Life on Island Time: St. Thomas 2014

Life moves at a slower pace on St. Thomas.  Arrival times are loose at best, no one seems rushed or hurried or worried.  They take the time to stop and greet you with a proper "good morning/afternoon/evening," and ask how they can help you get where you're going, not expecting anything in return.  And when you lament having to return to the mainland, they simply respond, "Don't go back."  

After a week there, it was tempting to move to this gorgeous island permanently...

We stayed at the Ritz Carlton and had a wonderful experience- I would recommend staying there to anyone! The resort grounds were beautiful and clean and the staff was polite, accommodating, and knew us by name.  Walking right past the pool onto the beach wasn't too bad either, and I could sure get used to raising the flag on my lounge chair every time I wanted to order anything.  Why doesn't my apartment pool have that quality of service?! : )


Source



Rum cocktails, a good book, and this view? My idea of the perfect vacation.
  

As you'd imagine, our days mostly followed this pattern:

1. Wake up admiring the sunlit views of paradise beaming in through our window.

2. Breakfast at one of the hotel's delicious restaurants.  I think I had bacon every day.  Only on vacation.

3. Spend all day on the beach, lounging, sipping, splashing, and trying a water sport or two.

4. Wash off the sand and sunscreen and put on our best beachtown attire for a yummy dinner out, some nights at one of the hotel restaurants and some nights in town. 

5. Go to sleep early.  What is it about the sun that just takes it out of you, even when all you did was relax all day?

6. Repeat.  Rough life, this vacation thing.

We got asked every day if we were twins.  And then, people thought Kristen was the older one.  

As long as I still look young when I'm in my 30s, I think I'm okay with this. 

There were iguanas everywhere.  We watched their feeding time one day and saw more than a dozen!

Okay, so really it was these two who did the water sports.  Successfully, at least. I will neither confirm nor deny that I wound up on the shore of the other side of the island when I attempted to kayak...

We opted to take cabs everywhere rather than renting a car, as they drive on the left side of the road in St. Thomas, and the roads are narrow, winding, and steep.  Dad would have terrified us in a rental car.  But the scenery- it was amazing.  God sure created a beautiful world.  I wonder, if I lived somewhere like St. Thomas, would I ever get used to the views and take them for granted?  

Dexter, the awesome cab driver that picked us up from the airport, decided to detour since it was our first visit to the island so he could show us Magen's Bay.  And wow, was it beautiful.

This has major family Christmas card picture potential.  Thanks, Dexter. 

Thanks to Dexter's introduction, we visited Magen's Bay Beach on our own one day, and it was perfect.  It's a public beach, but hardly anyone was there. If you go to St. Thomas, this is a must-visit, but make sure you go on a day when there aren't any crusie ships docked, otherwise it's packed.  This was the clearest, most calm water I've ever been in. Someday, I will go back. 

We took the Lady Lynsey from our hotel over to St. John one evening to have dinner.  This is fun as long as you don't get motion sick like me and my mother, but I did love sitting on top of the catamaran at sunset with my sister, and under the stars on the way back. 

When we ventured from the hotel for more casual dinners, we had great seafood at Fish Tails and devoured their fried banana cheesecake, which is just as heavenly as it sounds.  Duffy's Love Shack was also a fun find- it's a little bar in the middle of a parking lot, but their food was surprisingly delicious and this lime coconut concoction was the best drink I had all week! 

We spent part of our last day shopping in downtown Charlotte Amalie, where my sister and I snagged silver Cruzan bracelets as souvenirs and we took advantage of duty-free prices and brought back a few bottles of Cruzan rum.  I'm looking forward to some coconut cocktails this summer that will at least make me feel like I'm still at the beach...

 

Thanks for an unforgettable vacation, mom and dad!
See you again one day, St. Thomas!

In My Beach Bag

In case you weren't already aware, I'm pretty thrilled about leaving for the beach this weekend!

Besides the sunscreen, what else am I tossing in my bag?

1) Obviously, swimwear.  I can't wait to debut my new neon Gianni Bini swimsuit.  Typically, I have to try on dozens of swimsuits to find one that fits right, but I was shocked that the first Gianni Bini one I tried on fit perfectly, along with most of the rest that I tried on!  So many great options- check them out!

2) Post-beach outfits for dinner, exploring, cocktails, etc.  I'm struggling to choose what to pack because I want to wear all of it!  These are a must:

Bright colored shorts. Nothing screams summer more.

Source: express.com


White jeans.  You can wear them with ANY color top, and they can be dressed up or down- sandals, wedges, heels.  Such a clean look.



Source: polyvore.com


A long pleated skirt.  I have one in green and feel so Bohemian in it!


Source: riverisland.com

4) Sunglasses.  I have several pairs and shouldn't get anymore, but how fun would these be for the beach?

5) Excellent reading material. One of my favorite parts about vacation is actually taking the time to read- a hobby that I pursue far too infrequently these days.  I'll be indulging in Cosmo (my guilty pleasure) and probably People, but hours on the beach would be perfect to finally finish the second Hunger Games book and maybe dive into something even deeper.  Any recommendations?

6) A great tote to carry it all.  Mine is made of towel-like material... who cares if it gets a little wet or sandy? I also love these:

Target

Martha Stewart

All you beach bums, what am I forgetting? 

Family Vacation: Marco Island, Florida!

You all know from my last post that I love to travel.  

I thought my summer trips were finished after my weekend in Galveston for Kim's bachelorette party in June and my wonderful trip to Chicago with Ashley in July, but I was in for one more getaway! 

We managed to squeeze in an unexpected family vacation between my sister finishing sorority rush and starting classes again yesterday at OU.  The destination? Marco Island, Florida, for a few days in paradise!

I highly recommend where we stayed- The Marco Beach Ocean Resort.  Wonderful accommodations, right on the water, beautiful views, friendly staff... and the free smoothies at 3:00 every afternoon and delicious happy hour options weren't bad either! We also went right at the start of the off-season, so it wasn't crowded at all... a nice change from some of the packed Florida beaches of past vacations!

We spent our days working on our tans and dipping in the warm, calm water... tough life, right? : ) At night we checked out several nearby restaurants and also dined at the hotel's restaurant, which was absolutely delicious. My dad and sister went on a waverunner adventure and had a blast.  We spent part of our last day doing a little shopping in Naples before it was time to head back to reality.

Someone asked me what the highlight of the trip was, and I couldn't pinpoint one specific activity or day. This was my ideal vacation, full of relaxation with my family! When I was lying on a lounge chair on the pristine sand, listening to the waves crashing as I got lost in a good book and sipped a fruity drink, all I could think was that this was perfection.   

Thanks, mom and dad, for a wonderful vacation! You are never too old to spend time with your family, and I don't think I'll ever get tired of going to the beach! 

In September I'll head to Kansas for a weekend to visit Ashley and attend the TCU vs. KU football game- Go Frogs! 

I feel like I have to keep this travel momentum going... where should I venture in October?!