Yup, we discovered paradise this vacation.
On January 6, the parents and I took off for the beautiful island of St. Thomas. Flying into Cyril E. King Airport, we were greeted by an afternoon shower, and the ever famous Cruzan rum (pineapple flavored). Quite honestly even rain on this island was majestic.
Throughout our week stay at Marriot's Frenchman Cove we experienced island life to its fullest. We did everything from relaxing on the white sand beaches to heading to sea for snorkeling and sailing adventures. We swam the turquoise blue waters with sea turtles, sting rays, schools of fish, and pelicans.
When we visited Magens Bay (a National Geographic top ten beach in the world) the pelicans were of abundance. I will never forget how determined these particular birds were. As we swam out into the ocean, the pelicans dive bombed into the water just feet away from where we were. Needless to say mom and I would let out the occasional "yelp" through our snorkels-I am sure we were quite the entertainment.
Many of our adventures were made possible thanks to our rental car (even though a jeep may have been better). Note to self: whenever motion sickness becomes a problem, probably steer away from St. Thomas as to get from one side to the other you must use single lane roads that curve through the mountains. But if you can handle these adventures there are awe-inspiring lands to be explored. We visited Mountain Top, which provided a 360 degree view of the island. We found local hotspots; including a milkshake stand on the side of the road, which served some of the best concoctions complete with a little rum (island fever?).
We also took a day trip to St. Johns Island (another of the three Virgin Islands). On St. Johns it became our mission to find some of the best snorkeling. While doing so we traveled through National Parks and witnessed nature at its finest-lucious green vegetation, beautiful coral gardens, and exclusive hiking trails. My favorite part of the day was when we took a mile hike following the shoreline through the woods. We ended up at a location where very few go. So we left our personals on the shore and with snorkel gear on, we swam out about 200 yards to an island. Now this was no ordinary island, but rather it is around this island that starfish have called home and use for their breeding grounds. It is also a thriving coral reef.
Enough speaking of paradise, take a look for yourself:
Here is our first view, from the balcony.
These beautifully colored buildings are where we stayed, and just in front was a small, private beach.
When traveling with dad, each meal is planned (and most likely a few in advance). We tease him about it, but in all reality we enjoyed many delectable dinners out, by the ocean.
Here we are on our afternoon sailboat adventure, which took us to snorkel with sea turtles!
The world-class Magens Bay Beach with my amazing mother!
And us walking the beaches on St. John's.
Like most tropical islands, afternoon showers only last a few minutes.
Most evenings we took advantage of happy hour, and watched the sunset. Perfection.
