day 6
A trip to the VI visitors center and then to Francis Bay. I was playing with my son and noticed people looking into the water from the shore in front of us. I turned and a few feet away there was an approx. 5 foot shark. I wasn’t really sure what kind it was and I’m sure it was harmless but my natural instinct was to pull my son out of the water-yes, calm overreaction Miss Lucy’s for dinner and back to the cottage. Smoothies in town again at some point.
20160510_121127 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Day 7
Took the ferry directly to Charlotte Amalie to break things up and had a request to get some tshirts at the St. Thomas Harley Davidson shop. I have never done this on prior trips and really enjoyed the ferry ride over. Once we arrived we realized the shop was not open and were approached by many salespeople, it was a little overwhelming and disappointing. Realizing that most shops were not open early and that many didn’t open because there were not cruise ships in we were able to catch the same ferry back to St. John. We went to Cinnamon Bay and had lunch there and spent the day on the beach. The beach was fairly busy and the current seemed kind of strong. A little bit of a tough day but that’s almost impossible on St. John, figured it was a full moon. That night we had some great Chinese food at the dugout-felt a little like home.
20160508_185334 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Day 8
Breakfast at Jake’s and back to Gibney. Stayed for almost 4 hours and loved it once again. Skinny Legs for burgers and then back to the cottage.
20160509_075725 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Day 9
Time to go home! Too early for Jake’s and ended up getting a few treats from C & D bakery. We took our last ride along the north shore beaches Went to purchase ferry tickets to Charlotte Amalie but was told they were no longer selling them and that a private water taxi was available. At the same time 8:45am we took a much smaller boat to Charlotte Amalie and enjoyed the ride once again. From there we took a taxi to the airport for our afternoon flight to JFK with a 4 hour layover to Boston. We got home around midnight and went straight to bed. Back to work and reality in the AM.
20160510_083723 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Somewhere in this trip report we ate at Ocean Grill, Ronnie’s pizza twice (they have tons of books), Cruz Bay Landing for breakfast
20160508_080754 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
We had yet another wonderful trip! Things seemed a little different this time around. We usually travel in June and it doesn’t seem to be as buggy but then again it may have been our choice of all natural bug spray Most places took visa, carrying cash was kind of a pain. Tried a few new places for meals and loved them! Especially Sam & Jack’s Deli, dugout for Chinese and Ronnie’s pizza. Occasionally mid trip I start to feel “off” because of the heat and different foods, this trip was no different. Ronnie’s and the dugout made me feel a little more at home. That feeling quickly passed and I’m sure coming from the cold into the heat was more the adjustment for me. Love St. John and already planning my next trip back!
(pics are randomly placed throughout)
20160509_092317 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
May 2-11, 2016
May 2
Boston to St. Thomas direct via JetBlue (3 tickets) total $804.78
Depart Boston 8:37 am Arrive St. Thomas 12:35pm
20160505_131458 by John Thomas L, on FlickrDay 1
Arrived in St. Thomas and picked up by Rachel. Wonderful ride with Rachel and a great tour of the island on our way to Red Hook. 2 adults + 1 child & 3 suitcases $60 + tip-well worth it!
Picked up our jeep from Varlack. We rented a 4 door jeep for 9 days $825.75
Drove straight to Samuel Cottages which we also rented for the full 9 days that we spent on St. John. (Previous stays at Villa Spendore, Rick’s Hideaway, Maho Bay Camps, villa on gift hill) Perfect cottage for the price and we were happy with the location close to town as we haven’t stayed this close to town before.
20160505_085808 by John Thomas L, on FlickrAfter we unpacked we headed for Maho, we stopped at the deli at Mongoose Junction and got a few sandwiches-seemed a little different from Deli Grotto-not as many baked goods & sandwich options but I may just be forgetting.
20160505_095104 by John Thomas L, on FlickrThat evening we went to Starfish Market to pick up a few groceries as we were traveling with a 4 year old and needed some basics. Having been to this market many times in the past, this time was a little disappointing. We are aware of the cost of food but found many spoiled foods and visible mold on many items. We ended up purchasing half of what we normally do because of this.
