The Other Side of 45

There’s nothing like having the perfect group of friends in your circle. The girls started with the girls trip, and now we have introduced the “other half’s over time and look at us now!

I have to give mad props to my husband not staying at his parents home for the first time ever. (Thanks babe!)

We stayed at a fantastic villa overlooking Magen’s Bay, Villa Panorama. The concierge was great, always available via text or phone and super nice. We got a driving service, highly recommended for this part of the island, for the week and it worked out perfectly. (Samuel’s Dependable Service) Joseph was super reliable, very professional, and always on early, though he was early he patiently waited for us to be ready and didn’t expect us to be ready to go prior to our scheduled pickup/departure time. He even gave us a historical tour around the island that ended at Mountain Top where we had the famous banana daiquiri. Lisa, the owner was super! We had a full week with a detailed itinerary that we provided to them which made it helpful for all. (Want help with your trip itinerary, email paradiseandpassionstravel@gmail.com)

Sunday, we spent the day at St. John at Trunk Bay. Mom cooked fish, chicken, and johnny cake and it was delish! We took some great pics at the beach. We brought our own beverages for “adult” drinks. The beach and water was beautiful! (Note, if you want to use the facilities, e.g., grill and covered shelter, you will need a permit that will need to be obtained prior to your arrival)

The guys went deep sea fishing Monday with Ocean Sufari. They had a fantastic time and caught lots of fish. They even made the company website! It was definitely a treat for them all. The Ocean Sufari staff and especially Captain Ben was amazing. The captain even clean/filleted the fish that they caught. If you are wanting “more” of the fish I would recommend not having him fillet the fish…especially if you are a local.

The concierge recommended a fantastic chef, Chef Angelo. He’s from Sicily but has lived in St. Thomas for a while. He has great menu options, can do drop-off service as well as candlelight dinners…which is what we did. My husband is a fantastic cook as well as another one of guys does catering so they are extra “critical” when it comes to eating. They both were very impressed with Chef Angelo’s meal.

He prepared a 4 course meal that started with Caprese salad with prosciutto, Kale Caesar salad, lobster and crab fritters, Lobster fettuccini and Cannoli’s for dessert. The chef also prepared fresh catch of the day, Mahi Mahi with seasoned rice and some bottles of wine! He made fresh pasta on site and made everything fresh. Everything he prepared was absolutely delish!

We have a couple at wine club that are going to St. John and they are also going to have Chef Angelo come and cook for them and their friends. He is even good with dietary restrictions which is always my biggest challenge. Highly recommend this Chef!

This has been an absolutely fantastic trip! We had enough time to enjoy the villa, the girls got some great deals at Dynasty and Gold Mine jewelers while the guys were fishing and we saw some of the local historical and tourist highlights. Definitely a memorable trip for the books! YOLO!