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Just Returned from Westin St. John-WOW! (with video link)

I enjoyed watching your video! What a wonderful vacation you had!

I think I am going to put St. John on my list of places to visit! I wish I could make videos as good as yours. Mine always look a bit shaky. I liked how you put it together with the music and labels too!

Thanks for sharing, and I hope you enjoy many more wonderful vacations!

Cynthia T. :)
 
I will eventually link this thread to the WSJ thread, but thinking of starting a new WSJ thread as people seem to be having difficulty accessing (may have become too unweilding) - it has broken TUG!!! ;) - but 1st will need to check with The GodMother.
 
Thank you all for the nice compliments. I'm glad I was able to share some of the beauty of St. John. Even with two days back at work I'm still feeling its glow.

The iPhone has a stabilizer built in to the camera, so it helped with my normally shaky hands. iMovie and Garage Band did most of the work on the video. I'm really amazed at how easy it was to put together.
 
Very nice job on the video. I snorkel, but my DW doesn't, so I will definitely show your video to her.

We were there as well for the first time and really enjoyed the island- the beaches, the resort feel even with the construction going on, and especially the new friends we made during the trip. We met John and Nancy from Oklahoma and had a great time with them. So much in common it was incredible.

I do need to find a better flying route the next time, but either way it was a very long trip from CA. Definitely worth it.
 
mjm1 said:
I do need to find a better flying route the next time, but either way it was a very long trip from CA.
Click to expand...

We spent a night in Florida each way. MIA on the way there and FLL on the way back. Our flights were SFO to FLL on Virgin America, and MIA to STT on American. I arranged for a driver to meet us at the airport when we arrived in FLL to go to MIA and then MIA to FLL to take us to our hotel for those nights. It went really smoothly. It ended up being cheaper for us to do it this way, even with the driver. We used points for the hotel stays.

The flights just didn't make sense to us to try and do it all in one day. I'm glad we split it up. When we arrived at WSJ we were rested and ready to go. Plus, we were able to get back to SFO by 11:30 Sunday morning, and get everything settled before heading in to work the next day.
 
DavidnRobin said:
vinow.com has the cruise boat schedule.
important for more than Trunk Bay - luckily this time of year has low number of cruise boats.
Trunk at 4pm is a great time to go (free, no people, sunset - best to have car) - but be very wary of noseeums.
For Honeymoon/Salomon (calm days only) - pay the fee to get in thru Caneel - and get fee refunded by purchasing something..
Click to expand...

Looks like there are hardly any in the area for the end of May. :clap:
As for Trunk at sunset? Approximately what time would that be? And are there any problems traveling back to the resort after sunset. Any areas to stay away from at night? :ponder:

For Honeymoon/Salomon- calm days only? Meaning not much wind. Is that something you just have to decide when you get there?

Thanks,

lee
 
hefleycatz said:
Looks like there are hardly any in the area for the end of May. :clap:
As for Trunk at sunset? Approximately what time would that be? And are there any problems traveling back to the resort after sunset. Any areas to stay away from at night? :ponder:

For Honeymoon/Salomon- calm days only? Meaning not much wind. Is that something you just have to decide when you get there?

Thanks,

lee
Click to expand...

Hi Lee -
We have gotten there about 4pm after the NPS Rangers and Lifeguards are gone - so we can get some snorkeling in, and then hang out until sunset (you will have to check what time sunset is at the latitude).

StJ is not really unsafe for tourists except if one is dumb enough to be out walking alone, very late at night and inebriated. However, at nightfall - getting back from Trunk then a car is best. The only other choice would be a taxi-bus as it is too far to walk. I can't speak for a taxi availability as we rent a car - probably they are available - there are a lot of weddings at Trunk at sunset.

Calm days based on wind - you can look at the seas on the north side and tell. On windy days we head to Maho.
 
Thanks. We will have a car for the whole week, don't really drink and go to bed fairly early, so that shouldn't be a problem. .

