Trip Report: July 13-22 Number 5

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KidLiggy
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed May 04, 2011 12:18 pm
Location: Iowa

Trip Report: July 13-22 Number 5

Post by KidLiggy »

St John Trip Report – July 13-22 – Trip Number Five

Travel: did a Wed-Friday schedule wanting 1 extra day than normal as we took the kids this time (2nd trip for them) and with the oldest starting college next year just wasn’t sure when we could all get down again. Glad I did the extra day as AA did not make it easy for us coming or going. I used to be a faithful AA Citibank guy for many years before they started stranding us on the way home. Switched to Cap One several years back and have had successful flights with Delta. This time Delta was quite a bit higher than AA so decided to give them another chance. Left DSM at 7am to CLT and were supposed to catch the CLT to STT at 11:25am arriving in STT 3:40pm. Plane had mechanical problems and after several delays they boarded the plane, taxied out then came the dreaded “sorry folks, still have a problem, back to the gate we go”. After several more hours they canceled the flight. They put us up at a subpar hotel, after waiting an hour for their shuttle. Up early again for 8:30am flight to STT, ended up on STJ at 2pm. Normally after arriving in STT they’ve put us in a taxi with other Redhook folks and speed right there. This time we had to stop at Sugar Bay for 2 passengers and we missed the 1pm ferry by just a few minutes. Might have to try Rachel next time. Coming home we had an 8:30am departure from STT, we followed their strict 3 hour rule and were there at 5:30am, to sit and wait for the security doors to open at 6am. We also printed our boarding passes on STJ but AA said we had to reprint them at the kiosk, not sure why. STT to MIA was fine until we landed and sat on the tarmac for half an hour waiting for a gate, we had a 1 hour layover and I thought this would be where AA would strand us, we ran to the gate and barely made our ORD flight, relief…um no. In ORD we were pleased to see our plane sitting there. At boarding time they announced the co-pilot had not arrived and would keep us informed. After several similar announcements they canceled our DSM flight. As we were waiting in line we called AA who booked us flights on United for 10:30pm that night, great! Off we went to the United gate for them to tell us we were not in their system and had to go back to AA. AA said they didn’t book it correctly and those seats were now gone, they booked us on their Saturday 10am flight and unfortunately no hotel/food vouchers, calling it an “FAA rule/decision”. They tried to help us get the 1 remaining room a half hour away but only 1 bed for $85 and at our expense, no thanks. No rental cars available. After several tries found a pricey room at the airport Hilton so that’s what we did. Needless to say, never giving AA my business again. I do plan on writing them a letter to attempt the Hilton reimbursement, but guessing that will fall on deaf ears.

Jeep: used Bougainvillea again and as usual they delivered. 4 door Wrangler with 5K miles, had the usual bumper dents. Someone added another dent at Maho even with parking strategically as I try to do to avoid such a mishap, noticed people parking crazy everywhere this trip. Bougainvillea didn’t question the dent or the small amount of sand we left (vacuum not working at the gas station).

