Pic's Pics & Report - 20th Anniversary Trip (Vol.1)

[Pickle]

What did we decide for our 20th Anniversary vacation? Go to St. John (well, we always go around this time anyway), stay for two weeks (we usually stay two weeks anyway) and split our stay between Cruz Bay and Friis Bay (that's what we did last year also). In other words, nothing more special than what we normally do around this time of the year. That being said, we were truly perfectly happy to spend our 20th Anniversary vacation on St. John.

We planned this trip nearly a year in advance. Then our villa (in Friis Bay) reservation got canceled about a couple of months prior to our departure to the island. We were like "Oh… no… (rather shell-shocked)". It didn't take much time to confirm our assumptions that our villa options were limited at that point since we were picky about locations.

We eventually decided on Sunnyledge, located on Francis Bay. To tell you the truth, among our limited options, I didn't really find any other places that I was drawn to and I was so grateful that Sunnyledge was available for our dates. I had been intrigued with this villa but we didn't originally consider it because my husband wanted a pool for this trip and Sunnyledge doesn't have one. Well, he did what any good husband would (right?) and told me not to worry about a pool and let me reserve Sunnyledge for us.

Getting to St. John went smoothly and we checked ourselves in at Egret's Rest, one of Tracy's (Tracy in WI) suites at Grande Bay. It was our home for the first week. I have said this before and will say it again - Tracy is great and you can work with her in confidence.

View from Egret's Rest



As usual my trip report is snorkeling-heavy and long (I'll squeeze our 15 days on St. John into two installments) so keep that in mind if you opt to read any further.


----- Maho Day -----

We often end up at Maho on our first full day. How can we not? With such easy access, you get this…



It was about 9:30 a.m. and the beach was fairly empty. We sat for a while soaking in the fact that we were back on St. John. Needless to say, it felt good… Eventually, we were off snorkeling to meet the sea creatures of Maho.

Balloonfish - Isn't she a cutie? I saw her every time we snorkeled at Maho on this trip. She was always hanging around the same area.



Flamingo Tongue on Sea Fan - It might look picturesque but Flamingo Tongues feed on Sea Fans and other Gorgonians.



Queen Angelfish - Always see them at Maho



Porcupinefish



Can't talk about Maho without turtles, can we?



We had a nice time underwater even though I was feeling not up to par. Just like last year I was under the weather right before we left for St. John and couldn't shake it off until several days into our vacation.

This is my drink at Rhumb Lines after a long and hard day at Maho (ha-ha).



Being under the weather and cocktails don't always mix well. It gave me a pounding headache. After our dinner at Rhumb Lines, I was ready for painkillers (in the shape of pills) and bed.


----- Gibney Day -----

I was still feverish but we got ready for "today's beach" - wherever it would be. I didn't feel like hiking or going far so we ended up at Gibney.

Snorkeling at Gibney



Lettuce Sea Slug



Banded Coral Shrimp



Brain Coral



Octopus





We took it easy the rest of the day on the beach until mid afternoon. I was a little dazed. Even when we are feeling fine, we are generally not beach hoppers. Once we are settled, we don't want to move unless there is a good reason to. We are a lazy duo.

After a beautiful Gibney day, we cleaned up at the suite and walked over to Mongoose Junction for dinner. I needed to recharge my battery by consuming sufficient food! We looked at Virgin Fire but opted for Sun Dog Cafe.



I could not resist cocktails and had a couple. To my surprise they didn't give me any pounding headache. I was like "I'm GOOD". As we were paying the bill, I noticed that my drinks were all virgin! I was sure I ordered them "with rum" but even my husband didn't hear me saying that. Anyway, talking about the placebo effect, I was feeling high on alcohol the entire meal… without any alcohol. Good for me.


----- Maho Day (again) -----

Waking up feeling actually better. The day looked brighter when I was feeling better and I wanted to go to Francis, one of our favorite beaches for snorkeling and hanging when it's not buggy. Well, as soon as we got there, we felt the warm welcome of no-see-ums. Disappointingly we left and tried Maho. There were no-see-ums there also but fewer. Funny, we didn't feel any just the other day.

