As many of you know, my family is fortunate enough to have a house on St. John in the US Virgin Islands. What many of you don’t know, is the history of how the house came to be. My fearless parents have always been avid travelers, especially in the 70’s when travel was becoming all the rage, (see ABC’s series Pan Am, and AMC’s Mad Men). Those were the days when you could smoke on planes (or pretty much anywhere for that matter), cruises included unlimited booze, and Motel 6 cost $6 a night. My parents frequented the cruising scene, and on one particular cruise of the Caribbean in the 1980’s, they fell in love with St. John. So they bought land, and built the house, coincidentally right when Hurricane Hugo hit in 1989. My dad went down to check out the damage, and if you can believe it, many others were flying down with propane and other “dangerous goods” that would now get you arrested quicker than you can say TSA. The house survived virtually unscathed, and continues to sit today perched over Fish Bay. Spending a lot of my childhood here was not only exciting, but I like to think it gave me my appreciation for other cultures. (I once used asked my mom why I could never be as tan as my friend Aisha!)
Our loving house manager, along with my parents, continue to maintain the Jolly Diversion and rent it out so that others can enjoy the island just as much as we do. Of course, the island is now a lot more built up than it was in mid to late 80’s. Million dollar lots hold 7 bedroom houses with pools, gyms and tennis courts. And while our house is not what some people would call “state-of-the-art,” it has twenty first century essentials, including TV’s, DVD players, and Wifi.
For more information visit, http://www.vrbo.com/179128, http://caribehavens.com/, and http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p251134
Seasoned Traveler 
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