The last few days on St Thomas... I know why people stay for a lifetime now :)

Sorry the blog has been a bit delayed, but I do have some neat tid-bits to share with you all.  After our day on Jost Van Dyke and on the catamaran, it was hard to top that.  Since Friday was a day without cruise ships, we headed downtown to do some shopping.  Matt was looking for a watch, but we didn't end up finding one.  The downtown area is very clean, there are SEVERAL jewelry shops, watch shops, liquor shops, and souvenir shops.  It's laid out like a grid and the streets are well marked.  After several stops at stores like Tiffany's, David Yurman, Little Switzerland, etc.. we were hungry.  We stumbled upon an alley cafe called Cafe Amici.  We shared a house salad and a thin crust pizza.  Quick, fairly inexpensive, and clean.

Then it was back to the whole "BEACH AND A BOOK" vacation.  We just sat on the beach, feeding the ducks, having a drink, watching a wind sufer for a few hours!

These were the condos we stayed at.

I fell in LOVE with these ducks!  They were adorable!

We cooked dinner, watched TV and went to bed... isn't that what vacation is about... relaxing!

SATURDAY- Adventure in St Johns!

We made the 10:00 am Ferry over to St Johns.  The best part about staying in Red Hook is the every hour on the hour ferry that takes you to the other islands.  It's $6 per person each way and it takes about 20 minutes.  Once we arrived, we spotted a jeep rental place and snatched one up for a cool $77... YIKES!  St Johns is very hilly and it basically has one road all the way around the island.  It has beautiful vegetation and the views are breathtaking.  We started on the path to the side of the island where Caneel Bay is located.  The most stunning beaches line that entire water front.  We made it up to Annaberg to see the old sugar plantation. 

HE FINALLY LEARNED HOW TO JUMP PIC... ROUND OF APPLAUSE PLEASE!

This map shows you which islands are which from the view you are looking at.

This is that view...

The vegetation is lush and green all over the island.

This is part of the sugar mill.

Then we made our way back down to Cinnamon Bay... I could spend forever there :)

You get the gist... clear blue water, white sandy beaches, it's Heaven!

Then I started to break out in a rash. It had been building for a few days, and all of a sudden I lit up like fire. Dont worry folks, it has nothing to do with the pristine conditions of the island... I take a drug called Remicaid... long story... and it's very possible that my body was reacting to the sun, the salt water, the sunscreen, or any given combination. So at 2:00 we raced over to a pharmacy, hopped back on the ferry, and went to shower for dinner... yes I was going out even if I was uncomfortable!!!!!!
If you go to St Johns and you do NOT go to Asolare, you are C-R-A-Z-Y.... CRAZY

Make reservations or forget having the opportunity to dine at this establishment. It's on a hillside over looking St Thomas and the Cruz Bay on St Johns. The building is built into the side of the hill and it's completely open.

First we had a drink in the bar and of course I had the fabulous Pain Killer (to try and kill some of the pain I was experiencing) and then it was time for dinner. 

The menu changes every night so don't expect these dishes, but here is what we had:  Matt started with Jerk Grilled Shrimp atop a bed of pineapple salsa.  I started with the house salad with wonton bits, chees and shallot vinagrette.  For dinner Matt chose a pork tenderloin topped with fried onios, cippolini onions, fingerling potatoes with a pineapple barbeque sauce.  I chose the butter poached mahi mahi atop a bed of french string beans and lentils.  Then of course, we endulged in dessert: Puffs with coconut ice cream sandwiched in between with dark chocolate sauce drizzled over them....my mouth is watering just thinking of it :)

Right after dinner we rushed to a shop to buy some Benedryl, and headed home on the ferry. Truly, a spectacular evening and a fabulous end to our vacation! 

Side Bar:  If you are trying to choose between St Thomas and St Johns, CHOOSE ST JOHNS... Its beautiful, not as commercialized, and they offer a more island small town feeling.  The restaurants are fabulous, the beaches are pristine, and the feeling is just more of a vacation.  If you can afford it, go straight for the gold... Caneel Bay.  It will run AT LEAST $400 per night to stay, but for a honeymoon or special vacation, it's well worth your money.  If you are budget traveler who likes to take SEVERAL trips per year, then staying on St Thomas is not bad at all :)