I couldn’t believe it was four years since my husband and I have been to St. John (my “other” happy place). Since 2003, we made sure to get back to the Virgin Islands every year to celebrate our wedding anniversary. However, Hurricane Irma and COVID changed that like many things. After we stayed at Arc De Soleil back in October of 2019 I immediately booked the villa for the following year once we returned home. Sadly, once COVID hit I had to postpone our trip from 2020 to 2021 hoping that things would be back to normal by then. Obviously they weren’t ,so again I postponed until 2022. Then I read about how there were restrictions regarding going to the British Virgin Islands. Usually when we visit St. John, we always plan a day to go over to Jost Van Dyke and I still really wanted to be able to go.  I was able to work with the villa company (BookVI.com) and push off our villa rental one last time to October of this year. They were so easy to work with throughout all of my date changes – I highly recommend them. 

Back in October of 2021, we wound up going back to Key West (my other happy place – yes I have two) since I had postponed St. John until the following year. It was during Fantasy Fest, but it wasn’t really in full swing since everyone was slowly getting back to normal. During our stay, we became friendly with a couple who was also staying at the Gardens Hotel where we always stay. Long story short, every time since we have met them, we have been planning our vacations to Key West the same time together. During our stays in Key West, my husband and I would talk about how we were returning to St. John and that it had been four years since the last time we visited the island. Brent and Julie had never been and became increasingly more interested about going with us. After showing them the villa and the beaches of St. John they were in.

I had been looking at airfare since the beginning of the year and it was insane. I couldn’t fathom how the airlines could charge so much for a flight that is only about 3 and 1/2 to 4 hours. Finally in April the prices came down just enough that I jumped on the tickets. I also contacted Julie to let her know it was a good time to book. We figured out that the easiest way for us to all get to St. John together would be for all of us to be on the same direct United flight to St. Thomas. Brent and Julie live in Nashville, so they wound up booking a flight the night before directly to Newark, NJ. They would stay at the Marriott right next to the airport over night. We thought about having them stay with us but by the time they would get to our house (we are about an hour away from the airport) we would only have a few hours of sleep and head right back out to the airport. So it seemed that them staying at the airport hotel the night before made the most logical sense.

Saturday, October 28th – Arrival Day

Several days earlier I kept checking the National Hurricane Service website for updates on Tropical Storm Tammy. Initially Tammy started off as a tropical storm and then quickly intensified to a hurricane. Luckily Tammy stayed away just enough of the Virgin Islands so it was mostly just a lot of rain type of weather event. Once Tammy moved northward however, there were still remnants of rain that was affecting the islands. I also read how there were swells and rip current alerts issued especially with the North Shore beaches.

The weather forecast was looking dismal ahead of our arrive that Saturday and I just kept reminding myself that you can’t control the weather and hope for the best. 

I had checked us in for our United flight the day before and it showed that we would be leaving from the newly renovated Terminal A at Newark airport instead of Terminal C (which we normally leave from). I was curious to see for myself the new terminal. I have heard that it is a vast improvement compared to what it used to be. 

Our flight was scheduled for 9:27am that morning so I had reserved our usual car service to pick us up at 6:00am. The drive takes about just under an hour so I knew it would be enough time, especially since my husband and I both have Clear and TSA Pre.

Even though it was the end of October, the morning was quite mild. I didn’t have to wear a heavy jacket or anything, but I made sure to pack a hat for the flight back home (since the flight home always seems to be so cold). We arrived at the airport just around 7:00am. When our driver dropped us off we just looked around at the new Terminal. We weren’t exactly sure where to go. Terminal C is pretty much all United so there is no question where to go. Terminal A also encompasses several other airlines. We walked around and not before long we saw the sign for All Gates with TSA Pre. We went through the turnstile and up to the TSA Pre check-in line. We didn’t see any signs for Clear so I figured they didn’t have that option in the new terminal and/or we just didn’t see it.

Once we got through security, I texted our friend Julie that we made it through security. Brent and Julie were already waiting in the United Club lounge. Since I have the United Mileage Plus Card, I too have access, so we wound up meeting them at the lounge. When we walked up the stairs and into the lounge, I couldn’t believe how nice it was.

I know the lounge in Terminal C has been under construction for quite some time and I believe it just reopened, but this one was impressive.

They even had hot breakfast items to choose from, like scrambled, eggs, breakfast meats, etc. – not just the cold yogurt, cereal and bread options. 

Not before long, my husband and I spotted Brent and Julie. They found a couple of seats where we could also sit together. We gave them both big hugs.

It felt so strange to see them in the airport since we always see them in Key West. After grabbing something to eat and catching up we grabbed our things and walked back down one level to our Gate A12.

I still couldn’t get over how the terminal was. It felt like completely different airport. Our flight was on time so we didn’t have to wait too long to board and plus we were in Group 1.

Once everyone was boarded, I noticed that the main cabin door of the plane was remaining open. I thought to myself, here we go again. (Our last flight experience was still fresh in my mind…. return flight home from Key West canceled, barely making the next flight the following day.) As we sat there waiting, we were informed that they had to go through some sort of safety inspection. 

I was getting a little antsy since I had reserved a private taxi to pick us up in St. Thomas and take us to the 2:15pm Crown Bay Ferry (and I also bought our tickets for the ferry ahead of time). I read that you don’t really need to buy the tickets ahead of time or have a private taxi to the Crown Bay Ferry since it is literally about a 5-8 minute drive. However, my husband and I wanted to make it as easy as possible for our friends since it was their first time going to St. John. Plus who wants to sit in a taxi cab packed with people and making stops along the way dropping off the passengers who are staying in various hotels on St. Thomas.

Probably about 30 minutes passed by and then I saw the flight attendant closing the main cabin door. The captain came onto the intercom and apologized for the delay. I am assumed since we were flying out of Terminal A instead of C, we did not have to wait long at all before we were next in line for take off. Soon we were on our way back to St. Thomas.

During the flight I would catch myself peering out the window hoping to see a glance of islands below. The tropical wave was evident because all I saw along the way were a lot of clouds. My fear of landing in St. Thomas and our newbies walking onto the tarmac for the first time in the pouring rain. 

After about 3 and a half hours, the captain came back onto the intercom and alerted us that we were beginning our initial decent in to St. Thomas. A feeling of happiness immediately came over me. I couldn’t believe after 4 years I was finally coming back to my other happy place St. John. As we neared St. Thomas I could start to see the small islands off of Puerto Rico and thought that maybe the weather was looking up.

We were seated on the right side of the plane so unfortunately I couldn’t see us land on the runway which I always enjoy. Once we landed I looked at my Fitbit and the time was exactly the time we were supposed to land. I assumed they made up the time in the air and to my surprise, the sun was shining. I couldn’t believe that it wasn’t raining. However, once we landed, we didn’t move. The plane just sat there. This was due to another aircraft parked in our arrival location. So again, we had to wait and again I started to panic a little – worried about missing our ferry. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, but the ferry wasn’t until 3:30pm. Another option was to take the taxi to Red Hook, but I wanted to avoid the long taxi ride for our friends.

It was nearing1:45pm when the plane began moving again to our arrival location. We got the go ahead to exit the plane. Once we got off the plane, we made the long walk around and into the airport. We all had carry on so we didn’t have to wait for our luggage.

They had the usual welcome Cruzan Rum shots display and live steel drum music was playing. We didn’t have much time, but we all grabbed one and did our welcome to St. Thomas shot.