Accommodations: Satinwood villa almost to the end of Majestic Mile road in Upper Carolina. This villa has gotten a bad rap by some on the forums so I’ll give you my honest take. For those of you with kids you know it’s hard to find an affordable villa in the 2K-2500 range. Seems many of the medium range villas charge for double occupancy then add $50 pp, which can take many off the radar quickly. We wanted the most space possible so not crawling over each other and also wanted the kids to have their own bed, that’s also hard to find in the reasonable range.
-Positives: lots of space, the living room and kitchen are in the middle of the house in a large room with a large, comfortable deck overlooking some pretty sweet views of Coral Bay/East End and Norman/Cooper in the distance. Large king bedrooms are on either side of the living room, matching in size with full bathrooms and good size showers with good water pressure. Both bedrooms have lofts above with 2 single beds. King beds are the adjustable kind and were good, not great but good. Ample storage. The kids each took a bed in the loft of one bedroom while we had the other room. Very nice set-up for a family, if you want space, this place has it. Each room had their own small balcony with great views. House does not have AC but there was a constant breeze both day and night, never felt the need for AC. Tree frogs sing you to sleep, I’m actually a poor sleeper and rested great all week. One evening we witnessed a tree frog “bloom”, or whatever you call it, a hundred or so babies came out of the forest, across the pool deck and on to the forest below, lasted about 5 minutes. We helped a few of them out of the pool and on their way. They were translucent, could see right through them. Quite a sight to see, one of those STJ moments likely never to forget. Kitchen had ample storage and equipment along with a new fridge. Newer washer and dryer, a recent review showed photos of old, rusty machines, these have been replaced. The grill on the main deck is stainless steel and newer. The pool is medium size for island standards, good depth. There are trees above it on one end so had to skim it a few times. Managed by Cimmaron who we’ve used before, can’t say enough good things about them. Villa is off the grid using solar power with back-up generator, never had a water problem, we are strict with our usage. Separate water filter faucet in kitchen, we drank it and was fine.
-Negatives: I think the big turnoff for people looking at Satinwood is the composting toilets; I too was leery but overlooked this trading them off for the space. Walking into the bathrooms you wouldn’t know the difference but they are indeed pit toilets, you can’t see the bottom and there is no flush. There was a slight odor but certainly not overwhelming. We got used to it and after a day was an afterthought. The house is older and is showing its age but nothing unsafe or bad. Furnishings are ok, nothing upscale. The power went out twice the first few days but Cimmaron was there quickly, they just installed a new computer for the solar system and had to tweak the system, it was fine the rest of the week. Villa was clean.
-Overall if you are looking to save money, want more space, easy drive with short distance to Coral Bay and northshore, can get past the pit toilet thing, and want a “smack you in the face” view, Satinwood will be fine. We’ve stayed at both older and newer villas, I’m cool with older as long as clean and functional, we’re here for the beach, not what thread count the sheets have or if there is a tad bit of musty smell. We also prefer no AC as long as there is a good breeze, I don’t like to feel shut in a quiet house while on STJ, I want to hear and feel the outside. I timed 12 minutes to Maho and 6 to the Coral Bay Y intersection. There is a full apartment unit underneath which would be nice for larger groups. I would stay here again.
Lindbergh Bay Hotel: stayed here our last night since we had an 8:30am flight. We stayed in a cottage room which is basically another wing of the hotel, 2 levels with many rooms. They recently renovated and we found everything to be very nice, new and clean. Kids loved the pool. Views of the bay are very nice. I’ve seen some negative reviews about this place and I didn’t experience anything negative. Easy 5 minute flat walk to the airport terminal. We’ve stayed at Emerald Beach across the bay; I found Lindbergh nicer and a much shorter walk. No restaurant at Lindbergh but they had a shuttle that went to Emerald every half hour. We opted for Dominoes delivery which was timely and good.

