Bye-Bye Gallows . . . Hello Westin!

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March 19, 2010

I woke up early this morning and sat in the living room of our little cottage working to the sound of the waves . . . Sean slept right up until check-out at 11. We said good-bye to Gallows and caught a safari taxi to the Westin Resort about a mile North on the outskirts of town. As we drove away we realized the true benefit of Gallows - being so close to the downtown. But as we drove up to the Westin, we realized its’ benefits as well - being right on the beach with a huge pool and hot tub.

Since our room wasn’t ready due to our early arrival, we decided to explore the grounds. Iguanas are everywhere! Though creepy, they seem to be used to people and thus do not cause too much trouble. We immediately discovered Cruz Bay Sports to discuss wave-running and other sports, and then we headed to the beachfront where we devoured pulled-pork sandwiches.

After checking in, Sean had to do some work so I doused myself in 50 SPF and headed to the pool followed by a pedi/mani . . . oh, the life!

After a little more R&R, we decided to head to the recommended sushi joint, Happy Fish, for dinner. Too impatient and hungry to wait for the Westin Taxi to leave, we decided to do the mile walk to dinner - up the hills and all (nothing like a pre-dinner workout!). Happy Fish is just on the outskirts of town - more of a local restaurant. Happy Fish, or Happy Feet as I mistakenly kept calling it, did not hold up to its high reviews . . . we decided it should actually be called Slow Feet due to the service. That said, the food got the job done and we ventured to the downstairs deli for additional snacks and began our trip home. I can’t say we recommend hiking the hills of St. John in the dark - a little dangerous with the big safari taxis and not too many defined sidewalks, but hey - we’ve driven across the Dominican with strangers so this was nothing! Nevertheless, we made it home safe to our beachfront hotel room safe and sound.

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