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Question for all you STJ "veterans" out there....
Question for all you STJ "veterans" out there....
What are the best spots to hit after taking the ferry over to Red Hook? beaches/food/others?? Is it worth the trip or do we just stay on STJ? (we're staying at Grande Bay Resort) Is a trip to Charlotte Amalie worth the hassle of getting there? Thanks.
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msgcolleen
- Posts: 1497
- Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:33 am
- Location: Allen, Texas
There are a million and one things to do on STJ! No need to go back to St. Trauma~ 
(sorry STT lovers!) 
(sorry STT lovers!) I've got 2 tickets to paradise~Pack your bags we'll leave tonight!
[url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/]
[url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/]
We went back to STT for a day on our 1st visit to STJ. Only stayed about 2 hrs and were ready to come back to STJ. Been to STJ 5 times since, and have never had the desire to go back to STT. Strictly airport to ferry, ferry to airport. But it depends on what you like. Some people actually go to STT for entire vacations.
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Capn Dan and Ruby
- Posts: 1006
- Joined: Sat Sep 05, 2009 10:08 pm
- Location: PC Florida
We usually go on the way to the air port. ( if we have an afternoon flight) We take the 11 am Ferry to Redhook, have Rachael pick us up, she drops us in Charlotte Amalie, we have lunch and wonder a bit, and she picks us up in time to get to the air port 2hrs before our flight. It works out well. We don't care to be in STT too long, but after getting checked out of the villa and turning in the car, it is a good thing to do.
I see everybody always mentions Rachael but I'm not clear on her? Is she a guide, taxi service, concierge person, all the above?? Do you make a reservation of some sort? Thanks if you can fill me in....Capn Dan and Ruby wrote:We usually go on the way to the air port. ( if we have an afternoon flight) We take the 11 am Ferry to Redhook, have Rachael pick us up, she drops us in Charlotte Amalie, we have lunch and wonder a bit, and she picks us up in time to get to the air port 2hrs before our flight. It works out well. We don't care to be in STT too long, but after getting checked out of the villa and turning in the car, it is a good thing to do.
If I were going to go to STT, I'd take the ferry to CA, not Red Hook and avoid the nightmare taxi ride. Then I'd have breakfast at Galdys's Cafe and do some shopping. The old Danish architecture and some of the history right around CA are about about the only things that interest me on St. Thomas. If you are there for dinner, Craig and Sally's is wonderful as is Havana Blue. Havana Blue has some of the best ambiance I've ever had the pleasure of dining in and the sea bass was wonderful!
However, I'm with the others. I stay on STJ with my people.
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However, I'm with the others. I stay on STJ with my people.
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Teresa_Rae
- Posts: 2053
- Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:44 pm
- Location: Downstate IL
You're gonna get the the STJ centric answer here... why leave? That being said, Molly Malones and Duffys are good stops. Our favorite stops are not in Red Hook, but Cuzzins, Gladys' Cafe, Hook Line and Sinker and Pie Whole in French Town. Toad & Tart! Beaches? Uhh, folks from STT come to STJ.
Cheers, RickG
Cheers, RickG
S/V Echoes - Coral Bay - St. John, VI
There is no hassle getting to Charlotte Amalie - take the ferry from Cruz Bay direct - a very historic town - a lot of shops to browse - a walking tour available from the Historical Trust - interesting architectural buildings - try and do it on a 1 cruise ship day and it won't be very crowded and all the stores will be open - Gladys' and Hook,Line Sinker are both popular lunch stops for locals.
If you take the Red Hook ferry - there are a few places to walkabout - XO has a nice lunch - Island Tyme has great food but opens at 4pm for Happy Hour - Latitude 18 has dinner and live music - Marina Market has an outstanding butcher dept. for some villa provisioning- Home Again has some sweet art and collectables and is a welcoming store - walking the docks at American Yacht Harbor may well entice you into taking a daysail later in the week and you can make arrangements for a STJ pickup - right now all the big and showy sportfishing vessels are in Red Hook for the Tournament season - you don't often get to see a gathering of this type up close and personal anywhere ever, and the dock parties during Tournaments are epic!
Molly Malones often has live music and hosts many special events -Duffys is a kitschy drinking spot with food and party favors - Coral World is a short taxi ride away - Lindqvist Beach [Smith Bay Park] is a short taxi ride and easily stacks up in beauty to the STJ beaches if you need more beach options than you found in STJ - lunch at the Ritz Carlton can add a little glamour to your condo vacation and has a pool and beach only a 5 min. ride from Red Hook.
You will find many disparaging and uninformed comments about St Thomas here on this forum from St John-ophiles but STT has many beautiful places and is well worth more than a day trip - but looking out the window of a taxi on the airport to Red Hook route would hardly give anyone a basis for a fair assessment.
