Since my wife and I needed to burn up some remaining vacation days before the end of the year, we decided to take a gamble and do a "non-rev" vacation. Since my wife works for an airline, we can fly for free...provided there are seats available. Over the past ten years, finding open seats has become increasingly difficult as airlines have become more efficient at packing more people into fewer planes. After searching around for flights to various destinations, we settled on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands since there were a good amount of open seats available. Fortunately, the flight stayed open and we boarded with no problems. My Mom flew out of D.C. and joined us down there for our week-long vacation.

We ended up booking a condo at Point Pleasant resort since we were trying to do this vacation on a bit of a budget. We stuffed our checked baggage with food and groceries and ended up saving a ton of money by bringing most of our food and cooking in the condo.

The view from our condo looking out over Water Bay on the northeast tip of the island...





Looking east from our patio at the barrier islands (Thatch, Grass, and Mingo Cay) with St. John furthest to the right...



Our condo was small, but nicely decorated - and a perfect base camp for a week of exploring the island...





Our first night we hit the grocery store and picked up the few remaining items we needed. We had brought a cooler in our checked bags with frozen filets, bacon, chicken, and other essentials. Food is fairly expensive in the islands, so you are better of skipping extra clothes and bringing supplies instead.

Monday dawned with the ominous news that a tropical depression out to the east of the islands was deepening into a tropical storm and was forecast to become a hurricane by the following day (Tuesday). The forecast model had Tropical Storm Gonzalo tracking due west toward the Virgin Islands and crossing over the eastern tip of Puerto Rico while continuously strengthening. The forecast didn't look good for us since being on the north side of the storm would give us the most punishing winds and the warm water temperatures promised a rapid strengthening of the storm. We were so disappointed that our vacation was going to get ruined (or worse) by the severe weather...



The beaches on the east and north sides of the island definitely had a bit more wave action and the breeze picked up over the next couple of days..but the scenery was still beautiful. We took a drive over to Sapphire Beach and enjoyed the beautiful beach there. The complex is undergoing some renovations, so the restaurant and bar were being housed in a temporary tent-like structure instead of the nice location on the beach. It does look like someplace we would visit once the construction is finished up...



The pelicans are so cool to watch at Sapphire Beach - they hit the water just feet from you as they snag the thousands of small baitfish that populate the shallow water right up against the beach...







Even though the water was a little churned up from the approaching storm, the snorkeling at Sapphire was very good, particularly on the right side of the beach all the way out to the point (Prettyklip Point). The current was fairly tame inside the bay (I think it was eddying into the bay) but it does whip by the point right to left at a fairly brisk pace, so care must be taken to snorkel into the current to judge your progress or ability to hold position.

The fans and elkhorn coral are doing pretty good...there is definitely a good bit of damaged coral too, but overall the reef seemed to be coping...





Fire coral..don't touch this stuff unless you fancy a nice burning sensation..



Trumpetfish..(apologies for the poor underwater pics..I had to do screengrabs from our GoPro since our underwater camera sprung a leak and got ruined..)



Toward the point on the right of Sapphire Beach there are long canyons of rock and coral that extend out into the current. The snorkeling there is beautiful and the bottom is cool looking...



By late afternoon Gonzalo had been upgraded to a hurricane and was forecast to hit right on top of St. Thomas Monday night and into Tuesday morning around 2AM. We went to the grocery store, which became increasingly busy throughout the afternoon, and stocked up on water, candles, batteries for the flashlights in the condo, and ice. We had plenty of liquor and food..but we also bought a $10 grill and some charcoal in case the power went out. I've been through plenty of hurricanes in Myrtle Beach and even though a Category 1 isn't all that bad, it certainly has the potential to make roads impassable and knock out power for multiple days. In the islands, I figured it could be much worse. They were also forecasting 8 to 12" of rain..

That afternoon we headed back to Point Pleasant and availed ourselves of the pool..resigned to the fact that our vacation was going to get a bit more exciting in the next twelve hours. There are three beautiful pools at Point Pleasant..the lower one sits over top of the restaurant (which was unfortunately closed) and very near the water...







Kai's pirate figure anticipating the arrival of Gonzalo...





As the afternoon turned to evening the weather got a bit more active..a few squalls came racing in from the east and kicked up the waves in the bay and doused us with a couple rain showers. We explored the resort a bit and walked down the paths to the tiny resort beach nestled up against the rocks...





