Part 2 of our honeymoon (St. Thomas)
The point of this post is twofold - to review companies we used on our honeymoon and to offer some advice for those who are planning trips. I hope it helps! First up, the reviews!
Delta Airlines
We love Delta. We don't have a lot to choose from living in a small town but I always have and I assume always will love Delta. Mr. B used to travel for work so he has a great status with them (more on that later), which often means upgrades and other perks. Our flights were all uneventful and actually quite pleasant.
Caribbean Buzz Helicopters
This was the company we used to fly from St. Thomas to Scrub Island and I would highly recommend them. This was our biggest splurge of the trip ($960 one way, ack!) but we both agree that in hindsight we would have bit the bullet and used them to get back to St. Thomas, too. I do not do well with heights but the lovely scenery made up for any fears and our pilot, Jerry, was so nice.
I highly recommend Scrub Island. The staff was outstanding, the resort itself was amazing, and it was a perfect getaway. We were there for 3 nights, which I think was a good limit. Had we been there much longer I feel we would have gotten bored with the few restaurants and places to lounge on the small island. The food was pretty good but not anything that was particularly outstanding, aside from the breakfast sandwiches we got in the little market. One of the benefits of staying at a resort with a marina is the fact they had a market filled with prepared food, wine, sunscreen, etc. Not exactly cheap but it was convenient and appreciated. Our room was amazing, complete with a full kitchen, gorgeous and huge bathroom, and spectacular views. We also had 1.5 bathrooms, which was nice!
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| We loved this fan |
Native Son Ferry
I definitely do not recommend this company, although there isn't really a good alternative at this price point. The boat was very, very old and we were given no information or instructions about our journey. I read a lot of Trip Advisor reviews for the different ferry companies before we went and it looks like there is no winner. Just pick one, say a little prayer, and hope the destination is worth the journey. There are a few small airlines that fly to Tortola, so that could be an in-between option between the ferry and helicopter.
Ritz Carlton St. Thomas
Overall I would recommend this hotel. They were undergoing a lot of renovations while we were there, which meant some of the dining options were not available. They had a lot to offer on-site, including a spa, water rentals (small boats, snorkel equipment, paddleboards), and a few restaurants. We were upgraded to a one bedroom suite and we were sent to the very end of the property. It is a "campus-style" property and everything is spread out. Not a big deal for us, but we were once in a cab with someone who complained about it. There were some crazy iguanas all over, which was cool - they hung out in the trees most of the time!
Overall I would say we loved our time on Scrub Island but just enjoyed ourselves in St. Thomas. I don't know if we will go back to St. Thomas but we are already talking about a Scrub Island anniversary trip.
Tips and Tricks!
- Research: Know what you're getting into. I don't know how I would have navigated getting from Scrub to St. Thomas if I didn't have it all planned out ahead of time. I didn't want to plan too much but it was nice having a good idea of what we would do each day and how we would do it.
- Phones: We knew we could use our phones in St. Thomas with no issue but as soon as we crossed into the BVI it would be international. We kept our phones on "Airplane Mode" the entire trip so we could use WiFi if we wanted it without risking a massive surprise from AT&T.
- Money: We knew ahead of time that everywhere we went would accept US dollars so we never had an issue with that.
- Packing: We knew what activities we would be doing most of the time and what the weather would be like so we never found ourselves wishing we brought different things. Our room on Scrub had a full-size washer and dryer, which we used to clean our basics before heading to the second half of our trip. This was a great way to cut down on some luggage.
- Travel Rewards: Know what rewards you have and know how to use them. We booked our entire flight on Delta - round trip, first class, two people - for less than $100. When we were looking at places to go we basically limited it to places we could go on what SkyMiles we had. We also used Marriott Rewards to upgrade our rooms, meaning we usually paid for a single room but used a certain amount of points per day to upgrade to a suite. We also took advantge of a promotion at the Ritz that had a regular rate but included breakfast and a $100/day credit toward anything at the resort. Obviously not everyone has points and miles to use, but see what you have and stretch it as much as you can!
- Be Flexible: This was our honeymoon, after all. Champagne bar closed? Waahh, poor me. Deal with it and move on. Machete on board? Hey, it's all part of the experience! Gators losing? Sweet, now we can get out of the sports bar and into the tropical sun!
- Honeymoon Registry: If there is interest, I may do a whole post on our honeymoon registry (Honeyfund). Although I know these registries are a touchy subject, it worked for us and we are so happy we had one.
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