Spotted Scorpionfish - They are great at camouflage



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Red Hind



Chain Moray



Anemone



Do you see an octopus duo? One (on the let) kept touching the other.



Since I was feeling better, we hooked up with Leslie (EagleRayLover) and Steve (augie) in the evening. Met up at Spyglass for happy hour and then moved to the bar at Terrace. Time passes quickly when having fun and that's exactly what happened that night.




----- Vie's / Hansen Day -----

Waking up feeling almost back to my normal self though feeling lazy at the same time. We drove over to Vie's (I mean my husband drove and I just sat) and spent all day at Hansen Bay. We snorkeled some but mostly hung out under the sun and Seagrape trees. We were lazy, I mean particularly lazy.

Gray Snappers



Came across a school of 50+ baby squid.



When we got hungry we walked over to Vie's Snack Shack and had her conch fritters and garlic chicken. Then back to the beach for more lazy time.



Wading



Hello there...



On the way back from Vie's we picked up food at Candi’s BBQ for dinner later so we could stay in the rest of the evening. It was one lazy day. Didn't even get to say hi to Sloop Jones while we were in the East End and that was the only regret of the day.


---- Honeymoon Day -----

I felt like hiking - well, sort of. We parked at Caneel and hiked over to Honeymoon. It's not much of a hike, I know. I'm not an avid hiker and would rather swim to destinations than walk. Anyway, the water at Honeymoon was exceptionally beautiful.

Husband at Honeymoon



Goldentail Moray - The species we often see in the reef between Honeymoon and Salomon





Underwater



Peacock Flounder



Puddingwife



We had our late lunch at Caneel Beach Bar and Grill. We both had their sushi rolls and they were good. I grew up in a Japanese coastal town where visitors from other areas in Japan come to enjoy seafood, so I have pretty high standards when it comes to sushi and sashimi. I won't compare Caneel's more innovative sushi rolls with the classic sushi I grew up eating (I didn't try Caneel's nigiri or sashimi). I enjoyed their rolls simply as a different dish.



Cocktails always taste better on island.




----- Jumbie Day -----

We hadn't been back to Jumbie for several years so decided to make a visit. When we got there I tried to take photos of the bay and realized my D10 had been flooded. It must've happened while it was being cleaned and soaked the previous night. I was more sad than upset. It may be just a camera, but after 5 plus years of our collaboration underwater, I have such fond memories with that camera… Good-bye my good old D10. You did well.

Luckily I had a backup (still brand new) D10 that I bought fairly cheap when the D20 was coming onto the market. It is the same old model but doesn't have the same scuffs and such as my good old D10. It felt weird… like I was using a clone. I know, I know, it's just a camera. I better move on.

I have no photos of our day at Jumbie since the backup was at the suite. Snorkeling was mediocre but we very much enjoyed wading and hanging out. The weather could not have been nicer. I think I got a lot of tan that day.

We had our dinner at La Tapa. We generally love their food but their menu changes daily and their entrees can be hit or miss for me. I didn't find anything really appealing so had two appetizers. My husband loved his Mahi entree, though.





It was our last night in Cruz Bay. It had been nice to just walk over to and enjoy shops, bars and restaurants, but we were ready for more quiet and isolated times on island.




----- Francis Day -----

Literally, our home for the second week was on Francis. Since Maho Bay Camps is gone, we were pretty much the only ones up there.

Sunnyledge (the red roofs), gazing on Francis Bay



Francis Bay, seen from Sunnyledge's deck



Terry, the villa manager, could check us in early at the villa, so we had time for some nice snorkeling at Francis in the afternoon. No-see-ums were still there but fewer. We quickly went in the water and snorkeled the right side towards Mary Point. This has been one of our all-time favorite snorkeling spots (along with Haulover North and Waterlemon Cay) around St. John. We always see octopuses there but they were all well hidden so no photos of them.

A school of Redear Herring



Checkered Puffer, one of my favorite fish to find, quickly swimming away from me



Hawksbill Turtle





Stoplight Parrotfish



We enjoyed the sunset as we ate in at Sunnyledge. We realized right then that it would be hard not to be at the villa around sunset time. We ended up lounging around at Sunnyledge every evening except for one, thoroughly enjoying all the sunset drama.

