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Trip Report – May/June – Part 2 – A Trip of Firsts
Trip Report – May/June – Part 2 – A Trip of Firsts
We decided to do make an effort to do some different things this trip, in addition to some of the “usual favorites” that we do every trip.
My husband has always wanted to visit the library in Cruz Bay as he read somewhere that it also housed a museum with artifacts from days of old on St John. He was disappointed to find out that it’s no longer a museum, and apparently hasn’t been for some time. The artifacts are being stored in a government warehouse somewhere. However, there was some info on the historical aspects of the building, a few old pictures and lots of old books. It was kind of a neat building and the basement had lots of stuff too. The 2 ladies working there were friendly and helpful.
I’ll fess up – we have never been to the Beach Bar in our prior 6 trips. After visiting the library, we wanted to eat lunch at the former Balcony (now Vista Mare). We always enjoy eating at this location – sitting up high and watching the comings and goings at the dock and beach area. It was not open for lunch, so we wandered through Wharfside. Nothing of interest to us on the menus at High Tide, Joes, or Waterfront, so we ended up at the Beach Bar for a late lunch. There were only a few people there and we had a nice chat with the bartender who said he was happy to have something to do. We had drinks and nachos, salad with grilled Mahi, and salad with grilled shrimp. We thought the Mahi was outstanding and the best on the island. It was so nice having great food and enjoying the view of the beach and water. We will definitely go back again.
One afternoon, we drove around area near Cruz Bay just to see what’s nearby. We went by Hillcrest Guest House, Battery Hill, Lavender Hill, and Gallows Point. I’m sure some of those places have great views being up high. We didn’t care for some of that area – the roads are steep and narrow, and the buildings are very close together, so it seemed crowded. We thought Lavender Hill or Gallows Point would be nice for being walkable to town. We stopped in Frank Bay at the duck pond next to Elaine Estern’s studio. There is a new boardwalk at duck pond, so we spent a little time there, but didn't see any ducks.
One day, we stopped by the Caribbean Villa’s office in the Lumberyard and asked to see an empty unit at Cruz Views. We’ve read positive reviews over the years and have wanted to check it out. It seems like a reasonably priced place to stay when we don’t want to stay in a villa. IMO, the parking lot at the Lumberyard complex is one of the worst on the island. It’s always jammed up and so hard to get in and out. There was some construction going on, so thankfully a lady was directing traffic and assisted us in getting out. We looked at unit #3 above the pool, and the couple staying in unit #2 offered to let us see it as well. The pool looked clean, the view is nice from the units, and there is a grill to use. We will consider staying there, but I think we would prefer the lower units. When we dropped the key off, my husband parked at Dolphin and I walked down to the office, rather than dealing with that parking lot again.
We finally took the time to tour the Annaberg ruins. What a delightful spot with lots to see and fabulous views. We enjoyed poking around the buildings and tried a sample of the bread and juice made in the kitchen building. A big black cloud came, along with a deluge of rain, so we ducked in a shelter near the entrance. It’s funny…the cloud cover looked thick and dark, so we thought the rest of the day was a loss for snorkeling. After 30 minutes, the sky started to lighten up, the clouds floated away and the sun came out again. My husband loves looking at and photographing old buildings and can spend lots more time than me at places like this. So we set up our beach chairs on the water’s edge, under a tree for shade, near the beginning of the Waterlemon trail. We had a soda and snacks, then he went back to the ruins for a while. I was quite content to sit at the water’s edge and enjoy the sights.
One afternoon, after snorkeling and a wonderful lunch at Shipwreck, we decided to drive in the Fortsberg area. We had seen a villa online that was in that area and wanted to drive by to check it out. We drove by the stables, where it looked like people were getting ready to go on a horse ride. The roads beyond the stables were extremely rough, rutted and muddy (it had rained the night before) with a few paved spots. One of the roads that looked like it would go down by the water’s edge had deep ruts and so many puddles, it didn’t look passable. It looked like heavy equipment had chewed up the road, so perhaps there is construction going on. We took the fork that went up the hill and eventually got to a very narrow road that looks more like a trail. Hubby thinks it goes up to the old fort, and would love to see it, but I nixed the idea of walking up there. I wasn’t sure if someone would get upset that we were trespassing.
Our other “firsts” were snorkeling Denis Bay, Princess Bay, the right side of Cinnamon (we usually do the Cay), and along the beach at Waterlemon. As I mentioned in Part 1, we enjoyed all of these and would do them again.
Well, this got longer than I intended. I am enjoying reliving the trip, so thanks for “listening”
Next up – Encounters with Critters, including some unusual ones. I will also write a review of Hummingbird Hill villa since some people asked for more info. Bigcheeze recommended HH villa to us and he posted a link to his video of the villa in Part 1 of my trip report. It’s a great video and gives a good feel for the features and layout of the villa.
My husband has always wanted to visit the library in Cruz Bay as he read somewhere that it also housed a museum with artifacts from days of old on St John. He was disappointed to find out that it’s no longer a museum, and apparently hasn’t been for some time. The artifacts are being stored in a government warehouse somewhere. However, there was some info on the historical aspects of the building, a few old pictures and lots of old books. It was kind of a neat building and the basement had lots of stuff too. The 2 ladies working there were friendly and helpful.
