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19 minutes ago, liamsaunt said:


Yessterday we spent the day snorkeling again, this time on the opposite side of the island. We saw lots of coral and sea life, but no octopus. I have not checked those photos yet. The ones from the day before came out great. 
 

 

 

They were both delicious but we got bombarded with flies. Not no see ums but actual flies. It was awful. They ended up moving our table but it did not help much. I asked them to hold our main courses until the sun went down to see if that would help. It did, but the experience was extremely irritating and put a big damper on the meal.  One of the hazards of eating outside I guess.  

 

 

When you take underwater photos, do you use lighting of any kind?  I had wanted to get a light for when we go diving - the last time, a bunch of divers with us had lights and it really makes a big difference.  You might not need it though since you're on the surface snorkeling.

 

I'm surprised the resort doesn't do something about the flies.  We eat outside at all of teh resorts in SE Asia and haven't had an issue with flies.  I imagine that the resorts spray for them when there's no one around and they also have these bug coils that make a smell the bugs don't like - although I find it very pleasant.  The bug coil is lit and sits in a pretty container, and tucked underneath the table.

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24 minutes ago, liamsaunt said:


I believe it was roasted peppers and avocado.   It was very tender. 
 

Yessterday we spent the day snorkeling again, this time on the opposite side of the island. We saw lots of coral and sea life, but no octopus. I have not checked those photos yet. The ones from the day before came out great. 
 

Dinner was at the fine dining area of the resort. Here’s the menu.  Dinner specials

 

IMG_3009.thumb.jpeg.ee8add30c471a9c8b72e87a3d4e47364.jpeg

 

drinks

 

IMG_3010.thumb.jpeg.460be372cc64ce667c4c92e873da557c.jpeg

 

food

 

IMG_3011.thumb.jpeg.67f4bf0c97ad347f16cdd1e6db538de8.jpeg

 

setting

 

IMG_3016.thumb.jpeg.2f8d86509f3a4dba287671f71e439dfb.jpeg

 

Husband had the king crab and grits

 

IMG_3019.thumb.jpeg.8a8e987418a637ee5fc22c40d99a2e57.jpeg

 

and I had the scallops

 

IMG_3017.thumb.jpeg.96ca1cdbe359a1f8a7dcfd47162055a3.jpeg

 

They were both delicious but we got bombarded with flies. Not no see ums but actual flies. It was awful. They ended up moving our table but it did not help much. I asked them to hold our main courses until the sun went down to see if that would help. It did, but the experience was extremely irritating and put a big damper on the meal.  One of the hazards of eating outside I guess.  

 

After sunset they brought the main courses. Post sunset view

 

IMG_3023.thumb.jpeg.3343a89de98095ec897e443320aa72e4.jpeg

 

Husband had the mahi mahi special

 

IMG_3022.thumb.jpeg.a2efa95ade17f2a988529571afe7d996.jpeg

 

And I had the catch of the day (yellowfin tuna) with the chorizo eliminated from the hash

 

IMG_3020.thumb.jpeg.876e696d4a1980aa3113187b601fe680.jpeg 

 

We shared a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert

 

IMG_3027.thumb.jpeg.cef3d5b8c58c2a7feec830c5ea82856c.jpeg

 

and were treated to the sight of a Space X launch! If they had not moved our table to a different area we would have missed it. No one else dining at the restaurant saw it but us.  Our server saw me pointing up and taking pictures so came over and caught some of it but missed the rocket part. 
 

IMG_0020.thumb.jpeg.25ad1836d1614b7a3ff1797c068f0b39.jpeg
 

Today is our last full day. We might go back over to St. John for dinner, we will see. 

What an awesome picture of the launch!!!  You could win an award!!

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7 hours ago, KennethT said:

When you take underwater photos, do you use lighting of any kind?  I had wanted to get a light for when we go diving - the last time, a bunch of divers with us had lights and it really makes a big difference.  You might not need it though since you're on the surface snorkeling.

 

I'm surprised the resort doesn't do something about the flies.  We eat outside at all of teh resorts in SE Asia and haven't had an issue with flies.  I imagine that the resorts spray for them when there's no one around and they also have these bug coils that make a smell the bugs don't like - although I find it very pleasant.  The bug coil is lit and sits in a pretty container, and tucked underneath the table.


 

 I keep flash off and just rely on natural light. I use an Olympus TG7 on the underwater setting, and run the photos I am keeping through photoshop to pull out any excess blue. You definitely need an external light for good dive photos. 

 

7 hours ago, Shelby said:

What an awesome picture of the launch!!!  You could win an award!!


