We're Booked! One Newbie's Obsessive Planning Journey

chicagoans · Post by **chicagoans** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 4:59 pm

At this point, I think I've spent more time planning this trip than I'll actually spend on island! Does this happen to everyone?
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1/6/07: returned from first trip to Maui with DH, son 8 and daughter 10. Have a tan and a severe case of snorkeling-on-the-brain. Only remedy is to begin planning next trip immediately. For many reasons, the only good time to go is during peak holiday season of late '07/early '08.

Reread Maui books and investigate new lodging.
Begin investigating Kauai.
Read forum posting saying "St. John is like Maui was 25 years ago." Hey! Sounds great!
Begin lurking on St. John forums.
Investigate flight options. Have to wait until 330 days before return flight date.
Send email to some friends inviting them to join us. No response. (In fairness, they were just back from a cruise with the band Barenaked Ladies. Yes, they are fun friends!)
Start investigating villas. Love sites with maps and floor plans. Hate sites without posted availability calendars and holiday rates.
Purchase "Feet, Fins, 4WD" and "Off the Beaten Track"
Read all information I can find about St. John beaches. Talk to friends who have been there.
Read forum posting saying "Bequia is like St. John was 40 years ago." Temporarily distracted with Bequia research.
Back to researching St. John villas. "Family of 4 seeks villa with pool, walking distance to snorkel beach."
Discover that frequent flier miles don't work for the flights I want. Lowest ticket price is $670/person. Decide this is small price for paradise.
Family endures presentation re: what I've learned about St. John, including map of island showing locations of my favorite villas. "Nice PowerPoint mom."
Family agrees with my favorite villa choice. I become emotionally attached and begin to think of this as My Villa.
Have a dream that family is staying in My Villa and very happy. Decide this is a sign.
Place a hold on My Villa and leave for short ski trip, with plans to make down payment upon return.
Return from ski trip to find message from friends (family of 3) "We want to go to St. John with you!"
Villa search resumes, now for a group of 7. "Seeking villa for 7 with pool, walking distance to snorkel beach."
Narrow down choices, send links to friends.
Email from other friends, also family of 3. "We want to go to St. John with you!"
"Seeking villa for 10..." you get the idea.
Mounting sense of urgency, as all contenders seem to be reserved or really pricey.
Consider renting 2 villas due to friends' different arrival dates and so I can still stay in My Villa. Decide staying together is more important.
Narrow down to 3 choices. None have both a pool and are walking distance to snorkel beach, but they look fun and are available. Send links to friends.
Family reviews new choices. All agree on my new favorite: Starlit Escape. For some reason the "Happy Hour Tower" seals the deal for 8yo son, so I quickly establish the rule of no climbing on the railing.
Have a dream that we're all at Starlit Escape. Decide this is a sign.
Friends agree on Starlit Escape. (Think they're just happy that I'm doing the research.) Great price means we have more money for things like hiring a boat and captain for a day.
Villa owners answer all my questions promptly. Seem helpful and nice.
Have a dream that I am shopping for snorkel gear... with Little Richard. Now, Jimmy Buffet I can understand, but Little Richard?!? He buys purple fins that are shaped like boots and come up to his knees. I truly hope this is not a sign.

2/26/07 I officially reserve Starlit Escape.
We will be there 12/27/07 through 1/5/08. Can't wait!!!
Now it's time to investigate cars, kayaks, dinghies, etc. And the journey continues...

Kentuckygirl · Post by **Kentuckygirl** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 5:06 pm

chicagoans,
Lol about the Little Richard dream!!!!
We (mostly me) are also planning our first trip, and yes, I have spent WAY more time planning than we will be there!!(I have the books you referred to, plus 3 more . . . I don't think you can have to much info!) To me, the planning is part of the fun though! Hopefully you will feel the same way. Welcome to the forum and have fun with the rest of your plans!

chicagoans · Post by **chicagoans** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 5:09 pm

Thanks kygirl! Yes, I do like the planning - alot! I love going somewhere new, but feeling like I know enough to get the most out of it. Also nice to read about St. John while snow falls outside!

When is your trip?

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Kentuckygirl · Post by **Kentuckygirl** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 5:32 pm

chicagoans,
We will be there in May (the 16th-23rd).
I forgot to mention in my previous post that that Bequia topic got my attention too. I have also done some research on that . . . (someday

) I am too excited about this St. John trip to think about much else quite yet though!! Keep us posted on all your plans!!

VaGirl · Post by **VaGirl** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 6:03 pm

chicagoans, I like the way you think...and plan. That really has been part of the fun, reading this forum, getting answers to questions you'd never ever think about. I've been coming to the island for a few years, and cannot wait to get back. It just gets in your blood. I have the books, all high-lighted, underlined, my own journal where I make notes from things I've learned here and on other forums...I have all these things I plan to do...then I get there, and do so very, very little except kick back and move at island speed. Have fun planning! These guys have the answer so everything!

Ron_L · Post by **Ron_L** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 6:10 pm

chicagoans wrote:Family endures presentation re: what I’ve learned about St. John, including map of island showing locations of my favorite villas. “Nice PowerPoint mom.”

You did a PowerPoint presentation? And my family thinks I'm bad!

Why didn't I think of that?

Congrats on booking! We're heading down on March 25th. I started the planning of all this right after Christmas and I've already driven my daughter nuts! Just imagine what I could do with 10 months!

waterguy · Post by **waterguy** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 6:16 pm

I love to research and plan but for STJ I've found make a list of things you would like to do and then decide the night before some things will get missed anothers that you never heard of you will do you can always go back and get the ones that you missed. I book daysails or other island trips before but the rest I let island time take over.
Tom

chicagoans · Post by **chicagoans** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 6:41 pm

Ron L:

At the risk of sounding really nerdy, I did do one PowerPoint slide where I inserted a map of the island. Then I just put little dots showing where my top villas are located. It helped me remember where things were as the list grew.

Some villa rental sites have maps, but I was looking at villas from a bunch of different sites and VRBO so I decided to make one consolidated map.

Your trip is soon! Have fun!

Ron_L · Post by **Ron_L** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 6:51 pm

The map idea is a good one! I created a bunch of bookmarks sorted by location, and then under each location I separated villas with a pool and villas with a spa. Then I e-mail the bookmark file to my wife and daughter.

kellyanna · Post by **kellyanna** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:09 pm

Chicogans,
Have you heard of www.triphub.com ? We have a group of 5 going in May and have used this site to organize our trip---well, put our info in a central place (i.e. accomodations, flights, activities and blog amongst our group, etc.) Jorge has seen ours and thinks we are absolute detail freaks.

toni · Post by **toni** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:22 pm

You're going to have so much fun planning-it makes the year pass quicker

lots of options of things to do and places to see. just realize you can't do it all in one trip-plenty to do in future ones!

sea-nile · Post by **sea-nile** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:51 pm

I've done so much planning and research I feel like I've beem to STJ many times and it's only been once!

That's funny, I have started to tentatively plan a trip to Hawaii and I thought of Maui because I heard it is close to what STJ is like!

Hey , you should come to our WIsconsin forum party in Madison on July 14th.

Tracy in WI · Post by **Tracy in WI** » Mon Feb 26, 2007 8:14 pm

Chicagoan - you are so funny! I am exicted for your trip too! Just go and have fun - the airfare is booked, the villa is booked, get that car rental and you're ready to read this forum 18 times a day like the rest of us!

And, I agree with Sea-Nile - join us in Madison, WI for the forum gathering in July. It is going to be a blast!

Tracy

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