Day 2
We usually get up early, around 4am-coffee at the cottage and then off to Hawksnest about 8am. Beautiful as it always is and not many people at that time of morning. The water was calm & warm. For lunch we went to the Tourist Trap which we have always enjoyed and had the usual-lobster rolls & nachos! Yum! Mary is always entertaining!
20160503_123459 by John Thomas L, on Flickr20160503_130045 by John Thomas L, on FlickrLater in the day we went to Woody’s for a couple of drinks and to Shipwreck Landing for Dinner.
20160511_074339 by John Thomas L, on FlickrDay 3
Up early again and straight to Oppenheimer/Gibney. We easily obtained one of the 3 spots at about 8am but the only downfall with arriving early was that the bugs were in full force. We left and headed for Leinster. Lovely walk to Leinster and enjoyed looking at all the crabs. We swam once we got there for a bit and then decided to head to Honeymoon for the afternoon. I always love going to Honeymoon, there is just something about this beach, beautiful. We went to the gift shop and purchased a few gifts and then had our $20 parking fee validated. Off to the smoothie stand in town and then The Lime Inn for dinner.
20160502_170958 by John Thomas L, on FlickrDay 4
High Tide for Breakfast and then to Sam & Jack’s deli for lunch to bring with us to Maho. This place was amazing and one sandwich could have fed all three of us! Loved the roast beef on the onion roll, the $1 muffins, and the homemade chips! Great place! Later in the evening we went to Lameshur but left because of bugs, I made the mistake of bringing all natural bug spray-I will not do that again. We all looked we had chicken pox by the time we got back to the cottage.
20160502_145119 by John Thomas L, on FlickrDay 5
Laundry day $51 dollars for 3 medium loads, 3 dryers and laundry soap. A little too much sun the past few days so we headed to Mongoose Junction for a little shopping. Finally got a hook bracelet for myself and for a couple of family members. Went to Maho again that afternoon. Also went to the St. John Animal Care Center to make a small donation and see the cats & dogs-a great place and glad we went, they are doing a great job! Spent some time exploring the island by jeep.
20160508_113858 by John Thomas L, on FlickrDay 6
A trip to the VI visitors center and then to Francis Bay. I was playing with my son and noticed people looking into the water from the shore in front of us. I turned and a few feet away there was an approx. 5 foot shark. I wasn’t really sure what kind it was and I’m sure it was harmless but my natural instinct was to pull my son out of the water-yes, calm overreaction Miss Lucy’s for dinner and back to the cottage. Smoothies in town again at some point.
20160510_121127 by John Thomas L, on FlickrDay 7
Took the ferry directly to Charlotte Amalie to break things up and had a request to get some tshirts at the St. Thomas Harley Davidson shop. I have never done this on prior trips and really enjoyed the ferry ride over. Once we arrived we realized the shop was not open and were approached by many salespeople, it was a little overwhelming and disappointing. Realizing that most shops were not open early and that many didn’t open because there were not cruise ships in we were able to catch the same ferry back to St. John. We went to Cinnamon Bay and had lunch there and spent the day on the beach. The beach was fairly busy and the current seemed kind of strong. A little bit of a tough day but that’s almost impossible on St. John, figured it was a full moon. That night we had some great Chinese food at the dugout-felt a little like home.
20160508_185334 by John Thomas L, on FlickrDay 8
Breakfast at Jake’s and back to Gibney. Stayed for almost 4 hours and loved it once again. Skinny Legs for burgers and then back to the cottage.
20160509_075725 by John Thomas L, on FlickrDay 9
Time to go home! Too early for Jake’s and ended up getting a few treats from C & D bakery. We took our last ride along the north shore beaches Went to purchase ferry tickets to Charlotte Amalie but was told they were no longer selling them and that a private water taxi was available. At the same time 8:45am we took a much smaller boat to Charlotte Amalie and enjoyed the ride once again. From there we took a taxi to the airport for our afternoon flight to JFK with a 4 hour layover to Boston. We got home around midnight and went straight to bed. Back to work and reality in the AM.