It’s just an iPhone photo. Everyone who saw it basically got the exact same picture. Every time there is a launch all my St. John Facebook groups are filled with this same photo, and a couple of panicked inquiries from people who think we are under attack. 😀

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44 minutes ago, liamsaunt said:

Every time there is a launch all my St. John Facebook groups are filled with this same photo, and a couple of panicked inquiries from people who think we are under attack. 😀

Space X also launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg last night. I was unaware until the boom shook the house and rattled the windows. First thing I do is check the Twitter feeds for the quake bots I follow in case it was an earthquake, then Google Vandenberg launch. Takes about 9 or 10 min for the sound to reach here so too late to run out and see but it was quite clear last night so lots of 🚀 photos on Facebook & Nextdoor.  

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Posted (edited)

Yesterday after breakfast (yesterday’s frittata was feta, mushroom, spinach and roasted pepper, and that’s avocado toast in the back)

 

IMG_3030.thumb.jpeg.f2d435bbac538b659f131003da42b6c8.jpeg

 

we had a pretty chill day just hanging out on the deck of our tent (that’s a mango tree next to our tent)

 

IMG_3033.thumb.jpeg.803829cf41b869ba95adfec983607427.jpeg

 

enjoying the view

 

IMG_3042.thumb.jpeg.6085a7457f7e9073a748cef4ead52096.jpeg

 

We went back down to the beach for snorkeling and sea glass hunting (success on both fronts). Once again we had the beach to ourselves. I guess everyone else was on the other side of the island at the pool.

 

We had not planned to go back to St. John, but decided on a whim to head over for dinner. (The resort provides shuttle service as part of your stay).  The concierge got us a reservation at one of our favorites, La Tapa.  But first, we stopped in at Drink for, well, a drink.  View

 

IMG_3049.thumb.jpeg.959ca665db9bf255a0608976fbd059d6.jpeg 


Husband’s margarita and my very exciting Diet Coke 😂

 

IMG_3046.thumb.jpeg.5132ca743ff86d0a4f4de2af168a5764.jpeg

 

La Tapa setting

 

IMG_3058.thumb.jpeg.5ce0af1b80917f5ad7b09bf0ce967f7b.jpeg

 

Menu

 

IMG_3052.thumb.jpeg.fe2ca9c424a571dfeba84363195e69d1.jpeg

 

Drinks. Husband had a martini and I had sparkling water 

 

IMG_3053.thumb.jpeg.cf71afb9b6ee5269b912ded90ff142bb.jpeg

 

we shared a scallop seveche special appetizer. 
 

IMG_3056.thumb.jpeg.de1d294fff88bc89ec6f12c132f9f026.jpeg

 

Then I had the tuna 

 

IMG_3061.thumb.jpeg.bb0e77c12985fd10e9b9e1338a2b1e87.jpeg

 

And he chose the mahi.  We skipped dessert. 
 

IMG_3064.thumb.jpeg.9ef9976c8de304ab77e497a249752344.jpeg

 

Afterglow from La Tapa

 

IMG_3059.thumb.jpeg.ea70981ddddbc9db93b4cedbe14178b8.jpeg

 

Back to Lovango

 

IMG_3065.thumb.jpeg.c9e6f81ab46cfb2188e5167ee0dc6587.jpeg

 

We are flying home today, but will be back on St. John in May. We are hoping for smaller crowds and warmer water. We also made a pledge that we would only try new places to eat in May. Will we succeed? Only time will tell.

 

Thanks for following along, and see you on the dinner! thread starting tomorrow! 

Edited by liamsaunt (log)
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1 hour ago, liamsaunt said:

Yesterday after breakfast (yesterday’s frittata was feta, mushroom, spinach and roasted pepper, and that’s avocado toast in the back)

 

IMG_3030.thumb.jpeg.f2d435bbac538b659f131003da42b6c8.jpeg

 

we had a pretty chill day just hanging out on the deck of our tent (that’s a mango tree next to our tent)

 

IMG_3033.thumb.jpeg.803829cf41b869ba95adfec983607427.jpeg

 

enjoying the view

 

IMG_3042.thumb.jpeg.6085a7457f7e9073a748cef4ead52096.jpeg

 

We went back down to the beach for snorkeling and sea glass hunting (success on both fronts). Once again we had the beach to ourselves. I guess everyone else was on the other side of the island at the pool.

 

We had not planned to go back to St. John, but decided on a whim to head over for dinner. (The resort provides shuttle service as part of your stay).  The concierge got us a reservation at one of our favorites, La Tapa.  But first, we stopped in at Drink for, well, a drink.  View

 

IMG_3049.thumb.jpeg.959ca665db9bf255a0608976fbd059d6.jpeg 


Husband’s margarita and my very exciting Diet Coke 😂

 

IMG_3046.thumb.jpeg.5132ca743ff86d0a4f4de2af168a5764.jpeg

 

La Tapa setting

 

IMG_3058.thumb.jpeg.5ce0af1b80917f5ad7b09bf0ce967f7b.jpeg

 

Menu

 

IMG_3052.thumb.jpeg.fe2ca9c424a571dfeba84363195e69d1.jpeg

 

Drinks. Husband had a martini and I had sparkling water 

 

IMG_3053.thumb.jpeg.cf71afb9b6ee5269b912ded90ff142bb.jpeg

 

we shared a scallop seveche special appetizer. 
 

