Travel Adventures

Solo Mom Adventure, Day 2

I typically reserve this space for reports of family travel adventures. Traveling with kids is a special kind of hard, all of which I’ve been reminded of since embarking upon this most recent Louka journey.

Me with #1LittleSister

School was cancelled all last week due to snow that quickly transformed to ice. Our au pair was stranded in Orlando at the beginning of the storm, my husband facing stranding in Tampa at the end of the week. I held down the fort at home, just happy this all landed when I wasn’t scheduled to work.

My husband said “take a few days – just you. Go somewhere warm and relax.” I fought him at first – that’s not practical, that’s money we don’t have… who will do _____? But he kept pushing, and I realized he meant it. I said yes.

The initial plan was St Maarten Sonesta Maho Resort. If you follow us, you may remember we went there in January 2023. Alas the weather gods did not have that in their plans for me. I thought I’d be safe connecting in Charlotte, NC but of course the day I chose to travel there was a winter storm there dumping 12” of snow, an all time record for the city.

Wee bit of snow at CLT

My flight to St Maarten was supposed to leave at 9:30am. I’ll spare you the back and forth which involved two trips back to the gate and a 1 hour de-icing of our plane, only to be the last plane de-iced before the entire airport shut down for the night. They cancelled the flight, and four hours later, the flight they’d rescheduled me on as well.

Exhausted, I crashed at an airport hotel, which was not easy to get to. Initially I was fighting with 300 other people to get an uber to take me 1.5 miles in 12” of snow. I quickly realized this was not the time to be cheap, ordered up the Uber Black (SUV) and skipped the line.

That turned out to be a good call as we passed 4 sedans that had run off the road or been abandoned after getting stuck in the snow. In just 1.5 miles. I crashed at the Charlotte Suites, just happy to have a safe place to sleep for the night.

This morning I awoke recharged and ready to formulate a new plan. Realizing breakfast might be my only meal of the day as the airport had closed all restaurants due to staffing issues, I stocked up on sausage and fruit.

For the love of all travel gods, Expedia refunded my entire trip since there was no way to get to St Maarten for at least 48 hours. That allowed me to start fresh and rebook an entirely new trip. But where to? How does one decide?

With a lot of help from Amir, I’d narrowed it down to San Juan, Puerto Rico or Cancun, Mexico as those both allowed me to get there same day rather than losing another day. Ultimately I picked Mexico, probably since I’ve somehow never been there (aside from a cruise stop 20 years ago) and would be able to practice my Spanish.

With some help from Ale, our former au pair from Mexico, I picked a resort and pulled the trigger. My flights departed and arrived without issue – a fresh change.

Sunset on the flight

Tomorrow I’ll explore this place – I booked a massage for 4pm but otherwise just plan to wander and relax. There’s a freedom in being here alone, but I’ve already caught myself wondering what Amir or the kids would think about this or that.

-Steph

Family & Friends, Travel Adventures

St Thomas Day 8: Phantasea Tropical Botanical Garden and a view from on high

We’d originally committed to hanging out at our house and eating all day, since everything that’s left in the pantry is double the price back home.

Making the most out of these last moments here

After breakfast, brunch, lunch and then snacks, we decided to escape the house for at least a bit. None of us were motivated to pack up all the towels and gear for a beach outing, so a quick visit to the shaded Phantasea Tropical Botanical Garden seemed just what was needed.

There’s nothing flashy about this place – and that’s exactly the point. The women’s at the ticket booth told us she only works on Sundays, a tranquil escape from her otherwise stressful regular job.

Water garden with tadpoles

The experience starts right at the ticket booth. There are lizards who make their home at the gate, just waiting for specific sweets from guests. The kids quickly found a water garden sheltering new tadpoles and minnows, plus a bird friend who greets all the guests. In the first minute there we saw hummingbirds, geckos, chickadees, chickens and parakeets. The crowd was pleased.

The pathways are narrow, palm trees wrapped with orchids, vines and air plants – symbiosis is everywhere. You have to look up as well as down to ensure you don’t miss a little plant or critter.

It’s very kid friendly – no steep hills or rocky terrain, but it wouldn’t work well for guests with decreased mobility. There’s no hope of getting a stroller in here, so bring a baby carrier or toddler backpack if you think your little one won’t walk.

We all lost each other at some point, but no one was worried as the place is relatively small, and you can always hear someone even if you can’t see them.

There are numerous places to sit down and rest, write or relax. These guys liked the terraces as they seemed to attract a lot of geckos.

If you’re a photog like me, and/or an old plant lady (or maybe both), add this place to your itinerary. It was a great break from the heat and sand of a typical beach day.

