We recently returned from a walkabout in the U.S. Virgin Islands. As you might have guessed, we didn’t take our Airstream. (I’m still trying to figure out how to cross oceans with the thing.) Although we weren’t exactly camping, we did visit a beautiful national park – the U.S. Virgin Islands National Park on the island of St. John.
We flew to the Caribbean to appear in an upcoming TV show (code named “Vacation Hunters“) for the Travel Channel. We love watching the Travel Channel, and we’d never visited the Virgin Islands, so this seemed like a fun and memorable way to experience a new destination. We arrived in the island of St. Thomas, and ventured out from there. Over the course of the week, we experienced several different types of vacation.
The premise of the show: participants “hunt” for a unique vacation experience that suits their own wish list. So we got to “test drive” three different ways to vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands. We’ve watched a zillion episodes of shows like House Hunters and House Hunters International – this is a similar show.
I won’t reveal too much just yet (since all will eventually be revealed on TV) but we were pleased by the variety of offerings cooked up by the TV production company. There were a few surprises, and no bad choices. In the end, we were able to dovetail our love of Airstream camping with our time in the Islands.
The location didn’t hurt. The Caribbean is gorgeous in springtime. The weather was warm but not hot. The ocean waters were a perfect temperature for swimming. Rum is cheaper than water! Overall we had a blast in the Caribbean. I’m sure we’ll go back someday.
We’d previously been to Jamaica. The U.S. Virgin Islands reminded me of Jamaica in many ways, but it nevertheless has its own unique identity. As a United States Territory, the Virgin Islands are not bound by all of the usual American legal excesses. Life in the Islands is a just a little different. For example, I stopped and chatted with a man who had set up a sidewalk “rum & coke stand” that was like a lemonade stand for adults. In the States you’d need a permit, one the bureaucrats would never agree to issue anyway.
Here are a few photos from the trip, presented in pretty much random order. I shot some video also, and will eventually edit it for your consideration. Note that clicking the individual photos will open up the view to full size.
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- Iguanas are fairly cooperative photo subjects. They like to sit and stare into space a lot – not unlike myself.
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- Strike a pose…
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- Yawn!
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- When piloting a sailboat in the Caribbean, you’ll want to watch out for these.
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- Crab hunting for a sunrise breakfast at Frenchman’s Reef.
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- These little fish seem to follow you everywhere. Little do they realize my fondness for fishsticks.
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- Old Glory flies on the back of the Xiuma yacht.
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- Iguanas are everywhere (usually in warm sunny places).
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- One of our taxi drivers. Taxis on the island seem to cost about $10 PER PERSON no matter where you are going. If you are taking a short trip, it’s a bad deal. But if you are going a long way, it’s a nice deal.
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- Enjoying a swim during a snorkeling excursion.
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- Another shot of a national park buoy. After busting on the paddleboard, I took a swim around our boat.
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- We were greeted at the airport with free rum shots. Woo hoo!
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- Caribbean waters are chock full of sailboats. Sailing a boat is more mentally taxing than you might think.
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- Time for a snack on the Xiuma yacht.
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- On the last day, hanging out on a beach with the guys.
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- Our Director of Photography Tom deserves a medal for handing a 40-pound camera rig…in bare feet… on a moving sailboat!
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- This small waterfall was located on resort property.
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- Sunrise at Frenchman’s Reef.
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- While strolling along the beach, I happened across this camera crew. Hopefully I won;t look too terrible on telly.
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- Another shot of the crew! Making a TV show is really a lot of hard work.
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- Our fearless crew on board the Xiuma yacht. Making a TV show is kind of like making a video for our blog – only with more people.
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- A snapshot from one of the “top ten beaches in the world” – Megan’s Bay. The question is not, “Why go here?” The question is, “Why leave here?”
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- View from the stern of the Xiuma yacht.
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- The Caribbean waters lived up to their advance billing, with color ranging from deep blue to jade green.
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- Another view of the Xiuma yacht.
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- Carib beer – a taste of the islands.
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- Yes, there really are places like this in the world.
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- A rocky seashore near Sapphire Beach resort.
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- Over my shoulder is the house where the director of the USVI national park lives. A tough gig, eh?
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- Having a cold one in the Island Time Pub (in Redhook on St. Thomas).
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- Another massive ship cruises towards sunset.
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- View from another of our hotel rooms at Frenchman’s Reef resort. We changed rooms a couple of times.
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- We did some stand-up paddleboarding in the Caribbean; we also did some “fall down face first” paddleboarding. It’s a little harder than it looks, at least for beginners.
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- Cap’n John of the Xiuma yacht pilots his dingy to shore. This was our shuttle to the beach.
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- Kristy loves to kayak. At Frenchman’s Reef, kayaking is one of the included free activities for resort guests. If you are feeling ambitious, you can pay for clear kayaks.
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- The obligatory underwater facial. I am lookin’ rough…
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- It’s fun to watch big cruise ships enter and exit the nearby Charlotte Amelie harbor. If you want, you can swim up to the bar for a fruity drink.
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- Relaxing in the “adult infinity pool” at Frenchman’s Reef.
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- Camping on water! For $15 a night, you can hitch your boat to a national park buoy.
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- Kristy makes a new friend. We did a little snorkeling in St. John.
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- As the sun sets, we wait on the ferry to take us from St. John to St. Thomas.
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- Another view from our resort in St. Thomas – a place called Frenchman’s Reef.
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- View from one of our hotel rooms at Frenchman’s Reef in St. Thomas. There was really not a bad view in that place.
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- Sittin’ on the dock of a bay.
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- GPS? We don’t need no stinkin’ GPS…
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- This was one of our vacation options – the Xiuma yacht! Needless to say, we liked it.