IMG_3056.thumb.jpeg.de1d294fff88bc89ec6f12c132f9f026.jpeg

 

Then I had the tuna 

 

IMG_3061.thumb.jpeg.bb0e77c12985fd10e9b9e1338a2b1e87.jpeg

 

And he chose the mahi.  We skipped dessert. 
 

IMG_3064.thumb.jpeg.9ef9976c8de304ab77e497a249752344.jpeg

 

Afterglow from La Tapa

 

IMG_3059.thumb.jpeg.ea70981ddddbc9db93b4cedbe14178b8.jpeg

 

Back to Lovango

 

IMG_3065.thumb.jpeg.c9e6f81ab46cfb2188e5167ee0dc6587.jpeg

 

We are flying home today, but will be back on St. John in May. We are hoping for smaller crowds and warmer water. We also made a pledge that we would only try new places to eat in May. Will we succeed? Only time will tell.

 

Thanks for following along, and see you on the dinner! thread starting tomorrow! 

Thanks for sharing!!!  I always love your trips.  Do you think you could post some of your underwater photos?  Also I think the tree next to your deck was a papaya tree, not a mango tree.  Mangoes come from the branches of the tree, not off the trunk like a papaya does.

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On 3/12/2024 at 11:17 AM, KennethT said:

Thanks for sharing!!!  I always love your trips.  Do you think you could post some of your underwater photos?  Also I think the tree next to your deck was a papaya tree, not a mango tree.  Mangoes come from the branches of the tree, not off the trunk like a papaya does.

 

You are right!  It is a papaya tree.  Thank you for clarifying.  They are in most of the places we have rented houses from, but we have never been able to get a ripe one.  The fruit rats always get to them first (fun fact: fruit rats also love to eat shampoo and soap in the outdoor showers that people think are such glamorous additions to the villas).

 

Here are a few photos from underwater.  I hope it's ok to share.

 

Grunts

 

lgrunts.thumb.jpg.cfa657546b824c94128d2db07cd75e04.jpg

 

Octopus swimming

 

lo5.thumb.jpg.f25373942e9f2e0953cad4df484c0442.jpg

 

Octopus clinging to rocks

 

lo12.thumb.jpg.a9e141b2f19777b9209908114f53cac5.jpg

 

Hiding in their den 

 

loctoeye.thumb.jpg.8a564ef6ce3cf8872b191e1d0e97bf0b.jpg

 

Yellow trumpetfish

 

ltrumpetbest.thumb.jpg.619625318d1c105333b7baf38e4321e5.jpg

 

Coral garden

 

crescentcoralmix.thumb.jpg.49a8a22f7c7cf50fdba9324235b4c2c4.jpg

 

Blue tang

 

 

crescenttang2.thumb.jpg.30daa07e225d79c1379d634f5804221a.jpg

 

Reef squid

 

lsquid.thumb.jpg.3815ce081cd9d49bb58bd6b318a22c16.jpg

 

I'll update this thread again when we return in May.

 

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36 minutes ago, liamsaunt said:

 

You are right!  It is a papaya tree.  Thank you for clarifying.  They are in most of the places we have rented houses from, but we have never been able to get a ripe one.  The fruit rats always get to them first (fun fact: fruit rats also love to eat shampoo and soap in the outdoor showers that people think are such glamorous additions to the villas).

 

Here are a few photos from underwater.  I hope it's ok to share.

 

Grunts

 

lgrunts.thumb.jpg.cfa657546b824c94128d2db07cd75e04.jpg

 

Octopus swimming

 

lo5.thumb.jpg.f25373942e9f2e0953cad4df484c0442.jpg

 

Octopus clinging to rocks

 

lo12.thumb.jpg.a9e141b2f19777b9209908114f53cac5.jpg

 

Hiding in their den 

 

loctoeye.thumb.jpg.8a564ef6ce3cf8872b191e1d0e97bf0b.jpg

 

Yellow trumpetfish

 

ltrumpetbest.thumb.jpg.619625318d1c105333b7baf38e4321e5.jpg

 

Coral garden

 

crescentcoralmix.thumb.jpg.49a8a22f7c7cf50fdba9324235b4c2c4.jpg

 

Blue tang

 

 

crescenttang2.thumb.jpg.30daa07e225d79c1379d634f5804221a.jpg

 

Reef squid

 

lsquid.thumb.jpg.3815ce081cd9d49bb58bd6b318a22c16.jpg

 

I'll update this thread again when we return in May.

 

Thanks so much!  I've only seen an octopus once - on our last trip, there was one hiding at the bottom of a giant barrel sponge.

 

If you're ever cooking a meal while on vacation, you can use an unripe papaya to make papaya salad.  It's also pretty good snack with a dip made from salt/chilli/a little sugar.  Not like a green mango, but pretty good.

