Virgin-Islands-On-Line

Earthquake

NC Brenda — Sun, 27 May 2012 08:29:33 GMT

Rattled awake about 3:45am by an earthquake.
Staying in town and we felt it pretty good. Anyone know how strong it was?

So excited!!

Nancie-Pa — Sat, 26 May 2012 21:38:06 GMT

If all goes well (knock wood) I should be leaving Philly at 9:40 tomorrow morning! Hope to catch the 3:00 ferry from Red Hook and be on island by 3:20! I'll wave like crazy at the Spice Cam!

Staying at Maho, on my own, for 2 weeks. Looking forward to meeting a lot of interesting people and doing new things. Should be quite an adventure!

Paradise soon come!

cambodia and ????

loria — Sat, 26 May 2012 18:45:45 GMT

My daughter will be doing volunteer work in Cambodia this summer (outside of Battambang) I have planned to meet her at the end of her program so we can travel for a couple of weeks (we actually have 17 days not including travel days to and from SE Asia)
it will be rainy season in Cambodia . so ...... I am wondering should we spend the 17 days touring cambodia and getting to see some things in depth OR should we pan to break things up and go elsewhere (bali-- where it is dry season? Vietnam? Laos? ) --
if we break ti up we were planning 3 nights in Phnom penh, 2 nights in battambang and 4 nights in Siem Reap to see the temples at Angkor-
She will have been to Siem Reap for a weekend and will have seen some of PP and Battambang-- but i am not sure how much ...
if we decided to stay in cambo we'd probably hit Kep and kampong -- otherwise we'd fly elsewhere....but where? I really wanted to take the month of august and make more of an Epic mother daughter trip-- but this two weeks will have to suffice --

any advice? --I will admit, this is a very nice problem to have, but i would like to figure out the itinerary before i drive myself crazy! thanks forum folks!--

restaurant / fast food between airport and sapphire beach

firsttimetousvi — Sat, 26 May 2012 13:53:37 GMT

Is there a convenient/good restaurant close to airport on way to sapphire beach resort? we are going to be very hungry because we have a 3 hr layover around lunchtime in san jaun and won't be able to eat lunch (I read the airport food is terrible at SJU). Kids will be grouchy and hungry so need sometihng close to airport and convenient.
No Mcdonalds though, we don't eat that type of fast food.

Live from the East End - Vies (again)

TrvlJohn — Sat, 26 May 2012 13:04:06 GMT

We are creatures of habit...

Live from Vies -again by JRSIII, on Flickr

Trip Report 4/28-5/5/12 Part 2

GotToGetAway — Sat, 26 May 2012 03:39:14 GMT

http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=23252

Headed to Trunk after breakfast. The sky was ominous. We got in a little beach time, saw a wedding, then the sky opened up and it started to pour. Trunk got closed down and we headed back to the villa. We took advantage of the rainy day and went to look at Sunset Ridge Villas to see about buying a timeshare. Tried to stop at the Westin playground for the kids, but it just wouldn�t stop raining. This night we headed to Coconut Coast for what we thought was the wine reception. Well, the artist was in Bali for two months, so we just looked around the studio, played with the dogs, and found a few great souvenirs.
Woke up to sunshine the next morning. Had some pool time. Then headed out to Coral Bay for lunch. My two year old son fell asleep on the way over, so we drove around toward Salt Pond for some sightseeing and decided to stop back at Island Blues for lunch. Service was island time slow but the food was good. Stopped at Josephine�s for some fresh veggies. Then headed to Francis to see about that elusive Manta. Francis was really crowded. Last time we were at Francis we had he beach to ourselves, this time it was packed. No manta, no good snorkeling today, so we packed up and stopped at Maho to complete the day. This is when the crying started. My 5 year old daughter could somehow sense vacation was coming to a close and did not want it to end. She started bawling and said �why can�t we just live here?� Hmmm, I didn�t have a good response for that. Stopped at Starfish to pick up a few items and got a real estate magazine. Later, our friends stopped over for a beer and we chatted about the costs associated with living on STJ.

