Un-Trip Report - WSJ June 2011

Sorry folks - did not bring my computer (needed reprieve from work) - so probably just few short notes on WSJ this year.
Going Slow and Staying Left.

Not cool, David. Not cool at all.

Next time, lug that laptop with you so that you can entertain us with your daily Lucy-meets-Desi mishap reports and photographs of beautiful beaches? I mean, seriously, what if your flight home is delayed 17 hours again?

I just jinxed you again, didn't I?

Smart phone?????

Make sure to leave me some good stuff when you leave; we won't be there until November though. Have a great time.

Random Notes:
Amalia Rental Car - excellent - best so far - worth the extra $50/week - all vehicles <1 yo

We seemed to have bought the good weather with us - perfect days with light winds - rain during sleeping hours - nice weather cycle

Loving the FreeCycle - everyone thinks it is a great idea - shack has AC - picked some beach chairs (ty jerseygirl?) - sunscreen - pool toys - margarita mix - olive oil - beach towel. Will make sure we leave stuff.

The new siding and roofing looks great - makes the villas look brand new.

The new windows and doors also great - double pane - heavy duty - frosted front door - no more broken shades

...had dinner at Joe's BBQ in Cruz Bay (1st time) - ribs/chicken/steak - rice&beans - macaroni pasta - and Rum Punches. Fantastic - people thought it was best meal they have had - but then again very hungry after a full day at little Hawksnest beach. Bushwackers at Beach Bar for dessert.

DavidnRobin said:

Loving the FreeCycle - everyone thinks it is a great idea - shack has AC - picked some beach chairs (ty jerseygirl?) - sunscreen - pool toys - margarita mix - olive oil - beach towel. Will make sure we leave stuff.

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Where's this located?

Glad you're enjoying great weather. It's actually gorgeous here in Ohio -- mid-70's and sunny -- but, alas, no Caribbean Sea.

Francis Bay on Saturday - great 1st day beach - whole part of beach to ourselves

Happy Fish (sushi) on Friday eve before shopping at Starfish - they still have Sierra Nevada Torpedo Ale (hoppy) - yeah!

Spent Sunday by the upper pool partying with other Owners - everyone is much happier with the situation at the resort and the new direction the HOA - and had little awareness of the politics (and bitterness by some/few) and just happy with the refurbish and siding/roofs

They replaced the carpets in LR/DR with tiles - much nicer and cleaner

LisaRex said:

Where's this located?

Glad you're enjoying great weather. It's actually gorgeous here in Ohio -- mid-70's and sunny -- but, alas, no Caribbean Sea.

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The FreeCycle shack is at the entrance road to the pool villas - hopefully more folks will take advantage - and pay forward

Glad to hear the shack is such a success. We carry several beach chairs with us every year, which have hoods that flip up for shade. When we visit in April of 2012, we will leave them for everyone to enjoy.

OCsun said:

Glad to hear the shack is such a success. We carry several beach chairs with us every year, which have hoods that flip up for shade. When we visit in April of 2012, we will leave them for everyone to enjoy.

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It was a big hit for us - and our friends thought it a fantastic idea as well. Should be at all SVO resorts (as long as maintained).

We left a bunch of stuff (and returns) to the Free Cycle shack (and it has AC...). I took a video - I will post a YouTube link when I get a chance (for those interested) - it was a long trip home...

video link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK-Vd-LQTxM

Wow. Flowers and alcohol! There's a party going on somewhere! Someday we'll get there...

trip summary - soon follow...

but first - how about a turtle video? (Maho Bay, STJ)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWmY-vYwKU0

2011 WSJ/STJ - Trip Highlights and Recommendations:

Amelia Car Rental on St Thomas (http://www.amaliecar.com/) - great car and customer service - definitely worth the few extra $. Our 4dr Jeep Wrangler was almost brand new (they sell their cars after 1 year of use), and the pick-up and drop-off at STT was quick and efficient (hard to believe after our other experiences). They have our business from now on.