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  • 1 month later...

We are back on St. John.  This trip is a rescheduled visit from last November--we had to cancel then because my husband was sick.  The property management company, airline, and jeep rental all let us push our dates to now without any penalty, so it's kind of like a free trip.  Except for all of the money we are about to spend on food haha.  We arrived Saturday, and are staying in the same house as the past two times.  We had to get up at 3:30 AM to make our flight, so we were both exhausted on arrival.

We had some time to kill before being able to head to the villa for check in, so went up to the Windmill Bar to take in some views

 

windmillviewuse.thumb.jpg.448d8bb3736f0dd84bd1ed6a73926b72.jpg

 

All that haze you see is Sahara dust.  I don't think I have seen it in May before, it's usually more of a summer thing.  The bad news with the dust is that it makes it hotter than normal (and it is indeed hot!), and it's also bad for allergies.  The good news is that the dust suppresses development of tropical weather.  If it's this hot and dusty now, I cannot imagine what it is going to be like when we come back in July.

 

Menu cover.  I was so tired I forgot to take a picture of the rest of it.  Sorry, @rotuts!  It's a small menu--just a few kinds of tacos, taco bowls, and burgers/hot dogs.

 

windmillmenu.thumb.jpg.8148d03959982e4211184944502e0fbb.jpg

 

The bar.  It was around 2PM when we got there, and it doesn't start filling up until happy hour and live music starts at 3.

 

windmillview.thumb.jpg.91bdec94a9e9c58a9462f308a873def6.jpg

 

We just ordered a plate of shrimp tacos to split.  Pretty basic but did the job.

 

windmillshrimptacos.thumb.jpg.83b1d93965cecdd6ca6346869f6858cf.jpg 

 

After getting unpacked at the house, we headed out to find something for dinner.  We were just really tired and neither of us felt like eating much.  We ended up at Rum Hut.  Menu

 

rumhutmenu2.thumb.jpg.58828f4e81b8b920dde4409621715770.jpg

 

Husband's cocktail. I believe it was a ginger martini.

 

rumhutcocktail.thumb.jpg.aaa1922a6c81b952c53031b48b300dd6.jpg

 

And our selections to share: the Cruz Bay roll and tuna tartare tacos

 

rumhutapps.thumb.jpg.7216b386aac204c292f8025c4da81c7a.jpg

 

rumhutviewuse.thumb.jpg.d1d07b243a1b57dfd5c818c6a9518b63.jpg

 

And dessert. Irie Pops of course!

 

iriepopssaturday.thumb.jpg.87816bea6ddd765529abf1cce3475549.jpg

 

Yesterday we spent the day at Cinnamon Bay.  I did not take one picture of the beach!  It was lovely.  We went over to the food truck to get some cold water.  They basically sell sandwiches, nachos, and ice cream

 

cinnamonbayfoodtruck.thumb.jpg.b0520a7f179db70b267cfff16d809cef.jpg

 

For dinner, we decided to try a new place, The Refinery.  Menu

 

refinerymenu.thumb.jpg.a00e81ccd054e3e943e098bbfa14b0d5.jpg

 

Cocktails.  I ordered a no-jito and my husband ordered a Singapore Sling.  The bartender came over to deliver the drinks and to confirm that he had made mine without alcohol.  I thought that was nice.  

 

refinerydrinks.thumb.jpg.e26115f8296b4d3f172b24d13e3b3430.jpg

 

We ordered a couple of appetizers: the peppered shrimp--this was spicy!  I could have gone even hotter but my husband said it was at the upper level of what he enjoys for spice.  

 

refineryshrimp.thumb.jpg.ca4996ad9edeecf231594ffd0e37cbe5.jpg

 

And the crab and corn fritters with pineapple salsa.  The fritters were essentially a jumbo shrimp wrapped in crab fritter batter.  They were delicious but I could only eat one.  

 

refineryfritters.thumb.jpg.0b17e01b583919b66c24e3e19f579472.jpg

 

I just ordered a salad with more shrimp on the side for dinner

 

refinerysalad.thumb.jpg.234311e595a489098f8c435a58b2c810.jpg

 

And husband had the coconut poached wahoo with cassava cake.

 

refinerywahoo.thumb.jpg.59e2e9170dc1239b506cf3f4a8375db9.jpg

 

I really wanted to get the Caribbean ice cream sandwich for dessert, but the heat is slaying my appetite and I could not even finish my dinner food.  We brought home most of my dinner shrimp and half of the fritters to eat today.

 

And yes, we are eating lots of shrimp since we normally cannot have it at home because of my nephew's allergy.  He's coming with us in July so we have to get all the crustaceans we want to eat into this visit. 🙂

 

Not sure where we are eating today, but our plan is to find as many new to us places as we can.

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It's so good to see you back on the islands again. I'll take all those crustaceans -- the more, the better -- but the tapas listed all sound delicious, even when they involve something other than seafood! I think I could spend more than a month simply exploring the flavor combinations listed on that menu.