What we did highlights– it was fun having the kids back, they were 6 and 11 the first time so they pretty much had forgotten everything, it was like seeing it for the first time for them, now 13 and 18.
-Beaches:
• Honeymoon: bought the day passes and had a great time kayaking, SUP, snorkeling. They have a nice little operation there. Hint: I didn’t see the summer half-off promotion so I emailed them and they gave us the discount. It’s a bit of a haul from the Caneel parking lot but not bad.
• Jumbie: the only time we found a parking spot was coming home from Cruz Bay one afternoon about 5pm, only ones on the beach for about an hour, love this little gem.
• Francis: the past 3 times we’ve stopped here the bugs have driven us out but decided to give it another try; glad we did as no bugs this time and had a great morning. Snorkeled far right almost to the point, lots of fish, squid, turtles. We walked the raised wood trail between beach and pond until it ended and came out way right, I recommend this over dragging your stuff down the beach, easier walk, plus you are away from the crowd. When we left at noon there were Jeeps parked everywhere even up the road. We arrived at 9am and were the 2nd Jeep.
• Maho: this was our first beach back in 2007 and our fav for many years, have to say way too many people now unless you are there very early or late. We stopped around 5pm one day and walked the beach, brought back that familiar first feeling with very few people, beautiful at dusk. Our other stop was around 1pm, stayed an hour then left due to the crowds and came back to a dented bumper. Be careful parking in the main lot!
• Waterlemon: another of our favs and the kids had never been so we got there early, first ones on the beach. I call hiking up to Murphy House a STJ badge of honor so went first thing. I had done this myself once before and always preached to the beauty from up there; all agreed and received their badge. We also took a quick hike to the ruins behind the beach, very cool as well. Snorkeled the right side to where you cross to the Cay, we opted out of the Cay as feeling tired from the hike. On the way back a school of large fish (jacks perhaps?) surrounded us and swam with us for several minutes, the snorkeling remains excellent here.
• Cinnamon: another of our favs, my daughter wasn’t feeling well one day so just my son and I went, then also went back our last day. Rented a skim board and watched him work his skateboard skills for several hours. Noticed walking the path through the campground that surveyors had equipment around, likely for the new concessioner taking over. Continue to love this beach, so long and the views so immense. The last day we were there it was very windy but we stuck it out trying to soak it all in one more time.
• Salt Pond/Ram Head: Ram Head is IMO something all regular visitors should tackle if able. Another STJ badge of honor in my book. Went early and took lots of water. Took several breaks enjoying Blue Cobblestone, the barrel cactus, and of course taking in the views at the tip. Breathtaking views up there give such a different perspective of the island. Kids loved it which was so nice to see, they were nice enough not to tell us to hurry up already hiking back. We didn’t stay at the beach as all hungry and anxious to see Mary and Larry at the Tourist Trap, possibly for the last time =(. This is a doable but medium grade hike; we are in average shape and had to stop several times for breaks, just FYI.
• Hawksnest: after Ram Head and lunch we hoped for a spot at Gibney or Jumbie, no luck so we kept going until found spots at Hawksnest which is fine because another beautiful spot. Crowded but we found a spot way right and ended up staying all afternoon. The kids and I swam over to Gibney, jumped off the rocks, tried the tire swing, made my wife jealous that she didn’t go as Gibney is her favorite. Note: never saw an open spot at Gibney, even at 8am. At one point a young gent decided to plop down next to us and blare his music, we made eye to eye but I opted not to say anything, luckily he didn’t stay long. Not sure why people think that is ok, nor why they have to sit right next to you when there are many other spots. I find it strange.

Restaurants:
• Skinny Legs: continues to be our favorite haunt, we like the atmosphere, quick service, good drinks, great burgers, simple menu. Also enjoy the shops. Went there many times.
• Tourist Trap: another favorite, sad to see Larry close but hopefully someone continues. The banakeets alone are a reason to go.
• Aqua Bistro: always get grouper fingers and conch fritters, what can I say they are fantastic. Kids had wings and said they were the best ever had.
• Shipwreck Landing: best fried fish on the island, both in sandwich form and fish and chips.
• Indigo Grill: good pizza and drink options, they no longer offer sushi per the waitress. It was nice to see the old Donkey Diner spruced up. Bit on the pricey side.
• St John Brewers: normally just go here for a drink but we found they offer half-off happy hour pizzas and they were very good, cheapest dinner we had all week.
• Longboard: wow that frozen painkiller is special! Menu was fusion-style, very good, bit pricey.
• Pickles: had several quick breakfasts here, pastries most days but egg sandwiches once and always good.
• Cruz Bay Landing: very good breakfast hands down, will continue to make this a must-stop tradition.
• High Tide: late lunch before the ferry, good selection, good food, it was packed at 2:30pm.