You can see the rainshowers in the distant moving toward us. Rainshowers. Behind my wife. Guys? Yeah..the rainshowers guys..





We finally got chased off the beach when the first rain hit and the wind picked up...





Not much more to do other than mix up a batch of margaritas and await what was coming...



The clouds lowered and it was a pretty ominous feeling out. A few of the boats in the harbor were getting squared away with double anchors and putting fenders out in case other boats broke free during the night. The sounds of hammers and drills carried across the water as locals put plywood and shutters over their windows and doors...





Then - the literal calm before the storm settled in. As the sun set the western sky lit at various times with pink and orange hues as the clouds scudded by. The wind died away to near nothing and the waves kicked up by the earlier squalls subsided. It was amazingly quiet...



The staff at the resort threw a hurricane party..so we dropped by and said hello and sampled one of the excellent Hurricane Mojitos that the staff mixed up. It was very kind of them to stay and reassure the guests when they probably would have rather been home taking care of their own affairs...







As night fell, there was nothing left to do but pull the hurricane shutters closed across the sliding glass doors and burrow down with the flashlights nearby. We went to sleep early...



That night, a bit of a miracle - the hurricane totally departed from the forecast track and made a jog to the north. Around midnight we heard a bit of heavy rain, but when I woke up the next morning the power was on and there was barely a palm frond out of place. I was amazed. I got on my laptop and marveled at how the hurricane had decided to move north and even the torrential rain bands had missed us. I couldn't believe it. Over the course of the next several days, Bermuda would be in the crosshairs and the storm would eventually build to an incredible Category 4 storm before dropping in intensity and slamming Bermuda. Our good fortune was their bad luck. I hope all on Bermuda escaped injury and with minimal damage...



The next day was a bit cloudy initially as the storm moved off to the north, but by midday the clouds were breaking up and the winds were definitely becoming lighter. We headed to the south side of the island, anticipating a bit better beach conditions with less surf. Secret Harbor was a beautiful beach with good snorkeling and a laid back vibe.



The point on the left side of the beach had good snorkeling, but care had to be taken to not get too close to the rocks off the point with the waves being up a bit. Off the point, the shallows drop off into the deeper blue waters which is always a cool and spooky feeling. Kai (4-years old) did great snorkeling and he had a blast the whole trip keeping up with Mommy and Daddy...

The always curious Caribbean squid..



We call these Mohawk Fish..











Expected to see aliens emerge from these sponges...



Later that day we went to famed Coki Beach. It was the least favorite beach for us on the trip. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt that the high surf made it a different experience for us..but the appeal (I assume) is that the fish are fed regularly there so a ton of them congregate there to take the offered dog biscuits. If you just want to stick your head in the water and see fish - I think Coki would be OK..but for avid snorkelers, I don't really see the appeal. The local vendors have a bit of a shakedown feel to them and when compared with the excellently managed beaches at Megan's Bay and Lindquist Beach, the appeal was just lacking for us. I can see why some would like it, while others would hate it.

High surf at Coki Beach...



One of our favorite beaches was the aforementioned Megan's Bay. Operated by a concession, it costs $4 a person to get in (under 12 is free) but the views and facilities are really worth it. The parking areas are nice and clean, the bathrooms are well kept, and the grounds are immaculate. Now, I'll put the caveat that due to Gonzalo I think the port visits by the cruise ships were all cancelled - so I'm betting that Megan's could be a bit of a zoo on high traffic days. That said, I think there might have been a dozen or so people on the entire beach while we were there.



We parked Nana in a beautiful spot on the beach and Kai, Marisa, and I headed up the steep 1.5 mile nature trail into the forest above the beach. The 3-mile round trip hike is a fun diversion with some nice views and interesting animals, plants, and trees to take in. We were all tripping out on the huge crabs and hermit crabs along the route...

Where is Stanley Kubrick?





There are tons of these Gongolo millipedes inhabiting the trees and branches. Allegedly the millipede can secret some toxin that can cause skin irritation and temporary blindness. I accidentally grabbed one with my hand as we were descending the trail - it was on a thin tree trunk I was grasping. I must have been fortunate because I suffered no ill effects...



The raised boardwalk along the mangrove section. Hundreds of burrowing crabs inhabit this area...



After the mangrove section the trail ascends steeply and can be a bit strenuous in the heat and humidity..