 

The tacos you showed make me laugh at my own follies: I talked my DH into tacos for one night this week, but will they be hand-made tortillas friend until crisp? No indeed. They're store-bought, stand-up, fill-'em-yourself shells. Your photos show the real deal. 

 

What are the crisp, roughly translucent slices atop your salad?

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23 hours ago, Smithy said:

What are the crisp, roughly translucent slices atop your salad?

 

Thinly shaved and fried yucca root. It was really tasty.  I've been meaning to try and make yucca fries at home, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

Here is my exciting breakfast.  If you ever wonder why I rarely post breakfast pictures, this is why.

 

mondaybreakfast.thumb.jpg.a788c5dfb441e12d206b99b80bf5772c.jpg

 

Yesterday we went to one of our favorite beaches, Francis.  The water was like glass.  You can see how green the island is right now.  They have been getting a lot of rain recently.

 

francis.thumb.jpg.df3902777bb3c402c62b3a4bc97f0cd7.jpg

 

We encountered some curious deer at the entrance to the beach.  They were not bothered by us at all.  In fact, we had to wait for them to move out of the way.

 

francisdeer.thumb.jpg.11653dbff9420efc7c68d482449fda20.jpg

 

The beach was quiet, which was nice.  Trunk Bay was just voted the #1 most beautiful beach in the world on one of those annual polls, so I guess everyone was over there.  Fine with me.

 

franciscalm.thumb.jpg.f5834c21d60a73331270c95f6c0e67c3.jpg

 

After beach we had to go to the grocery store to get stuff they were out of when we shopped Saturday.  There hadn't been any deliveries yet, so they were still out of everything we needed.  Island time.  We'll try again today.  The gelato store is in the same shopping plaza as the grocery store so we stopped in to see what they had.  They make everything in small batches and the flavors change every day, so it's luck of the draw as to what (if anything) they have.  

 

gelatocannolicase.thumb.jpg.9409e3ef9cf4f0e4daea92e5ef7956f6.jpg

 

Did one of those make it back to our villa to share?  You know it did.

 

gelatocannoli.thumb.jpg.9d8603482e22855af3deda90f9002ad8.jpg

 

For dinner we decided to try the Lime Inn.  They had recently switched their menu over from a prix fixe multi course menu (we tried it a few years ago, and really disliked it), to an all taco menu.  You cannot go wrong with tacos in my opinion.  They have all the same tacos that you can get at the Lime Out floating taco boat I have posted about before, plus some additional options.  Here's the menu.  And yes, those prices are per taco.  Food is pretty expensive here.

 

limeinndrinks.thumb.jpg.d01dbbaf9c6a24b6688ef6af4a1865b3.jpg

 

lieinntacomenu.thumb.jpg.7c5c54b63d4062bafaebe82b2df89c5f.jpg

 

Our drinks.  Husband got the harbor cooler and I had the dane juice.

 

limeinndrinks2.thumb.jpg.534009273aa8a9ed0c4e5a692181a9a7.jpg

 

We shared the grouper seveche to start.  Very tasty!

 

limeinnseveche.thumb.jpg.5661ab12c27d5f68e410deebf24b34d2.jpg

 

My tacos.  I chose the tuna matata and the g'day mate

 

limeinnbecky.thumb.jpg.055627eca9ea19a4a8db915cd14b5ce1.jpg

 

Husband also had the g'day mate and the Mr. Worldwide

 

limeinnjohn.thumb.jpg.c24006fe30d5d0745da6ca78f1c5cdcc.jpg

 

Restaurant

 

limeinn.thumb.jpg.4fd93537cd819454b2daea671a46ec61.jpg

 

We split a dessert taco too. Why not, it's vacation.  It was stuffed with frozen key lime filling.  They had a chocolate one stuffed with salted caramel filling too, but we thought we could only manage one.

 

limeinndesserttacos.thumb.jpg.626d169a5671bbe4cced73f90829627a.jpg

 

And now it's off to the beach for some snorkeling.  If I see anything interesting I will share the photos.

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Another exciting breakfast! At home it is plain greek yogurt and multigrain bread with fruit, but you have to work with what you can get.

 

tuesdaybrekfast.thumb.jpg.e2c247831273ccf3a19d745fb1b31090.jpg

 

 

Yesterday we went to Maho to go snorkeling.  This used to be one of the least busy, most peaceful beaches on the island.  Someone developed the area across the street from it and put in a beach bar, kayak rentals and so on. Now it is always jam packed with day drinkers and cruise ship passengers visiting from St. Thomas and I rather hate it.  However, the snorkeling is still good, and despite the crowds on the beach, relatively few people actually go in the water past their waists, and even fewer bother snorkeling, so we usually go and head straight into the water, then leave immediately after we are done.  There were some pretty significant rain storms right before we arrived on Saturday, so the water was still stirred up.  Here are a couple of pictures.  French angelfish

 

mahifrenchangelfish3copy.thumb.jpg.687a97866aa8061f089bedc50132c805.jpg

 

Coral with christmas and feather duster worms

 

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The bay always has lots of turtles because of the abundance of sea grass

 

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After snorkeling we went over to Cinnamon to swim.  I forgot to take a picture of the beach again, but I did take a picture of one of the fruit bearing trees that grow along the beach.  The noni fruit

 

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Also known as starvation fruit.  It smells like rotten cheese when you cut into it.  Generally not recommended to eat, it is sometimes used in bush remedies.  