Once we got that done, we walked quickly back out to the taxi pick up area. I saw my name on the iPad of a drive from the company Chris Limousine (the private taxi service I booked). I introduced myself and he escorted us to wear his large van was parked. I thought to myself, if we had this to Red Hook, it wouldn’t be so bad. 

As we were leaving the airport I explained to our driver how we had not been to the island in over 4 years. He welcomed us back and was so pleasant. I also asked him about the recent weather and he said that the night before it down poured and even into the early morning hours, so we really lucked out.

We were only a couple minutes away when I got a call on my cell. It was the Crown Bay Ferry. I guess since I purchased the tickets ahead of time, they wanted to make sure if we were going to make it. I told the gentleman on the phone we were almost there and we were.

Once we arrived, we unloaded all our luggage and handed it to the crew. I wanted Brent and Julie to experience the ride to St. John the best way, the top level of the ferry. We walked up and sat down. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were on our way to St. John!

As we waited I did get a text from our villa Host, Jennifer. I told her that we did make the 2:15pm Crown Berry ferry and we would meet her at the dock. Then the captain of the ferry came up the stairs and gave us his brief safety speech. He mentioned to us that the water is going to be rough with swells. He also warned us that we would get wet as well and if we didn’t want to experience water on us, he suggested we should sit down another level. We all looked at each other and said we don’t want to get wet. We grabbed our things and walked down to the main level, but there were no seats available. So we went down below to the lower level and entered the air conditioned room. Several tables and booths were occupied, but then I saw one booth that had one man sitting at it. We asked him if we could sit with him and he moved his stuff over. 

We started chatting about St. John and how we hadn’t been there in 4 years. He was also staying on St. John on his way to meet his family. As the ferry began its course towards St. John, we noticed a few bumps a long the way. The few bumps increased in frequency. I tried to turn my body to face the same direction the ferry was going.  I started to feel that welcome shot I took at the airport. Why did I do it, I thought to myself. Then every few minutes, I would sit up in my seat and try to look out the window. The windows were set a bit above the seats so it was hard to see out.

I looked around and no one was talking. I saw one woman with her arms clutching the end of one the tables as she sat there with her head down and eyes closed. Another woman asked us if anyone had a plastic bag. Julie had a Ziploc bag she found in her bag and gave it to her. 

My husband said if she gets sick, we are all going to get sick. The 40 minute ferry ride felt like an eternity. I have never experienced a ferry ride to St. John like that. (Note to self, if there are north swells, stick with the Red Hook ferry.) Finally I could see Cruz Bay come into view. We were almost there!

A few more long minutes passed by and I could feel the ferry slow down. We made it. No one thankfully ever got sick, but it wasn’t a pleasant experience. Once everyone grabbed their things and composure, we walked over to a white SUV where Jennifer was waiting for us. 

I had rented a 4 door jeep wrangler from our usual jeep rental company, Bougainvillea Leasing Ltd. It is a bit of an uphill hike to the office. I was worried about it being pouring rain as well when we arrived, so I requested a vehicle that could take us all to the rental company. Jennifer had another passenger in the car so we all had to fit in the back somehow. My husband crammed himself into the very back (trunk area) and we made the short uncomfortable drive to Bougainvillea. Brent and Julie waited for us while I went in the office with my husband to sign the paper work.

Our jeep was a bright red model and fairly new. Brent and Julie hopped in the back seat with us and followed Jennifer to Arc Du Soleil. Along the way we passed the Westin, which brought back memories staying there several times years ago and even attending our friends’ wedding. I know they did a lot since post Hurricane Irma, but the entrance still looked the same. It was probably about a 10 to 12 minute ride up to the Virgin Grand Estates. I didn’t forget about some of the hairpin turns as you climb up St. John and neither did my husband. He did a great job getting us all to the villa.

When we drove up the driveway and parked the jeep, memories of staying at the villa immediately came back. Jennifer walked us in to the villa which is mostly all open air. Everyone couldn’t get over the view, even though my husband and I both have seen it before, it is still such an overwhelming site.

Since my husband and I have stayed at Arc Du Soleil before, the welcome tour was short and sweet. Once Jennifer left, both Julie and I went to unpack all of our things while my husband and Brent settled in – a.k.a. jump in the pool. I had worked with Landlubber Logistics ahead of time to have provisions set up and a welcome meal for our arrival. (I highly recommend them if you are looking for provisions.) I thought it would be a nice and easy way to spend our first night in St. John. 

Once I unpacked all of our things I joined everyone in the pool. The weather was still surprisingly clear and it was perfect for an early evening swim. 

I checked the refrigerator for our arrival meal. Landlubber suggested Sam & Jack’s Deli. It was actually really easy to do. I went on Sam & Jack’s Deli and emailed them the items we were interested in. They contacted me within a few days on the phone (super nice) to reconfirm our order and where we were staying. They would have our meal ready the day of our arrival for Landlubbber to pick up. 

Everyone was getting hungry so my husband put the jerk chicken with coconut rice in to the oven. I also ordered the grilled shrimp skewers with mango salsa along with a chick pea salad. There were only 4 of us, so the portions for 6 to 8 were more then enough for all of us. The food was delicious.

You can read my review of Sam & Jack’s Deli here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147409-d2215378-r926174447-Sam_Jack_s_Deli-St_John_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

We talked about our plans for the next day. My husband and I suggested that we would take them to Trunk Bay. It is the most popular and photographed beach in St. John (especially the overlook). It was a long day and we were all getting tired. We both retired to our rooms and planned on getting up early for our first full day on St. John.

Sunday, October 29th – Making the Best of an Overcast Day on Hawksnest Bay

Throughout the night I did hear the rain, however when I woke up it looked like it cleared up. I went ahead and made a fresh pot of coffee from Cuban Coffee Queen, Key West which I shipped down ahead of time. I was able to ship all our toiletries and a few odds and ends (like a frisbee) in a box to our villa management company. (They provided me with the address to send to.)

I wanted to make a fritatta for everyone, so I quickly whipped up some eggs and added some cheese. Once the eggs were in the oven I started to crisp up some bacon on the stove top. I noticed the oven took a while to heat up but I didn’t think anything of it. As I waited for the eggs to set, the skies became more overcast. As the weather started to deteriorate, the immediate rush to get to Trunk Bay dissipated. 

After breakfast we cleaned up and relaxed for a little while hoping the rain would stop. Brent and my husband even played a game of darts to pass the time. The rain finally stopped, so we gathered our things and headed to Cruz Bay to show Brent and Julie around. We took the windy steep road back down to town. Once we reached the center of Cruz Bay, my husband suggested that we could keep going up towards the north shore beaches to show Brent and Julie some of the overlook stops.

We all agreed and my husband kept driving past Mongoose Junction and up to the first overlook, Cruz Bay. Then our next stop was the Caneel Bay overlook. We all got out of the jeep to take a look. It still makes me so sad to see once such a beautiful place just left undone. You could even see how the property has become overgrown since the hurricane over 6 years ago. We explained to Brent and Julie that when we first visited St. John back in 2003, Caneel Bay was our first place we ever stayed at. Since then, we had stayed there around 6 or 7 times, mixing in a few split stays with the Westin and the other neighboring Virgin Islands. Eventually we decided that we should try and stay at a villa.

We all got back into the jeep and my husband drove us to Hawksnest Beach. There were several jeeps already in the parking lot, which I was surprised to see due to the fact the weather wasn’t exactly ideal. We made the short walk to the beach to show Brent and Julie how beautiful the beach and water was. Even with an overcast day, they couldn’t believe how pretty it was. We walked along the beach for a few minutes and then saw several people enjoying the beach and even in the water. The sun started to peek out a little and it didn’t look so ominous anymore. So we walked back to our jeep and grabbed our chairs and towels.

