Nov 2nd, Our Local walk and last two villas

Hello again! It’s me Lilly– this morning Mom and I got started early and did our close walk though Chocolate Hole and Great Cruz Bay– it’s been great weather but still warm so we go as early as we can remember too! We start near the Westin and walk either way around the loop- on the morning we tend to favor walking south to north so we get the shady side on the way home.. I’m breathing hard ’cause we just walked up the hardest hill–Mom didn’t get the most flattering picture of me today!

We rounded the corner and walked up to Splendore, they have a really pretty glass sign at the driveway– Mom says it’s one of her most popular homes…

There are two totally equal bedrooms on either end of the house, they both have really great views and beautiful garden showers- I was hoping I’d see

some lizards but no luck! The Pool is
really big with a disappearing edge and there’s a nice hot tub t00, with a big sun deck and outdoor dining area.

The Great Room is really spacious and the kitchen is perfect for people who enjoy cooking (my kind of folks–

scraps!!) Just gazing at the really beautiful scenery was a nice break from our daily exercise.

We got back on the road and continued out around the next corner where we can see all across Pillsbury sound and then headed back East and stopped off at the last house for me to get to know Hibiscus Garden..
what a nice place!   The garden is so lush that there is lots of privacy and there were soooo many birds swarming the powder puff tree that I could barely contain myself!   I raced down the stairs to see what this neat house would have to show and WOW what a nice view, a good size heated pool, plenty of shade and sun as well….

There are two very private bedrooms on either end of the house and the Living area has a sleep sofa for extra guests. The great room is just the right size and the furnishings are fun, upbeat and comfortable (at least Mom says so I didn’t get to try!)

The 2 master bedrooms are spacious with en suite baths and a/c, and there is a great view from every room in the house! Hibiscus Garden has two TV/DVD players, Wifi, free long distance and ALL the amenities you could wish for.This house is so much nicer than anyone can imagine and is great for both couples and family groups… I can’t wait to come back and see what our guests this week have to say about it!

Mom said it was high time we got back home to the desk to check and see how many new emails we had for guests that want to book into our homes– as much as I prefer being outside I had to agree- after all it’s what keeps me in doggy treats! So off we walked around the point looking off to St. Thomas and the outer keys in the distance– we live in such a beautiful place- I am one lucky dog! Well until tomorrow– thanks for checking in with me- come on down for a visit- my Mom and her staff  will take great care of you!

Nov 1st, Lilly’s Tour to see More Villas

Lilly rests up for her big tour
Well I am finally settling in to my new home. As you can see I have it pretty rough- here I’m resting up for our road trip. Mom said today we’re going to see all her other homes that we can’t walk to from our house.

So we hopped in the car and went into Chocolate Hole North to Ristaba.
The entry is really pretty with what Mom says is a beautiful ficus hedge, lots of beauganvilla and ixora–color color everywhere! Then you walk across a cool “bridge” to the main house.

The upstairs is a huge living/dining kitchen with views of the 3 West facing bays and to St. Thomas and St. Croix. I got to hang out on the deck while Mom checked on the house.

Ristaba has 4 bedrooms in the main house, plus a cottage with kitchen, TV area, dining and 2 more bedrooms – it looks like lots of fun for family gatherings- I hope they’ll invite me! The pool is really big and they also have a hottub.. there is lots of room to sit both shaded and for sunbathing..

I happen to love the water and this pool looked like I could make myself right at home there! But it was time to drive out to see another fabulous home called …..

Golden Dragon ….WOW what a really pretty house- amazing stone work everywhere! Golden Dragon overlooks Fish Bay with wonderful valley and bay views…think I saw a couple of pelicans I wanted to chase after! The main house (shown here) has the great room with living/dining and kitchen as well as one of the identical master suites and full baths. Behind the pool is a cool little kitchen and outdoor dining area and laundry…                        The bedrooms are really spacious, and all totally equal so for 3 couples this is perfect (as well as families with older kids). The nice part was that even in the afternoon we weren’t too hot since we didn’t get the late afternoon sun– I bet the sunrises are gorgeous from here!