20160510_083723 by John Thomas L, on FlickrSomewhere in this trip report we ate at Ocean Grill, Ronnie’s pizza twice (they have tons of books), Cruz Bay Landing for breakfast
20160508_080754 by John Thomas L, on FlickrWe had yet another wonderful trip! Things seemed a little different this time around. We usually travel in June and it doesn’t seem to be as buggy but then again it may have been our choice of all natural bug spray Most places took visa, carrying cash was kind of a pain. Tried a few new places for meals and loved them! Especially Sam & Jack’s Deli, dugout for Chinese and Ronnie’s pizza. Occasionally mid trip I start to feel “off” because of the heat and different foods, this trip was no different. Ronnie’s and the dugout made me feel a little more at home. That feeling quickly passed and I’m sure coming from the cold into the heat was more the adjustment for me. Love St. John and already planning my next trip back!
(pics are randomly placed throughout)
20160509_092317 by John Thomas L, on Flickr
Re: May 2-11 Trip Report
great report thanks 
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JohnThomas
- Posts: 73
- Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 4:39 pm
- Location: MA
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david@va.beach
- Posts: 163
- Joined: Sun Jul 14, 2013 7:51 am
Re: May 2-11 Trip Report
enjoyed yourr trip report and envy the airfare deals you folks get in boston..the 'natural' bug spray doesn't work much for us either..looks like the island has gotten some rain vs. early march on our last visit..thanks again!
Re: May 2-11 Trip Report
great trip report!
BTW, this STUFF works in St John. We've tried many sprays
http://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-S ... +picaridin
BTW, this STUFF works in St John. We've tried many sprays
http://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-S ... +picaridin
Re: May 2-11 Trip Report
Thanks for the report...........don't usually eat out for breakfast, but those pics may encourage me to do otherwise
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ArkieLovesSTJ
- Posts: 111
- Joined: Fri Jul 19, 2013 2:34 pm
- Location: Conway, AR
Re: May 2-11 Trip Report
Thanks for the report and the great pics! We are headed down in the morning, so today will drag by very slowly...
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JohnThomas
- Posts: 73
- Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 4:39 pm
- Location: MA
Re: May 2-11 Trip Report
Thanks Everyone! Not very good at writing, obviously fmzip-thanks for the bug spray tip, Have a great time Arkie! StMax-Jake's is great for breakfast and you can even order lunch items, I got a BLT for breakfast! David-yes, flight deals are great, just have to spend quite a bit of time watching for them. We were lucky to have missed the rain, many people told us that it rained a number of days prior to us arriving. Thanks again everyone!
fmzip-thanks for the bug spray tip, Have a great time Arkie! StMax-Jake's is great for breakfast and you can even order lunch items, I got a BLT for breakfast! David-yes, flight deals are great, just have to spend quite a bit of time watching for them. We were lucky to have missed the rain, many people told us that it rained a number of days prior to us arriving. Thanks again everyone!
Re: May 2-11 Trip Report
Very much enjoyed reading your trip report.
We usually stay on St. John for a couple of weeks and during that time I start to crave my comfort food (unfortunately, I don't find it on the island). That's something that I have to deal with... and I gladly do so. I treasure our time on St. John so much!
You get up at 4 a.m. - did I read it right? You would enjoy sunrises from Coral Bay, I imagine. Perhaps on your next trip to St. John?
Thank you again for your report!
We usually stay on St. John for a couple of weeks and during that time I start to crave my comfort food (unfortunately, I don't find it on the island). That's something that I have to deal with... and I gladly do so. I treasure our time on St. John so much!
You get up at 4 a.m. - did I read it right? You would enjoy sunrises from Coral Bay, I imagine. Perhaps on your next trip to St. John?
Thank you again for your report!
Re: May 2-11 Trip Report
Thanks for your report! Your little boy is adorable
Glad to hear you had a good time. I am jealous of your airfare. We are flying Jet Blue from Boston in a couple of weeks and paid way more per ticket than you did!
