STX Trip Report - April 12-27, 2011

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Margy Z
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Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2006 6:37 pm
Location: Illinois

STX Trip Report - April 12-27, 2011

Post by Margy Z »

Getting There: I had packed early so was in pretty good shape the night before we left. Got the dogs off to the sitters, packed some last minute stuff, and actually got 6 hours of sleep. Hubs even had time before our taxi arrived at 3:30 AM to go to Dunkin’ to pick up some greasy goodies for the departure gate. We were joking about things just going too smoothly. Even the taxi was on time. Of course, I had forgotten about the Jumbies - half way to O’Hare that other shoe dropped with a big ol’ thud. I couldn’t find my wallet in my bag. I refused to believe that it wasn’t there so rummaged around the black hole tote for about another 5 miles. No luck. I had left my wallet behind. The taxi took us back home where I couldn’t seem to find the wallet, either. Hubs sat in the taxi in the driveway watching the lights go on and off in each room as I frantically searched through the house. Finally found the wallet stuck underneath the wheels of my office chair. Have no idea how or when that happened - but there it was. I came out of the house muttering about those d*mn Jumbies again. Set off for the airport a second time, our taxi driver hauled *ss and we got there about 20 minutes before boarding. The skycaps told us to head down to the far screening line as it was shorter; we did, and it was and we made it through in minutes. Didn’t have much of a hope that our checked luggage was going to make it but, oh well, as long as we made that flight. (Also discovered that Gate Guru, a nice little free iPhone app, keeps tabs on screening times at the various terminals at all of the major airports, too, so you know what to expect at each checkpoint.)

The flight was booked solid but there were no-shows so we were able to spread out and be comfy. Connection at MIA was fine – love the tram – so much better than that long trek to connecting gates that was the norm. We were going to try Sushi Maki at D-29 for lunch having heard such good things but as it was so early we opted for a hot breakfast at Jose Cuervo Tequileria instead. Gate D16. Very good breakfast and good service, too. The MIA to STX flight was packed. I sat next to a Seaborne pilot and we had a nice conversation all the way to STX. Hubs slept.

Arrival on STX: Flight was a little early getting in and I took that as a good sign that we had defeated the Jumbies – just knew they had been messing with me again about that wallet. We have a real love/hate relationship. The Centerline courtesy van was there waiting and our bags came in very quickly. So glad the bags made it, since we had packed a small cooler. Finished up our car rental first in the group and were on our way east to the villa in our brand new Ford Focus – even had Sirius radio. No stops – we provisioned through Vacation St. Croix. It’s so nice not to have to stop and to just get to the villa and have everything waiting. We have provisioned for the past few trips and I will admit we are now spoiled and want to do that each time.

Villa Bambooshay: Nicely located above Green Cay and Tamarind Reef with beautiful views out over the cay and Buck Island. On clear days we could see St. Thomas, St. John, and the Tortola in the distance. The villa is only about 10 minutes east of C’Sted. Bambooshay is a 3 a/c bedroom 3 ½ bath villa with a very large pool. Very comfortable – the place just has a nice warm vibe the minute you walk in. The driveway is easy and there’s room to turn around with space for multiple vehicles. There are large deck spaces with a covered pergola for shade and there’s a pass-through window / bar from the kitchen to the deck. There are two bedrooms up and one down. The downstairs bedroom is accessed via an interior staircase and has its own patio and kitchenette. The master bedroom is large and the master bath is wonderful – double sinks, a make-up counter with vanity stool, a beautiful tiled shower made up of a hand-made tile tropical mosaic. The tiling at Bambooshay is remarkable – the original owner of the villa created so many hand-made tile features – all of the bathroom sinks are hand-painted, there are hand painted tiles in the kitchen and in every bath and there are hand-painted ceramic light fixtures and pool deck accents. The house is very open to the constant breezes with 3 sets of French doors in the great room that open out to the decks. Satellite tvs. WiFi. Speaker system out on the pool deck. Very well-equipped kitchen.

