Seventeen Steps of Stone: Escaping Paradise

by Cal Coolidge, Joan Coolidge

Every morning the bright sun rises and fills the sky, warming the entire island. Just as the heat begins to feel overwhelming, a light rain shower comes to cool you off. On any given day, you can spot a rainbow or feel a soft breeze. This is the Caribbean, and to many, it’s paradise.

In 2006, husband and wife Cal and Joan Coolidge decided to make that little slice of paradise their new home. They bought a small historic hotel in the Caribbean—on the US Virgin Island of Saint Croix, to be exact. The Pink Fancy Hotel, just like the island it sat on, was breathtaking.

Seventeen Steps of Stone recounts Cal and Joan’s real-life Caribbean how the two, with no hotel-management experience, left behind their comfortable suburban existence, stable jobs, and adult children to navigate a life and business on one of the most stunning islands in the eastern Caribbean.

Narrated by the couple themselves, this travelogue shares every twist and turn—the good and the bad—that they experienced while living (and working) in paradise.

You'll learn how not only how the couple searched for and found the perfect property then orchestrated their departure from a busy life on the mainland only to find that the 24/7 life of innkeepers could be both overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time.

It is the story of the how, once it became painfully clear that this was not going to be the perfect retirement for them that a combination of desperation, determination, creativity and a huge amount of luck allowed Cal and Joan to escape Paradise nearly intact thankful that they had the guts to try

251 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 23, 2017

Reviews

[Cal Coolidge · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, we admit it...not only did we read "Seventeen Steps of Stone....Escaping Paradise" we wrote it! Not only did we write and read it, we published it and most importantly we lived it. We'd be embarrassed to give it 5 stars except since it's release November 1st on Amazon we have nothing but 5 star reviews!
Why would we be the first? We are sure that won't last, we'd love your honest review.
This is a very true story of a couple living a good but hectic life in suburban Washington DC when they get sick of the rat race and decide this is the time in their life to take a walk on the wild side. Everyone at some point fantasizes about moving to the tropics away from the discord of the modern day world. We did it!
Things get a little complicated as we plunge head first into hotel ownership of a beautiful classic Caribbean hotel/guest house. You enjoy the stories of the good, the bad and the lucky we are sure!

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't want to get into any spoilers, but my favorite parts were "The Rat" and near the end when the hotel owners are "closing the deal." The few chapters that spans are well-integrated and suspensefully written, and you feel a big cheer inside when they accomplish it. The earlier chapters give you just a taste of what life is like as a hotel owner and a Crucian resident, and I would have liked to have read more about that. I imagine it was easier to recall the success of the ending in great detail than the overwhelming day to day. But if you think life on a Caribbean island is always easy - think again!

[Sue Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joan and Cal Coolidge follow their dream and buy an old inn on St. Croix, the Pink Fancy. This is their story of the dream, the purchase, the problems, the selling and the coming home. We bought this book after hearing their presentation at the Key West Library in February. Now I would like to know more about the Pink Fancy, their current owners and the owners from whom the Coolidges purchased the Pink Fancy.

[Anne Loiselle · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know something went awry when you see a tagline like “escaping paradise” but there wouldn’t be a story if everything went how you expect it to, would there? And this is a good one! A couple dared to try to make their dream a reality. It’s a great read and while very much a cautionary tale, it’ll make you smile and dream a little anyway!

[Sarah Coolidge · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were lots of laughs but also lots of moments I was biting my nails in anxious anticipation, so worried how it was going to end up! Very well-done, a fun read for anyone. A MUST-read for anyone even halfway considering buying a hotel in the Caribbean.

[Sue-Lynn Voigt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, cute and absolutely honest story of a couple who lost their minds and bought a small hotel on St. Croix, USVI. Heart warming, funny and a good read before you decide to totally change your life in your 50s. You will take away two words. "It's Easy."

[Shirley Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down! What a great, crazy idea to buy a hotel in the Caribbean as a retirement plan. The details drew me in - how they got there, what happened, their neighbors, their guests, and how they escaped their whim of a retirement plan. A really fun "survival" story.

[Monica Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, quick read that makes you want to go by a bed and breakfast in the Caribbean just to prove you can.

[B.M. Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read. Fun read. And a MUST READ if you have ever dreamt of, pondered, or seriously considered zipping off to far off parts of the world to open a business. The USVI may be part of the US, but it's a far different world than most Americans are used to.

Cal and Joan Coolidge are offering up their life lessons and business lessons for far less time, money and pain than most US/Caribbean business owners will experience while blindly jumping into the tropical business world.

I'll say it again, if you're considering opening a Caribbean business, this book is a MUST READ.