Millseas Mini: USVIs
- aribeiro17
- Apr 18, 2022
- 10 min read
When I started this blog it was for a few reasons 1) I wanted to get better at documenting my trips because as time goes by the little details that make a trip amazing slip; 2) I've traveled quite a bit in the Caribbean and honestly get asked a lot of questions and asked for recommendations; 3) lastly - this is so cliché - but I didn't like what I saw out there. When I went to some travel blogs for recommendations they were either recommending Jade Mountain in St. Lucia (in the month of August, which is considered slow season in the Caribbean $1,285-2560 a night - not necessarily in the normal persons budget...) or were so SHORT! Now I know my blogs read more like a War in Peace novel - which no one has time for - but I was looking for more than a recommendation of the Four Season and more than just a sentence telling me this place was great and to go. I wanted to know why, what you did, what filled your day, and most importantly places to avoid - places that just aren't worth my limited time in a destination! Further, I always saw super-designed and planned pictures attached to the blog. I get it - those are pretty and they get the traffic on Instagram - but I want to see from the pictures what a place actually looks like - show me the rocks on the side of the beach - don't bamboozle me and show me the small strip of perfectly maintained beach?! So anyway we set out on creating Millseas Map to add too many words to the page with real pictures and real opinions.
Now those big travel bloggers are successful for a reason and I'm sure the length and content of what they publish has been well vetted. No one has 20+ minutes to sit down and review my day-by-day on my vacation. So this was my compromise a mini-series - where I keep it concise and get right to the point. So please enjoy our mini on the USVIs and the following links, if you'd like to jump to a certain section:
OUR TRIP
To help our readers follow along, I created this annotated map. Feel free to reference throughout to provide more context to the words:
DAY 1: ARRIVAL, SUNSET GRILL & DIVE BAR
After we arrived in St. Thomas we set off to Sunset Grill to wait for our boat to be ready in Compass Point Marina at 5PM. The place was located right along a strip of beach and was your quintessential beach bar. We posted up there for 4-5 hours enjoying their food and drinks. The sand was super soft and not very rocky. I'd recommend this as a place for lunch if you're in the area. See below for our little amateur video tour:
Once our boat was ready, we made our way back to the marina and met with the provision company. Our boat was absolutely stunning! We luckily got upgraded after a mess of a start to our trip, described in the 'Millseas Minute: BVIS to USVIs' post, and had one of the nicest boats in the marina. After putting away all of our groceries and getting settled on our boat - it was too late to sail anywhere and as such we ordered dinner from the local marina bar and played games, spending our first night onboard the marina. Check out our boat, below:
DAY 2: SNORKELING & MAHO BAY BEACH/MAHO CROSSROADS
The next day we departed the marina and headed for a snorkeling spot halfway between Cinnamon Bay and Maho Bay Beach. Only 1/6 of us snorkeled because the rest of us just wanted to jump in the water and relax on floaties - a pro tip we learned from our last trip! We tied 6 floaties together with string and brought a beverage into the water and soaked in our first day of vacation. It was relaxing, it was boozy, it was fun! The snorkeling at this spot was reported however to just be okay - we did however see plenty of turtles and a grouper from our boat (below)!
We then set sail for Maho Bay Beach, St. John, home to Maho Crossroads, a food truck on the beach situation. Maho Crossroads was adorable - a little drink truck (they don't skimp on the alcohol), some hanging lights, cornholes, connect fours, 2 different food options, and a boutique. We hung out there the remainder of the afternoon enjoying everything they had to offer! A must-go - in our opinion if you're in and around the area!
After Maho Crossroads, we boarded a taxi and went to the Windmill Bar, located at the top of the hill known for its breathtaking views and live music. The place did not disappoint and we would highly recommend going! The only con to this place was that it closed at 8PM (which makes sense because the island of St. John predominantly shuts down at 10PM) and we would have liked to have stayed longer.
