We flew into St. Thomas, picked up our open-air Jeep Wrangler rental and took the forty minute ferry ride to Cruz Bay, St. John. The ferry ride was a treat... offering views of the nearby British Virgin Islands - much different than the Long Island Ferries we are used to.
Once we arrived on St. John it was a twisty and steep 45 minute drive to Estate Concordia Preserve. Concordia is on the southeastern part of the island - opposite of the tourist city of Cruz Bay. Approximately 60% of St. John is protected national park so while driving be sure to watch out for the wild mountain goats, donkeys, mongoose, and believe it or not...deer!
We had reserved an "eco tent" at Concordia, which consisted of a wooden frame, with canvas material for walls, and zipped screen windows. The tents had a modest kitchen, composting toilet, and a solar heated shower (or garden hose and for those of us with a thick head of hair it requires some interesting one on one time with the significant other). For people who enjoy camping, it is luxury camping at its best. Concordia was all we needed with it's 360 degree ocean views and the trade wind breezes. 
We spent our days exploring and lounging at each one of St. John's perfect beaches. Our favorite, Trunk bay, had a snorkeling trail with so many exotic fish it made us feel like you were swimming in an aquarium. All the beaches had water that was crystal clear and the sand was super comfy. The north shore beaches have romantic views of the surrounding islands and once you are there, St. John's nickname "Love City" is easily understood. Once night fell we spent our evenings in Coral Bay enjoying the local live music. Laid back Coral Bay is where all the ex-patriots live and the inspiration for many of Kenney Chesney's Caribbean songs. Some refer to Coral Bay as the Cruz Bay of 25 years ago. Everyone at the bar had a story of how they vacationed here and never left. Everyone was is permanent care-free mode... the bartender singing along to her favorite song and mere strangers buying us drinks for just being there.
Despite the obvious hardship of living in such an expensive place, ironically all of the locals we chatted with seemed to be living the life we all strive for: a stress free paradise. We found ourselves chatting on the plane ride home about how we could become like the locals, pack everything up and move to this incredible island.
To be continued...
