Where to start? We had a great week !! St John was everything and more!
Our getaway was a last minute escape offered on skyauction.com. I must admit I was somewhat skeptical – It just seemed to be too good to be true. I won the auction for little to nothing and even with fees our lodging in paradise was less than $300 for the week! – Downside we only had 2 weeks before our departure. The confirmation process went smoothly and was done totally electronic on the web. I contacted the villa property manager the next day and she knew we were coming. Life is good!
This trip being unplanned my wife and I decide to go with no expectations but to enjoy the island, and maybe take a ferry to Jost or a day sail. Neither came to fruition – We just enjoyed the island and all it had to offer.
The reservations were Saturday to Saturday (July 24-31), however due to family commitments we could not depart till Sunday. We had to attend a family and friends send off for our nephew leaving for the Army. The bash kept us partying till the early hours of Sunday morning, and with a two hour nap we had to depart for the airport for a 6 am flight. Flight down on American (DCA to JFK to STT) went smooth without a hitch and arrived in STT early - arriving about 11:30. Caught the 1 pm ferry from Red Hook and by 2 we were enjoying a wonderful lunch and rum punch at Woody’s.
Rent-a-Car: We used Best Cars. Roosevelt was very friendly and even called on Saturday to the states just to make sure all the arrangements were set. We knew we were going to be tired from the previous night’s festivities, so we caught a taxi up to Sunset Ridge Villas after lunch. The taxi driver was more than happy to stop at the Starfish Market where we picked up some essentials (water, dinner, wine, & Rum). I am so glad we made the decision to taxi up mainly because Sunset Ridge is at the top of what I think is called Jacob’s Ladder – One hell of road! (marylu525 no blindfold for wife was required, but I thought she would pull the chicken strap handle off the roof of the car) The next morning a Roosevelt was at the villa right on schedule, and with a quick driving lesson on how to attack the hill – we were off and running on our exploration of the island.
Recommendation: The parking in Cruz Bay is slightly worst than downtown NYC. Make sure that whoever you rent from allows you to park at there business when you are in town. Best Cars had plenty of parking and it was 2 minute walk to downtown. They are located next St Ursula’s Church on the same side of the road.
Accommodations: Sunset Ridge Villas are 6 individual units that are interconnected. Each unit has two bedrooms. We were in unit E, which offer stunning views of Great Cruz Bay, STT, and beautiful sunsets. The units are all the same, but have a very unique design. The unit has two separate buildings which open to a courtyard that has a plunge pool in the middle. The design gives ultimate privacy with a sense openness. One building has a very large master bedroom and bathroom and is one story. The other building is two stories with a kitchen, living room/dining area and bathroom/laundry room downstairs. Upstairs is the second bedroom with a full bath. In the courtyard there was a gas grill, table and chairs for eating outside next to the plunge pool. The kitchen was well equipped with everything one would need. The units are not air conditioned, but being on top the hill there were constant winds and fans to supplement if needed were more than adequate. We were never hot – day or night. Although the water is purified they recommend bottle water for drinking. The only compliant (trivial at best) would be a light in the shower – but hey after 40 some years I am pretty aware where everything that needs to be cleaned is located. The villas also have a very nice community pool that has probably the best spot for viewing for sunsets this time of year. My wife also enjoyed swimming laps. The units are RCI timeshares and would be well worth a trade. Being a RCI owner I will be looking for these units to open up in the future.
Beaches: There is plenty of info on this board on the beaches, but suffice it to say each offers a different and beautiful experience. We usually did a beach (sometimes two) in the morning. Then we would take a sun break for a big lunch, and then a different beach in the afternoon. We enjoyed all of them for a different reason. Beaches we spent time at: Hawknest, Caneel, Trunk, Maho, Honeymoon, Cinnamon, Leinster Bay, Hansen (Vie’s) Beach. Cannot say which one I liked the best – they all offer something different. Except for Trunk, all of them were more the most deserted or had only a few people. Trunk being the number one cruise ship excursion destination made it a crowded, but the snorkeling trail was beautiful. Last time I snorkeled Trunk was in the 70s, and honestly I think it looks more alive now than it did then. OK – I will pick favorite – I liked Maho the best. Not a snorkeling destination, but as a beach it does not get much better! Best snorkel was out to Watermelon Cay at Leinster Bay. We also did a few trails and they offered a respite from the sun as well as a intriguing adventure. The floral, plant, and wildlife are stunning. Never found the walks difficult and the trails well marked. The time that is published in the STJ trail guide is very generous. We never took as long as the published time, and we took lots of time to enjoy our surroundings.
Food: We at light breakfast at our villa, large lunches at restaurants, and dinner most nights we cooked up on the hill watching the sunset. We did eat dinner at The Fish Trap and Morgan’s Mango. Both were very good and the prices seem very fare for the offering in quantity as well as quality. La Tapa looked very appealing, but the night we planned to go, a brief but heavy afternoon shower with more clouds on the horizon persuaded both of us that we did not want to tackle the drive up to the villa in the dark and the rain. One or the other is ok – but not both! (Ok I am a chicken) Speaking of chicken – We found the Starfish Market had everything we needed. The prices are higher of course than what you would find in a normal store in the states, but are comparable to what you at pay at what I call the Gucci Grocery stores that seem so popular now. Selection of meats, chicken, and fish were good. The produce was fresh. One cannot ask for much more than that. We did pick up some of the local spice packs for fish and chicken rubs, and they were excellent! Lunches at Woody’s, Sun Dog Cafe, Margarita's, Island Blues Bar (Coral Bay), and picnics made the midday meal something to look forward to. I found lunch prices a little high, but I could never complained about the amount of food that served.
All things must come to an end.... Saturday we caught the 9:15 ferry to C.A. STT. Our flight did not leave until 4:30, so we hoped to check bags and head back to town for a little shopping. Since 9/11 you cannot check bags and leave so we checked in and got boarding passes and dragged our bags back out. There was a enterprising porter that would store them for you at the airport, but the TSA has shut him down the day before. So it was back to town to the hospitality house on the corner across from the taxi stand. They were full, but the store next door also holds bags for a $1 per bag. So it was our bust, and we wasted about 45 minutes and two cab fares back and forth. Hey we were mellow from a week in STJ – no big deal, and I hate shopping anyway. I should note security at STT was fairly tight and you should plan to be at the airport a full two hours from you departure.
Final impressions: I found St John extremely clean, the beaches beautiful, the locals friendly and helpful. We have lived and traveled in the Caribbean over the last 26 years of our marriage, and this week of paradise rated as one of the best.