DAY 3: SAIL TO CORAL BAY FOR LUNCH AT LIME OUT & LAMESHUR BAY
I'm going to say this right off the get-go - Day 3 was our favorite day and there is 1 reason why - Lime Out! If you only take one thing away from this blog - this is it - LimeOut is an absolute must-go!
The sail from Maho Beach to Coral Bay was around 2 hours, hugging the border between the USVIs and the BVIs. Lime Out in theory is a rather simple concept and completely obvious from the pictures. Basically a food truck on the water with floating tables and seating - but it was so well done. We stayed there for over 4 hours, eating, drinking, and having a grand old time. The staff had these floaty mats that they would float out your food and drinks to your table. All drinks were served in tumbler-like cups to ensure prime coldness and the food was all tacos. Kudos to them because all tacos were $12-15 and included a solid 1 taco - and as they pitched it - 2's a snack and 3's a meal - so go you Lime Out - way to keep us spending the money! Now you go to a floating taco truck for the nostalgia of it - knowing you're going for the views and the experience - I think we'd all be willing to accept subpar drinks & food. Not the case here - the drinks were tasty and strong and the tacos were beyond amazing!
With a reluctant goodbye, we sailed away from Lime Out and onto Lameshur Bay for the evening. We had requested a grill on the boat and that night grilled up some burgers and just had dinner under the stars. It was simple yet beautiful.
DAY 4: SNORKELING NEAR LAMESHUR; WATER & REPROVISIONING STOP & WATER ISLAND
Day 4 started with an attempted to Tektite Bay/Grootpan Bay. However, on that side of the island, the water is the Pacific Ocean and a little rougher. The waves + the 7 of us on the dingy was a little sketchy so we settled for snorkeling on the point of Great Lameshur Bay kind of the equivalent of where Beehive Cove lookout point would be. There were cliffs of rocks filled with coral under the sea with loads of fish in a variety of colors.
After snorkeling, we sailed off back to the Compass Point Marina to refill water, passing Little Saint James Island more commonly known as Epstein's Island. It was a wee bit creepy knowing the horrors that took place on what on the surface is a beautiful Caribbean Island. With one main compound at the top of the hill, some imported palm trees, and some smaller buildings on the corner overlooking Great Saint James, this island can be yours for a mere $125 million.
The sail from Compass Point Marina to Water Island was a relatively short one despite what looks like a large distance on a map. We went to Druif Bay on Water Island home of Dinghy's Beach Bar & Grill. The actual beach wasn't the best I've ever seen. The beach itself was really rocky but the sand in the water…once you got through the rocks was what you expected of a Caribbean beach but there were some nicer sections. There were also 2 volleyball nets, with the net to the far right (if looking at the beach from the sea) is some sand over concrete….pro-tip don't dive for the ball - you will regret it!
That evening we ate dinner at Dinghy's Beach Bar & Grill and can say that the food was delicious. We brought our own beverages so we really didn't have the opportunity to try their cocktails however we did order the PaddleWacker and it was like a reese's peanut butter cup milkshake kind of situation. Definitely wish we got more than 1! Also, the food was great - no one had any complaints and as a larger group, we tried most of the menu.
DAY 5: WATER ISLAND ROUND 2 & LOVANGO BAY
At this point in the day, our captain offered to dinghy us to Charlotte Amalie, the capital of St. Thomas for some afternoon shopping. We passed on the opportunity and spent the rest of the afternoon hanging in our floaties behind the boat, jumping in the water frolicking in our floaties, jumping off the boat, and just enjoying our beautiful 55 ft catamaran.
At around 5:30PM we set sail for Lovango Bay for our dinner reservations at Lovango Resort & Beach Club in St. John.