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
hope you post a review and include the link to your video for all to see! =)
 
mjm1 said:
Very nice job on the video. I snorkel, but my DW doesn't, so I will definitely show your video to her.
Click to expand...

We are opposite I snorkel, DH doesn't. Does your wife swim, or just doesn't like to snorkel? Hopefully Hubby will swim and snorkel from beach so i can get him used to the clear water before we do a day trip. Maybe then, he'll be more willing to go off the boat.

Lee

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
Just watched your video and it was marvelous! Thanks so much for sharing it. We were on a cruise in March which stopped in St. Maarten. We went on a snorkeling trip to St. John and our snorkeling experience looked just like yours except we didn't see the turtle. Others did, so we may have been in that same area. :)
 
I enjoyed the video too. How did you trade into St. John (staroptions, owner trade)? I feel your pain on the long journey. Haven't been to Hawaii in years even though I love the place. It's just such a long trip and the time changes can be difficult to manage. I visited St.John for a day trip during an exchange to the St. Thomas Marriott Frenchman's Cove. Definitely plan to go back!
 
Weimaraner said:
I enjoyed the video too. How did you trade into St. John (staroptions, owner trade)? I feel your pain on the long journey. Haven't been to Hawaii in years even though I love the place. It's just such a long trip and the time changes can be difficult to manage. I visited St.John for a day trip during an exchange to the St. Thomas Marriott Frenchman's Cove. Definitely plan to go back!
Click to expand...

You should be able to make a direct trade with the resorts I see under your avatar.

I have traded HRA/WSJ for Maui/Aruba/HRA/WSJ.....you just have to post an exchange wanted listing.

When I go back to Aruba, I might have to look you up.
 
I will work on a review, and post the video there too.

I did use StarOptions for the exchange. I called everyday for weeks, multiple times a day with a 3 month window of times we would want to go. Finally, after about three weeks I struck gold and had a reservation. Persistence paid off.
 
djdavid79 said:
I will work on a review, and post the video there too.

I did use StarOptions for the exchange. I called everyday for weeks, multiple times a day with a 3 month window of times we would want to go. Finally, after about three weeks I struck gold and had a reservation. Persistence paid off.
Click to expand...

This is why I love TUG! Just when I was beginning to worry that I spend too much of my daily routine in obsessing about future trips, I realize everyone on TUG is like me! Nice work on getting the reservations. I wonder if the Starwood call center staff get to know callers on a first name basis since it seems to take several calls. I'm still trying to figure out the Starwood routine.

And yes Tomand Robin, we're adding 2 x 3 bedrooms to our Aruba collection so I don't mind being looked up. We are Aruba obsessed but I've taken my little girl also to Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, and St Lucia. We do peruse the exchanges on occasion.
 
hefleycatz said:
We are opposite I snorkel, DH doesn't. Does your wife swim, or just doesn't like to snorkel? Hopefully Hubby will swim and snorkel from beach so i can get him used to the clear water before we do a day trip. Maybe then, he'll be more willing to go off the boat.

Lee

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

She likes to swim, but only in water where she knows she can stand on ground if needed. That said, I did manage to get her out on a two-sweater kayak at WSJ. That was a major step and we really enjoyed the experience. Baby steps.:clap:
 
Most of the beaches on the north side have sandy entrances and are shallow. Plus the water is crystal clear.
 
The turtles in the video were maybe 30-40 feet from shore at Maho Beach. It was very shallow where we were and the water was so warm.
 
Awesome video. Thanks for sharing. Can't wait to get back mid August :) we absolutely love St. John.
 
djdavid79 said:
The turtles in the video were maybe 30-40 feet from shore at Maho Beach. It was very shallow where we were and the water was so warm.
Click to expand...

That is exactly where a got this shot.
Sea turtles hang out in sea grass - not exciting to snorkel around, but then a surprise may appear with some patience.

AirGulp01.jpg
 
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