What started out as a show and tell sort of day, became a beach day after all. Once we had all of our chairs set up, we all made our way into the water. It was so warm and pleasant. It was even warmer then the pool at our villa. I was so happy that Brent and Julie were able to get into the water. 

It started to rain a little again so we decided to pack it in. Since we left the villa later then what we had planned, it was already after 1pm. My husband drove us back to Cruz Bay where we parked in Slim Man’s parking lot. (I find it so convenient especially parking spaces are very hard to come by in Cruz Bay.) We hadn’t seen all the new updates to the Wharfside Village and it was definitely a change. All the bright and brilliant colors were painted over to light hues of grays and white. Even the walkways were redone. It did look very nice and elegant, but I kind of missed all the colors of the old Wharfside Village. We walked over to High Tide which had not changed. And I love that. I don’t think it needs to and it is fine the way it is. We walked in and grabbed a few seats at the bar. They had the TVs on showing the Cowboys football game. 

I recommended to Brent and Julie that they should try a rum punch, which I find High Tide to be one of the best recipes. When the bartender came over, we all ordered a rum punch, except Julie who was eyeing the buschwacker – which isn’t a bad fall back drink to have. As we looked over the menu, one of the staff members saw that my husband was wearing a Giants t-shirt so she turned on the one TV to the Jets and Giants game that was on. I thought that was really nice of her.

I also noticed the ferry dock under construction (it is still open and running). Since we arrived on the Crown Bay Ferry, we weren’t able to see it. It looks like it is going to take a long time for completion (island time). 

Everyone ordered a bite to it, but not me. I wasn’t really hungry at that point and didn’t want to fill up for dinner. I tend usually eat breakfast and dinner while on vacation.

When everyone was done with lunch, we drove over to the Starfish Market to pick up a few things. Our villa was fully stocked with toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, etc. but we still needed a couple of things. Plus I wanted to get the ingredients to make my red sangria. Every Sunday (mostly) I make a pitcher of red sangria to have while enjoying football. We call it Sangria Sundays.  Luckily I was able to find all the ingredients I needed to make it. I didn’t bother with the apples since it wouldn’t be sitting for too long before we drank it. 

Once we checked out of Starfish Market, my husband made the drive back up to the Virgin Grand Estates entrance to our villa. You can watch the video of the drive back to Arc Du Soleil here: https://youtu.be/2jRI0zb1QZI?feature=shared

We spent the remainder of the afternoon checking the football scores on our phones and relaxing. Even though the weather wasn’t great, we were still able to enjoy the pool. We tried to get the TV to work to watch a game, but it was a challenge to work. I reached out to our villa management company questioning how one works the TV. When they got back to me, they told me it was a SmartTV. You had to log into your own accounts, like Prime Video for instance, to watch TV. So much for DirectTV. This made it nearly impossible to watch any live sports. I am not sure if that has become the new norm, but I think it would be nice to still be able to have the option to watch regular TV. (Plus what if you forget to log out of your account. The next guest can watch TV using your log in that was set up.) I wound texting my sister back and forth towards the end of the Giants game after she told me the Giants won. I checked the score and saw that there was over a minute or so still left in the came. In football, that is a lot of time. So I called her and asked her what she was talking about? And as we were on the phone together she told me how the Jets did get the ball back and in the end the Giants lost. All well – at least we didn’t watch it.

Throughout the afternoon, I kept checking the weather forecast for the followoing day and it didn’t look too promising. I had made reservations to go over to Jost Van Dyke with Second Chance Charters. We had gone out with them in the past a couple of times and we really enjoyed Michelle and Jon who run the charter. They do a great job. I reached out to Michelle and she said that Tuesday looked better. That would have worked out, however I had already booked an early dinner at Morgan’s Mango for lobster night. Luckily they had availability on Wednesday so I rebooked it for then. 

It was still raining, but we were getting hungry – especially me since I didn’t eat lunch. I remembered looking at the menu at 1864 in Mongoose Junction a few weeks ago at home and it looked delicious. I also noticed that they had gluten free options which was key since both Brent and Julie are gluten free. I tried to make a reservation, but they were closed on Sundays so I made one for Monday. 

Then I saw that Greengos was open that evening and thought how mexican is always a great alternative as well for having gluten free options. Once we all freshened up, we piled back into the jeep and my husband made the drive down the steep and winding road back down to Cruz Bay. 

When we arrived at Mongoose Junction there were several parking spots available. Usually it is a challenge to find a spot there, but it probably had a lot to do with the weather. Not many people probably wanted to venture out in the rain. We walked in and notice that the water that runs through the buildings below was ragging. 

We walked up the stairs past the Sun Dog Cafe bar into Greengos. The hostess seated us right away at a booth. There were a few patrons at the bar and a couple of tables, but it was fairly quiet. I remembered from last time we were there, they usually broadcast the NFL games. When I looked over at the bar they did have the games on. I guess they don’t have SmartTVs? 

Our server came over and told us the specials. We wound up placing both are drink and dinner orders all at the same time. We also ordered their homemade chips, guacamole with assorted salsas to start. I wound up ordering a spinach salad with fresh blackened mahi mahi. My husband and Brent ordered beef tacos while Julie opted for the fish special. I can’t remember what it was unfortunately, but when it came out on a sizzling platter it looked delicious.

We ate so many of the chips and sides, that I was relieved that I wound up going with the large spinach salad. Everything was really tasty and hit the spot. The only thing that was a little frustrating was not all of our food came out at the same time. First it was Julie’s special that arrived. Then it was my husbands main meal, then me and lastly Brent. Usually it doesn’t matter, but it was a large amount of time for each of our meals to be brought to the table.

Other then that, the food was very good. I felt it was not on par though when we were there 4 years ago. I remember thinking wow this is exceptional. This time, it just felt like good mexican food. Nothing out of the ordinary.

We were all pretty stuffed after our meals and asked for the check. We walked back down past the Sun Dog Cafe bar. I was hoping to stop by to have a little night cap, but the bar was full. And then again, we were going back the following evening to 1864 so we could always try then. 

It was probably for the best, because when we all got back into the jeep, everyone felt tired. We were contemplating stopping at the Wharfside Village, but with the rainy weather, it made it an easy decision to go back to the villa.

My husband made the drive back to our villa in the dark which was very impressive. I don’t think I could ever drive on St. John, especially the road up to the Virgin Grand Estates.

Once we made it back to Arc Du Soleil, we relaxed for a bit before getting some sleep.

Monday, October 30th – Rain Rain, Go Away

Again throughout the night, we would wake up to hear the rain. This time however the rain sounded like it was coming down in buckets. I woke up around 7am and it was still pouring. So we decided to sleep in. There was no need to get up early which sometimes isn’t a bad thing.

We eventually got up and my husband went into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. Brent and Julie were already up just relaxing in the chairs that overlook the pool. Even when it was raining, the view of St. John out to St. Thomas was still beautiful. We spent the morning having a leisurely breakfast. When the rain lightened up, we decided to head back down to town. When we got to the Virgin Grand Estates entrance to leave, the gate was closed. However, since we were leaving the gate opened up as it sensed the jeep. We thought about how if it was closed when we were returned, we don’t know the code.