 

Then we went back to the house for a small snack and swimming in the pool

 

poolbar.thumb.jpg.ff1eac0f5bbaa378a8d77c544ef78044.jpg

 

Dinner was at Morgan's Mango.  The set menu never changes here, so I didn't take pictures this time.   My husband's margarita

 

morgansharleysmargarita.thumb.jpg.e6a1e62abd7200c624bf26340688fa93.jpg

 

Cajun shrimp appetizer

 

morgansshrimp.thumb.jpg.91e5f521a839bb206a0e73a4387d403f.jpg

 

And a special appetizer of tuna wrapped in nori and tempura fried

 

morganstunaapp.thumb.jpg.a0137741f58a4f812c92af2100b43aba.jpg

 

Husband had the Caribbean lobster

 

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And I had the fish of the day, local whole snapper

 

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Both entrees were terrific.  We shared a piece of their famous key lime pie for dessert.

 

morganscheesecake.thumb.jpg.d97bd4466805f3ba615338fa2dd195c2.jpg 

 

Today we are hanging at the house in the morning, then heading over to the other side of the island for more snorkeling this afternoon.  Food for the day is TBD. 

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Posted (edited)

We went to Haulover North to try and snorkel the sea fan garden that is offshore there.  We encountered a yellow crested night heron on the walk to the beach

 

yellowcrestednightheron.thumb.jpg.274f3bc1a597e1a6805945fc2d9eb8b4.jpg

 

Sargassum along the shore, but we decided to try anyway. 

 

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Unfortunately the visibility was terrible.  There was lots of decaying sargassum on the sea floor and the particles were breaking up into the water.  We swam really far out but could not get a clear look.  We are going to come back this summer when we have a boat captain for the family group.  They can drop us further offshore than we can safely swim.  We don't tend to hire captains when it's just the two of us.

 

We went over to Haulover South across the street, which was clear, but not as interesting. Baby squid

 

hssquid3.thumb.jpg.1d525f33985e7127f8a43d71fe33ca94.jpg

 

I usually spend my time snorkeling at this location looking at the various corals and encrusting sponges.  I find their colors and patterns fascinating.

 

hstriangle.thumb.jpg.01a2e3f69ad6251c55296609296109b3.jpg

 

hsgreensnail.thumb.jpg.e25b04626cd291f8e5eed6cdf138bc9f.jpg

 

Back to pool beach for an Irie Pop.

 

iriepops.thumb.jpg.84481e88a8e5966b9769262e8b47d33e.jpg

 

Then into town for sunset and dinner.  Neither of us wanted a big meal so we went to Longboard.  Menu

 

longboardmenu.thumb.jpg.76ea1a3a7cd8ee3b63e2546f13259f6f.jpg

 

Drinks.  Husband had a frozen blood orange margarita and I had a mocktail made with hibiscus tea and orange

 

longboarddrinks.thumb.jpg.ee3775f4ba5f128f69e23b7b80d45e45.jpg

 

 

We shared the St. Thomas sushi wrap

 

longboardsushiwraps.thumb.jpg.0495b8ea13cd149c2d008c05ce87ba09.jpg

 

and a couple of fish tacos

 

longboardtacos.thumb.jpg.3cf5e034eaed8a2bb8df335d79dd8099.jpg

 

We went to St. John scoops for dessert.  I had mint chocolate chip and he had toasted coconut in a waffle cone.

 

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The sunset

 

wedset6.thumb.jpg.04f7001780e4879c5e027af62a8115fa.jpg

 

Edited by liamsaunt
typo (log)
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1 hour ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

What is the wrapping on the 'St. John sushi wrap'?

 

 

It's a pink soy paper wrap.

 

Yesterday we went back to Cinnamon Bay, and i actually remembered to take a picture of the beach!

 

cinnamonright.thumb.jpg.1b51847badae6ec52518b207a9932f79.jpg

 

cinnamon.thumb.jpg.55b45d3100ae5068d54c1c9ea7c52f9a.jpg

 

We did not snorkel, just floated around.

 

Here's another fruit tree on the beach.  This is a lime berry.  You can eat this one in drinks and desserts. 

 

limeberry.thumb.jpg.8769af9322ded48a7c6f12a8cc1b849d.jpg

 

We had to go back and get cleaned up for dinner, but first some pool time with Irie Pops. Today's flavor was chocolate sea salt.  