Salt Pond Bay - voted (by us) as the best beach and snorkle (towards Rams Head). We went there twice - once hiking out to the Blue Cobblestone beach and snorkling back.

Uncle Joes BBQ in Cruz Bay - Wow! can't believe we have never been there before - and I am not a huge BBQ fan. Finger-licking good (Ribs, Steak, Chicken) with a fantastic BBQ sauce. We even ordered take-out one night.

Ted's Supper Club - http://www.tedssupperclub.com/aboutted.html - I always plan a special anniversary dinner while in STJ - and this was the best dinner ever! Not only on STJ, but perhaps the best we have ever had (and we have eaten at French Laundry, etc). No one in our group could name a better food experience. Truly incredible - Ted came to our villa and cooked us a dinner that we will never forget. He brought everything needed - and cleaned up completely afterwards (making Robin happy)
Menu =
Amuse/ Pan fried Tuna dumplings w/ lemon - soy dipping sauce Skillet roasted Foccia w/ roasted tomato n parm.
Apps/ Lemon n Herb Roasted Shrimp - avacado billini - romesco - fennel orange red onion arugula. Pan seared day Boat Scallops w/ smashed red potatoes - white truffel oil - aged balsmic - arugula - parm
Salad/ Baby field greens - apple- smoked almonds - red onion tangerrine lime vin - aged mont. jack
Mains/ Potato wrapped local Mahi - roasted baby beans - baby portabello - sun burst tomato - charred lemon - exvoo. Pan Seared red grouper w/ roasted sweet potato rav. - sage - asperagus - brown butter - arugula
Dessert/ Choc Molten cakes. Almond lace cookies layeredw/ mango - passion fruit white choc mouse marinated straw - blue - pinneapple - mango sugar n spice , homemade rum vannile choc sauce berry couiles
(YUM YUM YUM)

Full Moon Party at Miss Lucy's (http://www.misslucys.com/) - no full moon that night, but great lightning storm (we do not get these in SF Bay Area) resulting in a terrific light show - with good live music and food.

and as always - our BVI day with Stuart Scott (usviservices.com) as our guide

and special mention to Mother Nature - who gave us 13 of 14 days of near perfect weather and seas - especially after hearing that it rained for 13 of 14 days prior to our arrival.

and complaints... (as I get accussed of being too 'pollyanna')

BBQs by the B33/B34 pools: they are outright dangerous when trying to light and an injury waiting to happen. The burners have decayed and have not been replaced (and they are easy to replace). When they are turned on (w/ electric ignitors) - the gas builds up and then explodes (whoooffff) before lighting. While I know to stand back - we saw many people peering into the grill (after turning on) before they were ignited. I had to stop a few people to warn them - and showed them how to light (stand back!). One guest was extremely pissed-off about thi sdanger and notified the front desk more than once. I hear they are re-doing the pool decks this year and make them ADA compliant - I hope they buy replacement burners for the BBQs - as this is outright dangerous for someone caught offguard to an exploding BBQ.

Westin Dock - they are now charging guests for pick-up/drop-off for non-Westin affiliates at an outrageous cost of $250. As many know - we have a friend that picks up a boat in STT and picks us up at the Westin Boat dock. We got a letter warning us of the new $250 charge (as of May 1, 2011) when our friend came to pick us up (although not charged this time) - this pretty much limits Westin guests to use Westin boat services only if they want to board the boat from the dock. So it looks as if in the future when will need to wade into the bay and board the boat thru the water. Dear WSJ - this sucks...

While we love the remodel - plus the new roofs and sidings (and paint job) - the downstairs carpet was replaced with tile (which we also like - and cuts down on inevitable carpet stains - and easy to sweep up sand) - BUT... they really need to put a rug (7x9) under the Dining Room Table and Chairs because they scrape/grind on the tiles when moved (think fingernails on chalkboard) and unfortunately can be heard from the villa next door. In 5 years we have not once heard our neighbors, but now can hear their chairs moving on the tile floor (as I am sure they can hear ours). They put a small rug (4x6) under the coffee table, but really need a matching rug under the DR table as well - plus over time this will scratch the tile floors when grit builds up.

I plan to follow-thru about the BBQs and DR table rug.

Thanks for all the great info! We are headed to WSJ for the first time on July 2nd. Hope we get the same weather as you did!

bdogma said:

Thanks for all the great info! We are headed to WSJ for the first time on July 2nd. Hope we get the same weather as you did!

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Enjoy the Carnival - great time to go. Be aware that it will be quite crowded in Cruz Bay - so take steps to avoid driving/parking in CB (if you have a car). Also, I have written other more extensive trip reports (around June of each year).

WSJ is still running shuttles to selected beaches - a great service for those w/o cars. We timed our trips to various beaches - it took 15 mins to get from our villa to Trunk, and 40 mins to Salt Pond by car.

check-out Trunk Bay after 4pm until sunset (no collection of fees) - we snorkle the Cay - very few still there. Spray legs/feet and arms/hands - noseeums come out during sunset.

Make sure you check-out Cruise Ship schedules - this could impact you beach experience. Cruise people go to Honeymoon and Trunk Beaches - so go to beaches where cruise people are less likely to go - Maho/Frances.

Great tips!! Thank you so much - I can hardly wait!! Our daughter has been there twice and hasn't stopped talking about it. We finally booked a week for us...

How do you find out when the cruise ships are going to be at TrunkBay /Honeymoon?

LisaRex said:

How do you find out when the cruise ships are going to be at TrunkBay /Honeymoon?

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vinow.com lists the cruise ship, day, and docking location - a few days before the start of the month. But - at this time of year - it is pretty much Mon, Tue, and Wed (iirc) with ~30 ships per month - whereas during high season (winter) they can get up to 100 ships per month.

The deal is that multiple charters will arrange with cruise ships to take passengers to various places (duh) - one trip that many charters do is a 1st stop at Honeymoon, and then move onto Truck Bay. Other than the entertainment value in people watching (and semi-drowning and/or destroying coral that is less than 8ft deep... sadly). 2 years ago - I came close to rescuing someone who ended up on the reef when they should have never been in the water. Some charters are very responsible in making sure people stay off of the reefs (and do get in over their heads) - while others unfortunately do not. They do require them now to wear snorkle vests/floatation device.

You will want to stay away from these beaches (most northside beaches as far as Cinnamon - as they do not usually go as far as Maho/Francis) during the times the charters show up (late morning/early afternoon). Last week - not paying attention, and due to prime weather conditions - we went to Honeymoon on a double cruise ship day. It was quite a site watching these hoards of people invade the bay. Luckily we were camped for the day - so it was only disrupting for part of the day.

Also - in choosing a beach - it is important to check out the seas and wind direction. If the wind is blowing from the north a beach like Honeymoon can be difficult (wave-wise) since it is so exposed - and the hike in (preferable thru Caneel Resort - $10 but worth it - they will reimburse if you buy something) can be a bit tough due to the heat/humidity - and would suck to get there only to turn around and leave (we did this 3 years ago). WSJ is on the south-side of the island, but it only takes about 15 mins to drive to Trunk. Maho/Francis, and SaltPond/Little Lameshure (Coral Bay side) are generally very well protected.

Warning - be very careful if you bring bottles to the beach as they are not allowed. Robin got 'busted' drinking a beer (SN of course) on the beach even though it was in a foam 'coozie' (and of course we also pack out what we bring - and more - we can't believe what litter people leave. And do not get me started on cigarette butts that I assume smokers do not consider trash as we find them throughout the sand. btw - it is also illegal to smoke on the NPS beaches, but no one appears to care - and no enforcement). On this note - smoking is no longer permitted in bars/restaurants in the USVI (yeah!) and most bars are enforcing (double yeah). Island Blues in Coral Bay was not enforcing - so we left after 1 drink (note: their Lime-in-da-coconut is the best on the island - IMO)

Anyway,... luckily Ranger Buzzkill let her off with a warning - probably because she is so damn cute (and too damn honest/naive). We were off snorkling when this happened - and no one saw her leave the beach with the Ranger. We kid her that she was making it up, but actually made me mad because I thought it totally inappropriate for her to leave the beach area alone with the Ranger - and should have insisted to the Ranger that she contact me before leaving (ticket or not). It is a drag because the only beer on the island we will drink comes in bottles (SN Ale and Torpedo) - now we have to drink from plastic cups and keep the bottles hidden away.

