It's Caribbean Vacation Time

What do you do when you want to get away to a Caribbean island and you don't have a passport? The answer is to visit the U.S. Virgin Islands. That is exactly what I did with my family this year.

The U.S. Virgin Islands are a chain of islands located downwind from the Lesser Antilles. They are located where the Caribbean meets the western Atlantic Ocean. There are three major islands, Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas. After several hours of studying about the three islands, we decided to spend our vacation on Saint John. Saint John does not have an airport so we flew to Saint Thomas and boarded a ferry to Saint John. The ferry ride lasted about thirty minutes and was not crowded. Most of the passengers were travelers and workers heading to one of the major resorts. We all enjoyed watching the dolphins jump out of water as the ferry sped towards Saint John. The service on the ferry was exceptional. Bottled water and snacks were provided to everyone at no cost and sodas and mixed alcoholic drinks were available at reasonable prices.

Our destination was the Westin St. John resort and Villas. The resort was a big change for a family that usually travels with a tent. Resort management met us at the dock where we enjoyed a complementary and refreshing cocktail made from Virgin Island rum. Our hotel room was not ready so the resort upgraded us to a beautiful condominium. I could not believe the quality of the room furnishings. Gorgeous lawns and natural areas surrounded the two bedroom two story condominium. We could not have been more pleased with our tropical surroundings.

The grounds were occupied by numerous green and brown iguanas, some at least three feet long. We were greeted every morning outside our entrance door by numerous iguanas that were sunning themselves in trees. One morning I spotted a few of them enjoying a swim in the pool. The resort had a special feeding time for the iguanas when children were allowed to assist with the feeding. I probably spent at least two hours crawling up to iguanas on my belly while trying to get a perfect up-close picture of them.

We spent most of our time hanging-out around the pool. The pool was large and well maintained with an island of flowering plants in the middle of it. The pool staff organized volleyball games and other activities for adults and children. I especially enjoyed the pool-side service from the pool bar. The drinks and snacks were fresh and plentiful and the cost was not extremely high, as i had expected them to be.

There is a dive shop on location so I decided to go diving. The dive shop's personnel were professional and caring and the dive boat, "Sea Quest" was extraordinarily clean. The dive equipment that I had to rent was of excellent quality and well maintained. The dive was nice but not quite as breathtaking as diving in Cozumel or Central American Caribbean dive sites. Don't get me wrong, the two dives were well worth the $110 I had to pay. The cost also included the rental of equipment. I asked if there was a nearby area to snorkel and the dive master suggested the area about three-quarters of a mile northwest of the resort. I went snorkeling there the next day and saw turtles, an octopus, moray eels, and dozens of corals and fish. it was marvelous to snorkel in such a mysterious and beautiful environment.

We did not do the all-inclusive package. The resort food was very good and reasonably priced. We ate most of our meals at the patio restaurant where the average price was only $10 per person for a good meal. The breakfast was a buffet and cost $22 a person which I thought was a bit high for what was offered. We only ate breakfast there once. Our condominium had a full kitchen so we ate breakfast and a few meals there.

We visited Cruz Bay (only a 10 minute taxi ride) and enjoyed a fresh fish dinner along the shore. We also visited many of the gift shops along the boardwalk that parallels the shore. We took a walk into the city and discovered that the real Cruz Bay was outside of the tourist area. The friendly people and small local shops were more interesting than the tourist area. Everyone I talked to took a great deal of pride while telling me how much they love Cruz Bay. The locals call Cruz Bay the city of love although I never did find out exactly why - maybe that's a good thing. I'm sure it has something to do with the way the locals feel about each other, tourists, and their island. We felt welcomed everywhere we went.

We are already planning our next trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Although, the next time we will not stay at the Beverly Hills of the Caribbean. Instead, we will take a taxi to the Virgin Islands National Park that makes up two-thirds of Saint John. This time we will camp in a tent along the shore. I truly look forward to snorkeling in Trunk Bay and enjoying the clean white sandy beaches. We can't wait!