We made it back to Slim Man’s parking lot. I wanted to show Brent and Julie Joe’s Rum Hut. Plus I was curious to see how they renovated the area. I was also in the mood for a mango mojito. We walked around past the somewhat new (location) of the restaurant La Tapa (which I made reservations for our last night). When we walked to Joe’s Rum Hut, I barely recognized it. Yes it still had the same view with the bottles stacked neatly, but again everything had hues of grays and white. 

The hanging lights were a nice touch, along with an additional eating area behind where we were seated.

I also noticed restrooms, which was a welcoming sign. I remember back in the day, you would have to ask the bartender for a key and make the walk by the Beach Bar into the parking garage area to a bathroom that was never inviting whatsoever. I also noticed around the corner, the checkin area for Wharfside Village Hotel that is located above.

We all grabbed a couple of seats and looked over the menu. There was no mango mojito. In fact there were no mojitos of any sort. I couldn’t believe it. Yes they had a nice limited variety of cocktails, but again it was completely different then what I remembered years ago. 

Everyone ordered a cocktail and I wound up going with their rendition of a rum punch with a myers rum floater, which I probably should have skipped. When I got towards the end of my drink, I couldn’t drink it anymore. It was extremely strong (for me).

After we enjoyed our cocktails, we walked down to the Beach Bar. I think everyone else had the same idea, because when we walked in, there wasn’t an empty seat available. So we decided to turn around and walk back down to High Tide for another beverage and a light lunch.

Again I wasn’t too hungry and I made reservations for 1864 at 5:30pm so I figured I would just wait until dinner and maybe nibble on whatever my husband ordered. While everyone was enjoying their lunch, I walked over to the High Tide little gift shop. I wish more establishments would make it easy to by shirts and what not. I always feel like if I ask someone working at a restaurant for a t-shirt I am inconveniencing them. I wound up buying a couple of t-shirts and a small wooden sign that was identically the same one that I saw hanging in our villa that said Livin’ The Dream. Plus I thought the larger size may get red flagged through security on the way home and the smaller size would fit easily in my carry on. Once I was done with my purchases, I walked back over to the bar and everyone was pretty much finished with their lunch. 

We made the short walk back to Slim Man’s parking and waited for him to rearrange some vehicles to get to our jeep. It is quite impressive how they can park a decent amount of vehicles in such a small area. Our jeep finally made its way to the front and we all hopped in. We had to make another stop for a few more things at the market, but this time we stopped at the Dolphin Market. The Dolphin Market is smaller, but they do have a lot of items in there.

The one thing that we were finding a hard time locating was believe it or not bottled water. Circling the aisles several times, eventually my husband found a large pack of bottled water. (You can never have too much water.) After we made it through check out, my husband made the drive back to the Virgin Grand Estates once again. This time the gate was closed, but there was someone ahead of us so we were able to follow through the gate.

We unpacked our groceries and relaxed at the villa and like always taking in the view. I noticed that it started to get brighter and the sky was getting higher or appearing that way. Could the tropical wave we were experiencing be finally leaving? 

It was nearing the time to get ready. When we were all set, we got back into the jeep and my husband made the drive back down to Mongoose Junction. We were able to find a spot once again. Since we arrived a little early, I was hoping that we could have a drink at the Sun Dog Cafe bar, but all the chairs were occupied again. So we walked into 1864 and they were just opening up. The host suggested that we could wait for our table to be ready at the bar.

When we sat at the bar, I noticed that there were a few areas that were reserved for dinner. I thought, why didn’t I do that? The bar is really nice and airy. I don’t mind the tables, but I find that they can get warm in the back near the stone walls from holding in all the heat.  

I ordered a class of wine and my husband order a vodka and soda. Brent and Julie also ordered a cocktail. While we waited for our table to be ready, I looked over the menu. I wasn’t sure what I was going to order and figured I would wait to decide until I heard what the specials were.

Not before long, the hostess came over and walked us to our table. Our server came over and told us what the specials were being offered that evening. The one special that intrigued me was the seared tuna. They also were offering a variety of fresh oysters on the half shell. We all ordered our appetizers and didn’t have to wait too long for our order to arrive. 

The oysters tasted as good as they looked. They were fresh and delicious. I liked that they weren’t too large either. Sometimes when oysters are really large, they are harder to eat (for me). While we were waiting for our main meals to arrive, I departed to the ladies room, which is up a flight of a spiral staircase.

It was a great view from up there that I took a photo of everyone before I walked back down the stairs. I can only imagine if someone had a bit too much to drink, those stairs could be a bit of a hazard.

Our main meals soon arrived and I looked down at my plate. There was this odd shaped concoction of some sort. I first sampled the tuna which was delicious. The side however was filled with sauerkraut and shredded pork. I am not exaclty sure what it was called, but I didn’t really care for the pairing with the tuna. It was like a meal in itself if you will. Everyone else really enjoyed their dishes so overall it was a nice dining experience.

You can read my review of 1864 here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147409-d17700955-r926174652-1864_The_Restaurant-St_John_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

Again, we were full from our meals that we passed on dessert. Once we paid our bill we walked back to the jeep. We passed by thte St. John Brewers store and I was tempted to walk in, but everyone wanted to head back to the villa. When we got back I changed into some comfy clothes and had a night cap. As we were talking about our day, I looked up and I could finally see the stars. I told Brent and Julie when you see the stars at night, it means it is going to be a beautiful morning. Meanwhile, Brent was able to figure out the SmartTV and we were able to watch the Monday Night Football game. I watched a few drives before turning in, which tends to be the trend while in St. John. You get up early and go to sleep early.

Tuesday, October 31st – Halloween

My husband woke up first and told me that it was a beautiful morning. That made me jump out of bed quickly. On a side note, the bed and pillows they had at Arc Du Soleil were extremely comfortable. I looked out the window and it was indeed a beautiful morning. Finally I thought. I grabbed a bathing suit and a cover up and went to the kitchen to grab a hot cup of coffee. I also reached out to Michelle at Second Chance Charters to make sure we were good to go the following day to Jost Van Dyke and she gave us the thumbs up.

We were all so excited about going to Trunk Bay that morning that we didn’t waste much time before heading back in the jeep and down towards Cruz Bay. My husband stopped the jeep at the Trunk Bay overlook to give Brent and Julie an opportunity to take a picture. I told them that it is the most photographed overlook in St. John and probably in the Caribbean. Unfortunately the sun went behind the clouds, but it was still so pretty to see again.

We made it to Trunk Bay and the parking lot wasn’t full yet since we were early. We walked up to pay the entrance fee. Thank goodness Julie had a credit card on her, because ever since COVID they only accept contact-less payment. We had cash on us but they wouldn’t take it. Good thing to know for next time.

We made it to the beach and Brent and Julie couldn’t get over how beautiful it was. My husband and I have been to Trunk Bay numerous times, but it still does take your breath away when you see the water. We made a left turn and walked down a bit to secure I nice and quiet area on the beach.

I brought our snorkel gear, but my first impulse was to jump in the water. As a matter of fact, we all did as soon as all our chairs were set up. The water was so calm and warm – like bath water. We even saw some fish swimming near us looking down in the clear water. I was contemplating going for a snorkel but preferred to just swim in the water instead. We eventually made it back to our chairs to dry off. 

Previously we mentioned to Brent and Julie about how St. John has wild donkeys that roam the island. We were hoping to see some, but we tend to see them usually out towards Maho and Francis Bay Beaches. However, while we were sitting on the beach my husband noticed a couple of donkeys. Low and behold a pair of donkeys were making their way down the beach searching for food. I was so excited for Brent and Julie to see them. I don’t think we have ever seen donkeys on Trunk, so it was a nice surprise.