Short question - long answer

Dave,

We were just recently in St. Thomas and took a day trip to St. John so we went to WSJ to look around.

Are you saying that the siding they put on that looks like wooden shingles is new? Looks like a great resort but honestly, we thought two things about the exterior of the units:

1. The shingle-look siding looked like weathered shingles and made the resort seem like it needed updating.

2. That "weathered shingles" look was totally out of place for the VI's. It looked like the resort belonged in Hawaii vs the VIs.

I realize that it is all a matter of opinion and likes/dislikes. I was just curious if you meant the "weathered shingles" look was new siding.

Hope you have/had an amazing stay on St. John. Someday we'll get there.

J

DavidnRobin said:

Random Notes:
The new siding and roofing looks great - makes the villas look brand new.

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JanT said:

Dave,

We were just recently in St. Thomas and took a day trip to St. John so we went to WSJ to look around.

Are you saying that the siding they put on that looks like wooden shingles is new? Looks like a great resort but honestly, we thought two things about the exterior of the units:

1. The shingle-look siding looked like weathered shingles and made the resort seem like it needed updating.

2. That "weathered shingles" look was totally out of place for the VI's. It looked like the resort belonged in Hawaii vs the VIs.

I realize that it is all a matter of opinion and likes/dislikes. I was just curious if you meant the "weathered shingles" look was new siding.

Hope you have/had an amazing stay on St. John. Someday we'll get there.

J

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Hi J -

The old wooden shingles are gone and have been replaced - there is new non-shingle siding that is light in color. The roof was also replaced - as well as the doors and windows. I am not sure what villas you were looking at recently - perhaps the hotel part in the main resort? I think those still have those old drab dark wooden shingles (although we only went to the main resort once to get to the dock, and wasn't paying close attn). The villas on the hill (B31, B32, B33, and B34) - have been remodeled.

Added - I didn't take the photos and video of the villas like usual - but here is a YouTube link showing the new sidings/roof from the pool area between B33 and B34
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIzUh8V8JK0

Cool underwater Turtle (Hawksbill) photo - taken at Maho Bay, STJ, USVI

Video of Hawknest Beach (with Gibney Beach in background) - STJ, USVI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSyS-JAVqL8

100 cruise ships a month? Yikes!

Last time we were at WSJ they closed Trunk Bay for swimming/snorkeling due to the surf. We ended up at Salt Pond, IIRC, which was much calmer.

We didn't make it to Honeymoon last time, but we are batting around the idea of renting a dinghy from the Westin so that we can get to it from the water. The prices weren't that bad, so we might give it a whirl.

I've already booked my Bad Kitty Jost van Dyke tour. I'd like to book one more boating excursion and have been reading reviews of various charters. I'd like to take a boat over to Waterlemon, as that was one of our favorite spots. Unfortunately, I can't snorkel for too long because of my motion sickness, and I don't relish the thought of spending another long afternoon on the beach by myself, so I was thinking maybe I'd charter a boat.The idea of renting a boat and then hiring a captain intrigues me, but I'm not sure it would be cost effective with gas at $3+/gallon. I'm not a penny pincher, but I don't want to go crazy either.

I'm also thinking I'm going to get my husband scuba lessons for his birthday in September, in plenty of time to get certified by January. His buddy, who is going with us, has a certification and I think they'd really get a kick out of some of the ship wreck sites. That could be a scuba day for the boys and a spa day for us girls. Westin spa prices aren't completely wacky and I believe you can order some of the service with SP's.

Thanks for the tips. I'm the "vacation planner" in this group and it helps to get some expert advice.

Oh, and I love the picture of the turtle!