Pulling up to the restaurant, it was an absolute beauty and it only continued as you entered. They had lights, trees, beaches, views, adorable shops, clean bathrooms - a Pinterest-worthy setup! Now for the history lesson, no one asked for - our waiter told us the legend of how the island got its name of Lovango stating that in the 18th century allegedly pirates visited brothels located on the island, sought their pleasure, and sailed away - or if you would the "Love and Go Island" - which said quickly - wah-la you have Lovango.
Now I'm just going to come out and say it - the food didn't blow me away. I thought it was a bit boring and quite a bit overpriced. But the ambiance was beautiful so I'll give it a pass. In conclusion, if you're looking for a pretty spot - here's your place - if you're looking for great food - skip this one!
DAY 6 - OUR LAST DAY ON THE BOAT :( AND HAWKSNEST BEACH & CRUZ BAY
For our last boat day, since St. John is a National Park, known for its beaches, we wanted to go to a nice beach, and so we spent the day at Hawksnest Beach. This beach didn't disappoint. The water was basically white, the sand so soft and from the beach, you could see Mr. Trader Joes/Aldi's house and a house that once belonged to the late J. Robert Oppenheimer best known for developing the first nuclear bomb. Good guy.
Our captain assisted us in bringing the floaties/inner tubes to the beach and we proceeded to float in the shallows around Hawksnest Beach soaking in the sun and the beauty.
At night, we got ready for a night out in Cruz Bay, the capital of St. John. Upon arriving in Cruz Bay there were plenty of restaurants looking on the water that all looked picture perfect. We went to The Beach Bar, a place right on the corner of the beach with a live band. We all got - sandwiches, nachos, tacos, salads…nothing blow your socks off fantastic. But it also wasn't a bad time.
After dinner, we wanted to explore a little more of the town so we went to The Longboard for a cocktail. A very cute, Pinterest worthy establishment that made a fantastic cocktail - I'd definitely recommend at least stopping in for a drink! Unfortunately, as the majority of Cruz Bay closes at 10PM (including The Longboard), we quickly had to move on and finished our night at Woody's.
Woody's was a little tiny establishment covered in bumper stickers. What caught our attention is that there were so many from Ocean City, Maryland - a place that everyone in our group had a connection to, with 1 couple living there full time. Turns out two of the part-time owners are from OCMD and talk about a small world. We hung out there for the rest of the night - played some riddle-like games - and soaked in the last night on our boat. The atmosphere was very friendly and supported a good time - I'd definitely recommend for a later night St. John spot!
DAY 7: BYE BYE BOAT, HELLO AIRBNB & HELLO REDHOOK
We woke up early and depressed on Day 7 (Friday 4/7) - taking our last sail to Compass Point Marina. Check-out took no time at all and we were quickly on our way to the Airbnb, located just 5 minutes from Red Hook. The drive from Compass Point to our Airbnb was a short 10 minutes and thank God - because on our last day, we might not be on the boat - but we planning to enjoy it to the fullest. After dropping our stuff in the Airbnb and walking to the beach, we settled down for the day. We ate at the little restaurant off the beach and filled ourselves with pina coladas at the beach bar - popping in and out of the water. Was the water the greatest - no way - but nothing was going to stop us from enjoying our day!
For dinner we went to XO Bistro. Rated #2 on Yelp in Red Hook, it may not be the quintessential island restaurant (like The Easterly rated #1 on Yelp) but the food was the best we had the entire trip! If you are looking for more of the island flavor - I would pass on XI Bistro - if you're looking for just good food - this is your place!
So after we feasted on our last supper, we walked right out the door and into Duffy's Love Shack. I knew from my limited research that this was the place to be late night in St. Thomas and was a good time for fun drinks, music, and dancing. I'll start with the drinks - so fun. They all have crazy names that correlate to a fun glass (if you get the large size), that you get to take home! The drinks were strong, delicious, smooth, and a fun spin on a cocktail. Once dinner was cleared, the music turned up a bit, the crowds came and the dancing started. They crushed Abba - which honestly really respect - and played your favorite sing at the top of your lungs kind of songs. We had a great time!
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