Our journey, Chapter 3: Hot, hot, hot!
I don’t think Buster Poindexter was referring to the leeward side of St. John when he released his hit song “Hot, Hot, Hot”, but the title is apt. Natalie called it before we came to the St. John Westin. We were sitting on the beach at the Ritz Club on St. Thomas which has a spectacular view of St. John and a wonderful refreshing breeze that is almost always in your face.
At the Westin on the west side of St. John, not so much – well, not at all. Period.
Located on Great Cruz Bay nestled between two arms of land that tower above it, the Westin at sea level is only teased by periodic mild gusts leaving guests longing for more.
Barb, a good friend once warned us against property facing the sunset. She said that while the views may be beautiful, they come at the cost of brutal afternoon heat that typically make it necessary to close shutters, blinds, drapes or hang blackout curtains to avoid the sweltering afternoon sun. Wow was she right!
As I sit here typing these words, I am sweating so heavily my fingers are slipping off the keys.
It’s really hard to find a room at the St. John Westin. For the life of me, I don’t know why. The staff is very nice, and the sunsets are indeed pretty, but I can’t help but think Dante had this setting in mind when he was describing the various levels of Hell.
Adding to our experience here was the cab ride from the dock where the ferry lands. Before this, Natalie and I only saw St. John from a sailboat or lounging on one of the island’s beautiful beaches after being delivered by dinghy. So, we missed the abandoned cars and trash, rusting shipping containers and instruments of industry none of which belong in paradise. Certainly reminded me of the saying, “Good from far, but far from good.”
In fairness, until we can legitimately 3-D print modern luxury, the means of creating it requires the things we passed on our way here. We just like to pretend it doesn’t.
I know there are other places on St. John where the breeze is fresh and most of the island is a national park where nature reigns. Real estate is expensive here, which means people who can afford to live wherever they want choose to live here. So, we’re not forming fixed opinions, yet, but here’s to hoping the next several days finds us pleasantly surprised.
In the meantime, I’m grabbing a towel to wipe up the puddle I left while writing this and jumping into a cold shower.