One of the views along the trail...



We made it to the top of the trail in about 45 minutes. We were under the mistaken impression that there was a place to get milkshakes at the top (apparently they are at the BOTTOM of the trail) - try to explain that one to a 4-year old who has just trekked a mile and a half through the hot jungle. We headed back down the trail and arrived back on Magen's Beach and the beautiful views...





Next we headed over to Hull Bay to scope it out. We considered snorkeling there, but the water looked a bit rough and it just didn't look that appealing at that point. We solicited the advice of one of the local surfers who acknowledged that the waves were up (on the left side of the bay) and that the visibility probably wouldn't be very good even though good snorkeling could be had on a calm day. We did enjoy a fantastic meal at the Hull Bay Hideway bar and restaurant where we had delicious burgers, fish tacos, and fish and chips. The Hull Bay Hurricane drink wasn't too bad either as were the local beers. Prices were great, the service was fantastic, and the setting was really cool...





After lunch we headed up to the tourist trap that is the top of St. Thomas - Mountain Top. Again, we had it all to ourselves thanks to the lack of cruise ships - I think there were about six customers in the entire place. As far as touristy stores goes - Mountain Top is pretty damn impressive. And we did get suckered into $14 banana daiquiris that certainly hit the spot. The views are spectacular and overall this is a pretty good tourist stop that is worth a look if you are in the vicinity...





Looking down toward Magen's Bay from Mountain Top...



I can usually be found at a bar...



Later that evening a huge thunderstorm was climbing into the heavens east of St. Thomas..an impressive sight and beautifully lit by the setting sun...



The next day we spent some time at the tiny resort beach at Point Pleasant. The trail down takes about three or four minutes to walk and is not very steep if you park at the lowest level. The entire resort is built into the side of a cliff, so each successive level is higher than the next. The three pools are interspersed at various levels throughout the resort and all are really beautiful. The beach is not much more than the size of a tennis court, but it is very private. If you really wanted to, you could swim around the remains of the pier and be on Sugar Beach at the resort next door in about 60 seconds and 50 feet. Though it looks rocky, there is easy access to a sandy area that you can wade in and swim around with no problem...





It was on this beach that Kai found a small glass bottle with a pirate treasure map within which had instructions on where to find a hidden pirate treasure on the beach. It was very exciting for a 4-year old...









Nana and Kai...



Sailboats come in close and tie up and ferry people from the resorts for their afternoon sails and snorkel tours. It is a really relaxing place to just chill with an adult beverage...



The mid level pool...



To our great surprise - the best snorkeling we found on the island is around the corner from the resort. Swim across the bay in front of Sugar Bay and the snorkeling goes from somewhat blah to pretty darn good in a hurry. We actually snorkeled the area twice and on the second go we took Kai with us for a long swim across Sugar Bay and all the way to the inlet to Smith Bay. The reef is amazing on the outside, but there is some current and you have to be a pretty confident swimmer to go such a distance along the outer reef...







This is the entry/exit from the outer reef to Lindquist Beach / Smith Bay. The fringing outer reef gives way to white sand. The waves break over the reef and exit through the center of the reef (where the white sand is), so there can be a good bit of current and you definitely don't want to get pushed over the reef by the breaking waves. We swam in at the break then walked back toward our resort on the beach. Toward the north end of the beach (nearest to Sugar Bay) you can reenter the water along a small cut of white sand that will sweep you back out over the reef with no problem (it is another exit point for water that builds up on the inside of the reef).



Kai and Marisa paddling in to Lindquist Beach...the water color and sand are just incredible. We would revisit this beach with Nana the next day. A couple bucks per person and it is really, really nice...



Walking back toward Sugar Bay where we'd eventually reenter the water and swim back to our resort...





On our last day we revisited some of our favorite beaches - Sapphire Beach and Lindquist since they both had such good snorkeling and were ideally set up for Nana. We never really hit any of the western side beaches..so there is a lot left to explore.

Sapphire Beach...











Another beautiful day at Lindquist Beach - one of the most picturesque beaches we visited...







Strawberry ice cream...can't beat that!



Snorkeling at Cowpet Bay was good too..























Me and my buddy fishing at our resort...



