The Virgin Islands are mind-boggling. What more can I say. I had been on those tiny rocks in the Caribbean many years ago. They did leave an impression but I’d never thought much about going back. Then we received an invitation to join Katherine’s daughter Kim and her friend Deven in a beautiful home they had rented for a week. We couldn’t resist and just returned from a wonderful getaway on St. John. American Airlines got us to St. Thomas from New York in just over 3 hours. After an interesting taxi ride through the hills we climbed aboard the ferry to St John and landed 15 minutes later in that tropical paradise. We quickly discovered Verizon wireless service was non-existent and so were disconnected for our time there which helped make it a real vacation.
The mind-boggling aspects of these islands begin with the weather. Sunshine and comfortable temperatures in the 80s are the rule. The beaches are numerous and pristine white without huge crowds. The water is crystal clear and provides beautiful color schemes of greens and blues. The largest part of St. John is a national park, protected from any development. It is crisscrossed by many beautiful hiking trails ranging from short and easy to long and difficult whichever one prefers. The mountainous terrain outside of the park is dotted with homes valued in the millions of dollars as well as much cheaper. The views are mind-boggling.
Whether you prefer open air, funky beach bars or classy restaurants or perhaps something in-between you have many to choose from. Or if you have your own cooking facilities, as we did, there are several grocery stores that stock just about anything one could desire. Coming from a New Yorker, there are no lines. What a treat! My impression is that the grocery prices on St. John are very competitive with New York City prices. Right now I’m having a difficult time coming up with reasons not to pull up stakes and move to the Virgin Islands. Instead we wish Kim and Deven luck in making their dream come true. We also thank them for their great hospitality during our time together on St. John.
It’s mind-boggling to decide which photos I took on this trip should accompany this post. I will arbitrarily place a couple to the right that may capture some of the scenery of St. John.
Stan the Man
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