Next we took a drive up into Catherineberg which overlooks the North Shore beaches to our villa Cinnamon Tarn

The drive is full of large trees of all kinds and though it’s only 5 minutes to town it feels like far far away- lots of birds singing and the sound of all the foliage moving was very interesting to me! When we got to the house I found a nice flat lawn like I had in the states- it’s the first one I’ve seen here, then there is the beautiful fountain in the center of the drive with all the little bitty fish in it- I almost jumped in with them!
The huge big deck has a hottub the size of some pools and plenty of lounges and the view– this is only a small part of what you can see from up here and all the way down you can see Cinnamon Bay Beach (Mom says it’s another one I’m not allowed on darn it!) You can see Tortolla and Jost Van Dyke, Whistling Cay and Mary’s Point- it’s really amazing!

What a wonderful Great Room Cinnamon Tarn has full kitchen, dining and the living area with DVD/Cable and WiFi and of course that view!

The pictures above are really all one big room and then there are wonderful King suites with full baths on either side and a third bedroom with twin trundle bed (that makes king) upstairs… and wait til you see the garden showers! Mom Let me explore outside and chase a few lizards and watch the birds doing their soaring thing and then it was time to leave. We took the dirt road (Rt #206) down to North Shore– it was a big balancing job for me but we made it in no time and then took the ride back to town along the water– I really like that ride!We did some errands in Cruz Bay and then headed up to see our last home Argonauta. It’s really close to town but you’d never know it, real private drive all paved road and another view that’s almost indescribable!

What a fun house to run around! Lots of decks off each area so people could have fun together or some quiet time, 4 bedrooms all with king beds, full baths and the whole house has a/c. There’s a hottub and a neat viewing area there and two outdoor dining areas and a wet bar and 1/2 bath by the pool.

For people who like to cook (or hire chefs in) the kitchen is really great; there’s everything you could possibly need, plenty of space to sit and share while prepping and your choice of where to relax and dine. The view changes all day long and is fascinating always and of course the sunsets are really super!

I am so excited about my new home and all the fancy villas I get to visit with Mom. You might even get to meet me as Mom allows me in the car if she is only guiding people to the houses (not when she is carrying people or their luggage)… This is going to be a very interesting place to be and I plan to tell you all about our adventures; hiking, swimming, errands and even restaurants as I get some of the left overs if there are any! We are going to making new info available a lot more often so come check it out! Thanks for sharing your time with me!! I’m off to check out the lizards in our garden– they keep hiding under the plumbago and it’s very frustrating! See you soon!

 

Oct 31st, Lilly’s first drive out North Shore to Leinster Bay

 

My first drive along North Shore and a stop to check out Trunk Bay

 

Oct 31st– Today was my very first long car drive since coming to St John (I am used to driving at least 20 minutes just to get to the store so our short 5 minutes into town made me think my new home was smaller than it really is!)
The drive out is twisty and hilly and I am learning how to balance still! It’s really pretty though and soooo many new smells of blooming flowers,

Red Berries with blooms

 

 

ocean surf, deep tropical woods and all the tourists in taxis and cars we passed- Mom said I smell the sunscreen on all those bodies..

 

 

 

We parked in the Annaberg parking lot and I could smell the cats hanging out by the trash bin but Mom said that wasn’t what we were here for. I sniffed my way to the beginning of the Trail to Leinster Bay which the map said is 0.8 miles to the beach. There was this really bumpy stuff to walk on the beginning and right next to the water, Mom said it was mostly broken coral and shells but it was new and very interesting. There must be quite a few dogs that walk out here as I came across quite a few “newsletter” stops.

Amazing smells amongst the coral

 

 

The walk quickly goes into a forrested old dirt road- there were signs of goats there as well as quite a few lizards crawling through the underbrush. It’s damp and a bit dark but not at all scary- you can imagine what it must have been like hundreds of years ago and sometimes I think I smell things that might be from then.

