Month: July 2022

Posting a lot sooner than I thought.

Well our wedding was an absolute dream. It was everything I’d hoped for. 100% worth the stress, anxiety and panic attacks I had putting everything together in just 18 weeks.

In my last post I mentioned we didn’t quite have a honeymoon planned. We were thinking of just putting it off until later or staying local (Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Newport, Poconos).

But we’d both already taken the time off from work and wanted to make the most of it. I asked my husband, “If we’re going to do a real honeymoon, what kind of trip do you want to take?” He said, “Somewhere tropical.” Well the only issue with that is he doesn’t yet have his passport. So our options were limited. And sure, he could’ve applied for an expedited passport. But frankly, we couldn’t add anything else to our plates at the time.

Challenge accepted. I narrowed it down to Miami, FL or San Juan, PR. We were leaning towards Miami for costs. The flights are always cheap from our local airport. But somehow the US Virgin Islands came to mind. And I was reminded passports are not required for US citizens. Bingo.

Oddly enough I never considered traveling to the Virgin Islands before. I didn’t know very much about them. But I knew it would be exactly the kind of trip we wanted.

So I started researching on YouTube, TikTok, and Google. And I booked everything just two weeks before the wedding.

If you’ve been following me for some time, you’ll know that a beach resort isn’t exactly my kind of trip/vacation. In fact this was my first. So I looked into things to do while we were there. But I didn’t overly plan or even set an itinerary like I normally do.

All in all this was the most laid back trip I’ve ever taken. Exactly what we needed and wanted for our first fews days of marriage.

We stayed at Point Pleasant Resort in Smith Bay for 4 days and 3 night. We definitely could’ve used one more day. And we’d absolutely stay there again. I’d recommend booking directly through their website so you can select exactly the room you want. We chose a fabulous ocean side villa with a breathtaking balcony and view.

There are 3 pools and 2 restaurants on the resort. Worth mentioning it’s not all inclusive. The location is excellent. Walking distance to Margaritaville Resort, Coki Beach and Coral World Ocean Park.

Our first night we dined at the two on-resort restaurants for lunch and dinner. Shoreline Bar & Grille and Mirador, respectively. They were both pretty good and a bit pricey. The staff were nice and friendly.

Our second day we spent on St. John. Just a short ferry ride over from St. Thomas.

We had brunch at Cruz Bay Landing. Where we were visited by a hen, her chicks, and an iguana. Be prepared to encounter chickens and reptiles EVERYWHERE. We then headed to Maho Beach where we spent the rest of the day.

This was a pretty chill day. It was our first time on a beach together and our first time swimming together. I learned Ray actually can swim, quite well. I always thought he was bluffing. But I guess when you grow up in Long Island, you may spend some time on a beach.

We headed back to our resort on St. Thomas and took a nice nap. We got up and walked over to Margaritaville for dinner. There’s a nice little walkway along the water between our resort and their’s. But beware of high tide because the end of the path was washed out. Ray’s sneakers were soaked. I went barefoot, but it was rather rocky and full of little crabs.

Margaritaville definitely came on my radar when researching the island. It has a reputation for being the more lively resort in the area. The price point was about the same, but we were looking for something more laid-back. Something I learned is that people tend to resort hop when they stay in St. Thomas. So while they may be checked into one resort, they may utilize another resort’s beach, pool or restaurant.

I’m actually glad we didn’t stay at Margaritaville. For whatever reason all the seaweed washed onto only their beach. The smell was nauseating. To the point where I almost could not eat there.

But I toughed it out and went nose blind to it after about 30 minutes. We had a nice dinner and walked back to our resort. Again having to tread in ankle-high water with our phones’ flashlights to guide us.

Tuesday was our last full day in St. Thomas. We could’ve done another beach day. But I wanted to go out and see downtown aka Charlotte Amalie. This is where the cruise ships port. So lots of shopping and lots of restaurants.

We had our fill of both. We were accosted by practically every jewelry store owner we passed. Apparently St. Thomas is a great place to buy diamonds because it’s cheaper there. We browsed in a couple shops but had no intention of purchasing any jewelry. Ray tried on a couple Rolex watches. He was like a kid in a candy store.

Side note. We’d also booked a parasailing excursion for that afternoon, but it was canceled due to inadequate weather conditions. Whatever that means because it was a gorgeous sunny day.

We had lunch at Glady’s Cafe. Hands down the best meal I had the whole trip.

We popped in a few more shops for souvenirs and headed back to our resort. Where we spent time laying out at the pool and ended the night at Shoreline Grille again for dinner.

Wednesday morning we packed and headed to the airport. Our driver actually dropped us at a little restaurant next to the airport called Ashley’s for lunch. Little hole in the wall place with local cuisine and a bar. We had some beef patties and went into the airport. Got through customs and security in a decent amount of time. Had our last 2 piña coladas and were on our way back to JFK.

Like I mentioned we definitely could’ve used one more day there. We really only had two full days, a third would’ve been perfect. Nonetheless we really enjoyed our first ever trip together. Ray conceded he realizes now why I’ve made travel a priority in my life. When all goes smoothly, it can be a nice reset.

Anyway I guess our trip can be classified as a “mini-moon”. Because a traditional Honeymoon to me is at least one week. But I wouldn’t be the PTO Vacationer if I didn’t show you all how to make the most of just a few days of time off.

I started a new job and nearly just used all the paid time off I’m allotted for the year. In fact my PTO balance will be negative until September. So needless to say I don’t have any other big trips planned for this year. Just my best friend Etta‘s wedding in North Carolina. Which is taking place on her annual family vacation in the Outer Banks.

I definitely plan to do some weekend trips with my husband this summer. So keep your eyes peeled for that.

Until next time, cheers from this old married lady.