I’ll fess up – we have never been to the Beach Bar in our prior 6 trips. After visiting the library, we wanted to eat lunch at the former Balcony (now Vista Mare). We always enjoy eating at this location – sitting up high and watching the comings and goings at the dock and beach area. It was not open for lunch, so we wandered through Wharfside. Nothing of interest to us on the menus at High Tide, Joes, or Waterfront, so we ended up at the Beach Bar for a late lunch. There were only a few people there and we had a nice chat with the bartender who said he was happy to have something to do. We had drinks and nachos, salad with grilled Mahi, and salad with grilled shrimp. We thought the Mahi was outstanding and the best on the island. It was so nice having great food and enjoying the view of the beach and water. We will definitely go back again.
One afternoon, we drove around area near Cruz Bay just to see what’s nearby. We went by Hillcrest Guest House, Battery Hill, Lavender Hill, and Gallows Point. I’m sure some of those places have great views being up high. We didn’t care for some of that area – the roads are steep and narrow, and the buildings are very close together, so it seemed crowded. We thought Lavender Hill or Gallows Point would be nice for being walkable to town. We stopped in Frank Bay at the duck pond next to Elaine Estern’s studio. There is a new boardwalk at duck pond, so we spent a little time there, but didn't see any ducks.
One day, we stopped by the Caribbean Villa’s office in the Lumberyard and asked to see an empty unit at Cruz Views. We’ve read positive reviews over the years and have wanted to check it out. It seems like a reasonably priced place to stay when we don’t want to stay in a villa. IMO, the parking lot at the Lumberyard complex is one of the worst on the island. It’s always jammed up and so hard to get in and out. There was some construction going on, so thankfully a lady was directing traffic and assisted us in getting out. We looked at unit #3 above the pool, and the couple staying in unit #2 offered to let us see it as well. The pool looked clean, the view is nice from the units, and there is a grill to use. We will consider staying there, but I think we would prefer the lower units. When we dropped the key off, my husband parked at Dolphin and I walked down to the office, rather than dealing with that parking lot again.
We finally took the time to tour the Annaberg ruins. What a delightful spot with lots to see and fabulous views. We enjoyed poking around the buildings and tried a sample of the bread and juice made in the kitchen building. A big black cloud came, along with a deluge of rain, so we ducked in a shelter near the entrance. It’s funny…the cloud cover looked thick and dark, so we thought the rest of the day was a loss for snorkeling. After 30 minutes, the sky started to lighten up, the clouds floated away and the sun came out again. My husband loves looking at and photographing old buildings and can spend lots more time than me at places like this. So we set up our beach chairs on the water’s edge, under a tree for shade, near the beginning of the Waterlemon trail. We had a soda and snacks, then he went back to the ruins for a while. I was quite content to sit at the water’s edge and enjoy the sights.
One afternoon, after snorkeling and a wonderful lunch at Shipwreck, we decided to drive in the Fortsberg area. We had seen a villa online that was in that area and wanted to drive by to check it out. We drove by the stables, where it looked like people were getting ready to go on a horse ride. The roads beyond the stables were extremely rough, rutted and muddy (it had rained the night before) with a few paved spots. One of the roads that looked like it would go down by the water’s edge had deep ruts and so many puddles, it didn’t look passable. It looked like heavy equipment had chewed up the road, so perhaps there is construction going on. We took the fork that went up the hill and eventually got to a very narrow road that looks more like a trail. Hubby thinks it goes up to the old fort, and would love to see it, but I nixed the idea of walking up there. I wasn’t sure if someone would get upset that we were trespassing.
Our other “firsts” were snorkeling Denis Bay, Princess Bay, the right side of Cinnamon (we usually do the Cay), and along the beach at Waterlemon. As I mentioned in Part 1, we enjoyed all of these and would do them again.
Well, this got longer than I intended. I am enjoying reliving the trip, so thanks for “listening”
Next up – Encounters with Critters, including some unusual ones. I will also write a review of Hummingbird Hill villa since some people asked for more info. Bigcheeze recommended HH villa to us and he posted a link to his video of the villa in Part 1 of my trip report. It’s a great video and gives a good feel for the features and layout of the villa.
Re: Trip Report – May/June – Part 2 – A Trip of Firsts
Thanks for your trip report. We have stayed at Lavender Hill and Gallows Point and we do enjoy the convenient location to town. It's nice not to have to try and find a parking spot for dinner or evening strolls.
And we've only been to the Beach Bar once in 12 trips. Definitely must go this year!
And we've only been to the Beach Bar once in 12 trips. Definitely must go this year!
Joe
Re: Trip Report – May/June – Part 2 – A Trip of Firsts
We like Cruz Views. Its a no hassle shared pool environment.
After all these years, I think we all still have some firsts left. Thanks for sharing yours!
Cheers, RickG
After all these years, I think we all still have some firsts left. Thanks for sharing yours!
Cheers, RickG
S/V Echoes - Coral Bay - St. John, VI
Re: Trip Report – May/June – Part 2 – A Trip of Firsts
I stayed in Cruz Views # 7 (Happy Hour) in early July. It was clean and very comfortable. This is the unit that is just below the pool, the steps actually go down from the pool deck. I was very pleased with my stay. If you are looking for basic accommodations with a nicely maintained shared pool this is a good choice.