 

thursdayiriepop.thumb.jpg.bfbb71672562fa8706d392a6028b4440.jpg

 

Dinner was at Zozo's at Caneel Bay.  This restaurant is closing for the season June 14th, but I think it might be closing permanently at this location.  The National Park has (finally!!!) won the lawsuit to take control of the Caneel Bay property from the investment banking group that has been holding the grounds in limbo since the hurricanes of 2017.  The ruling is being appealed by the investment group, but the National Park has already been doing improvements and access work.  My understanding is that part of the beach grounds will be opening to the public in just a few weeks, including the beach directly in front of Zozos.  People that live down here are ecstatic--they've been basically banned from the grounds for decades (five of the seven beaches on the property were reserved for the exclusive use of resort guests).  

 

My understanding is that part of the property will still be a private upscale resort run by a vendor of the National Park's choosing, but at least part of the grounds area and more of the beaches will be public now.  Speaking as a prior frequent Caneel Bay resort guest, I think this is a good balance.  There were definitely people who wanted the entire resort area turned into unspoiled National Park land, but that was never going to happen.  The resort is too much of a money maker, and just as importantly, was also one of the largest employers on the island when it was open.

 

Anyway.  Restaurant setting

 

zozosrestaurant.thumb.jpg.689bacdeff330f79691d3624a14c77e2.jpg

 

Menu for the evening

 

zozosmenu.thumb.jpg.fe37050f13b0250dfbe9f565b7ba114e.jpg

 

Drinks.  Husband had a martini and I had the hydrate mocktail

 

zozosdrinks.thumb.jpg.f06f91c02ad171010d5fa3a6e79ad577.jpg

 

I started with the burrata appetizer (meat donated to my husband haha)

 

zozosburrata.thumb.jpg.29890001488ede17bdd7b81e4ecc6d1c.jpg

 

And he had the steak tartare

 

zozossteaktartare.thumb.jpg.d6e053b34f8d4de0e8cdf48c51f5318a.jpg

 

For entrees, my husband ordered the osso bucco but swapped in the tenderloin and added a lobster tail (you can always swap tenderloin for the osso bucco and add also can local lobster to all the entrees here).  The owner came out and said that the tenderloins did not look as good as they should, and suggested he order something else.  He got the porchetta instead

 

zozosporchetta.thumb.jpg.1d94ee8e636aae9b4364c56a1d871745.jpg

 

I had the scallops.  I was reluctant to order them since i can get them so easily at home (a lady in my town even owns a scallop fishing boat and does door to door deliveries!)  They were the best thing I have eaten on this trip!  I finished my whole plate, which is unusual for me.

 

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We watched the sun setting with dinner.  I could not decide which picture I liked better so you get two

 

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The owner brought over a comped dessert to apologize for the tenderloin not being available.  It was a molten chocolate thing with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream.  It's not something we every would have chosen on our own, but my goodness was it delicious.  We managed to finish most of it.

 

zozosdessert.thumb.jpg.afc94da8efcd6d3cbe2c5506dcd846a1.jpg

 

Another great meal at Zozos.  

 

zozossunset3.thumb.jpg.368fb851e91a8d50c2476bc2b0d0fdcd.jpg

 

 

 

 

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Friday we did not have diner because I ended up having to go to the hospital equivalent on island.  I'm fine now.  

 

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Saturday was our day to transfer from the house we were renting over to Lovango Cay.  This time, we rented a "treehouse" instead of a glamping tent.  The treehouses have air conditioning of a sort.  It can only work so well because the slots in the floor are open slats.  Here are some pictures.

 

lovangobed.thumb.jpg.28c087bed73d5b0b8568e1ead9d26e58.jpg

 

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We hung out by the pool while waiting for our cabin to be ready.  They upgraded us to a pool cabana and comped a bottle of some sparkling wine that my husband had a glass of.

 

lovangocabana.thumb.jpg.0600c3df6b64ccce77e396a7376bb004.jpg

 

lovangowelcomechampagne.thumb.jpg.6c24e4d6d327570c0e4cbfa454b0f324.jpg

 

Dinner was at the Sandpit.  There's live music and various other entertainment, but we were pretty tired, so just had dinner and were shortly asleep.  Menu

 

sandpitmenu.thumb.jpg.8f1d96f0913a0671e17cbfc93df47a78.jpg

 

Tuna nicoise (I really liked the pickled okra)

 

lovangotunanicoisewithpickledvegetables.thumb.jpg.13bf46b09c66de9734596875b5a9ee23.jpg

 

Lobster pizza

 

lovangolobsterpizza.thumb.jpg.2e5c65103640d37b97f29d63ce43c438.jpg

 

lovango pool.jpg

lovango flatbread.jpg

lady lynsey .jpg

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@liamsaunt I hope you're feeling better.  I certainly know what it's like to feel ill while traveling, but (knock on wood) never got to the point where I went to a hospital of some kind (even though there may have been a time when I should have).

 

Oddly enough, back in 2007, we visited my wife's cousin and her husband at their vacation home in St. Thomas located right next door to the Ritz Carlton hotel (on the dry side of the island).  One evening we went out on the Lady Lynsey for a sunset cruise...  I wonder if the boat in your last photo is the same one?  It looks just like it!

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23 hours ago, KennethT said:

@liamsaunt I hope you're feeling better.  I certainly know what it's like to feel ill while traveling, but (knock on wood) never got to the point where I went to a hospital of some kind (even though there may have been a time when I should have).

 

Oddly enough, back in 2007, we visited my wife's cousin and her husband at their vacation home in St. Thomas located right next door to the Ritz Carlton hotel (on the dry side of the island).  One evening we went out on the Lady Lynsey for a sunset cruise...  I wonder if the boat in your last photo is the same one?  It looks just like it!

 

I went in an ambulance, so no choice.  I have an exciting medical life haha.  I seem to be fine now and will follow up with my care team once I am home.

 

And yes, that is the Lady Lynsey out of the Ritz Carlton on St. Thomas!  Lovango is a pleasant sailing distance from where the Ritz is located on St. Thomas.  They do sailing excursions to St. John for dinner as well, though I am not sure if that is a coordinated thing with a particular restaurant or just a shuttle service to get people over to the town.

 

We spent the day snorkeling at the two swimming areas on Lovango.  The front of the island doesn't have a beach  per se, you get into the water from a dock.  The back of the island has a rocky beach.  We spent today at the rocky beach, called Crescent.  Here are some pictures.

 

crescentbeach.thumb.jpg.782fc6789a582514b349c12dcf7abf51.jpg

 

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It's pretty rare that anyone else from the resort comes by when we are there.  Once you are finished, you text them and they come get you in a golf cart.  You can walk back up too, if you want to....but why?  Here are some underwater sights.

 

Trio of permits

 

lovangopermittriocopy2.thumb.jpg.20ac220b79c2a883d4382743f26d9ba8.jpg

 

Corals

 

lovangocoralscene.thumb.jpg.ca2022a70ed08381a2f74edd10f0043b.jpg

 

Dog snapper

 

crescentdogsnappercopy.thumb.jpg.ec530186d3690220dbdef8e2fa78e2c4.jpg

 

Blue Tang

 

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For dinner we ate at the resort.  

 

View

 

lovangosunset.thumb.jpg.3ce6ab175003bf351a3f236efd6c19d0.jpg

 

Specials

 

lovangodinnerspecials.thumb.jpg.32f735f881c95ac1a5a0eab7927b0ea4.jpg

 

Menu

 

lovangomenu.thumb.jpg.4f0fb26bc72cc37d949d24e2c88343fa.jpg

 

Husband got the tuna noodle appetizer

 

lovangotunanoodles.thumb.jpg.a9458c43e41c93ca29fddfb9c0481f13.jpg

 

Followed by the lobster schnitzel

 

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I had the special tomato salad

 

lovangotomatosalad.thumb.jpg.3a12a8872bf554a4d28817ecd3ff95ec.jpg

 

and the shiitake tortelloni

 

lovangotortelloni.thumb.jpg.62c5a8017c2051b99bbe54d8fdb5da7f.jpg

 

We shared some mint ice cream for dessert.

 

lovangominticeceam.thumb.jpg.9839edd5aabb474019a7bfebd9385242.jpg

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Our last day of the visit was spent doing more of the same.  Snorkeling of course!  A couple of pictures: we found the school of blue tang again

 

crescenttangclosecopy.thumb.jpg.98fcdc268c9761171b327eb764b60a8e.jpg

 

Puddingwife

 

lovangopuddingwife2copy.thumb.jpg.c4a36c5055fa27abf89387f593eba79c.jpg

 

Honeycomb cowfish

 

crescenthoneycombcowfishcopy.thumb.jpg.e5037d183ebcd9ac1d062d6e7ae661f8.jpg

 

For dinner, we took the boat over to St. John and had dinner at La Tapa.  Menu

 

latapamenu.thumb.jpg.dea059faa27c0f03c2de79af99048f9b.jpg

 

I started with the goat cheese salad

 

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and husband had the mozzarella

 

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Then I had the tuna.  I seem to get this every time

 

latapatuna.thumb.jpg.2132642a934d3e1e7691c393341ea32f.jpg

 

And husband had the shrimp and langoustine pasta

 

latapashrimp.thumb.jpg.9c45790923b65941518227d097288cc8.jpg

 

We split the pineapple for dessert.

 

latapapineapple.thumb.jpg.00084a2fa6ee6ef43f90b88f04403ce3.jpg

 

Sunset from our table

 

latapaset2.thumb.jpg.00540603c1e9ad700b7c89546da99adf.jpg

 

And that's it for this visit to St. John.  See you on the dinner thread.

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