10 Glorious Days in the Tropics
What I read, what I watched and what I conquered.
In New York, our kids get winter break—and spring break. I realized this is not the norm in most of the country but our winters can be so bleak around here that at some point an administrator declared we all may need a reset in February. Two weeks ago we traveled down to St. John in the USVI. Some of you know this already, but we’ve been taking our kids there for the last 14 years. Harper learned to walk on one of the white sand beaches! Their birthdays are one day apart and always fall during break so it’s been a tradition to celebrate with virgin pina colada smoothies.
Since most of the island is protected national parkland, there aren’t a ton of full service resorts. We’ve fallen for a boutique hotel located on the prettiest precipice in the outskirts of Cruz Bay. St. John has always reminded me of a tropical version of Martha’s Vineyard since it has a main town that’s walkable and then lots of beautiful beaches a quick drive away.
We love to rank our favorite beaches from year to year based on the circumstances of that particular day: snorkeling, weather, food, etc. This year, we were split: While John, Emi and I put Honeymoon Beach first, due to the absolute spectacular calm and clarity of the water, and a delicious lunch served beachside, Harper was a stalwart for Trunk Bay, where you can swim sea turtles, puffer fish and even squid right off shore. (We saw all three that day!) I felt so much more courageous than previous years and I even snorkeled in three caves. Go me!
I read the entire time I was there. I finished up Julia Kelly’s The Dressmakers of London, and loved it. Then I sped and laughed my way through Dolly Alderton’s Good Material. It’s about a breakup told through a man’s point of view, and as a reader, you’re on his side the entire time—until the end. The very last chapter is the same breakup story told through the woman’s point of view and it calls everything you’ve read during the previous 300 pages into question. It’s absolutely brilliant.
Then I plowed through my author friend Jackie Friedland’s book Counting Backwards. It’s soooo good, and you’ll hear all about this one in an upcoming Dear Fiction article. Woot! Go Jackie!
It was really fun when my sister surprised the kids and showed up at the resort where we were staying. Then a close family friend—Justin—came, too, and we all had a blast swimming at the pool for a few days. My son was in shock when he saw my sister, and he got so excited that he dove sideways into the pool, coming up with laughter. Another memorable part of the trip was when a stray cat decided he was in love with me and napped on my lap while we were eating lunch. “You are chosen,” my sister said, and we all discussed how special it feels when an animal chooses to bond with you. (You can see how happy I am with the purring cat on my lap!)
Two Unforgettable Daytrips
On my little girl’s birthday, we hopped aboard a boat and traveled to the British Virgin Islands to visit pristine Virgin Gorda. We’d always wanted to see the world famous Baths, and we hiked and meandered through the natural wonder, even rappelling down a short rope, as we explored.
On my son’s birthday, we went to Lovango Resort and Beach Club, a private island and hotel owned by Little Gem Resorts. The hotel group also own The Nantucket Hotel in Nantucket and the Winnetu in Martha’s Vineyard. It’s actually really cool. They bought the island, or a large chunk of it, and transformed it into a gorgeous resort with shops, a waterfront restaurant, treehouse accommodations and a private beach. My son loves the sunset here, and we spoil him with a steak on his birthday whenever we get there.
What I Watched on Vacay
I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve become obsessed with the reality show “Love is Blind.” I haven’t watched a dating reality show since “Temptation Island” and maybe “The Bachelor” when Trista and Ryan were stars, but the political situation is really stressing me out. Slipping into couples deciding whether or not they’re in love or not is much more entertaining. Here’s the rub: NEARLY EVERYONE I TALK TO IS ALREADY WATCHING IT. Apparently, I’m late to the game, but I talked so much about the couples of Season 7—Leo and Brittany!!!—that even my kids grew curious and begged to watch one of the shows.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is it to introduce your children to trashy tv? Ha!
My husband and I started “The White Lotus,” too—and this season is by far the creepiest. More on this as the season progresses. We’ve only watched two episodes but Parker Posey is brilliant. We can’t stop laughing at her version of a pill-popping southern matriarch.
What I’m Reading Now
Has anyone read Hum by Helen Phillips? It’s a super strange story about a future where AI is a part of our daily life and “hums,” or robots soothe us as often as they try to sell us a line of products. I LOVE it and hate it all at once because so much of it feels familiar already. I don’t want to say more but imagine a story where a mother is telling the story of her family often choosing a “hum” rather than her for life advice and comfort. Ick.
Thanks for sharing this standard vacation idea. Sounds amazing!
Dream vacation!! Love all the special surprises! (and love is blind is so fun!!)