They leisurely walked down the beach and past us. We didn’t have food so they didn’t stop.

Realizing I never had breakfast, I was getting hungry. So after a couple of hours, we packed up all out things and walked back to our jeep. Along the way, we noticed how busy the beach filled up. That’s the key to arrive early to the beaches if you want to avoid the masses. When we got back to our jeep all the parking spots were filled. I couldn’t believe it.

We made it to Mongoose Junction and found a spot. My husband and I wanted to show Brent and Julie St. John Brewers. I really like how they expanded several years ago. We walked up the stairs and into the brewery. There were a couple of people seated at the bar, but still enough seats for all of us to sit on the end.

I was so hungry that everything looked good on the menu. However, I had made dinner reservations at Morgan’s Mango a few weeks prior and wanted to be sure I would be hungry for lobster night. Julie decided to go with the greek salad and grilled mahi mahi. A salad sounded good, so I went with a caesar salad with grilled portabello mushrooms. Brent and my husband both ordered a burger. While we were waiting for our food, my husband noticed the door to the kitchen was covered with stickers. He recognized one of the stickers. It said Czig Meister Brewing, a brewery in the same town where my husband has his auto repair garage. Small world we both thought. Then looking closer, we realized all the stickers were from breweries all over. It was quite the collection and pretty cool.

It felt like it was taking forever for our food, but that was mostly because I was so hungry. Our food eventually arrived and the salad hit the spot.

It wasn’t anything fancy but it was tasty. Julie really enjoyed her salad as well. Actually the greek salad looked better than mine. I thought to myself I probably should have ordered it. Both my husband and Brent had no complaints with their burgers, which were served with chips, not fries – kind of like Skinny Legs.

Then it was time to head back to the villa and hop in the pool for a bit before getting ready for lobster night. I also wanted to go to Mongoose Junction a little earlier to catch some of the kids walking around dressed for Halloween. I remember how Mongoose Junction usually has some sort of event for Halloween.

Once everyone was showered and dressed for dinner we headed back to town. Again, the gate out of Virgin Grand Estates was closed, but it reopened when we approached the exit. We made it back to Mongoose Junction and just as we were about to turn into the parking area, another jeep pulled in coming from the other direction. The parking lot was filled and knowing there was someone ahead of us, made our chances of finding an open spot were next to nothing. And as predicted, the jeep ahead of us found a spot. After scouring the parking area, there were no other options. My husband suggested that he would drop us off and I can walk Brent and Julie to Morgan’s Mango. He then drove the jeep back to Slim Man’s parking lot to park the jeep.

While we were walking to Morgan’s Mango, we noticed all the kids and even some of their parents all dressed up in costumes. It was fun to see everyone having a fun time. When we got to the entrance it was just before 5:30pm (they don’t open until 5:30). There were already people waiting to be seated. Lobster night is always a popular night at Morgan’s Mango. My husband made it to the restaurant just as they were about to seat us.

We were seated right along the balcony where you can see the street below. Our server came over right away and had another server in training by her side. She explained the specials and obviously about the lobster options. The lobsters start at 1 lb. and you can order up to 3 lbs. She suggested that a pound and a half is the preferred size to go by. 

I wasn’t exactly starving since we had a later lunch, but I wasn’t about to pass on lobster night. As I looked over the menu, I noticed that it said that lobsters were priced at $45 per pound. Ouch. So much for a special price for lobster night. I guess the only thing special about it is that they are available that night. Back in the day, I remember you would get a free glass of white wine with the lobster dinner. All well. Like everything else things change. 

To start, both Julie and I ordered their red snapper ceviche. My husband ordered their calamari and Brent ordered the mussels. Since our server suggested it, I went ahead and ordered a pound and a half of lobster and so did Julie. Both Brent and my husband ordered 2 lbs. I kind of cringed when my husband ordered the 2 lbs. because I don’t think he realized that they were $45 per lb. After he ordered and our server walked away, I mentioned to him about the price. Oops. When our server came back with our drink order, he asked if he could change his order to a pound and half, but she said they were already on the fire. (Which to me made me think we just ordered, there’s no way – but it’s $90 verses $67.50 bigger tip….) All well, we were on vacation so why not live it up for one night?

Our appetizers arrived along with some fresh bread and butter. They even had gluten free bread for Brent and Julie. The ceviche was delicious and fresh. I tried the calamari my husband ordered and they were crispy and yet still tender, not chewy.

Then our lobsters arrived. And boy did they arrive. I couldn’t believe the amount of lobster there was. I kept thinking it would be a 2 lb. lobster served. Instead they weigh each lobster half and serve it based on the weight. So literally my husband had about 3 or 4 halves of lobster piled high on his plate. Each lobster dish was served with their signature black beans and caramelized sweet plantains. I am normally not a fan of plantains, but the way they were perfectly cooked, it made them a new favorite of mine.

The lobster of course, was delicious and lived up to the hype. I prefer mid-atlantic lobster over caribbean/florida spiny lobster, but when it is that fresh and charred like it was, wow it was excellent. The meat was tender and melted in your mouth after you dunked it in the melted butter. 

We all managed to eat as much lobster as we could but couldn’t finish it all. When our server came back to clear our plates we asked for the leftovers to be wrapped. I thought what a great breakfast the lobster would make in scrambled eggs. (And yes an episode of Seinfield came to mind.) Even though we were all stuffed, we each ordered an espresso. It actually felt good – like it helped aide the digestion of all that lobster. 

Too full to do anything else, we grabbed our leftover lobster and walked back to Slim Man’s to get our jeep. The walk felt good, I almost wished it was a longer walk. Cruz Bay is quite small so to get to one end of town to the other isn’t far at all. (Not like walking around in Key West.) There were a few people waiting as well for their vehicles, so we had to wait for a few. The Wharfside was definitely bustling with people walking around. I kept forgetting it was Halloween. When our jeep made it to the front of the lot, we all hopped back in and once again my husband made the drive back to our villa.

I went back to our room and put together everything we would need for our charter to Jost the next day including our passports (can’t forget those). My husband and Brent were setting up the TV to watch a Halloween movie. We were scheduled to meet at the ferry dock at 8:30am so I figured we would grab breakfast at Cruz Bay Landing. Not wanting to be tired for the next day, I turned in early. 

Wednesday, November 1st – Second Chance Charters to White Bay, Jost Van Dyke

I had set my alarm for 7am so we would have time to have some coffee and make sure we had everything we needed for the day. It was a beautiful morning and I was so excited to get back to Jost Van Dyke and especially White Bay. St. John has amazing beaches don’t get me wrong, but there’s something about White Bay that is so magical.

We had all our belongings in tow and hopped back into the jeep. I wasn’t sure where we were going to park once we got into Cruz Bay. The first stop was Slim Man’s Parking Lot. It was around 7:40am when we got there and he didn’t open until 8:00am. Strike one. Then we drove near the ferry dock and no parking spots. Strike two. Next was to try near the National Park Dock. I didn’t think that there would be anything available since there is literally only a few parking spaces. When we got to the dock area, I couldn’t believe it, there were actually two spots open. My husband parked the jeep and we grabbed our things. I noticed that the National Park Dock area was also under construction making it impossible to meet our charter there. I texted Michelle again asking her where we would meet and it wound up being where the Crown Bay Ferry docked. 

