Snapshots from Caneel Bay, St John

How was my vacation in Caneel Bay?  Spectacular, thank you… but first, the photos:

My family has been going to Caneel for years.  There’s a magical quality to the place – which I often describe as “camp for adults.”   Its all about the beaches (seven total) and with 160 rooms on 160 acres, it’s like escaping to your own private island.

Caneel Bay is set on the grounds on an old sugar plantation, now a national park.  This wall – part of the ruins of the old sugar mill – took my breath away.

My kids were thrilled to see all the native wildlife, especially this iguana who had crawled under my beach chair (cheeky!) moments before I snapped this shot.   We also had some close encounters with lizards, turtles, stingrays, deer, pelicans, a donkey and a mongoose.

Shopping like a local in Cruz Bay

Cruz Bay Harbor

I also went to town on visual inspiration – like the weathered grays against the warm rusts and terra cottas, the timeworn beauty of the rocks and ruins, and especially the subtle textural contrasts along the harbor.

I’m filing these away as ideas for future interiors. If you’re not quite ready for the beautiful beach scenes to end, we can globe-trot to my post on inspirations from Portugal.