Girlfriends of the Caribbean – A Girlfriends Getaway

… Below is a reprinting of my blog entry from April 4th 2009, due to a technical difficulty, past blog entries were deleted.  But this one was worth reprinting!!

Last week was so much fun! I finally stopped and took some time to smell the frangipani and marvel in the beauty that is St Croix.

I always enjoy having visitors to the island, because it offers an opportunity to see the island through new eyes and a different perspective and also gives me the chance to share the home that I’ve fallen in love with. Last week, following the growing trend, my girlfriends decided to descend upon St Croix for a long weekend vacation. It all started with my dear college friend Deseree. We have been talking about the possibility of her moving down here and helping out with SunCelebrations and she needed a break from the daily grind. So she finally chose a 4-day weekend to visit. Next thing I knew, she mentioned that her sister-in-law, Shelly, wanted to join as a getaway for her birthday… I said “absolutely, more the merrier”… so Annette and then Missy joined on too. And while we were planning, I happened to get an FB instant message from another college friend – Barbara. I told her that the girls were planning to come down and she should join up – so she booked her ticket the next day for a week. She arrived on the Sunday before the rest of the gals who arrived on Thursday. This was just perfect as both Barb and I dive, but the others don’t… so we took advantage of the great weather and dove every morning until their arrival. Here’s a chronicle of our adventure to inspire your girlfriends getaway – enjoy!!

Day 1 – Barb arrives:

Barb arrived on a very busy day for St Croix – so many choices of fun things to do! There was the Chili Cook Off to benefit the United Way out at Divi, The Starving Artists Fair and my favorite, the Slow Down dinner out at the VI Sustainable Farm Institute. So, I picked her up at the airport, we threw her suitcase in the trunk and got on the road. First we stopped at the Starving Artists Fair for the last hour. Jamesie and the All Stars were playing. I just love them!! They are a “scratch band” who play authentic Virgin Islands music called “Quelbe”. Its kind of like Crucian folk music and is sort of like a Caribbean Blue Grass. Its fun, lively and just makes me happy every time I hear it. Both Barb and I were a little hungry, but didn’t want to spoil our appetites (we were heading to the Slow Down dinner), so I introduced her to Caribbean pate (pat-AY). These are deep fried dough pockets with a savory filling of beef, chicken, salt fish or conch. Delish! We had them with some homemade hot sauce and homemade ginger beer. A perfect intro to island life.

We brought a bottle of my favorite - Red Guitar

After walking around a bit and checking out some vendors, we headed up into the “rainforest” (really a humid tropical forest but lets not get technical) to the VI Sustainable Farm Institute at Creque Dam farm. I had told Barb she was in for a treat, but she had no idea! The Slow Down dinners have quickly become an island favorite and are offered once or twice a month by invitation – and they sell out FAST! I was so excited to have finally been invited to one that was not on the same night as a wedding I was coordinating (jeez guys could you please check MY schedule LOL) so I went ahead and bought tickets. Now, knowing Barb, I knew that not only would she enjoy the organically grown and locally produced 6 course gourmet meal – but she’d love the farm itself too! After all, Barb was expecting 23 baby chickens upon her arrival back home. The VISFI is such a magical place. Tucked into a breathtaking valley on the West end of St Croix, Ben Jones has carefully crafted his dream of having a self-sustaining farm institute that teaches others in our community and abroad how to live more in synch with the environment and create a health lifestyle. I’m always impressed when I got out there that these folks truly practice what they preach. The community center was built with sustainable hardwoods that were harvested by an environmental and employee conscious company in Guyana. The farm itself is powered by solar and wind generated power (but don’t worry folks, they have Wi-Fi!) and is surrounded by organic farm beds. They are both ICO and USDA certified organic – the only farm in the Caribbean with this well-earned status.

Founder Ben Jones tells us about the next course

The meal was AMAZING! We brought our own wine – my favorite “Red Guitar” mmmm and each course was narrated by founder Ben Jones. He explained the menu items and told us a bit about how they were farmed, and about the plants and the farm itself. Our first course was an organic bruschetta appetizer that was to-die-for, followed by a rabbit soup.