Of course, we had great intentions to do lots of things this trip considering we would be on island for two weeks but villa gravity got hold of us and we did not fight back so we never made the TanTan tour or the other 10 things we thought we might do. Instead, we opted to be well-fed slugs and just lime most of our days away reading, relaxing and just catching up on much-needed down time.

Restaurants: We ate at a couple of places new to us and at some old favorites several times: Deep End Bar & Grill, Mahi’s, Duggan’s, Cultured Pelican, No Bones Café, Tutto Bene, Off the Wall, Rowdy Joe’s, The Palms, Blue Water Terrace, Blue Moon, Polly’s and, of course, our favorite, Salud Bistro. Our least favorite meal this trip was one lunch at Deep End and our favorite meals were at Salud – drinks, too. I just can’t get enough of those White Empress cocktails Jesse Card shakes up. The paella, the short ribs, the Wagyu burgers, the fish, the truffle fries – yummmmm. Tutto Bene was absolutely wonderful – Hubs had fresh caught Wahoo that was unbelievable. We have never had a bad meal at Duggan’s and this time was no exception. Melvyn always takes good care of us there. I have a hard time understanding the spotty reviews but everyone’s experience and expectations are different. Had the best fish and chips I’ve ever had at No Bones and one of our favorite things - the tuna sashimi at Mahi’s – was just as good as ever.

Shopping: Not too much shopping this trip. We did a bit of damage at Sonya’s, Island Boy (check out the new Silk Lynx pieces- wow) and Island Tribe and found some Sun Lyon pieces at Scuboutique in Frederiksted. We had hoped to see more of her line but she was in New Orleans. Hubs found a really cool wave medallion, though.

Something new for us this trip: We finally made the trip north up the west coast of the island. We have never been too far north of F’Sted. We wanted to see how St. Croix treats cruiser ship passengers so we went on a day that a ship was in port. Found easy parking and walked around Strand Street. The pier and surrounding park area are really beautiful with the fountains, sculptures and monuments and STX rolls out the red carpet – with mocko jumbies, quadrille dancers, steel drums, and a tram to take passengers up and down the pier. The vendors are very low key under their white tents and everything was just easy and friendly. You could walk along Strand and get a blended tropical drink or an ice cold beer right from a street bar. We had a snack at Polly’s which seemed to be the hub for the cruisers and then later had a really good lunch at Blue Moon. Sunbugs were tooling all around F’Sted and up the coast. We headed north of F’Sted up Hams Bluff Road with plans to stop at Rhythms at Rainbow Beach but that was where most of the cruisers were spread out so we continued on up the coast, dodging around the little Sunbugs. We found several beautiful little quiet coves on our way up to Hams Bay but then turned around and headed south again to take the Creque Dam Road through the rain forest to see if the waterfalls were running. We stayed with it, winding south and did not get lost (!) and then we were able to find our way north again to get back down to Cane Bay for an afternoon relaxing at Cane Bay and Off the Wall.

Beaches: the more “hidden” beaches are coming back from the beating they took in the November storms. We were on island in November for some of that flooding so we can appreciate what happened. The larger beaches have recovered although some frontage has been lost.

Roads: Road crews were out in force fixing the potholes and other road damage caused by last fall’s storms. They were getting ready for the Triathlon – cutting back brush and generally spiffing things up but road repair was a very welcome sight. You could lose a Ford Fiesta in some of those potholes on East End Road before they started fixing them.

Villas: Of course, being the villa junkie that I am, I had to tour some villas during our stay. Thanks again to Marti and Ann at Vacation St. Croix for letting me lookie-loo around yet again. Saw Carlisle House on the far east end, Paradise at Cane Bay right on the north coast, Brimstage Estate, Azure Ridge and Dragonfly - also north shore, Villa Croix right above Bambooshay over Green Cay, and La Viridian where my friend and I will be staying next month. So many great places to stay, so little time.

The STX to MIA part of our return home was fine – AA personnel and TSA folks at STX friendly as usual. Joe was there again to get all of our stuff through from the curb through TSA. The connection from MIA was a nightmare. After we ate at The Islander (now with 2 locations, D4 and D49) and got to the gate it was all downhill. Storm delays, overdue crew, oversold flight, and I have never seen so many sick people on one plane. We were about 2 hours late getting into O’Hare. Our luggage and liquor boxes arrived just fine; we called our taxi driver from our trip out to ORD and he was there in just about a minute to take us home. He asked me if I had my wallet – lol. Walked in the door around 2AM and our two weeks in paradise were o v e r. Trips to the VI always seem way too short no matter how many days we plan.