Reflections: We’ve been on 9 island trips, 5 to STJ; we’ve adopted this special place and will be back hopefully sooner than later. It was tougher than normal to get to and from this time, in general us Midwesterners have a challenge getting anywhere outside the continental US, part of the deal. Weather was perfect! Sunny, 85 and breezy, lower humidity than usual. Back home they were under the heat dome so glad we missed that. St John Spice and Bamboo are our favorite stores, Love City Mini mart continues to amaze me with their space saving techniques and good prices. The island is definitely busier since we started coming almost 10 years ago, but thankfully it didn’t bother me as I was concerned it would. One thing we noticed were many ladies walking around Cruz Bay in just their swimming suit bottoms, a few in just swimsuits alone, can’t remember seeing that even once in the past. Note: we have Verizon and called them 3 times beforehand to inquire about the Global plan, received 3 different answers. The final call a nice gent said the Global plan is not necessary per the goofy BVI tower situation, he noted our file that we would call when back and to waive any surcharges. We did just that and they waived all charges, easy peasy. In our experience paying extra for the Global plan was not necessary. Tips: I have a 24 can Polar Bear I like to use on island, I use it as my carry-on, it’s very similar in size to a normal carry-on and you can cinch it down good. I buy a 12 pack of water and freeze half, using these throughout the week as cooler ice; everything is cold even at the end of the day. If the villa water is potable, we keep refilling the other 6 bottles. The last few days we allow them to unthaw and drink. Now, back to the villa search!
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Robin in NC
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 7:19 pm
Location: Kernersville, NC

Re: Trip Report: July 13-22 Number 5

Post by Robin in NC »

Grrrreat report! You really suffered with AA, didn't you? You made us feel your pain, and made me question whether to use them again - but they're dominant at our local airport.

Composting toilets. Nuh-uh.

Thanks for the beach and restaurant reports, too. We haven't been to STJ in seven years I think, but we're planning to return in 2017. I appreciate the latest info!
david@va.beach
Posts: 163
Joined: Sun Jul 14, 2013 7:51 am

Re: Trip Report: July 13-22 Number 5

Post by david@va.beach »

I really enjoyed your report!! We seem to share the same nightmare it's called air travel....The price goes up and the service goes down!! Hoping to down there this winter with our granddaughter for her first adventure.
ShaSha
Posts: 59
Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:55 pm
Location: Rolling Prairie, IN

Re: Trip Report: July 13-22 Number 5

Post by ShaSha »

Thank-You so much for your wonderful trip report!! I found it very helpful and I took notes as we are coming to St. John in Nov. 2016.
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Suziekue
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Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 1:51 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Trip Report: July 13-22 Number 5

Post by Suziekue »

Thank you very much for sharing! I felt your pain with AA, been thru that myself departing DTW with CLT or MIA connections many times. Last year we traveled with AA to STX & spent the night in MIA each way to hopefully alleviate issues & both times it was a nightmare. This year we're trying Jet Blue with a Boston connection each way, we have high hopes so hopefully we're not disappointed. Plan to post a trip report when we get back too & will share our experiences.
Soarin' with the eagles all week long, and this is all that we've learned about living - VACATION!

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KidLiggy
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed May 04, 2011 12:18 pm
Location: Iowa

Re: Trip Report: July 13-22 Number 5

Post by KidLiggy »

Thanks for the kind replies.

We ended up getting back the Chicago hotel/food costs, via trip insurance.

Verizon ended up charging us $250 even after they assured us multiple times that would not happen, had to fight with several managers to get them to reimburse $200, wasn't pleased with their service. Next time we will get a Go phone or something to avoid dealing with them all together.
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kklay
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Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2007 3:17 pm
Location: Lima, Ohio

Re: Trip Report: July 13-22 Number 5

Post by kklay »

Very enjoyable report! We are using Jet Blue again on our upcoming trip. Really liked them last year - just hoping for decent weather in Boston this November! One of the couples staying with us this trip is using miles on American - so I hope they don't have issues. I also have alot of miles via my Citibank card that I would like to use in the near future. I might need to find another use for them based on some of the feedback I've read about on this forum.
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