We walked down to Cruz Bay Landing. There were just a handful of people at the bar, so we sat at the end. I noticed that Cruz Bay Landing expanded. There used to be a souvenir shop next to it, but now they have an area that looks like a coffee shop and bakery. 

I just ordered the basic fried eggs with sausage and wheat toast. I didn’t want to do anything to rich since we were going on a boat. It is a catamaran, which is very calm, but you never know. Our breakfast was served in a timely matter and everything was delicious. It was the perfect way to start the day.

After breakfast, we walked back down towards where the Inter-island Ferry runs. When we arrived at the entrance, I could see the catamaran was already there. I texted Michelle to let her know we were at the dock. Soon they motored over to the dock. It was nice to see her and Jon again. 

We all took off our shoes and climbed aboard the Second Chance Charters catamaran. Jon went over the safety rules.

He asked us if we would like to go to Foxy’s after Michelle checks us in through customs in Great Harbour before heading over to White Bay and I said yes. I wanted Brent and Julie to see Foxy’s since they had never been. 

It was a beautiful day to sail over to Jost. There was a bit of a haze however. I wasn’t sure if it was due to the Sarah Dust or not. The winds had picked up the past day or two after the tropical wave moved through. As we were saying along St. John, my husband and I pointed out what beach we were passing by. We even pointed out Cottage 7 at Caneel Bay where we were so fortunate enough to stay in a couple of times. I still can’t believe it survived the hurricane (well the outside structure at least).

It probably took about an hour or so to get over to Great Harbour.

Michelle took all of our passports and the customs fee (which is $85 per person cash only) with her as Jon brought her over in their dingy to the customs building to check us all in. Now they have everyone check in at the same point where you check in, if you took the Inter-island Ferry over from Cruz Bay. 

Jon returned and we strategically all got into the dingy. It wasn’t easy. He motored us over to the dock. It was a little bit of a challenge to get out of the dingy, but we all managed to do so. We walked on over to get our photos with the Welcome to Jost Van Dyke sign. 

We made our walk along the beach towards Foxy’s. Along our walk, I noticed that it there were more structures built since we were there four years ago. We walked on over to Foxy’s and it was still all decorated from their Halloween Bash the night before. 

I wasn’t sure if we would be able to have a drink at the bar, but sure enough someone came out from the back. We ordered a couple of beverages and chatted with the bartender for a few. 

I took a break and walked into the Foxy’s gift shop. I looked around but I didn’t find anything that caught my eye. When I walked back to the bar, Jon and Michelle were talking to Brent and Julie and my husband. Then I heard the words Fantasy Fest and Key West. It turned out that Jon and Michelle just came back from Fantasy Fest in Key West. We thought that was too funny since Brent and Julie usually go to Key West for Fantasy Fest and we were all there together for it last year and the year before. They said they had a blast and it was a lot of fun. 

When we finished our drinks we walked back to the dingy and back aboard the catamaran.

It was a quick sail over to White Bay which was around the bend. As we approached White Bay, the color of the ocean intensified to that brilliant blue green water I never forget. I noticed as we got closer, there were quite a lot of boats already docked in White Bay. Probably many of the charters were postponed like us due to the weather.  

Jon and Michelle docked the boat on the far end near One Love Bar. I had bought ahead of time a couple of wet bags for all us to put our phones and money inside. It still makes me nervous (even though they work) about having my iPhone in the bag and submerged in the water. So when I swam over (with the help of a noodle) I still kept the bag above water. There was a bit of a current that made it a little harder to make it to shore. We all made the successful swim onto White Bay Beach.

We walked down to the Soggy Dollar Bar and I picked the perfect table for all of us to sit down at.

I was hoping to see Leon Miller who bar tends at the Soggy Dollar Bar. We met Leon years ago when he used to work at Foxy’s. He would show us all his amazing photos that he would take around the island. In addition, he knows Joan, who owns Sugar and Spice on Great Harbour, whom we became friendly with years ago when we used to take the ferry over from St. John. My husband would always stop in her shop to have one of her delicious rotis. I even designed a few t-shirts for her store as well.

My husband and I walked over to the bar to order painkillers for everyone, but specified with Cruzan Rum, not Pussers. I find Pussers Rum too harsh and strong. Unfortunately there was a different bartender, but he was friendly and nice. Then I saw a tall guy come out from the store and it was Leon! I was so happy to see him. He recognized both of us and we chatted for a few. It seemed like so long ago since the last time we ran into him.

We walked back to our table and sat down and enjoyed the painkillers. Brent and Julie both thought they were delicious. Everyone enjoyed them so much that we had to get back up and get another round. This time Julie and I went to get a round. As the day went on, more and more people arrived, which is typical. I saw that they rebuilt the Sandcastle Hotel as well, which made it feel like it was before Hurricane Irma. It was good to see.

We spent the afternoon taking turns going in the water and ordering drinks. It was an absolutely beautiful day on White Bay. I wish it wasn’t so crowded for Brent and Julie’s first time there, but I guess since they can’t compare it to when it isn’t that crowded, it wasn’t an issue. I did visit the Soggy Dollar souvenir shop and purchased a few shirts. Now the bag they give you to put your purchase in, actually closes like a ziploc bag. So it keeps your shirts dry when you make the swim back to your charter.

The time flew by that afternoon (as it always does on White Bay). It was time to gather all our things and make the swim back to the catamaran. (This is when the noodle comes in handy big time.)

Surprisingly the swim back didn’t seem so bad. We all made it back onto the boat and soon we were on our way back to St. John and the sight of White Bay faded into the distance. When we got back to St. John, unlike last time, we did have to go through customs.

Luckily when we arrived, we made it just ahead of a large group that were about to get off their boat. That would have meant for a long wait time on line. We walked in through customs and no one else was waiting to go through. When my husband and I walked up to the agent, he asked us a couple of questions and we were soon out the doors and back outside on St. John. It still gets me nervous going through customs. It isn’t like we did anything wrong, but you just don’t want to say the wrong thing or what have you.

We thanked both Jon and Michelle for a great time. You can read my review of Second Chance Charters here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147404-d13662372-r927750220-Beach_Charters_VI-St_Thomas_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

We walked back to our jeep parked by the National Park Dock to drop off our bags and towels. For dinner that night, we decided to grab a to-go order at Greengos. It wasn’t too crowded when we walked in so we all sat at the bar. I ordered a mango margarita and my husband followed suit. We looked over the menu and placed our order.

We didn’t wait very long for our order to arrive. After we paid the bill we walked back to the jeep and headed back to Arc Du Soleil. The sun was setting but it was still nice to be able to get in the pool again. 

I was getting hungry, so I preheated the oven to warm up our dinner. (I prefer how food tastes reheated in the oven verses the microwave). It seemed to take a lot of time for our food to get hot, or even somewhat hot. However it was getting late and at that point it was fine. Actually the mexican food tasted really good after a long day out. After dinner I was ready to turn in early again. 

Thursday, November 2nd – Cinnamon Bay Beach and Ted’s Supper Club

We woke up to yet another beautiful morning on St. John. I was planning on making everyone scrambled eggs and adding in the leftover lobster meat we saved from Morgan’s Mango the other night. After I grabbed a hot cup of coffee, I started gathering some pans and placed them on the stove top. I went to turn the knob on and only heard a clicking sound. Nothing was igniting. Then I thought about how the night before the oven never seemed to heat up all the way that it should have. My husband realized that most likely it is out of propane. Normally it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but later that evening I had booked a private dinner at our villa with Chef Ted from Ted’s Supper Club. And without an oven working, that could be a problem.

