Island Girl
Mountain Top St. Thomas is where the view is! (and a great Daiquiri…!)
If you’ve ever searched for, inquired about, or read a blurb on St. Thomas activities then you’ve heard of Mountain Top. This scenic outlook is located at the highest point of the island (1000 ft +), over on the Northside. When my family was visiting I took them up there; it was also my first visit.
We drove up and parked at one of two entrances. Almost immediately you’re informed by their entrance signs that the ‘World Famous Banana Daiquiri!’ was invented here. Sweet! I’m a fan of pretty much anything that comes from a blender, so a daiquiri was in my future.
As we walked down the blue-walled path we arrived at the other entrance, the one the safari taxis use:
It was pretty empty, and we walked into a quiet cluster of duty-free stores. Mountain Top usually closes around 4pm; we were there a little before 3, so it was a little odd that we basically had the place to ourselves. I took this picture of what I believe could be the largest cluster of flops for sale anywhere…
They also had these cute pink & green bags. I really wanted one, but held out (as did my aunt…):
We wandered through and looked at the stores (most are souvenir-themed, there are also clothing andbathing suits for sale) and as we came through the other end we saw the bar and the scenic deck. Woohoo! Daiquiri time!
Mom and I stepped up to the bar (everyone else was going booze-free. I know, I don’t understand it either…) and ordered two daiquiris. We watched as the bar-dude popped some bananas into the blender with both light and dark rum (Cruzan, people, always Cruzan Rum). The blender started whirring and we got our dollars out. As the drinks are being made here’s a quick blurb about the history of this drink:
What, you can’t read the whole thing? Guess you’ll have to plan a visit then! Or, you know, check out their website .
Bar-dude shut the blender off, poured the daiquiris out, and then topped off each cup with a healthy dose of more dark rum. Yeehaw! We paid, toasted, took a sip – and you know what? It’s wicked good!!
We took our drinks outside (here’s mom and I with our drinks, and yes, I think I’m a cowgirl…):
and joined the rest of our group on the deck to take in the scenery. Is the view worth the trip?
Definitely yes! I got my camera out and played with both lenses, taking far-away and close-up shots of Magen’s bay, St. John, Tortola, Jost Van Dyke….etc. You’re able to see around 20 islands from Mountain Top. They have these helpful picture signs up there to help you with your island-spotting:
Here’s another shot, those white condos overlook the Mahogany Golf course:
We stayed outside for awhile, enjoying the breeze and watching as a tour started milling through the doors. Unbeknownst to us Scott (who stayed behind at the house) was watching us on the deck via the Mountain Top webcam (we have a link under our ‘Webcams’ section). Feel free to click on and enjoy the view from your desk - you can imagine sipping on a daquiri while you’re looking (it’s not my fault your office doesn’t have a blender in the kitchen).
After taking in the view and gathering my share of pictures we made our way back through the stores. My uncle noticed this sign on one of the store’s entrances:
It says ’SHOPLIFTERS WILL BE MURDERED’. Wow. Really? There must be more value in those notepad/pen-holder magnet thingys than one thinks…
We poked around in a few stores, but left without any purchases – although I was tempted by that cluster of flip-flops. You can’t have enough flippies you know! I was also tempted to purchase a second daiquiri but decided against it. I’ll have to learn to make them at our house.
As we walked out of the front entrance there were a few cabs milling around, and a safari load of tourists were walking in. My dad took in the sights as I snapped a pic…
…we exited the way we entered, past the big blue walls (hey everyone, did you hear about the Banana Daiquiris?)…
…piled in the car, and took off.
Was it worth the trip? Sure, it’s a cool ride up the mountain, and you don’t have to spend a lot of time there. So I say yes, check it out - it’s an easy detour on your way to Magen’s Bay, and it will give you some really nice pictures of the island and beyond.
And, of course, there’s the whole daiquiri thing…they’re, like, really tasty. :)
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April 9, 2008 @ 8:52 am
st thomas Said,
[...] p.m. Aprilhttp://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2008/04/07/unique_auction_items_highlight_st_thomasMountain Top is where the view is! and a great DaiquiriIf you??ve ever searched for, inquired about, or read a blurb on St. thomas activities then you??ve [...]
April 11, 2008 @ 2:36 pm
St Thomas Restaurants Real Estate Cruise Ship Beaches Caribbean Reviews Said,
[...] View: Mountain Top (breathtaking views) [...]
April 23, 2008 @ 10:08 am
Mountain Top, Winner of Best of St. Thomas 2008 Award Said,
[...] We wrote a very detailed personal experience of Mountain Top previously, click here to read it. [...]
December 14, 2009 @ 7:06 pm
Shea Shea Said,
Mountain Top waz the place 2 be wit all the good stuff. And when u taste a zip of dat daquari. U would want 2 pour da whole ting in and get more.I am trully sorry fo da peaple who lost their jobs. It must have been very hard to get a job when the economy so bad. Good luck wit future references.
March 4, 2010 @ 6:28 pm
Armitage "Papa Bear" Allembert Said,
Groundbreaking Ceremony
Took Place Tuesday February 23, 2010 To Rebuild
The World Famous Mountain Top!
http://www.havefunwithus.net/mountain_top.html