 

Then the roadway opens up to the views across the bay towards Tortolla and there were a family of pelicans diving for fish (which I couldn’t see)

 

Pelicans diving at Leinster Overlooking Great Thatch BVI

 

Since we got back it’s  been pretty hot and humid and Mom and I are still adjusting so this is a nice walk since there’s a pretty strong breeze most of the way out.  I’m not allowed on the beach there but we passed quite a few people heading out to snorkel their way around Waterlemon Cay- some of the very best snorkeling you can do in the VI without a boat (at least that’s what they tell me- and Mom agrees).

 

Lilly checking out Leinster Bay Beach access to Waterlemon Cay

 

Mom says this was an easy walk just to break me into hiking here on St. John and I shouldn’t expect to get away so easily but I had a great time with all the fascinating smells, sights and textures of the ground! I can hardly wait to come back here! We had a nice ride in the car home (Mom let me have the a/c on so I could cool down) and then we stopped at the groceries (Mom says I should get used to several stops when it comes time to get food here)– fine with me as I just rested in the nice cool car!

Tomorrow Mom says I get to have the grand tour in the car of all the houses she takes care of that I haven’t seen yet- I can just imagine how great they must be after the ones I saw just the other day.. I’ll be back much sooner than last time- hope you’ll join me!

Lilly’s Tour of Vacation Vistas Villas

Lilly checks out the view and new bench seats at Serenity

Oct 30, 2010

Today Mom took me on a walking tour of Great Cruz Bay and Chocolate Hole to see some of the great homes that we manage (and of course get our exercise- Mom needs it more than I do me being the active puppy that I already am!)

We started out at Idyllic- what a pretty house and Mom is very envious of their gorgeous granite kitchen!

Idyllic's gorgeous new kitchen with granite counter tops, overlooking Great Cruz Bay St. John

They have a really nice pool deck and nice gardens with some of fruit trees (though none had fruit just yet). Mom said we have a nice young family with three kids coming for Thanksgiving here. They are going to love the big pool and the nice spaces to hang out and enjoy the view. And there is even a bit of yard to explore and play in.

We walked along the Great Cruz Bay Road side first. There were quite a few people along the road moving fast- Mom said they are called joggers- we didn’t see them where we used to live- they seemed quite strange and looked like they’d be fun to run after and catch. Some of them even wanted to pet me but most of them just kept moving along without even noticing me (which I find impossible to imagine!- Mom says it’s the white things dangling from their ears- music input that makes them unaware of all the neat things to smell and hear right in front of them- like me!)

Next we stopped by Oceana- they have a fancy gate that we had to wait to open and really pretty stone work- sort of like a one story castle. We poked around to see that everything looked ready and made lists of what needed to be done before our first guests come for their wedding next week, and then the following week we have a 40th birthday celebration! It’s a great house for family times! I love their furnishings so we took a picture of the living room…

Oceana villa Living room St. John USVI

We continued our walk by Villa Bijou which is a pretty villa just across the street from Oceana- they have really lush gardens, large trees, palms and a huge pool and three totally equal bedrooms; great for 3 couples or a family group. It smelled really good there with all the wonderful plants. Mom had a hard time getting me to keep going and check out the next stop!

Villa BiJou villa St. John USVI has lush gardens surrounding the house and pool deck creating great privacy

We were just about done the hard part of our walk climbing up the hill- (actually compared to where I was first raised these hills here are nothing; and Mom is quite proud about how easily we can walk them- but the humidity is killing us both since we got spoiled with pretty much none in the states and now it’s drying up all the recent rain so Mom says it’s worse than usual). On this section of our walk the smells get very interesting for me as there are a couple of dogs that live around here and they leave postcards full of information for any of us four legged ones to check up on them with!  The view out to St Thomas is really fun with lots of boats but I am usually nose down here with much more interest in my closer surroundings that what might be out there! Soon we came to Mom’s next villa Serenity (that’s where I was in the first picture), what a great view and lots of water sounds against the rock cliffs below. It was so calming to be there until I noticed the lizards in the pretty gardens and then I just had to chase them a bit! Mom showed me the big decks and the bedrooms with long windows so people could hear the sounds all night long if they wanted to- she promised we’d come back for the sunsets which you can see every night there! She said we had a nice couple coming here to celebrate their 40th anniversary soon!