I texted one of the managers from Bookvi.com and Brandon got right back to me. He apologized for the inconvenience and would send someone over to fix the oven by filling the propane tanks out back. We were planning on heading out within the hour to go to Cinnamon Bay for the day so he said it should be done by the time we got back.

So instead of a breakfast consisting of lobster scrambled eggs, I had a multigrain english muffin. When everyone was ready, we took our gear for our drive to Cinnamon Bay Beach. I thought that it would be the perfect opportunity for me to take a video of the drive. In the past I have taken video of us going back to Cruz Bay from the north shore beaches, but never going to the north shore beaches. You can see the video here: https://youtu.be/FQP43BajVfo?feature=shared

Being that it was still early enough when we arrived at Cinnamon Bay, parking wasn’t an issue. In fact we were able to get a spot not too far from the entrance. We grabbed our things and made the walk down to the beach. My husband and I haven’t been to Cinnamon for quite some time, so it was exciting to go back.

We made it to the beach where there were several people already set up. We kept walking towards the right and eventually made it close to the end. It was a bit of a walk, but it was the perfect spot to enjoy Cinnamon for the day. We felt like we had the entire beach to ourselves.

It was a wonderful afternoon on Cinnamon. Brent and my husband even had a chance to toss the frisbee around. 

I probably could have stayed longer on the beach, but I was still concerned about our oven and if I would have to reschedule our dinner with Chef Ted later that evening. So around 2pm we gathered all of our things and walked back to our jeep. Along our walk, I noticed that there were a lot more people on the beach then when we first arrived. It was actually really crowded – the most I have ever seen on Cinnamon.

My husband made the drive once again back down through Cruz Bay and up to our villa. Along the way, I checked my phone and saw that Brandon, the villa manager got back to me and said the oven was good to go. (As a side note, to avoid any unwanted cell phone fees when you are on the north shore side of the island, turn your phone to airplane mode.) 

As we neared the Virgin Grand Estate entrance we noticed the gate was closed. We had no idea what the gate code was and there was no reference to the code anywhere at our villa. I wasn’t sure if it was a recent measure for them to have the gate closed, because when we stayed there 4 years ago, we never once saw the gate closed.

I was just about to text Brandon, or actually call him, about the code, when another vehicle pulled up behind us. My husband got out of the jeep and explained to the lady that we were staying in the Virgin Grand Estates and didn’t know the code. She asked him what villa we were staying at and gave my husband the code. Talk about good timing. 

We made it through the open gate and back up our driveway to the villa. When we got out of the jeep I tried to open the gate to the villa. It was locked and we didn’t have a key. Our rooms were programmed with a four-digit access code so we never needed a key to get into our bedrooms. I went around to the back of the villa to the back door. I didn’t think it would be open, but when I tried to open it, it worked. I was able to get in, but there was no way to unlock the gate.

I contacted Brandon again and he said there should be a key on the kitchen counter. We couldn’t find it, but then I remembered there was this closet we had in our bedroom containing any additional villa items we would need, like paper towels, etc. I looked through one of the drawers and saw there was a stash of labeled old keys. I took several of them for my husband to try. Eventually, we found the right key and we were able to open the gate. And I checked the oven just to be sure and it was working.

We joked saying how all these things are happening so we can’t have our private chef meal that evening. There was still some time to relax before freshening up for our dinner. I did receive a confirmation from Chef Ted that he would arrive around 6pm to start our in private dinner. 

It was nearing 6pm when Chef Ted showed up. I think he recognized my husband and I from before. We introduced him to Brent and Julie. Then he got to work.

While we were enjoying a beverage at the bar area at our villa, Chef Ted first presented us with an amuse of smashed baby yukon potatoes with tobiko caviar and sour cream. They were delicious, perfect little bite to start. I thought to myself, this is going to be a great dinner if this is the first little course.

While Chef Ted was preparing the rest of our meal, we watched a beautiful sunset. 

We all sat down at the table and Chef Ted served us the next course which was butter roasted rock lobster with a roasted corn and asparagus relish. 

It was amazing. Our next course was a lightly warmed baby spinach salad served with green apples and a bacon vinaigrette. We have had Chef Ted prepare the salad for us before, and it is always a favorite of mine. And once again it didn’t disappoint whatsoever.

Next was our main course for the evening. It was mahi mahi that he wrapped with potatoes with gulf shrimp, baby beans, grape tomatoes and a drizzle of basil oil to finish it. 

At this point we were all getting quite full, but we had to save room for dessert. 

Thankfully it wasn’t too indulgent. It was a sweet, flour-less chocolate molten cake with fresh berries. It was the perfect amount and not too sweet – especially with the fresh berries. Everything Chef cooked that evening was spot on. It was probably the best meal that we had while on St. John. 

When our meal came to an end, Chef Ted cleaned up everything, like he always does. We thanked him for a wonderful meal and I would recommend his services to anyone wanting a private chef to cook for them while on St. John.

When Ted left, I noticed there was a large bag on one of the chairs. Chef Ted forgot one of his bags. I texted him right away to let him know. He lives all the way out in Fish Bay and that is a bit of a drive. Luckily I caught him before he wasn’t too far on his way. He thanked us and we thanked him again for a wonderful meal.

My husband and Brent watched the Thursday Night Football game. Being that it was on Prime Video it was easy to set up the SmartTV to watch the game. I tried to watch some of the game but the food won. Needless to say, I went to sleep. 

Friday, November 3rd – Maho Bay and La Tapa

I couldn’t believe it was already our last full day when I woke up. It went by way too fast. After grabbing a cup of coffee, I was all set to redeem myself and make the scrambled eggs with lobster. Everyone was looking forward to it especially since I kept talking about it the day before after the oven fiasco. 

There was no issues starting up the range on the oven and I began to cook my masterpiece. (Not really but how can you go wrong when using leftover lobster.) It didn’t take too long and I served everyone the scrambled eggs along with some sausage. I was surprised how much lobster was leftover and it tasted really good if I do say so myself.

We even witnessed a beautiful rainbow that morning to set the day. Once everything was cleaned up we hopped into the jeep for one last day at the beach.

We decided to go to Maho Bay for our last day. Again it was a beautiful morning for the drive along the north shore beaches.

When we neared Maho Bay, I couldn’t believe how many things that are now there – concession stands, food trucks, and even a bar. It still doesn’t seem quite right to me. Plus it brings a lot more people to the used-to-be not so popular, but now very popular Maho Bay. We found a spot across the road and made the quick walk to the beach.

Being that there were already a lot of people camped out on the beach, we had to walk down for a bit before finding a spot. We put our chairs down and noticed these small little red bugs all over the area we where we were going to set up for the day. I looked them up and they are called red-shouldered soapberry bugs. I have no idea if they are harmless or whatnot but we wound walking down a little further where there didn’t seem to be so many (as long as you had your chairs closer to the water).

When we finally had everything set up, we immediately went in the water. It was once again so warm and flat like glass. There were a bunch of people snorkeling and I was annoyed at myself for not bringing my snorkel gear with me this time.

My husband and I even saw a turtle stick his head out of the water. At one point while we were all in the water, several people that were sitting on the beach started to wave at us that something was headed our way in the water. We turned around and saw a fin coming towards us. We all just froze and we didn’t know what to do. Then all of a sudden the fin made a sharp turn and swam away. I am sure it was a harmless shark, but it still startled us.

