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Published: March 24th 2010
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March 21 - The Ultimate Lazy Vacation Day - nothing to tell really. The day consisted of lots of sleep, deli sandwiches, pool time, more sleep, more food, a bad movie (It’s Complicated with Alec Baldwin & Meryl Streep), and more sleep. Like I said, vacationing at its best.
March 22 - Since yesterday was a solid day of what we like to call “filth-wallowing,” we decided that we needed to make the most of our last day of vacation, so we headed to the beach with water sports in mind. Because of our late start (hey, we tried but we are on vacation, remember?), we had to decide between taking a wave-runner or a dinghy out. (http://www.divestjohn.com/dinghies.html). We figured we can always wave-run, so we opted to rent the dingy and snorkel gear and head out in the direction of Trunk Bay. Sky, the water sports rental dude ran through all the rules with us that basically consisted of a list of ways to scare us from doing anything crazy on the boat - like don’t try to race with the barges and make sure you come back by 4 pm so you don’t charge $2K for having the
coast guard looking for us. So off we went, and Sky was not kidding - it was Choppy (yes, with a capital C). The trip was a fabuolous way to see all of the extravagant homes around the island.
We swung by Gallows Point and stopped for lunch because we were STARVING. My genius husband (who really is genius regarding most things) didn’t think we could dock all the way in, so we proceeded to strip down to our suits and leave everything on the dinghy except for Sean’s wallet and my swimsuit cover up and swim to shore. Picture this: Each of us swimming with one hand in the air; Sean holding his wallet in the other and me holding my cover-up.
We climbed ashore and like two beach bums headed to our new favorite spot Woody’s Saloon. Yes, that means we were in our swimsuits and bare feet strolling the town of St. John. This was the moment I knew we would definitely be coming back to St. John’s. The town has a way of making you feel at home - relaxed and content with simply living life in the sunshine.
The waitress at Woody’s
recognized us by now (this was our 3rd time there in six days). We grabbed a seat at the outside table and ordered our new favorite meal - the grilled scallops’ appetizer (seriously if you ever go there you MUST have them), house salad with grilled chicken for me and blackened chicken sandwich for Sean. Not wanting to waste a lot of time on shore, we stuffed our faces and hustled back to our boat. At which point, Genius decided he could actually drive the dinghy all the way into shore and pick me up where all the other dingys were docked.
Back in our dinghy, we traveled a little farther down the island until we reached one of the suggested snorkel spots, Salomon Bay. We put our gear on and jumped in to what is officially the best snorkeling I have ever experienced. We immediately saw a small reef shark and were only disappointed that we couldn’t get a better look because both of our masks had fogged up. The array of fish was unbelievable, especially when the sun came out! The reef was full of a little New York - a melting pot of fish! Stripes, polka
dots, and iridescent fish - you name it!
The only reason we finally got back in the boat was because our masks kept fogging up. So we took a little break and headed a little farther down the island. This time we jumped out without our life jackets, which seemed like a good idea at first but became a little tricky when I had some trouble with my mask and Sean tried to help me as we struggled to balance between the wind and the reef. The fish here were just as incredible here, just not quite as many. Before we knew it, 3:30 had come and it was time to head back. The dinghy was absolutely the best choice we could have made for our last day.
After an extremely bumpy ride back to the Westin, we returned our gear, grabbed some tasty smoothies, and hung out a little more at the pool. Spring break had definitely arrived as several more families were now at the hotel (By the way, the Westin is very kid friendly.). Some rest and recuperation in the room and then we headed back downtown for a last dinner out.
Our friends
Alison and Eric had recommended a Thai fusion place called Rhumb Lines, which did not let us down. Rhumb Lines turned out to be our favorite dinner out. The atmosphere was very romantic with candlelit tents. And the food was exquisite! Sean had chicken and steak pad Thai, and I had a decelicious lobster offset with my glasses of Riesling! Our waiter Matt was full of stories and encouraged us to see the southern side of the island with different bars and restaurants (the famous Skinny Legs) and activities - giving us even more reasons to come back to St. John.
Matt recommended we head to Beach Bar after dinner; Mondays are apparently a big local hangout night since a lot of the restaurants are closed on Tuesdays. Sean was once again given a hard time about his NY Yankees t-shirt. Did I mention before that we found out our first day on the island that St. John is a big Red Sox island due to the amount of Bostonians that frequents the island?
It just so happened that we sat down next to two Bostonians who we shared island adventures with, had a few drinks, and called
it a night . . . a really great night . . . a fantastic way to end our vacation.
March 23, 2010
We woke up just in time to catch the ferry back to St. Thomas - Broihier style! This ferry took us to an all too familiar place . . . the same place in St. Thomas that we had been to on our famous Caribbean cruise. So in honor of our crazy cruise, we left our bags with a taxi driver, Gerard (license plate 0104), and set off to grab some breakfast at BUMPA’s, an adorable “mom and pop” restaurant with tasty treats. A little worried that Gerard may not return with our bags, we hung out anxiously by the taxi stop until Gerard showed up right on time to take us to the small St. Thomas airport.
Sean and I both agreed St. John is a place we would love to come back to. Does it beat Kauai? Not sure if we can say that, but it’s definitely an island we recommend going to if you are looking for beautiful beaches, amazing snorkeling, and just an overall fun and relaxing trip. Thanks, St.
John.
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