We all caught our flights the last day and we didn't get bumped off - a well planned and executed trip all around. We are just extremely lucky that Gonzalo took that turn or this would have been 90 pictures of rain and debris. We can't wait to revisit St. Thomas and see some of the west side of the island and we definitely want to check out St. John's on another trip.

Now...winter..ugh..

Edit: Since this is linked to Trip Advisor, some details.

VRBO Listing - Sea To Believe

Regarding the condo - it was perfect for our purposes (four of us). The beds were comfortable, the kitchen had pretty much everything. The only thing we really overlooked was that the kitchen didn't have an oven (oops!). We had bought pizza crusts and some other items to cook in an oven, but we made do with a skillet with a top and made a mini-oven. I even managed to skillet cook filet mignon that came out perfectly (yeah..I was amazed). The views out of the condo are simply stunning..but it isn't a unit where you step out the door an are on a beach. In fact, the adjacent beach on Water Bay is usually accessed via a door and path by the restaurant, but the beach resort is undergoing renovation, so it is closed to entry at this point (estimated to be done next year). That leaves the small, but cool resort beach as the only walkable beach. We were also disappointed to learn that the on-site restaurant (Panga) was closed for our entire stay. I don't know when it is going to re-open, but that was bad timing for us since my wife and I probably would have had one dinner there and maybe a lunch and drinks. Probably saved us $200 though by it being closed (LOL). The property is pretty steep but the trails and walkways to the pools are beautiful. The second on-site restaurant that is being built looks like it is going to be incredible..it is beautifully perched on the side of the resort with nice landscaping. No ETA on when that will be opening since it was originally slated for Spring of 2014 (we didn't see anyone working on it).

The snorkeling off the resort was as good or better than any other place we found, but it is a swim across Sugar Bay. Not a long swim though..I mean, it takes all of five minutes to transit Sugar Bay and then another five minutes of swimming to get around the point toward the good snorkeling area. Coki Beach - I'd probably not go back there to tell you the truth. Not when so many beautiful beaches dot the island.

Sapphire Beach (price-wise the direct competitor with Point Pleasant) looked nice - but the resort was undergoing renovations, so a lot was missing. The resort restaurant was out of commission and it looked like an entire building was under renovation. The pool area was nice, but the beach is the best part of the resort and being able to walk out of your room onto it. If you have a car - I'd recommend Point Pleasant. If you don't - you might be better off at Sapphire Beach (unless you can get a cheap shuttle). Personally, I liked the high vantage point and watching the comings and goings of the boats in the bay at Point Pleasant. I also liked the nature trails and up and down walking because it was good exercise. If you just had knee joint replacement - err...maybe not so much.

The guy that rented us the condo (Eddy) was fantastic to work with and was very concerned with our safety during the impending hurricane. He was helpful, responsive, and was available at a moments notice. His decor was perfect and the unit was clean and just really nice all around. Had we not been on so much of a budget we would have availed ourselves of the nice staff at Point Pleasant who seemed to have a good list of activities and excursions.

TL;DR - We'd rent this condo again if we return to St. Thomas - it was great!



BeachAV8R

thanks for posting all that beauty! Good to see you and family enjoying the turn of weather. Sometimes luck just piles up goodness!

Beach, you definitely know how to tell a story.

Well done! I'm glad y'all had a great time.

Great Pics like always! Felt like I was there. Thanks! I needed a mini vacation today.

Great Vacation Chris, gotta love VRBO, the only way we vacation. Research is the only way
to avoid the no oven issue. Glad you all had a great time.

Beautiful.

Thanks for sharing, going to have to re-read this one tomorrow with the Mrs.

Looks stunning! Fire Coral - yowsers! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_coral

smith

Beautiful over there. Good the storm moved away. And so cool that Kai already enjoys swimming and snorkelling!

Interesting account and great pics of a place I knew nothing at all about.
I am the better for having read this. I liked your attitude towards thew hurricane. I live in Japan and am now fairly positive about typhoons (as I live in a safeish area in a very strong apartment building). They're interesting to watch, and mojitos would make that all the more so.

Plus bikini pics - wooooooooooo!

The only thing I dislike about hurricanes is losing power. As long as that stays on, I don't care. Just another storm.




The Jedi Master

What about the possibility of trees falling on your roof or other debris hitting your house and damaging it? Oh, and of course there's the possible flooding.

Thanks for sharing!

Big doings with finding mysterious buried pirate treasure and all!

