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50th Annv. Trip 5/29/19 - 6/12/19

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 8:14 pm
by BAILEYBAY
Wed. 5.29.19 Left home at 4:30am (after a sleepless night). Our Delta flight out of FWA, Ft Wayne, IN , left on time at 6:55am. We had a 56 minute layover in ATL. My husband needs a wheelchair to get from point A to B and it was not waiting on us. They called and in about 10 minutes it arrived and we made it to our connection without any further delays. Landed on St Thomas at 1:15pm. Got to Red Hook about 2:15, took the 3:00 ferry and we are back to our happy place by 3:15. Emily from Grande Bay was waiting on us. Very nice young lady! She took me to Connections to pick up the 2 boxes I had shipped (Connections charged $20 and $25) and then dropped me at Cool Breeze to get our little Jimney. My husband then went on to Grande Bay. This is the 1st time we have stayed at Grande Bay and our condo "Sunswept" was beautiful. King bed (very comfortable), washer/dryer, this was a real treat as we do carryon only for a 2 weeks stay. It also includes a wonderful parking space right next to the elevator. This was the deciding factor in choosing this condo. The photos on VRBO are very accurate and we dealt directly with the owners Anna May & Peter Charrington. They made it so easy and I would most definitely recommend them. The view from our covered deck was stunning. We ordered Ronnies Pizza delivered to the condo and we were in bed by 7:30pm!! Slept till 7 the next morning and had our 1st coffee overlooking busy Cruz Bay dock. Its good to be back.

Re: 50th Annv. Trip 5/29/19 - 6/12/19

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 8:48 pm
by BAILEYBAY
The beaches we visited this year were Hawksnest (4 times), Jumbie (1), Maho (3), Trunk (3), and Honeymoon (1). All these beaches are easy access, except for Jumbie, so it made it easier for my husband. Walking on the sand is a little more difficult for him. We always made it to the beach by 8:30 so we never had a problem with parking and could find some shade. Most nights we drove down to Frank Bay for the gorgeous sunsets and a few peacock sightings.

Re: 50th Annv. Trip 5/29/19 - 6/12/19

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 8:51 pm
by BAILEYBAY
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Re: 50th Annv. Trip 5/29/19 - 6/12/19

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 8:54 pm
by BAILEYBAY
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Re: 50th Annv. Trip 5/29/19 - 6/12/19

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 9:49 pm
by BAILEYBAY
Restaurants this trip: The Tap Room was awesome. Air conditioned, attentive wait staff, and really good food. Pizza, pork nachos,ribs with mac & cheese and their root beer were all fantastic. Loved them! High Tide never disappoints and you can't beat the view. Ocean 362 was a bit of a let down this year. Food was just okay. Jill, the bartender, was on her own and she did her best. It was our most expensive meal but it did not measure up. We also ate at Sundog (The Burrito that ate Cruz Bay), Skinney Legs, Tap & Still, Cruz Bay Landing (Good breakfast),Grengoes (horrible service), Café Roma ( they had no lasagna or pizza the night we were there), 420 to Center was a big surprise ( $6 for a big juicy burger AND fries), Banana Deck where I ordered a BBC and was informed they had NO BANANAS...kind of ironic, right? We got sandwiches every morning from North Shore Deli to take to the beach, muffins and fruit from Starfish Market or St John Market. One of our favorite places Joe's BBQ was closed the entire 2 weeks we were on island along with the Beach Bar and Joe's Rum Hut...very disappointing. We had Starfish deliver some provisions to the condo. We have used them the last few years and would recommend them. It's nice to have some soda and "snacks" waiting for you after a long travel day.

Re: 50th Annv. Trip 5/29/19 - 6/12/19

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 10:39 pm
by BAILEYBAY
Friday, June 7th, is our 50th wedding anniversary and we are celebrating by having Yelena Rogers take sunset photos on Trunk Bay. Both my husband and I have been looking forward to this photo shoot and Yelena did not disappoint. I cannot say enough good things about her. She is wonderful and put us at ease immediately. And if I do say so myself, I think our photos turned out pretty darn fabulous!! Thank you Yelena...we will treasure the experience and our beautiful photos. Also, I wanted to mention that earlier in the afternoon I did something that I have never done in my entire life...I had my make-up done! Michelle, owner of Grapevine Salon, was awesome. It was fun and relaxing at the same time. I even got false eye lashes Oh La La!!

We started our day, as usual, on our deck with morning coffee. Then headed to Cruz Bay Landing for a relaxed late breakfast. Back to the pool at Grande Bay where we were the only 2 which was a little surprising but very nice. After our photo shoot we finished up the evening with dinner at High Tide. It was a beautiful, memorable day from start to finish. Happy 50th Anniversary!!