St John was very lucky to have one of the richest Americans in history buy over 60% of the Local families property in the 1950's and donate it to the National Park, [although keeping 7 beaches and hundreds of acres for a Rock Resort,] so much of the island is 'preserved' - and even more fortunate recently to have wealthy Americans build multi-million dollar rental villas and those beautiful condo developments that give STJ that special feeling often expressed by the people here who 'get it'.
If you get an opportunity to spend a day in STT please enjoy it and maybe post it on the St Thomas separate forum for other interested visitors.
If you take the Red Hook ferry - there are a few places to walkabout - XO has a nice lunch - Island Tyme has great food but opens at 4pm for Happy Hour - Latitude 18 has dinner and live music - Marina Market has an outstanding butcher dept. for some villa provisioning- Home Again has some sweet art and collectables and is a welcoming store - walking the docks at American Yacht Harbor may well entice you into taking a daysail later in the week and you can make arrangements for a STJ pickup - right now all the big and showy sportfishing vessels are in Red Hook for the Tournament season - you don't often get to see a gathering of this type up close and personal anywhere ever, and the dock parties during Tournaments are epic!
Molly Malones often has live music and hosts many special events -Duffys is a kitschy drinking spot with food and party favors - Coral World is a short taxi ride away - Lindqvist Beach [Smith Bay Park] is a short taxi ride and easily stacks up in beauty to the STJ beaches if you need more beach options than you found in STJ - lunch at the Ritz Carlton can add a little glamour to your condo vacation and has a pool and beach only a 5 min. ride from Red Hook.
You will find many disparaging and uninformed comments about St Thomas here on this forum from St John-ophiles but STT has many beautiful places and is well worth more than a day trip - but looking out the window of a taxi on the airport to Red Hook route would hardly give anyone a basis for a fair assessment.
St John was very lucky to have one of the richest Americans in history buy over 60% of the Local families property in the 1950's and donate it to the National Park, [although keeping 7 beaches and hundreds of acres for a Rock Resort,] so much of the island is 'preserved' - and even more fortunate recently to have wealthy Americans build multi-million dollar rental villas and those beautiful condo developments that give STJ that special feeling often expressed by the people here who 'get it'.
If you get an opportunity to spend a day in STT please enjoy it and maybe post it on the St Thomas separate forum for other interested visitors.
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mindehankins
- Posts: 3014
- Joined: Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:21 am
- Location: Western NY State
I SO agree. We were pretty put off on STT, based on the taxi window view. This last trip, we rented from Amalie on STT, so we had the chance to tool around on our own, and it looks like we have another island to explore, now!Exit Zero wrote:looking out the window of a taxi on the airport to Red Hook route would hardly give anyone a basis for a fair assessment.
We smelled the most amazing barbecue smells coming from across the street from the car wash on STT, that we will definitely be visiting, if we're there on a Saturday next time. We'd have eaten then, if we could have figured out where that heavenly scent was coming from!
We spent a good deal of time on STT during our first trips to the VI. We liked it well enough to go back several times. Now we spend most of our time on STJ. Yes, this is a rather STJ-centric forum. That's OK. We do enjoy our trips to CA. In fact we spent several hours there Tuesday on our way to the airport.
Back then we would stay on STT and ferry over to STJ for a day trip. We have since stayed on STJ and quickly found that we did not have a fair understanding of all that STJ had to offer. I have to wonder if those of us who have only zoomed through STT on the way to the ferry have the same lack of understanding of STT.
All the places mentioned above are good suggestions. Some I know from experience and others by reputation.
JIM
Back then we would stay on STT and ferry over to STJ for a day trip. We have since stayed on STJ and quickly found that we did not have a fair understanding of all that STJ had to offer. I have to wonder if those of us who have only zoomed through STT on the way to the ferry have the same lack of understanding of STT.
All the places mentioned above are good suggestions. Some I know from experience and others by reputation.
JIM
Man it's like some dream we live down here....
Well said, Exit Zero. We love the history and culture of STT as well as the beaches such as Lindquist and Magens. The restaurants are wonderful, too. If you had a car, it is fun to explore the island. There is so much to see and do.
However, if you have limited time and you have not seen most of STJ, you may want to stay there. You can play it by ear and not make any plans until you get there. Just relax and enjoy the vacation!
However, if you have limited time and you have not seen most of STJ, you may want to stay there. You can play it by ear and not make any plans until you get there. Just relax and enjoy the vacation!
What are the Cruz Bay to Charlotte Amalie ferry times at present? I was tempted to jump off the Tortola - Red Hook boat this morning and catch the STJ -CA ferry instead but didn't know the time frame - I eventually took the $2 Surrey Red Hook to Town instead - it took about 45 min. at about 10am traffic.