This was the first time that I tried rabbit (tastes like chicken!). I grew up with bunnies and so had a little trepidation, but figured I’d be adventurous. It was good. That was followed by a yummy organic salad and the main course of our local Senepol beef with local root vegetables. Dessert was a local pumpkin cake with a sauce from a plant that I can’t remember but it was moist and excellent. I HIGHLY recommend snagging tickets to the next Slow Dinner if you can. They aren’t cheap – go for about $60pp, but the proceeds benefit the farm programs and the meal and atmosphere are so worth it. This is a truly enjoyable slow , dining experience. www.visfi.org

Days 2 – Diving the pier:

Well, I have a confession to make. After all my years living and diving on St Croix, I had never been diving at the Frederiksted pier. So, my great friends Kelly & Kevin Culp took us out for a late afternoon shore dive. Holy cow – have I been missing out!!! This was an absolutely amazing dive and hands down my favorite dive spot on the island! There were SO MANY FISH… this is also the place to see octopus and seahorses. We didn’t see either of those that afternoon, but we did see a very large green sea turtle happily swimming along, schools and schools of brightly colored fish (I won’t bore you with ALL the names), and baby trunk fish that look like polka-dotted marbles (so cute!). It was a great dive and we followed it up with a casual beachside dinner at Coconuts with Kevin’s parents who were also visiting.

Days 3-5

Diving with N2 the Blue. I usually dive with SCUBA because its easy for me to jump on the boat in Christiansted. But, they were full the morning I called and Barb and I had rented equipment from N2 the Blue in Frederiksted for our shore dive at the pier the day prior… so we called them up first thing in the morning and totally lucked out as they had spots for us on their boat (they only take out 6 divers max). Derek and Anna, the owners are great. Derek had actually certified me as a diver years ago when he worked for Cane Bay Dive Shop, but I hadn’t dove with him since. Derek was our dive master and Anna, his wife, captained the boat. They were so warm and welcoming and best of all RELAXED that we ended up diving with them all week and loved every minute of it. We dove the deep wrecks out at Butler Bay (AWESOME) and reefs off the west end (we had to stay West due to the swells that week). Saw lots of turtles, rays, schools of fish – lots of good stuff. I HIGHLY recommend diving with N2 the Blue. Fantastic! Thanks guys!!

… continue on Day 5.

Barb and I finished up our morning dives – changed into dry clothes and headed to the airport to pick up the girls!! Let the GIRLFRIENDS GETAWAY begin!! We made a quick stop at Plaza Extra to load up the cooler with CRUZAN RUM and some mixers to meet them at the airport. Yes folks, we were bartending in the parking lot at the airport -

Beach sign at the Palms - designed by yours truly!

you’ve got to love that kind of a welcome when you get St Croix! We met the girls, got their luggage and gave them a cocktail, then headed over to the Palms at Pelican Cove . I simply love this place. When friends and family visit – this is where I have them stay. Affordable, beautiful and I strongly believe the best customer service on the island. Owners Chuck and Joyce live on property and truly make you feel like a guest in their home when you stay there. General Manager, Julie Printy, is fantastic and always has a huge smile for everyone. Pat and Dickie are there to welcome you with a cool rum punch at the front desk. Rooms have been recently upgraded with new furniture from
Indonesia and all rooms have ocean views. Its about a 100 step walk at most to the beach. You have a great view of Buck Island and dining is literally beachside. As someone with an animal science degree, I also love their dedication to the environment and conservation of their active sea turtle nesting beach. I’ve worked directly with Chuck and Joyce on conservation efforts and applaud them for all that they do to improve their property and keep it safe for our endangered sea turtles. Chuck is also an avid snorkeler and personally leads snorkel tours through the reef on the property (see Day 6).

After changing into more comfortable beach attire, we all headed over to the bar and had an early dinner along with more rum! I had the fish and chips which were sooooo yummy!! That night we all relaxed and had an early night.

Day 6

The girls relaxed in the morning beachside, I had some work to catch up on, needed to talk shop with Deseree and took my adorable new kitten Boddhi to the vet for his second shots. My vet just opened her new hospital and the day before had won an award for her dedication to the environment. Sugar Mill Veterinary hospital is not only beautiful and state-of-the-art, but totally green and powered with solar and wind. Oh and I have to give props to my friend Kevin Culp who headed up the project. Great job!!

Say Cheese!

