When Julie suggested we visit warm Caribbean waters, because, after all, we would be in the Eastern Time Zone already dropping Amy off at UConn, I have to say I dragged my feet a bit. We had just returned from a terrific vacation in Northern Europe, and at the risk of damaging my reputation as a travel agent who will go to the ends of the earth to keep my Peeps informed (yes, I have a big following of pastel colored marshmallow animals), I must confess that I didn’t think I was ready for another vacation yet.
Once again, Julie was right. We enjoyed a terrific trip, and it made the transition of dropping my baby across the country more tolerable. It reminded us that we could enjoy the couples life, and this would just be a return to Xanadu (no, Olivia Newton-John was not there, and in fact I never saw that movie and have no idea if this reference makes any sense at all).
We also discovered a tie-in to our Northern Europe cruise from Copenhagen, Denmark. It turned out that 150 years after Columbus explored the New World, Denmark laid claim to St. Thomas and what became the other US Virgin Islands. They built sugar plantations, importing slaves from Africa to do the dirty work. As despicable as slavery is to us from our more enlightened perspective today, it had been prevalent throughout world history, and the Danes used St. Thomas as a slave trading port, too. In 1848, just a few years ahead of the United States, Denmark abolished slavery. Rather than adapt to the changing economic reality, most of the Danish plantation owners abandoned their holdings, and the island fell into economic decay.
In 1917, the United States bought St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix for $25 million. According to the local magazine I read this in, that would have been about $300 per acre, which would have been pretty steep at the time. The US wanted it for defensive purposes in World War I, to protect the Panama Canal and Caribbean from German incursion.
We flew from the patriotic stronghold of Boston in the morning and arrived in St. Thomas that afternoon despite a two hour layover in San Juan. We rented a car for the first day so we could buy some essentials (Diet Coke, chips, bran muffins, beer and Cruzan Estate Light Rum). Before getting groceries, however, we took a drive around the island.
As my son Jay pointed out, for some reason cars on islands travel on the left side of the road. Presumably because the U.S. Virgin Islands, of which St. Thomas is a major part, are American, however, the cars are set up like American cars, with left hand drive. It’s always a little disorienting driving on the wrong side of the road, and getting into the car through the same door as we would back home means we don’t have a cue when we get behind the wheel to keep left. Nonetheless, I had no trouble negotiating the winding roads, which at least were wider than the streets in my neighborhood back home.
We drove up to Drake’s Seat, a scenic spot where it’s said Sir Francis Drake would watch the coming and going of ships in the turquoise water far below in the late 1500s. Drake, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I of England as a world exploring hero and considered a pirate by his victims, was apparently only interested in protecting his booty (or grabbing some more) rather than developing prime real estate, or perhaps St. Thomas would have been part of the British Virgin Islands. Not that the island was deserted when Columbus, Drake or the Danes arrived. Carib and Arowak natives, however, did not fare well upon arrival of the Europeans, who brought disease and forced labor. Then again, military strength and social Darwinism have always resulted in survival of the fittest.
Notwithstanding the ethical dilemmas of history from a remarkably different time and culture, we drove to a site overlooking Magen’s Bay Beach which is dubbed one of the 10 Most Beautiful Beaches in the World by several sources. Unfortunately, with such fame comes crowds. We drove down to take a closer look, and while it is certainly lovely, we decided we wouldn’t keep the car an extra day to return here on this trip.
On we went to the Marriott Frenchman‘s Reef, where we would stay for the next six nights in a fantastic ocean view room. Julie had been unsure about this hotel based on what she had read in guest reviews at some web sites. I always say the reviews say as much about the people as the properties reviewed, and the conditions constantly change. I’ll grant that the elevator could use some primping, and the hallway leading to our room smelled a bit musty from beach goers dripping seawater on the carpet, but otherwise, this is a terrific property. If you’re a person who enjoys great views, you’d love it, because there are many wonderful, comfortable places to take in panoramic views.
Lest there be any mistake, I sell the best land vacations as well as cruises. Call me at 866-554-5553 to book your next great vacation.
