St Thomas...The Third Time Around

The Anchorage wasn't really a resort in my opinion; it was a condo community. We knew we were staying in a condo, but were deceived by the word resort. In the end, we were very pleased with our three-bedroom space. There were two full baths and one half bath - very convenient for five women (my brave father was the only guy!). Our balcony was great since we were in room no. 224, right next to the beach.

There is a tennis court and a pool that was great to cool off in. I wasn't too thrilled about the condition of the beach; there was so much seaweed and lots of rocks in the water, so we didn't actually swim in the ocean there.

Also, we had a big problem checking in - there was no office. The office had moved the week before to the Point Pleasant resort. We wasted 2 hours waiting to get our key. Anchorage, you need to get it together!

Since we hit a few snags checking into the condo, the hotel offered us a complimentary dinner at the Agave Terrace. The Agave is open only four hours a day and is nestle atop a cliff over looking Thatch Cay and the British Virgin Islands. Looking down the hills you can see Coki Beach and Coral world. After all, it's all about location, location, location!

Once we got to the restaurant and saw the prices, we were glad it was free! In all respects, the food would have been totally worth the price if we had paid. I had the Caribbean Jerk Chicken with mashed potatoes and also a small side of oil and garlic penne. The others at the table enjoyed NY Strip steak, lobster tails (that's two!), and the catch of the day. The food was excellent, and the atmosphere was elegant and tropical.

I would recommend this place to anyone as long as your wallet is deep enough--our bill for six people totalled $346. YIKES! Save room for the desserts, especially the banana custard!

We went shopping in town and thought we'd stop off at the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. We'd been there in 2003 and loved it. We took a cab over the the Hard Rock only to discover that there was no Hard Rock - it closed a while back. (Remind me to thank that cab driver next time I'm in St Thomas!)

So we walked a block down to the Greenhouse. We saw the advertisements in the local magazines and wanted to try it anyway. The food was really good, and more importantly, the service was wonderful. It's an open bar restaurant, so you can eat, drink, talk, and people watch. I had Caesar salad, quesadillas, and a banana daquiri to wash it all down. There is a huge variety of mixed drinks available. I tried the margaritas, and I have to say, I wasn't too impressed. Stick with the fruity drinks!

This was my first trip to the Duffy's in St John. We went to Trunk Bay for the day and took a stop here to have some drinks. Duffy's is such a cool place to hang out, drink, and share a laugh. I can't imagine anyone coming here an not having a good experience. I've said before that Duffy's is my favorite bar in the world, and now that I've been to both, I can say that I now have two favorite bars! The shark tank is the obvious favorite drink, but this time I tried the Tini Bikini (basically a strawberry daquiri) and the Blue Lagoon (purple margarita). If you're staying in St Thomas or are on a cruise, take it easy with the drinks. You still need to make the ferry ride back to St Thomas!

Coki Beach was a great day trip. It was a $5 taxi ride from where we were staying. At first, I thought it was going to be a dump, because the taxi driver let us out in front of a mob of rastafari. But a short walk though the trees, and you are treated to a breathtaking view. The snorkeling here is great, almost better than Trunk Bay. We saw loads of fish and a 3-foot reef shark. I would recommend this place for families too, as the beach is very open, with calm waters perfect for little ones.