Our rooms were beautiful at the Marriott Frenchmans Cove. Each family had a two room villa with a kitchen, living room and dining space. However, we weren’t there long to enjoy.
We met at 8:30 am for breakfast down by the pool. We had fun waiting for the food to arrive and enjoyed a variety of breakfast items: Pancakes, French toast, Breakfast Tacos, Omelettes and more. Then we quick went up to pack up and check out.
Todd and Scott stayed with bags waiting for the bellhop while Annie and I went to the beach with the kids.
Annie and I settled in on the beach chairs. Luke joined us to work on some reading. Tyler and Cole went exploring and checked out some plants and animals in the shallow waters. Todd and Scott made their way out to the floating platforms to relax and talk while Faith and Sammy went to a different one to jump like a trampoline. It was fun watching everyone enjoy their time in different ways.
Once we wrapped up, we headed up to the lobby and got our bags before our driver Sobers arrived.
We pulled into the marina right around noon and met Captain Brendan (B). Sobers took care of our luggage while we were brought aboard to meet Karen (K) We took a few minutes to get settled in. And then met up on the bridge for a safety briefing.
As soon as we were finished, we headed back down to the main level and enjoyed lunch - Asian noodles, with chicken, egg, and veggies. After our tummies were full, we settled in for the ride to St John.
Todd and Faith braved it out on the bow and took some real good waves. Cole decided to join and it wasn’t long before all three were drenched!
We stopped for a quick minute in Christmas Cove to have a break from the waves and use the bathrooms. Then K surprised us with some warm chocolate chip cookies.
Next, we continued on for appx 45 minutes (in much more comfortable seas) to St John where we grabbed a ball in Maho Bay.
Even before Captain B gave us the go ahead for swimming, we saw several of the “locals”. This cove is well known for sea turtles and it did not disappoint.
K served baked brie with crackers and fruit that we enjoyed before, during, and after the swim.
B offered to take the group to another spot with likely more turtles, so 7 jumped in the dinghy to head in closer to shore. Sammy and I stayed behind so she could work on Legos.
For supper, K served coconut breaded Mahi with coconut rice and a mango salsa. She also had a chicken option for those who prefer. We had a riviera salad and bread before and strawberry shortcake to wrap it up. It was a wonderful meal, made better with lots of laughter and a gorgeous view.
After supper we had a riveting game of Wordle with teams. So fun laughing together. Todd and Scott hung out on the bow and did some stargazing.
Then Sammy worked on practicing her songs and lines for Annie Jr. We enjoyed trying to keep up as she is far more rehearsed than the rest of us.
We all kinda met up again on the bow on the boat under a gorgeous sky and relaxed with a last few stories and comments about the day. Then headed in to go to bed. I’m pretty sure everyone was asleep before 11pm.
It was am excellent first day. We are a little pinker but our smiles are large!