Master Suite at Serenity villa St John USVI full a/c, waterfront, amazing views and susnets all year

Our walk continued around the back side of Maria Bluff and into the Chocolate Hole side. The road turns dirt here and there are wild orchids and cactus along the road and usually a pretty good breeze so it helps us to start to cool off. We can see the whole south side of St John from here. We kept walking and came to a curve in the road and then a steep down hill drive. Mom said this was our newest villa Beach Garden.  The entry is a really pretty brick drive and then the beautiful gardens! Beach Garden abuts a salt pond and Mom may have thought I was all excited about the house but I could smell birds, iguanas and lots of wildlife that made my nose a’tingle! There is a cool coy pond that the iguanas like to take baths in while they eat the vegetation.. the villa colors are all muted coral stone and slate on the outside. The inside was pretty amazing too– huge great room and 4 big bedrooms and then the coolest thing the pool on the upper deck with tons of sitting places! At home I’m allowed on the furniture but I could tell from Mom’s look this was not going to happen here- even on the outside settee.

Beach Garden Villa Gazeebo with setee, outdoor dining and awesome glass tile pool with disappearing edge

Wow! What a lot to see in one short walk- I know it sounds like we took forever but we didn’t- we really kept a move on so we could stay healthy! Mom says it’s very important to keep moving even if I am quite young and nimble! We jumped in the car and Mom put on the a/c (which I have LOVED since they brought me home even in the states– we’ve actually been using it in the house here too- it makes the tile floors just perfect for sleeping!) I’m really tired and thirsty now so I’ll end here and have a good long sloppy drink and curl up in my favorite spot for a nap— I’ll be back soon with my next installment and what fun I am having living here on St. John! Bye for now and be sure to give a good snuggle to someone you love today!

Lilly, Mascot for Vacation Vistas

Lilly LOVES St John and the beautiful beaches

Hi and Welcome to Lilly’s St John Adventures!

I’m Lilly a 6 month old German Shepard. Mom and Dad brought me to my new home on St. John in the US Virgin Islands Oct 28th my 5 month Birthday. I am sooo excited to be here and I can’t wait to tell you all about my adventures learning about the island and what life is like here, the neat trails, restaurants, villas and boat trips!

My mom is Lisa K. Durgin owner operator of  VacationVistas villa management company here on island. She said she’s been doing this for almost 23 years and was one of the very first villa companies on the island. Dad is Capt. Bob Conn of Tropicpowerboatrentals. He has tons of experience on the local waters and I can’t wait to go check it all out!

Oct 28, 2010 My first day here I was pretty tired from the long plane flight and the temperature changes (we left 19 degrees and came home to a lot of wet air, and warm temperatures).

Mom took me to Chocolate Hole  beach. It’s near where we live and faces to the southwest so it was pretty calm with just little baby waves. There was a lot of small rounded things Mom called shells and also lots of sand – much prettier sand than I had ever seen.  It smells really different than any water I’ve been near before. There also were about 5 boats up on the beach and the rocks from the storm they had (Earl and Otto) before I got here. There was a nice man working to prop up his boat so he could pull it back into the water.

Lilly explores Chocolate Hole Beach Nov 2010

Mom says the snorkeling there is really neat- I am only just learning to swim so she’s waiting til I’m better at it and then she says we’ll see lots of fish of all kinds, conch, maybe turtles if we’re lucky- so far I like to try to catch the mooring balls but they seem to be stuck to the water and I can’t bring them back like my tennis ball–hmmmm..

I had a blast  running from one end of the beach to the next back and forth trying to catch the waves. Wow that was fun! Then I had to come home and have a bath – YUCK! I may have to rethink if the bath is worth the beach but I think it might be..I got sick from all the salt water but Mom mixed me up a batch of sugar water- she learned it from a Red Cross documentary where they fed sugar water to dehydrated kids- for some reason it allows their tummies to absorb and use the water better. It seemed to work for me too!

Mom says we are going to do fun stuff as often as we can! So I will tell you all that I find out as I do it.. I hope you’ll like my pictures and if Mom can show me how,we’ll also do occasional videos.. I can’t wait to share my fun with you! Thanks for visiting with me and check in often as I will tell you all about my new home!