Another practically perfect period in paradise!
We normally fly into EIS but got such a great deal into STT that we went that way and decided we would only do it again if the fare was considerably lower than what we value our FF miles at. The hassle of aggressive cab expeditors at the airport, the ferry dock, C&I twice (once off the ferry in STT and then again at the airport) when leaving, late ferries, not enough cabs at Road Town the evening we came in, etc. is not worth it to us. I guess we just haven’t had enough horrible moments in SJU, yet.
A bright note was the Galleon House on STT. We took a shot in the dark with this one and came up a winner. It was very clean, the hosts were friendly and laid back, great view from our balcony, included a filling and tasty breakfast and terrific location for a short stay made it a place we would return to. We had 2 nights there, waiting on friends from Chicago, so we spent the one full day exploring via the Dollar bus. Magen’s Bay was pretty but no comparison to beaches on St. John or the BVI. That day there were no ships in, so the waterfront shops, eateries and beach were pretty quiet. The rum shop and museum on the 99 steps didn’t even open. We had to laugh at those steps, since it was actually 100 steps from the street behind waterfront to our room door. The hotel is behind Herves which is next to the Hotel 1829.
Our friends’ flight was on time, so we decided to forgo the 3:30 and 4:00 ferries and get tix on the 4:15 Fast Ferry and enjoy a drink in the Petit Pump Room…mistake. The FF didn’t even leave until 5:05 (missing our 5:00 time that we could early-board our cat in Nanny Cay) and then took forever getting over. Because it was late, the customs desk/baggage in Road Town was a nightmare. Two of us got waived through without even having our own bags…
There was one cab left, a large van so we were all practically sitting on each other’s laps and had to drop off Sunsail people then backtrack to Nanny. Once aboard our Lagoon 440 "Annie", though, all was well. Our other friends, who flew in that day from England, via Antigua were already there and had libations ready. We saw them last on this same cat in November ’06 so it was a great “homecoming”.
We did have morning drizzle and gray skies the first full day aboard but by noon the sun came out and stayed out most of the week. Good sightings of the regatta race boats and some good photos of many of them lined up against the horizon. Due to some lingering rough seas, we decided to leave Norman and the Indians for the end and went to Great Harbor at Peter, then to the Rhone and Cooper for snorkeling. I earned my ASA sticker this year so was able to sail from Cooper to North Sound. There were some strong and shifting winds, but we did manage to sail close hauled most of the way. I “practiced” some tacking going toward the cut and got us safely into Leverick where we enjoyed Nick’s TTOL deal. Not much going on there; at 9:30 there were only about 10 of us at Jumbies. We had some rain that night, but the hike up the road the next morning was a good one and the sun made for some great photos of the docks and North Sound. (A ship at the Baths was a clue to miss that till our stay at Guavaberry later.)
We made GREAT TIME to Anegada (1.5 hours) and rented a car for the 24 hours. Went to Cow Wreck, lunch on the boat, then the Settlement, Flash of Beauty, Windless Bight, had lobster at Neptunes where the service was outstanding and the vegetable of the day was unusual but sooo good. Can’t remember what it was called. Used our Drinking Man’s guide coupon for a bottle of Pinot Grigio and bought a second. Yum. Had some dancing and fun at Potters then back to star gaze…the Southern Cross was so clear that night.
Next morning we had a few hours before the rental was due back so did some flamingo sightings and then off to Marina Cay. Stopped to snorkel George Dog and a couple other spots. Caught Michael Beans show again, this time Scotty made the finals of the conch blowing contest. Good times again. Good shopping as usual in Trellis before heading out the next morning. Got our pals from Chicago a Flukes map so we can mark it up for them as an Xmas gift.
Stopped at Monkey Point, Sandy spit, etc. for more snorkeling, swimming, walking. Dinner at Foxys on a non-BBQ night was a change for us. The food was very good and I tried the appetizer special “Fish Cheeks”…makes for a great photo, but not much meat on those things! The usual dancing, laughing, tshirt reading night. The next morning some of us got dropped by dinghy so we could walk over the hill and down to see Ivan. He seemed a bit frail but happy to see visitors. Perfect weather for White Bay. We only stayed until about 2:30 so we could get over to Norman for an hour of snorkeling before dinner.
Sadly said goodbye to our Chicago friends the next morning at Nanny. The Brits and us bought raisin bread and rolls at the bakery then cabbed and ferried to VG for some days rest at Guavaberry, our first stay there. OUTSTANDING spot to spend time. A 5 minute walk to Spring Bay and The Crawl which were both almost deserted the days we were there. Do not underestimate the commissary there. The selection of food/drink/other items and the prices are very attractive. In fact, a can of beer or soda was a dime cheaper than Bucks and you can buy tubs of margarine and other items in half-packs at a savings. That makes sense if you are not staying more than a few days.We were very impressed also at the wine prices and selection. And, you can order your fresh bread the night before! Tina is a wonderfully efficient hostess. Also, Shorn, the cab driver we used a few times is so great. We had a car by the second day so we could check out the Olde Yarde Village condos for future consideration and to spend time at Savannah, my fav spot in all the world. We hit rain on our last day, so we got in the car and headed back up to Leverick.
Had our last dinner at Chez Bamboo, very good. Love, love the new tapas menu. Many great selections and you can build an unusual table of foods to share.
Our Brit friends were staying 5 more days so they drove us to the ferry where we had tearful good-byes, but with plans to do it again next spring!
PM me if you are curious about any details. Our 8th time, and it just gets better each time. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />