kmb1116

Hi there,

My fiance and I are flying into St. Thomas and spending 6 nights. We want to spend a couple in St. T and a couple in St. John, but don't know how to split them or where to stay! We're in our mid-twenties and like pretty beaches, great restaurants, hiking, and exploring cute towns. Neither of us are big into shopping, so that's not important. Also, anybody know what days cruises come to St. T?

virginia

many will advise you to go right to st. john but i like st. thomas and so will suggest 2 nights on st.t and 4 nights on st. j.
i only recommend one place on st.t - www.secretharbourvi.com
great beach, large comfortable condos, good restaurant and bar.
on st. john http://www.caneelbay.com/ seems to be the hands down favorite - but i've never been. they have 7 beaches!
this site should tell you who is in port on your travel days: http://www.usvi-info.com/infousvi/cruisecalendar.html

jeannetb

Do you have a budget and what time of year are you going? The rates during the summer months are much cheaper than during high-season. Based on your description I think you would love St John although we split our stay between the two islands last summer since St T does have things to offer but we were there for 10 days, with just 6 nights I would probably spend the first or last night on St Thomas with the rest on St John.

I would second Secret Harbour for a night or two on St T but I also think Sapphire Beach is beautiful and offers fantastic views (better than Secret Harbour IMO). Last summer we stayed in a very reasonably priced and clean studio at Sapphire Village through www.condodelmar.com which allowed us to have more money to spend on St John accomodations which tend to be much more expensive. On St J we rented a private villa and I'm currently looking into another villa rental for next summer (with our stay on St Thomas through condodelmar again). If you start looking into villa rentals you'll find the majority of them have a 7-day minimum, there are only a couple of rental agencies that offer a 5-day minimum and that's only during the off-season.

If you're into camping there are a couple of campgrounds on St John, one being right on Cinnamon Bay which is an incredibly beautiful beach.

You can check www.cruisecal.com for the cruiseship schedule.

mah1980

I just got back from my first trip to St. John.

We met several couples at various restaurants on St. John who were on the island on a day trip from St. Thomas. They all indicated that they wished that they would have stayed at St. John, rather than STT. They said that St. John had a better vibe.

My only time on STT was spent to and from the airport, but from the limited part of the island that I could see, I would not go back. It was much more crowded and commercialized than St. John. That seems to be the consensus on this board, too. You indicated that you are not into shopping, and want to hike, explore pretty beaches, and go into a cute town. That is definitely St. John.

JoenShell

Hi, Have stayed on both islands. once on STT & 4 times on STJ, when on STJ we will go over to STT for one day not to stay but to visit. I agree with other poster... everyone we meet on STJ visiting for the day from STT alway's say's they wished they were staying on STJ!!! They alway's say they will return to stay on STJ. but go with your heart!!! & Enjoy!!! Good Luck

sanbar51

Our first trip we stayed on St. Thomas - we only go back now as part of our travel route to St. John. We fly to STT, stay one night & spend the next day in Charlotte Amalie fighting the cruise crowd & picking up a few things. We typically eat at Glady's Cafe or Cuzzin's before taking the ferry to Cruz Bay.

We love St. John - we now normally stay at Estate Lindholm which is up the hill from Cruz Bay (and next to the restaurant, Asolare). Lauren & Brion are the proprietors and provide wonderful hospitality & advise on exploring the island during the daily continental breakfast.

If you rent a car on St. John, you can explore beaches & hike various trails to old sugar mill ruins & other remote beaches. We're headed back in January. Can't wait.

The local magazine will indicate what cruise ships are in port on what days.

scarboroughmom

Two years ago, I spent 3 nights in St John and 3 nights in St Thomas. I was sorry we did not spend the whole six nights in St John. Moving from the Westin to the Ritz took up a good part of one day. Six nights is not a super long vacation. St John is a much nicer island, and it is easy to just ferry over to St Thomas for a day trip.