Another bug spray recommendation for you that I got from this forum: sun skeeter wipes. They have both bug spray and sunscreen in them, and seem to do well at rebuffing the mossies and no see ums. I buy them in bulk from Amazon.
Glad to hear you had a good time. I am jealous of your airfare. We are flying Jet Blue from Boston in a couple of weeks and paid way more per ticket than you did!
Another bug spray recommendation for you that I got from this forum: sun skeeter wipes. They have both bug spray and sunscreen in them, and seem to do well at rebuffing the mossies and no see ums. I buy them in bulk from Amazon.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
Re: May 2-11 Trip Report
Wonderful trip report! We usually bring bug spray with a high concentration of deet. The island looks very lush and green. I loved seeing your donkey pictures. Sounds like you had a great time.
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JohnThomas
- Posts: 73
- Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 4:39 pm
- Location: MA
Re: May 2-11 Trip Report
Yes Pickle, you read it right 4am! I may have to try Coral Bay for the sunsets, thanks! Thanks Liamsaunt, I love your great trip reports!!!! Getting airfare that low is really a full time job-I ended up getting that deal on expedia. kklay-yes, next time lots of deet! We purchased a timeshare at Grande Bay this trip and are still wondering if we did the right thing, anyone have a timeshare there? we are missing the island and can't wait to go back 
Thanks Liamsaunt, I love your great trip reports!!!! Getting airfare that low is really a full time job-I ended up getting that deal on expedia. kklay-yes, next time lots of deet! We purchased a timeshare at Grande Bay this trip and are still wondering if we did the right thing, anyone have a timeshare there? we are missing the island and can't wait to go back -
ColumbiaSCTraveler
- Posts: 528
- Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:33 pm
- Location: Columbia, SC
Re: May 2-11 Trip Report
Such a nice treat to read your trip report! I'm circling the forum these days more than normal since our trip is finally within sight!
We are bringing our (at the time) 16 month old when we visit in July / August. Hoping he enjoys it as much as your 4yo seems to!
I think I spied Babyganics sunscreen in one of your pictures. We use that for our son here at home, but obviously, it doesn't work on STJ. Good to know!
Oh! We've talked about buying a time share at Grande Bay for a while now...let us know what y'all think about it!
Loved the pictures! Thanks for sharing!
We are bringing our (at the time) 16 month old when we visit in July / August. Hoping he enjoys it as much as your 4yo seems to!
I think I spied Babyganics sunscreen in one of your pictures. We use that for our son here at home, but obviously, it doesn't work on STJ. Good to know!
Oh! We've talked about buying a time share at Grande Bay for a while now...let us know what y'all think about it!
Loved the pictures! Thanks for sharing!
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JohnThomas
- Posts: 73
- Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 4:39 pm
- Location: MA
Re: May 2-11 Trip Report
Hi ColumbiaSCTraveler,
Thanks! The sunscreen was fine as long as we applied, reapplied, and reapplied It was that same brand in bugspray that didn't work. My son was fine but had his moments. Maho was perfect for him, so easy! Next time I would bring a few boxes of mac & cheese because at times he was fussy and didn't particularly like what we were eating-ribs, lobster rolls, etc. I was glad that we brought arm floaties as well as the life vest, both worked perfect and gave him and I confidence to float without his head dipping into the water. As far as the timeshare...we will see & I will keep you posted. Grande Bay is beautiful, I was just hesitant because I have little experience with timeshares. Have a wonderful trip!
Thanks! The sunscreen was fine as long as we applied, reapplied, and reapplied
It was that same brand in bugspray that didn't work. My son was fine but had his moments. Maho was perfect for him, so easy! Next time I would bring a few boxes of mac & cheese because at times he was fussy and didn't particularly like what we were eating-ribs, lobster rolls, etc. I was glad that we brought arm floaties as well as the life vest, both worked perfect and gave him and I confidence to float without his head dipping into the water. As far as the timeshare...we will see & I will keep you posted. Grande Bay is beautiful, I was just hesitant because I have little experience with timeshares. Have a wonderful trip!