Air plants for sale

There’s a small area near the ticket booth where you can buy plants to take home. Apparently as long as there’s no soil, you can take one on the plane and back into the US. I was tempted.

Soaking in the last of pool time

Just up the hill from Phantasea is Mountain Top, a fairly touristy but fun stop offering souvenirs, world famous banana daiquiris and breathtaking scenic views of the islands below. We partook in all three, then headed back to our house to slow down a bit before dinner.

Tonight I’ll begin the packing and cleanup process. We have to be out by 10:30am with our flight departing at 4:45pm back to Dulles.

~Steph

Occupants of my bed last night
Family & Friends, Travel Adventures

St Thomas Day 7: St John & Cinnamon Beach

Last night we enjoyed an amazing dinner with Dee and Patrick at Caribbean Fish Market. We started with a seafood tower because, well, work hard play hard.

Seafood Tower

There were at least 7 types of fish, including Everything Seasoning encrusted salmon, grilled whole red snapper with spicy hoisin, and seasame rolled wahoo over sticky rice and seaweed salad. Everyone loved what they ordered.

Whole Red Snapper

Dee and Patrick were also able to give us the scoop on the ferry over to St. John. We planned to leave the house by 9:30am to catch the 10:30 ferry, the Big Red Barge. Somehow we were early in leaving the house (I know right??), and it turns out we’d need that time. The ferry filled fast and left port by 10:20am. If we’d been on our intended schedule, we’d have missed it for sure.

St Thomas on the left, St John on the right

It took more time for the cars to load onto the ferry than the actual transit across from St Thomas to St John. We set an alarm for 1:30pm, aiming for a 3:30pm ferry, to ensure we wouldn’t get stuck for the night.

Rooster at the Ferry dock

St. John is small with multiple beaches to choose from. We’d decided to drive a bit further out in hopes of avoiding crowds. Trunk Bay is popular for snorkeling, but it seemed everyone else had the same idea. There were not only no parking spaces, but every space that could be created by a JEEP balanced on 3 wheels and a boulder was also occupied. We carried on further into the Virgin Islands National Park.

Cinnamon Beach, St John, Virgin Islands

The next beach after Trunk Bay was Cinnamon Beach, just 4 minutes up the road. In an epic Dad move, Amir snagged the last parking spot in the lot.

#1BigSister and Amir in Floaty McFloatface Jr

The beach today was extremely windy, so we snagged a spot shaded from the wind and sand by mangrove trees. This was a good strategic move on our part, as I’d later watch other families relocate 2 and 3 times for better shelter.

Disapproving of our location

I spent a good portion of the time snorkeling while Amir, Ale and the kids played in the sand and floated on Floaty McFloatface, II. The water proved a great escape from the whipping wind and sand.

We packed a picnic in the cooler which I highly recommend. There’s a nice concession stand and bar at Cinnamon Beach, but having a cooler right there with us made satiating hungry swimmers much easier.

We were obedient when our 1:30pm alarm went off, packing up our things and hiking back to our exceptionally parked car.

On the Big Red Barge ferry

We arrived at the ferry with plenty of time to spare, and a crew that probably needed to call it quits an hour earlier. There hasn’t been much napping happening on this trip, despite me desperately wanting to take one.

Mini Me & Me on the ferry

We stopped for fruit smoothies on the way home, a deliberate attempt to shush the chatter of three exhausted kids acting up due to lack of sleep and way too much CapriSun. It worked. I’m filing it away for use again in a desperate situation.

Tomorrow is our last full day here as we fly home Monday morning. We still have a fair amount of food to get through, so we’re debating spending the day at the house just eating, swimming, drinking and eating. Cost-U-Less wasn’t cheap after all. I think I’m game for another lazy day at home.

~Steph

Family & Friends, Travel Adventures

St Thomas Day 6: “Naked” vs “Nature Island” & other musings on childhood imagination

You know you’ve let go of most of the cares of the world when the biggest debate in the household is whether the island we see just across from our house is “Naked Island” (#1LittleSister’s vote) or “Nature Island” (#1BigBrother’s vote).

We’re living in their big worlds this week. Day 1 when someone found a deceased baby gecko in the bathroom and flung it onto the island countertop right where I was assembling PB&Js… I had to take a breath, pause, and remember what a unique find this must be for him – “the coolest thing in the world!” in fact.

#1LittleSister eating leftover noodles straight out of the bowl

In the daily grind back home, it’s easy to miss out on these moments – I’m often just hoping for compliance to get everyone dressed, get out the door, be on time, survive and not let the wheels come off. It’s nice to do an unplanned vacation – low expectations, few activities booked ahead of time means no deadlines to miss.