ScottB

I'd go with:
1/2 an hour on STT
The rest of the 6 days on STJ!!

scarboroughmom

And I would spend that 1/2 hour getting to the ferry.

beachplum

One of the prerequisites for any Caribbean holiday for me is to be directly on a beach. On St. John that is limited to Caneel and a few rental villas. I don't like the commuting to the beach and dragging along all the "stuff" and that is one advantage to St. Thomas when you have the beach at your doorstep. I also prefer to be catered to rather than self-catered and having daily maid service. There are very nice places, usually a bit less expensive than St. John right on nice beaches but most people don't know of them or even see them on their rush to the ferry. There are more very good restaurants on STT than there is on STJ. I do agree with the recommendation of Secret Harbour (and Blue Moon Cafe there is excellent) for a couple of days but you didn't mention your budget. I did the same spending three days there on the way home from
Virgin Gorda in March. Depending on your flight home, it is sometimes more convenient to stay on STT for a departure since you wouldn't have ferry schedules to deal with when getting to the airport. Charlotte Amalie is more "urban" than St. John which has the advantage of being mostly Nat'l Park but once you get away from Town the cruisers and the crowds disappear as you head toward East End. Friday is usually an "off" day for ships but the ships do tender passengers to St. John.

noridog

Beachplum thanks for your info. We booked Thanksgiving week in a villa on STT and I was beginning to think I made a mistake (our first time)We do plan hanging out on St John but would love suggestions for STT..casual restaurants and definitely beach bars with happy hours? Our children ages 23-28 will be looking for some fun. For a nicer dinner Havana Blue? Open to all suggestions.

jlillberto

Red Hook in the East End has good restaurants and bars.

sanbar51

We stayed near a dive called Funghi's (down the hill from Agave) - small, cozy to exchange chat with bartender who was from our state (it was walking distance from our hotel). Craig & Sally's is a nice restaurant, especially for wine enthusiasts. Our last trip we dined at a new place called Noche? - it was pretty good. Previously mentioned Glady's & Cuzzins in town...

beachplum

not sure what the definition of "casual" is for you but most restaurants are. If it means inexpensive, not sure that most are!
Blue Moon Cafe at Secret Harbour, Robert's at the Elysian (both on East End) and the Ritz has choices for casual dining. Molly Malone's is in AYH in Red Hook (don't get the corned beef!) and upstairs is Off the Hook for good seafood. Caribbean Saloon is a casual sports bar also in AYH. East End Cafe in Red Hook is Italian but you can head to Tony Romano's in Smith Bay (pricey and not as casual). A newbie is the Cellar next door to East End Cafe which really should be good considering the quality of East End's food. In Town or near it, Herve's and Oceana as well as Bella Blue. Las Brisas has tapas (owned by folks who have three or four restaurants on St. John). Cuzzin's for local food and Gladys are in town too. Lots of good has been written about Indigo (at Magen's Bay Villas). CaRiGas at Bottoms Up at Independent Boatyard run by Randy (Randy's Bistro on Raphune Hill which is not so casual) at the mangrove's edge. Hull Bay Hideaway rated by the WSJ as the "best burgers." Toad and Tart is in Smith Bay and a "local/English" pub with home-cooking and good specials on weekends just remember the tart is one!
There are so many more. Wish others would chirp in. BTW, Craig and Sally's usually gets good marks except for mine - pricey and over rated IMO.
Haven't tried the "newbies," and there are a bunch. Not into the "fusion" thing at all so Havana Blue would not probably show up on my list.

wehateBush

I have been to St Thomas and St John and I think St John is far superior to St Thomas. The Agave in St T (I'm pretty sure it's still there) is really nice and there are cool places to go but you have to look into it and really plan b/c there ate a lot of lame tourist places that you can fall into. St John is great for exploring, being together in a beautiful place and you will be able to be alone pretty easily. Spend most of your time in St John--you will not wish you had spent more time in St Thomas.