As we retired back to the beach, more and more people kept arriving. I don’t think there was an empty spot left along the water. When we had our fill of the beach for the day, we walked back to our jeep. We drove by the concession stands and people were piling in. I guess Maho Bay is now more or less a very popular beach for visitors.

When we got back to our villa, I started doing the daunting task of packing our things. I even did one last load of laundry to eliminate a lot of laundry when we returned home. I also checked in to our flight which wasn’t until 4:30pm the next afternoon.

Soon it was time to get ready for dinner. I had made dinner at La Tapa for our last night. I was so curious to see how they transformed the old Waterfront Bistro location. We did walk by it when we went to Joe’s Rum Hut, but it was closed so it was hard to see the entire restaurant. When everyone was ready we all hopped back in the jeep. My husband drove us down to Slim Man’s Parking lot. Since it was a Friday evening Cruz Bay was busy. 

We made the short walk through the Wharfside shops to La Tapa. The reservations were for 5:30pm so there were only a handful of tables occupied.

The hostess sat us at a nice table right near the view of the beach and water. It was perfect. Our server came over and told us the specials of the evening. And one of them was a pan seared tuna. That sounded like what I was in the mood for after having the mahi the night before with Chef Ted.

Our server left before getting our drink orders in which was fine, assuming he was returning soon. However he wasn’t. 

 He then had another table that sat down and he told them the specials. By the time he came back to our table, we wound up ordering our drink and food order. At that rate we weren’t sure if and when he would return. I don’t mind waiting, but at least be sure to take our drink order first. 

Luckily the food didn’t take as long as our server did to return to our table. For the first course, I ordered the lamb meatball special. They were full of flavor, but I thought that the lamb tasted stronger then I prefer. My husband and Brent both had the mussels which they both raved about. Julie had the burrata salad and she said it was delicious. 

Both my husband and I ordered the tuna special. The portion I thought was a little small, but it was delicious. The polenta that accompanied the tuna was a great pairing. Overall the food was very good, but the service could have been better.

You can read my review of La Tapa here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147410-d4456608-r926177268-La_Tapa-Cruz_Bay_St_John_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

We walked back to Slim Man’s Parking lot to retrieve our jeep. We had to wait a little bit because more people were dropping off their cars. It still amazes me how they can fit so many cars in such a tiny area. Eventually our jeep was brought up to the front. We all got in and made the last drive to Arc Du Soleil.

We all enjoyed the evening by having a night cap and taking in the view of the lights of St. Thomas one last time. I retired early knowing that we had a long travel day ahead of us. 

Saturday, November 4th – Leaving St. John

It was another beautiful morning. Then again, I think it is always a picture perfect morning the day we usually leave St. John. Our flight was later on, not until 4:30pm but we had to check out of the villa by 10am. So we made sure we gave ourselves plenty of time to tidy up everything and pack all our belongings. 

Once all our luggage and the garbage bags were loaded up in to the jeep, we made the last drive back to Cruz Bay. My husband dropped us all off near Cruz Bay Landing. Since Bougainvillea Leasing is located up the hill, he thought it would be easier if he just dropped off the jeep and we could take all the luggage with us.

We walked up to be seated at Cruz Bay Landing. The hostess told us to leave our luggage at the front of the bar, which made it a lot easier sitting down at our table. There were plenty of bags actually in front of the bar. Cruz Bay Landing is the ideal spot for breakfast before catching the ferry back to St. Thomas.

We waited to order until my husband made the walk back from the jeep rental. In hindsight we probably should have given ourselves a little more time. I kind underestimated the time it took to get to Cruz Bay and then my husband going to drop off the jeep, etc.

Once he made it, we didn’t have that much time for breakfast. So we told our server to bring us the check when the food came out. I ordered the veggie omelet which was delicious. 

The day before I wound buying the tickets again for the Crown Bay ferry. I know we didn’t have the best experience getting to St. John on the ferry, but the swells had dissipated and there was no reason for concern. The ferry was scheduled to leave at 11am. Our flight wasn’t until 4:30, but the next ferry wasn’t until 2:30 and that wouldn’t give us enough time to get through TSA and Customs. 

After everyone was done with breakfast, we grabbed our luggage and walked down to the ferry dock. I walked up to the ticket window to get our tickets for the ferry. They directed us over to the waiting area which thankfully was covered with a large white awning. It was hot in the sun and the last thing you want to be is all sweaty and then go on a cold the plane.

Not before long, they waved us over for the boarding process to start. This time we opted for the mid level to sit. When everyone was on board, we started to head out of Cruz Bay. I guess they only do the safety speech when you are going to St. John. 

Soon I can see Cruz Bay fade away into the distance, making me feel a bit sad, but I was already thinking in my head we need to return next year. The 40 minute ride was what it should have been on the way to St. John. It was very calm and nothing like our experience one week ago.

We made it back to the Crown Bay Ferry dock and grabbed our luggage to take with us to the restaurant Tickles that is located right next door. 

I remember going to Tickles years ago when we were waiting for the Westin Ferry to take us over for our friends wedding. When we walked in, it did look familiar but smaller. There were seats available at the bar so we sat down. I ordered a margarita and everyone else ordered a rum punch. The college football games were on, so at least we had something to watch while we waited. 

I figured two hours before our flight should be enough time for us to get to the airport. So when it was nearing 2:30 we gathered all of our belongings and walked back out near the dock where there was a taxi dropping off people. It was perfect timing because he was able to take us back to the airport, which is only a 5 minute drive. It was an enormous van just for the 4 of us. It was quite nice actually. 

After a quick drive, he dropped us off near the airline ticket windows. We already checked in on line and only had carry on so we didn’t need to go wait on line. So we walked in to go through customs. I completely forgot that they don’t have you fill out a customs form anymore which is a huge relief. I would always worry if I would get something wrong filling out the form. 

There was no line, so we went right up to the customs agent when we were called. After getting the green light, we walked through TSA. Again no line so it was pretty quick. If we knew how quick everything would go, we probably could have waited longer before going through security. I guess it is better to be safe then sorry.

The airport, as usual, was packed with people. We were able to find several open seats near the United Gate. To kill some time, my husband and I walked around to check out if there were any new stores. We walked over to the duty free liquor store and when we walked in, we noticed that they added a full bar in the store and had a TV on the wall as well. The place was completely full, so grabbing a drink and seat were out of the question. We looked around at the different bottles of liquor and the prices seemed comparable to at home? I didn’t see anything where I thought the pricing was something we should jump on. Actually I think one bottle of vodka was more money there then what I pay for at home.

Our next stop was the souvenir shop. Basically that hasn’t changed at all. I was thinking of buying a few little hot sauces, but then there was a long line at check out and I didn’t want to bother. Then we saw this coffee and wine kiosk set up. We walked on over and they had coffee available and also options if you would like to add baileys, etc. So we each ordered one and it was tasty. 

Eventually it was time to board. The flight left on time and was uneventful. After about 3 and 1/2 hours I could see the lights of the tri-state area appear below. 

We landed just before 9:30pm that evening. Once we got off the plane, we said our goodbyes to Brent and Julie who were staying the night at the airport Marriott again and then catching a flight back to Nashville the following day. We met up with our car service and soon we were back home.

Similar to other trips, it started off feeling like we had a long week to enjoy St. John, but then halfway through you realize it is almost over too quickly. It took us 4 years to finally return to my other happy place, St. John. It is such a beautiful and magical island that I will always have a special place for it in my heart. And yes it was worth the wait. 

Thank you again for reading my blog. It is always appreciated. Until next time!