Our first sunset, seen from Sunnyledge




----- Waterlemon Day -----

Another nice sunny day on St. John. In fact, when we were out and about we never had to deal with rain more than a few minutes on our entire vacation. We had wonderful weather except for Sahara Dust. Being annual May/June visitors, we are used to Sahara Dust to the point that we almost expect it.

Leinster Bay



We started snorkeling from the sandy beach, enjoying the sea life in the bay, and then continued snorkeling out to the cay. It is a long swim and back but we prefer this way to the way starting from the rocky point that is closer to the cay.

On the sandy beach side of Leinster Bay, we saw turtles, rays, different species of trunkfish, barracudas, etc.

Spotted Trunkfish



There was a large barracuda (nearly 5 feet) hanging out in the shallows, looking rather scary. I slowly swam close to him to take photos. He barely moved and let me take as many photos as I wanted.



Much later, on the way back from the cay, I saw the same barracuda in deeper water swimming leisurely while accompanied by little fish.



Underwater at Waterlemon Cay



Goby on Brain Coral; a pair of Foureye Butterflyfish



Spotted Drum (juvenile), I think



Spotted Moray – Never showed its face



Sorry it's hard to see, but the backside of the cay was quite busy that day. There were schools of Bar Jacks, Blue Tangs and Sergeant Majors swimming all around.



After the long snorkeling followed by wading and hiking back to Annaberg, these cocktails tasted ever so good…



We had a late lunch at Aqua Bistro and were back at Sunnyledge by early evening. We cleaned up and made cocktails for "our sunset time". It turned out to be a curious sunset - like two different worlds existing next to each other. We sat out on the breezy deck (Sunnyledge gets great breezes all day and night) and watched it until dark.



We were amazed how quickly our time on island was passing. It's always like that - although it felt particularly quick this time - but then it always feels that way.

6 more sunsets to go...

[NJsurfsup]

I so enjoyed your trip report I even shared the page for my parents who will be 1st timers next year. The pictures are incredible, thank you.
May I ask how you find many eels? I go slow while snorkeling and yet have not managed to see any:( also the light and clarity are fabulous, do you find the am to be better for that?

[happycanesfan]

Thank you so much for the report and pictures. I enjoyed it so much. We are missing St. John this year for the first time in many years...and I am so sad.

[DonnaM]

Great photos! Thanks for sharing!!

[psufan]

We have stayed at Sunnyledge twice. The views over Francis Bay are breathtaking. As is usually the case I was up early and a few mornings I got to watch deer out on the beach. We used to love going over to the Maho Camp for breakfast and usually hit up the glass shop for souvenirs. Sure do miss that place. Sunnyledge must really be quiet now that the camp is closed. Is the driveway being maintained?

[liamsaunt]

Great report, wonderful pictures as always!

[Pickle]

NJsurfsup - I like taking photos earlier in the morning or while the sun is behind the clouds, but that's just me (I am not a photographer). In my case with the camera I use, when taken in bright sunlight, photos tend to turn out too white and/or reflect the water's surface patterns on the subjects. As for eels, since many species are nocturnal, there has to be some luck involved in seeing active ones. I come across hidden ones more often while carefully looking inside the reefs and under the rocks but, of course, eels have to be there for you to find. So, it could be just a matter of luck and timing. If you keep your keen eyes open and go really slow, I really think any day could be your lucky day!

psufan- We had never driven the road prior to our stay at Sunnyledge. While bumpy, it was quite doable. From the deck I saw turtles popping up for air in Francis Bay. I couldn't really see their actual shapes but could tell they were turtles. I do miss that view…

To those who had kind words for my post, I thank you!

[loria]

Always love your pictures and reports!

[lprof]

No matter how many times I see your photos and follow you on your trips... I love going again! Thanks so much!

[ColumbiaSCTraveler]

I was SO excited to see your trip report up! You have such a way with words and pictures. Thank you SO much for always sharing your time on the island with us! Looking forward to Vol. 2!

[toni]

Thank you so much for posting; report is wonderful as always