The next day was our last full day and my MIL�s birthday. It was a little rainy, but we couldn�t end the trip without another day at Maho. Our friends met us there after breakfast. The kids played for hours. We saw at least 4 stingrays, a spotted eagle ray, a barracuda, many turtles, and a shark all just while swimming. When the rain started, we tucked under a tree for lunch. People left the beach in droves. Sun came out and we had an empty beach. Said a sad goodbye to our friends and vowed to return next year, if not before. We headed to the villa and got cleaned up, packed a little. Headed out to Caf� Roma for a birthday celebration. Food was OK, the bill was expensive. But, everyone could find something to fit their preference.
Time to pack and finish the rum. Everyone went to bed early but my husband and me. We sat on the deck and talked about how we could make it so we could move to this tropical paradise.

After eating up all we could for breakfast, it was time to turn in the keys and take the barge back over to St. Thomas. Got to Discount, rode over to the airport, got out all of our belongings and saw a short check in line. Wait, where�s the stuffed animal from the tooth fairy? Nobody has it and nobody remembers packing it. Uh oh. Quick call to the CV office, and Curtis said he would head over to the villa and take a look around. Checked my phone later after we got through security, and he had called back. He found the stuffed animal and stopped at the post office at 11:55 am (Post Office closes at 12 noon on Saturday). He had already mailed it home to us, no need to worry. Now that�s great customer service!!!

A few last thoughts:
- We loved Le Lapin II. My only complaint is that the louvered doors do not really provide much privacy.
- It�s not the smartest to go out to eat the night before you go home, unless you really enjoy spaghetti and meatballs for breakfast.
-The Durango worked just fine for us as we were traveling as one family. If we had been two families, two vehicles would have been better.
- It was nice to have extra hands when traveling with young kids. I would definitely travel with my inlaws again as strange as it may sound.
- Rick G�s rules are accurate- those who pitch in pitch in more on STJ, those who slack slack more on STJ. If you have a slacker in your group, assign tasks to him/her before you step foot off the plane.
- Teaching your two year old son to pee in the bushes at the beach is a great way to expedite potty training.
-Always triple check the villa for any remaining items.
-I realized that I love that being on STJ makes me be more conscious of my carbon footprint, makes me try harder to use things and reuse things to save money but also to help the environment, and makes me slow down and appreciate little things like a sound or a smell or a feeling.

Thanks for reading!

Trip Report 4/28-5/5/12

GotToGetAway — Sat, 26 May 2012 02:53:30 GMT

This was our 4th trip to St. John, our children�s 2nd trip, and my husband�s parents� and brother�s 1st trip.

Our vehicle: A 7 passenger Durango from Discount on STT
Discount picked us up quickly from the airport. We all fit, even with the driver and our luggage. It had plenty of roomy for all seven of us, even when the two car seats were installed. Even had enough room for beach chairs (just 2 or 3) and cooler and sand toys.

Where we stayed: Le Lapin II through Caribbean Villas
Le Lapin II was gorgeous. It was the first time we thought the villa exceeded our expectations. It was sparkling clean, even under and behind the beds. The kitchen was well equipped and the pool was warm and the views were excellent. We got both sunrise (in bedrooms) and sunset (deck and pool) views. The breezes were great along the east side of the house, which kept the bugs down. There were lots of fauna around the house- a deer, frogs, and lizards, which kept the kids enthralled. There was even an outdoor shower by the pool which wasn�t advertised, so that was a great bonus for dealing with sandy feet. It was a quick drive to Cruz Bay. The road to the villa (Iguana Rd) was bumpy bumpy bumpy but it wasn�t steep, had a guard rail, and gave some great views.