Today we’re just hanging around the house, swimming, eating, playing UNO and practicing our Duolingo. I’m brushing up on my Spanish, Amir on his Arabic, #1BigSister on her Spanish and Ale on her Bosnian (her SOs heritage). I have to remind myself that independent time is time well spent too, and not every activity has to be a family bonding moment.

At lunch I asked #1BigBrother why he calls it “Nature Island.” He said that since no people live there, only plants and animals, it was all nature. Makes sense.

When posed with the same question on why she calls it “Naked Island,” #1LittleSister said that since no one lives there, it’d probably be ok if you wanted to be naked there. Fair enough.

The real name of the island is Hans Lollik Island, a nod to the island’s longtime ownership by Denmark prior to purchase by the US. In 2014, Larry Page of Google founding fame, bought both Great and Little Hans Lollik Islands (there’s a smaller island just behind the one we can see) for $23 million. It’s a bit unclear why Page may have wanted to buy the islands since there’s no electricity, running water or infrastructure, but the internet speculates that Page may have proposed to his wife there years back, making it a sentimental purchase.

Tonight we have 7pm dinner reservations with Dee and Patrick. I’ll put makeup on for the first time in five days. Or maybe I won’t. TBD.

~Steph

Family & Friends, Travel Adventures

St Thomas Day 5: Coral World Ocean Park and a dolphin meet & greet

We knew ahead of time that wind gusts today would be 30 mph, so boat trips and sandy beaches weren’t in the cards.

Even though we woke up with no plans, we were still able to get tickets for a 2:30pm Dolphin Meetup at the Coral World Ocean Park at Coki Point.

Underwater viewing point at Coral World

We arrived around 11:30 with three hours to kill before our date with the dolphins. I think my expectations were low, not for any reason except this place didn’t show up in my Google searches ahead of the trip and no one had recommended it to us.

We started out at the touch tank which featured a starfish and sea cucumber. These little guys didn’t seem to mind the attention. The guides are very knowledgeable and do a good job catering their explanations to younger explorers.

The park is full of underwater viewing opportunities. After the touch tank and a brief downpour of hurricane-like rain, we took the dock across to the white dome on the water, down the spiral staircase and into the world of the coral reefs.

I could have stayed down there for hours. I could do the same with snorkeling if it weren’t for the potential sunburn, so this was perfect for me.

After we surfaced, we headed to the shark tank to watch a quick hand-feeding by park staff. Nurse sharks live cooperatively with lemon sharks, no one seeming to nibble on each other’s fins.

There’s an extensive number of iguanas roaming the park like free-range chickens. They have a dedicated area, but we seemed to spot them all-over.

Other reptile friends include the red-footed tortoise, of which they had 5-10. They enjoyed a small water enclosure and a robust buffet of veggies. Life’s not bad for them I think.

Red-footed tortoises

Additional friends included a sea lion, three green-back sea turtles and of course, the bottle nosed dolphin we met later in the day.

One of my favorites was the bird enclosure where for $3, you could buy a small cup of nectar and have a Rainbow Lorikeet sit on your arm and watch them lap it all up. These little guys were not shy at all.

#1BigSister and a Lorikeet friend

The lady in the enclosure was very generous. She refilled our cups with nectar about four times over, not once asking us for more money. Everyone was able to participate, even #1LittleSister at 3 years old.

Amir had to drag me out of there to make sure we didn’t miss our next show. Something about the color and calmness of these birds made me want to spend endless time with them.

At 2:20 we headed to the Dolphin experience. There are two options for meeting the dolphin – a meetup where you stand on a platform submerged two feet below the water and touch the dolphin as it swims up, and an in-water swim session which is a bit more up close.

Dolphin meetup

Since we booked this morning, the meetup was our only option, but I think it worked best for our crew ages 3-46, all but one of whom had never touched a dolphin before.

The kids were able to hand-feed the dolphin, named Nola, small fish. Nola is unique in that she’s completely blind and reliant 100% on echolocation as her survival sense. No dolphin can smell, but most rely heavily on their excellent vision.

The staff take photos during the experience which are available for purchase at the end of the encounter. Compared to daycare photo prices ($40/photo), these were pretty reasonable at $60 for all 15.

5 out of 6 ain’t bad

After Coral World, we were starving and knew we wouldn’t feel like cooking once home. We ate at Margaritaville, which was just as you’d expected it – overpriced, oversized and a bit forgettable as many American chain restaurants often are. It got the job done, but definitely not our best meal here.

Tomorrow the wind is expected to continue. No plans yet (again), but based on how well things turned out today, I’m not at all worried.

~Steph