Re: 50th Annv. Trip 5/29/19 - 6/12/19

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 10:49 pm
by BAILEYBAY
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Re: 50th Annv. Trip 5/29/19 - 6/12/19

Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 11:39 pm
by BAILEYBAY
June 12th our last day. Got up at 6 and started a load of towels. I had already washed and dryed all the beach towels the nite b4. Took our coffee and o.j. out to the deck. Honestly could set here for hours but still have to empty the trash and put towels in to dry. One last long look from our deck and a quick check to make sure nothing is left behind and we are out the door by 9:30. Dropped hubby and our luggage off at the park and then returned "Gracie" (our Jimney) to Cool Breeze. Went to High Tide for our last breakfast. Took 11:00 ferry to Red Hook and had the absolute worst taxi ever in over 25 years. There was this strange huge wooden box between the 2 front seats that I had to crawl over with barely enough room for my feet to squeeze on the floor. But wait, that's not the worst of it. This driver obviously had a couple (or 3 or 4) bean burritos for lunch...oh my good lord. If that wasn't horrible enough he was driving like a maniac. We were hanging on for dear life. Thankfully, there was heavy traffic which forced him to slow down. YAY!! we get to be enclosed in the stinky bean burrito taxi longer..UGH. Made it to downtown and found my hubby a shady place to sit with our luggage while I did a little shopping. Headed to the airport arounf 2pm for our 3:30 Delta flight home.

Had a 47 minute layover in ATL. I was a tad bit worried but never fear. The Delta helper pushing my husbands wheelchair was about 7 ft tall with legs that were 6 ft long. I'm 5'4". I was running behind him in flip flops, carrying my ginormous purse on one shoulder and another bag on my other shoulder. Let's just say, I won't be winning any marathons. Made it to our gate in record time and landed in FWA at 10:25pm. Our son was waiting on us and 40 minutes later pulled in our driveway. Our beautiful vacation has come to an end...back to the real world.

A few final thoughts. We have never come this late in the year. In the past 25 years vacationed in March, April or May. The weather was beautiful but HOT with high humidity everyday. Lots of rain right before we arrived so the island was green! The beaches are as stunning as ever but I do miss all the palms and seagrapes(they are starting to come back). We have always been budget travelers so we could stay longer than a week. Tamarind Inn, Hillcrest Guest House,St John Inn, Cruz Views, etc. This year, with the help of our generous kids, we stayed at "Sunswept" at Grande Bay. Loved.Everything.About.It.

3 years ago my husband was very,very ill and I wasn't sure what our future would be. Thankfully, we got to celebrate our "50"th wedding anniversary on our favorite spot on earth. We have had many, many wonderful memories and some very hilarious ones too!! WE LOVE YOU ST JOHN.

Re: 50th Annv. Trip 5/29/19 - 6/12/19

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 8:35 am
by Suziekue
Beautiful trip report Baileybay, I’m so happy for you both! It sounds like you had a wonderful celebration for your 50th, I wish for many more for you. Thank you for sharing & you’re right your pictures are gorgeous.

Re: 50th Annv. Trip 5/29/19 - 6/12/19

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 8:40 am
by inuny
Thank you for sharing your story and pictures. It was a pleasant way to start my morning

Re: 50th Annv. Trip 5/29/19 - 6/12/19

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 10:16 am
by RickG
Great trip report, thanks for writing!

Cheers, RickG

Re: 50th Annv. Trip 5/29/19 - 6/12/19

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 4:43 pm
by Pickle
Thank you for your trip report. We are leaving for St. John soon and your trip report couldn’t have come at a better time for me. Enjoyed reading it and seeing your photos and the photos that commemorate your 50th anniversary. Congratulations and many, many more!

Re: 50th Annv. Trip 5/29/19 - 6/12/19

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 7:53 pm
by StJohnbum
Thanks for posting a great trip report. It's nice to see the forum picking up more activity lately. Congratulations on 50 years together!

Re: 50th Annv. Trip 5/29/19 - 6/12/19

Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2019 9:38 pm
by shoemak38
:D :D :D

Re: 50th Annv. Trip 5/29/19 - 6/12/19

Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2019 9:13 am
by Ed S
Congrats on your 50th and great trip report!
Hey, if you want a sure-fire way of seeing peacocks next time, at dusk, stand in the Gallows Point parking lot with your back to Ocean 362 and look up in the tree(s). They fly up there and perch/roost for the night. We saw as many as a dozen many nights last December (we always stay right there at Gallows Point and never realized this until someone pointed it out). Next time.....