That afternoon, Chuck had invited us to join him and some other hotel guests on a snorkeling adventure to a spot he had “discovered” out East near Pt Udall (the easternmost point of the US). Yes, the owner of the hotel took a caravan of guests, including some lively gals, snorkeling just because he loves to. Not only did he lead us out there, guide the tour and have a cooler full of beer for us afterwards, but he provided each of us with a photo CD of the adventure the next day. Chuck, you rock! This was a great little spot, sheltered by barrier reef (that surrounds 3/4 of the island).

Squid are so beautiful

We saw lots of little fish swimming among the coral heads, a school of squid and some trunk fish (my favorite). A great time was had by all.

After the snorkeling, we stopped at “America’s Cheeseburger in Paradise” a fun, inexpensive and casual spot with the best – yes you guessed it – burgers! Later that evening, we headed downtown to walk around and drink some suds at the Ft Christian Brew Pub where local band Lumbergh was playing. Good times!

Day 7

A gorgeous day at Sandy Point

Some of the girls decided to take it easy and hang at the beach then do some shopping downtown. Today was also Shelly’s birthday, so Barb, Shelly and I joined a couple of my friends at the world famous Domino Club for breakfast – eggs, biscuits and sausage gravy – oh yum!! Of course, we took some time to see the “beer drinking pigs” and then we headed off to Sandy Point. Hands down the most beautiful beach on St Croix.

Picnic lunch at Sandy Point with yummy sandwiches from Schooner Bay Market

Sandy Point is a wildlife refuge and only open from 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday from approximately October thru May. Its closed May through October because it is critical nesting habitat for the endangered Leatherback sea turtle. We spent the day floating in the warm Caribbean Sea and body surfing, had lunch on the beach (you have to bring it in, there are no facilities – this is a truly pristine beach) and headed back to meet up with the rest of the gang for a sunset sail.

Girlfriends set sail

One of the gals, Annette, gets a bit sea sick, so she opted to stay at the Palms on dry land and relax beachside. Not too shabby. The rest of us headed into Christiansted to jump on board Caribbean Sea Adventures’ 26-passenger sailing trimaran, Wave Dancer. And we lucked out too because for us it was a private sail! 

A spectacular Caribbean sunset

Originally, we had planned to head out on the World Ocean School sailing schooner the Roseway but it doesn’t do sunsets on Saturdays.

However, we were all thrilled to death with Captain JP and his crew who pampered us with bottomless cups of rum punch and ordered up one of the best Caribbean sunsets that I’ve seen in awhile. Kudos to JP and crew!

Chocolate cake at Savant - Happy Birthday Shelly!

After the sail, we picked up Annette and headed off for Shelly’s birthday dinner at one of my favorite restaurants – Savant. Not only does it have excellent food (and you MUST try the charbroiled calamari) but, its got some celebrity style as well. Owner Tom Miller’s wife Kate (Bartoldus) Miller was a movie set designer on films like Town & Country, Unbreakable, The Sixth Sense, Fallen, Chasing Amy & 12 Monkeys. She designed and sculpted the super sexy back patio that is like dining in a garden amongst the ruins of an old plantation. The booth benches are sculpted into the wall. Its got this Moroccan, Southern feel that just oozes romance. 

Picture Time!

I absolutely love dining here, sipping wine from their great wine list and have several events lined up here over the next few months. And the girls totally agreed that it was just super fab! We dined on an eclectic mix of Caribbean, Mexican, Thai fusion until our bellies were full and then topped it off with decadent chocolate cake, complete with birthday candle.

Day 8

Its always sad to see friends go. We made a trip to the local warehouse store to pick up the obligatory Cruzan Rum and travel boxes to check on the plane (fyi our USVI Dept of Tourism has a deal with the airlines so there is no additional baggage fee for booze boxes!). We also stopped at the grocery store to pick up bottles of locally produced Miss Anna’s hot sauce which makes great gifts. The drive to the airport was lively and as we waived goodbye, I knew they were planning their next St Croix Adventure as they said “Next time we’ll be here for the whole week!”.

If you’d like more information on the activities mentioned above or would like for us to put together your own customized Girlfriends Getaway to St Croix contact me cindy@suncelebrations.com or visit our website www.suncelebrations.com and check out “Group Travel”