Gobble it all up while you can, it's magic. It gets better, but he'll never be four years old again.

None of that is really likely in my area. We have no trees that are a threat, there's nothing to make debris of, and flooding is highly unlikely. We're more at risk from flooding in one of those regular 3+ day storms we get than a hurricane which lasts less than 12 hrs. When all the homes in your area are built to hurricane codes in an area with decent elevation, there's really little to worry about.
A tornado, sure, that's a concern, but even in a hurricane they're not that common to worry about them. Anything under a Cat 4 storm doesn't even make me want to get out the shutters.




The Jedi Master

That was painful to read.

LOVE the USVI, have been to St. John a dozen times but not for a few years and I really miss it. Love having conch fritters and just relaxing at The Shipwreck Landing over looking Coral Bay. You do need to get over to St. John the next time you are down. Many small, beautiful uncrowded beaches there. Fun to check out the sea turtles grazing on the sea grass at Frances Bay.

Nice looking family! My son is the same age and I want to get him and his sister down there too. BTW, I believe those Caribbean squid are actually cuttlefish, very intelligent creatures that like to just float and stare at you as you snorkel by. They definitely take an interest in human comings and goings. Made my wife nervous!

I don't love taking off from the airport in Charlotte Amalie, knowing there's a gas station followed by a cliff wall at the end of the runway if we don't make it...

Awesome Beach!

Thanks coasty - things should be fairly pretty up your way about now I'd guess. Down to 39 here tonight, so I finally fired up the wood-stove...


I went through a lot of hurricanes when I lived in Myrtle Beach - Bertha, Fran, Dennis, Floyd, and a few other lesser ones. One of them rocked the apartment complex I was staying in pretty good..to the point I thought the roof might come off. I never really appreciated the power of the storms until I flew down to New Orleans a few days after Katrina, then went back a few weeks later with our mobile hospital unit. To see well made homes in Waveland pushed a quarter mile inland..leaving only a concrete slab behind, was pretty damn impressive. My thoughts in the USVI was that if it ramped up to a Cat 2 or 3 prior to hitting, well, I just wasn't so sure how the island would handle that.


Yeah..I was surprised when we departed we taxied to runway 10. I guess I made the false assumption that all landings were made to the east and all takeoffs to the west..but the 767 we were on must have had the numbers to make the climb gradient. Definitely would be an interesting place to lose one at V1 though.. This photo makes it not look as bad as it looked to me though. That is a big displacement for 28 though..




BeachAV8R

Hurricane stories...

Having lived most of my life in Louisiana and Florida, I've felt the punch. Even living in Atlanta, I remember staying up watching Opel bend the light poles at our townhouse.

My scariest moment was Floyd in Jax, FL. My wife was stuck in Atlanta after a business trip and I wanted to get our less-than 1 month old '99 Civic Si to safety (apartment, no garage). First attempt to leave town was a bust, almost two hours on the interstate to go only 1/4m to the next exit. Later that night (at least midnight) they announced they were closing the bridges in 30min. so either leave now or ride it out. Nobody was on the road, so off I was to Atlanta.

I get on a bridge over the St. Johns (kind of a long stretch, I forget the name) and I feel like the wind is going to push me over the side. So I roll down the windows and open the roof, made a big difference. Surreal moment, completely alone (I don't remember seeing a single car on the bridge), Dark Side of the Moon CD playing while watching the creepy rotation of clouds through the roof.

I was tired but there wasn't a hotel vacancy from Jax to Atlanta, so I drove in to my wife's downtown hotel. Floyd just skimmed Jax so it wasn't as bad as predicted, the terrain (shape of FL, Jax in further in) is a natural protection against a direct hit.

Great snorkel pics! And the rest of course

We did the cruise excursion group snorkeling at Grand Cayman, but I'd much rather go on our own like this thread (and St. Thomas is so gorgeous, shame we could stay only half a day).

We read this thread together and we're ready to go back as an all-inclusive, and in my case post-obesity (even snorkeling is tough when you're really out of shape).

Great stuff Beach! I've been to St Thomas twice and hope to go back after my 6 month middle eastern vacation.

I did the non rev and ID-90 when I worked for an airline and got a deal on a Best Western near the airport back around '04 I think. Four day weekend there for about $250. I hopped a ferry to St John for a day and really want to stay there the next time I go, but still had a great time on St Thomas.

Great pics!