Oppenheimer and Skinny Legs

Our second day in St. John, we absolutely had to find Oppenheimer beach. It has it's own story and drama behind it involving two families (one being Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb), but what I was searching for is it's infamous tire swing kindly added by a local in the past few years. This beach is also known as Gibney beach, and only has a few public spots for parking so we weren't sure if we would make it on the first try. Lucky for us, we were waking up around 6AM the entire time on the island (they don't do daylight savings time, so technically it was 7AM back home). We headed out early to search for a spot. After parking in a questionable location (backwards and uphill on a very steep incline in the tiniest cleared out space), we made the very short hike down to the most gorgeous beach I've ever seen. 

Victoria Secret Swim Suit (old) | Mr Kate Beauty Marks

Maaji Swimsuit | Mr Kate Beauty Marks

After taking an exorbitant amount of photos, we settled down to drink in the turquoise waters and ever-so-slight breeze. It was perfect as there is a nice amount of shade to keep you out of the sun, the waves were the perfect size for playing in, and it wasn't crowded later like a few of the other more popular beaches we explored. 

#conching (pronounced "Konkin')

After several hours at the beach, our bellies were telling us it was time for lunch so we headed into Cruz Bay to find a spot. We dined at the Sun Dog Cafe in Mongoose Junction. The food was pretty good, but the drinks were better; Ting Ting and Ting Tang.

They had their very own interesting and tasty take on Corn Chowder. I would definitely order it again. 

Our favorite dish was the quesadilla of the day. Boy was it amazing!  

I ordered an artichoke flatbread pizza which was nice, but I would have loved some white sauce on it. 

They also had a french country turnover that sounded good, but it wasn't my favorite. They stuffed it with beans and barbecue. I think it would have been better with something else, the pastry part was delicious but the barbecue added a different flavor. 

The shrimp vera cruz was also a great dish to try. Stuffed with shrimp, salsa, cheese and more it's worth the trip to the cafe to try it out. 

We shopped around Mongoose Junction for a little while before heading to another beach, Jumbie. The sand there was a bit coarse, and it wasn't as calm as Oppenheimer. One good thing about it was that it was not as crowded as some of the other beaches we visited.

We even found the perfect spot for a nap… 

That evening we traveled across the island to Skinny Legs for a good ol' cheeseburger. They had the World Cup on tv, so the boys were happy to stay awhile.  

Their burgers were absolutely huge and not to mention delicious. I definitely couldn't eat the whole thing, but I made a hearty attempt. 

If I haven't convinced you to take a trip down to St. John yet, stay tuned for more white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters!