Pivot

by Liz Dowling

Happy 2022! It’s been a while since I’ve posted because I have been very busy cancelling plans. Cancelling holidays, events, trips, seeing people. You know the drill.


Tim and I had a trip planned this January for our 30th wedding anniversary. Rome, Paris, swanky dinner reservations, seeing my wonderful NYC roommate Kim who lives in Paris, new exhibits, walking tours. The itinerary was nuts. Cancelled.


I refused to sit in my Boston apartment and ruminate on my cancelled anniversary, so time to pivot. Where could we go without an excel spreadsheet detailing how and when we needed a PCR, vaccine cards, passports, the right mask, proof that you haven’t blown your nose in the past 48 hours…


Somewhere in the US!


I usually do a lot of research when it comes to trips. I read articles, books, talk to people to get as much information as I can and plan accordingly. For this trip, good friends said they liked St Croix and we booked it. I don’t think I even looked at the hotel website!


All we wanted was guaranteed warm weather, a pretty room, a nice beach and the option to do a whole lot of NOTHING! This is the view from our stone terrace. So pretty.


We stayed at the Buccaneer Resort. Built in 1947, it has that intimate, old Caribbean feel that we love. The main building is pink (above) with guest rooms dotted throughout the property.


The pool was lovely and was right on our favorite beach called the Grotto. It was never crowded. No getting up at 6am to throw your beach towel on a chair! Plus, they showed up and took your lunch order while you were lying supine on a beach chaise and delivered it right to you. How fabulous is that!


We did other things besides lie around the beach (no, not really). We took a half day snorkeling trip to Buck Island, which is part of the National Park Service and one of the finest marine gardens in the Caribbean Sea. It was gorgeous! They give you a guided snorkeling tour through the coral reef and then time to swim and explore on your own. Rum punch is served on the boat ride back. Highly recommend.


Tim snorkeling around Buck Island on the left and a pretty sunset from our room.


We ate at some great restaurants. Too Chez (above) had an open air courtyard and delicious food. Other good dinner options: Savant, Salt and Duggan’s Reef.


We had fresh fish tacos on the Christiansted boardwalk one night at a place called Brew STX. The full moon lit up the entire sky.


Breakfast comes with your room and you can also make dinner reservations up at the pink house, but after an entire day of lounging around the resort, we opted to go at night out to mix things up. We did have room service deliver dinner to our terrace one evening, which was lovely.


Our pivot really worked out for us. I had no idea how much we needed to get away and relax, read, swim, lounge. The resort has a lot of tennis courts, a fitness center, kayaks, snorkeling equipment and more if you are so inclined. We walked by all of it, so we know it’s there.


Sometimes things just work out the way they are supposed to!


Happy Anniversary Tim!


the wry home

You may also like

4 comments

Kathryn mcdonald January 28, 2022 - 9:49 am

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!! Xx

Liz Dowling January 28, 2022 - 11:19 am

Thank you Katie!

Deb January 28, 2022 - 12:27 pm

Happy Anniversary!! Pics are awesome. We had our 2-week Spain trip (also our 30th) cancelled last fall and un-doing all the planning / detail (and upgrades!!) that I had sorted out made me want to cry. But we were in St John over xmas and you’re right it is heaven!! Hope to see you guys soon xoxoxo

Liz Dowling January 28, 2022 - 1:11 pm

Your St John pics looked amazing. I would love to go there too! I know, cancelling all flights, hotel, plans etc was such a bummer. But, we had fun in the sun. Hope to see you soon too xoxoxo

Comments are closed.