It was yet another wonderfully relaxing trip to the big island and, as always, we really enjoyed our time there. Bambooshay was a great villa choice and now on our list for a repeat stay. Had a chance to visit with on-island friends and meet some new ones. Really enjoyed the restaurants and great food although we still have places on our list to try for the first time. We always enjoy the easy pace and laid back vibe of St. Croix. I will be returning in June with a friend who has never been to St. Croix and I can’t wait to show her around and see the island through her eyes. We are staying at a brand new villa, La Viridian, with beautiful views out over Prune and Coakley Bays to Buck Island. Can’t wait to be back – our countdown is about 24 days now. Hubs is very jealous that he is unable to get away in June. He wants to plot a short trip for before the holidays – hope we get to do that.

A few pix:

Views from Villa Bambooshay:

The schooner Roseway and Big Beard's cat, The Renegade:

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Out over Green Cay, Tamarind Reef, and the marina:

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View to the west:

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Egret at Bambooshay's Pool:

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Shower at Villa Bambooshay:

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Cruzan Citrus n' T'ing

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Chenay Bay:

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Kite boarders flying over the reef in Solitude Bay on a breezy weekend, Buck Island in the background:
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Cruise ship pier in Frederiksted:

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Lovermont
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Post by Lovermont »

Wait a minute... You're going back in less than a month? Lucky girl! Thanks for the report and pictures. Glad the Jumbies didn't get you in the end.
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EagleRayLover
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Location: St. John -WooHoo!!

Post by EagleRayLover »

Nice report-sounds like you had fun! In your picture of Chenay Bay- the guy looks like he is sitting on top of the palm covered umbrella structure!! pretty sure he is in the water, but it caught my eye :)
Leslie, Kids Night In Babysitting
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Paula
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Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:45 am
Location: Texas

Post by Paula »

Wonderful trip report, Margy!!! I can't believe the wallet nightmare. I know we all have that worry that something will go wrong at the last minute. Darn Jumbies! I have 5 days left before we take off!! :P
See you down there!
Exit Zero
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Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:50 pm
Location: virgin islands

Post by Exit Zero »

Thanks - nice to read about a trip to STX - especially now that all the islands have separate forums. The big Island has so much to offer -- and any trip report that includes 2 pics of Gaff Riggers gets my vote for sure.
pegoode
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Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2009 7:15 pm
Location: Maine

Post by pegoode »

Loved your report Margy. That villas sounds great! We're looking to return to Cottages by the Sea this November.
Pam

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Margy Z
Posts: 425
Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2006 6:37 pm
Location: Illinois

Post by Margy Z »

EagleRayLover wrote:Nice report-sounds like you had fun! In your picture of Chenay Bay- the guy looks like he is sitting on top of the palm covered umbrella structure!! pretty sure he is in the water, but it caught my eye :)
That is too funny! No, really, he WAS sitting in the palapa. :lol:
Margy Z
Posts: 425
Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2006 6:37 pm
Location: Illinois

Post by Margy Z »

Lovermont wrote:Wait a minute... You're going back in less than a month? Lucky girl! Thanks for the report and pictures. Glad the Jumbies didn't get you in the end.
Yes, I am one lucky girl and I can't wait to be back. Those darn Jumbies - I hope they are vacationing on another island in June and forget all about me. It's my friend's first trip to St. Croix and she doesn't need to make their acquaintance, either.
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VIlanders
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Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2011 9:16 am
Location: Chatham, New Jersey

Post by VIlanders »

Thanks for the trip report and sharing your pictures. I love the tile in the shower. Glad you will be able to go back soon!
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STX lady
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Joined: Thu Apr 09, 2009 5:18 pm
Location: St Croix, USVI/New Hampshire

Post by STX lady »

Love it Margy Z......great report!
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