What happens when your old college roomie calls you in the
middle of the day on a random Wednesday and invites you to go on an all-expense
paid trip to St. Thomas with her???
If you’re me…you nearly break your neck falling off the
treadmill. Then quickly look around the gym to see if anyone else working out
on their lunch break noticed you falling off the treadmill. Shake it off and
reply to her…when you can regain your breath…with a GIANT “YES!!!”
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| view from our room at the Ritz Carlton-St. Thomas |
I will try to keep this post short as the pictures will
speak for themselves. Here’s the break down…one week at the Ritz Carlton in St.
Thomas. One full day of sailing and snorkeling in St. John. One full day
crisping our skin on the beach. One full day shopping and beaching in St. John.
And then one glorious morning on the beach prior to departure.
So here’s what I learned…most flights to the Virgin Islands
route you through Atlanta, Miami, or Houston. It is a 3+ hour flight from
Atlanta to St. Thomas. If you are a US
citizen you do not need a passport to enter…however, here’s the sticky wicket,
you’ll need one to leave. That said, if your dream is to be detained in the
Virgin Islands…I suggest ‘accidentally’ leaving your passy at home.
The US Virgin Islands were originally the “Danish West
Indies” but due to a downward spiraling economy, the onset of WWI, and US fears
that the islands would be exposed to German U-boats, were eventually sold to
the US in 1916 for the bargain price of $25M US gold. The islands are about 50
miles east of Puerto Rico…and MUCH closer to the Equator than you might
imagine.
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| Trunk Bay beach, St. John |
Each of the three islands, St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St.
John has its own personality. St. Croix is the largest of the islands but since
I didn’t go there…I can’t say much about it. St. Thomas is the capital and
clearly the biggest tourism island. Charlotte Amalie is the VI capital and the
spot where most flights (STT) and cruises to the VI arrive. The island of St. John is 2/3 National Park
thus making it the least populated of the three islands.
Getting around the VI is very simple…with the exception that
you drive American cars on the left side of the road…i.e. left-side driver
drives on left side of the road. It’s a little off putting. There are ferries
that leave on the hour from Charlotte Amalie and Red Hook (which is the one
closest to the resort areas) to the other islands ($14/round trip). We even
noticed that they offer a weekend excursion to Puerto Rico that leaves on
Friday afternoon and comes back to Red Hook on Sunday. Nice if you need a little change of scenery I
guess. There are also plenty of “taxis” on the island to get you where you need
to go. However, be prepared for a wait and to share your “taxi” with about 8-10
other people. From my experience, I did not see a single “single” taxi. All
“taxis” were 12 passenger vans…and the cabbies will wait FOREVER to try to fill
those seats.
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After a day on this beauty out snorkeling...you most likely
wont care what your hair looks like, but if you do... |
The average temp year round is 87 degrees Fahrenheit. And it
was pretty close to that the entire time we were there. A very balmy 87
degrees. The “balmy” part is what
initially worried me about my tresses. IF this had just been a vacation…I
wouldn’t have really cared and just sported the “ocean look” the entire time.
But because this was a quasi-business trip for my BFF we were both a little concerned
about the state of affairs for our hair. She has gorgeous dark brown hair that
in the humidity turns into Shirley Temple-ish ringlets. I have baby fine,
blonde hair that when subjected to massive amounts of humidity plasters itself
to my scull. Not at all sexy in this world of high volume, perfectly sculpted, Bardot-like
waves. Luckily my friends at Wella Professionals hooked me up with their OilReflections and Sebastian Stylbrid9. I’m not even kidding when I say my hair
looked, and felt, delightful the whole time. I was concerned that the large
amount of saltwater that I subjected my hair to on a daily basis would really
dry it out. But I truly think it was the Wella Professionals Oil Reflections
that saved my hair. On the flip side…the Sebastian Stylbrid9 was just what I
needed to actually tame my hair. It was great when I wanted the flat-ironed
sleek look and even better when I wanted to go for the tousled waves. Hold,
texture, and heat protection. Can’t beat that! Oh wait…yeah you can…because you
can find both at your local Ulta store! See…the four of you reading this blog
will now rush out to get these products and have A-mazing hair!
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| Fresh fish night at the RC. Literally off the boat. |
And while I’m doing a little “product placement” I might as
well give a shout out to the folks at the St. Thomas Ritz Carlton. I think
we’ve all heard the high praise that most Ritz Carltons receive and if you’re
like me you probably think it’s a little exaggerated. Readers…I can truthfully
tell you it is NOT. The quality is everything you’ve heard of and more. The
grounds were SMOKE FREE and spotless. The rooms were squeaky clean and the
housecleaning service had a magical way of cleaning your room without EVER
being in your way. And when you travel as much as I do…inevitably you find
yourself under foot with housekeeping. Not here!
The resort had 3 restaurants and a FroYo café. The food at
all restaurants was amazing…and I had THE BEST smoothie I’ve ever had at the
FroYo café. If you’re a rum fan…this is
your place. EVERY drink is a fruity-rummy drink. By Wednesday I purposefully
switched to Vodka tonics simply because my body had started rejecting ALL the
fruit I was ingesting from the fruity-rummy drinks. By Thursday I’d down-graded
to beer.
But beyond the fruity drinks, the great food, the comfy
beds, the squeaky clean-ness, and the Corona commercial setting…what stood out
to me the most was the friendly staff. EVERY person I passed…from housekeeping,
to gardeners, to bartenders, to sailing crew…everyone I passed looked me in the
eye and said “hello”. Can you imagine how many times a day those folks have to
greet all the people staying there??? It must be exhausting. But they did
it…ALL of them.
Okay…I’ve clearly rattled on waaaaaay too long here. I will
wrap this up and leave you with some final thoughts in my favorite form…bullet
points:
* I over packed. Totally. I would have been fine
with 2 swimsuits, 1 sarong, 1 pair of shorts, 2 tank tops, a fun skirt and a
party dress. Nice sandals and flip-flops would have sufficed for the whole
week. As far as make-up??? My eyelash
curler, mascara, and some powder would have done the trick.
* We were WAY closer to the equator than initially
thought. SPF 30 does NOT cut it. Let me repeat that…SPF 30 is not enough. Even
if re-applied every hour. Pack the SPF
50…and pack a LOT.
* Take advantage of all the time you have. Take
that sailing day excursion to the other islands! Visit with the crew… and I
guarantee you’ll hear some great stories.
* Don’t be afraid to get off the resort and visit
some local places. Everyone speaks English…so just ASK.
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| Trunk Bay Beach...again. My favorite. |
* When I go back…I’m renting a house on St. John
and a Jeep and will be-bop around to all the lovely National Park beaches…with
a cooler of hotdogs and Doritos…because when you spend the day swimming on a
gorgeous, white-powder-sand beach…you really want a grilled hotdog and some
nacho chips.
* For every fruity-rummy drink…do yourself a favor
and drink a glass of water.
* Although St. Thomas is great…St. John is
pristine. Truly, if God vacationed…this is where He would go.
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I don't even care at this point how I look.
Quote: "I haven't felt this good without a prescription in 5 years!" |