We traveled from JFK to STT and arrived a little early. It was our first time doing carry on only and it was great. Both at JFK and STT we breezed on by everyone. Got our vehicle from Discount and headed to Cost U Less. Got to CUL without getting lost, but couldn�t figure out how to get in or why the parking lot would be so empty. Turns out it closed 20 minutes before we arrived due to Carnival. We headed to Red Hook, passed the Bridge to Nowhere, and decided to stop at Food Center. It was a tight squeeze with groceries for 7 people and luggage, but we made it. Hopped on the barge, called CV and told them we�d meet them in the parking lot. Called our friend who was hanging onto our two boxes we mailed a few weeks before with all of our toiletries. Well, he forgot what day we arrived and left them at home in Coral Bay.
We met our greeter and headed to the villa. There were a bunch of workers painting when we arrived. They quickly left and we got the tour. My 5 year old daughter got herself unpacked and put on her bathing suit before the greeter had even finished the tour and instructions. I guess a quick dip in the pool was a good idea! Nice and refreshing after 10 hours of travel.
Since we kind of needed our toiletries (tooth brushes, shampoo, soap, etc), hubby and I made the trek to Coral Bay to pick up our boxes while everyone else stayed at the villa for hotdogs an hamburgers. Ahh�donkeys in the road, reggae blasting, �stinky donkey dip,� �tourist info: you are lost�- it felt good to be back on St. John! Stopped in to our friends� apartment, chatted a bit, had a beer, made plans to meet up the next morning, then headed home with our boxes and a few borrowed books for bedtime reading for the kids (which was a lifesaver- next time I�ll remember to pack a few books). We couldn�t let the day pass without sticking our feet in the water, so we took the North Shore Road home and stopped at Maho just as the sun was setting.

The next morning we packed up the Durango and headed to Maho. Spent the day at our favorite beach in the world. Saw starfish, turtles, and stingrays. The beach was the most crowded I�d ever seen it, but we enjoyed our selves thoroughly. We headed back to the villa, cooled off in the pool and got dinner ready. My husband�s parents were putting their stuff in the safe and locked it by randomly pressing numbers apparently while not looking (not realizing the numbers should be a secret others not themselves). Oops. All their money, passports, and medications were locked in the safe with absolutely no clue what the combination was. Well, as it was a Sunday night and Caribbean Villas was not open, we called a left a message and waited. At 9 pm when we hadn�t received any return call, we decided to stay close to the villa in the morning and scratched our plans for Trunk. We called CV in the morning, and the maintenance man came in about an hour and opened the safe in 30 seconds. We decided to stay local go check out Hart Bay. We hiked the trail at Poinciana and found some great shells and snails at the rocky beach. Headed back to the villa with a bucket full of snails, had lunch, then headed to Mongoose Junction to visit our friend at work before heading to Hawksnest. His boss and coworkers were so nice and showed us around the shop. When we got to Hawksnest the kids upset because it was much rougher and deeper than Maho. But, we had a good time anyway and headed out just before it rained. After dinner and putting the kids to bed, we played some fun games at the villa, enjoyed some coconut rum drinks and saw a shooting star.

The next day it rained. All day. We decided to make it a shopping and cooking day. We put two turkeys in the oven, back to Mongoose Junction for some shopping. The tooth fairy had just made her first visit to our house the night before our trip, so my daughter wanted to pick out a new stuffed animal with her loot. We got a new furry friend and picked out some jewelry for my MIL�s birthday we would celebrate later in the week. Back to the villa for some naps and dinner. Then hubby and I headed out for some much needed adult time with our friend. We met him outside of work, headed up to the Tap Room. The guys had some kind of 2x and 4x beer served in snifters and I had my fav Mango Pale Ale. The bartended said she had just seen the Manta at Trunk the day before, so we decided to check it out and made plans to meet up with our friends later in the week when he had his days off.

Charter boat

Audshanks — Sat, 26 May 2012 01:38:09 GMT

Hi,
I am new to the forum. We are on st John through May 30th. Anyone on the island? Interested in sharing a charter to Jost Van Dyke?
Thanks, Audrey & Jim

BB gathering anyone?

JJShaw — Sat, 26 May 2012 01:31:59 GMT

Just wondering if anyone would like to plan a get together next month at the Beach Bar on the 10th.. I was gonna suggest about 6pm...any takers?

Almost Heaven

lazylane — Sat, 26 May 2012 01:12:54 GMT

Hi there, still narrowing down villas. Anyone have any info on this one on Bordeaux Mtn?

http://www.vrbo.com/413433