Back from beautiful St. John!
May 23rd, 2005, 05:00 PM
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Back from beautiful St. John!
My husband and I were in St. John from May 12 to May 19. We had a great time - what a beautiful place! Here's a recap of our trip:
Transportation
We flew into St. Thomas using Delta frequent flier miles. From the airport, we took a taxi to Red Hook and then the ferry to St. John. Our taxi ride was about a half hour or so, and the ferry ride was about 20 minutes. On the way back, though, we took the ferry from Cruz Bay to Charlotte Amalie (about 45 minutes) and then a brief taxi ride to the airport. Both trips were about equal in length and cost, but we preferred the longer ferry ride and shorter taxi ride, simply because it was more enjoyable to us.
Once on St. John, we rented a Jeep from Conrad Sutton for the week for $390. We found that most rental places offered the same price. Conrad Sutton has a decent-sized parking lot right in Cruz Bay for anyone who is not staying within walking distance of town. No complaints about Conrad Sutton or the Jeep we had. We are definitely glad we swung for the car for the whole week - it allowed us so much flexibility! And my husband had no problem driving on the left side of the road. For the first few hours, I kept doing my mantra: "left... left... left..." But he quickly adapted.
Lodging
We rented the Azul de Mar room in Mahogany Tree Villa (www.mahoganytreevilla.com) for about $1,200 for the week. The villa has two other rental units - decent place, with a pool and honesty bar. Our unit could use a bit of a facelift, but it was clean and had loads of character. We had a kitchen, a TV, and A/C in our bedroom (a must for us). A word to the wise for anyone interested in renting here - the biggest unit (whose name I can't remember right now) does not have A/C in the bedroom - rather, it has some sort of cooling unit that didn't seem to do the job for either of the two couples who rented that room during our stay. They both complained about the heat in the bedroom. Also, the guest comments on the website are a little out-of-date - they are directed to the former owners, who apparently were very sociable with their guests. The new owner just recently took over - he only lives there part-time, and I'm not sure he guarentees picking up guests from the dock like the old owners did. He happened to be on the island while we were there, so we did get a lift from the dock. Just be aware that the website *might* not be completely up-to-date with the new owner's policies. (But please don't let that stop you from looking into it!)
The location of Mahogany Tree is excellent - it's a 5- to 10-minute walk to downtown Cruz Bay. For anyone familiar with the area, it's just around the bend from Gallows Point. All in all, it was a good place for us to stay.
Activities
We snorkeled every single day - so much fun! Our favorite snorkel spot was undoubtedly Waterlemon Cay in Leinster Bay. You have to walk about 20 or 30 minutes to get there, but I highly recommend it. The coral was amazing; we saw hundreds of huge starfish, several turtles and stingrays, all kinds of fish... it was one of the highlights of our trip. Our favorite beach was Cinnamon Bay. We also enjoyed Trunk Bay, Francis Bay, Salt Pond Bay, and pretty much every other beach we visited.
We hiked the Reef Bay Trail - also highly recommended, although it's a bit of a challenging hike on the way back up. (Apparently you can arrange for the National Park Service to pick you up at the bottom of the trail.) The highlight of this trail was the petroglyphs, ancient stone carvings surrounded by a waterfall.
Another highlight of our trip was an excursion with New Horizons II to the British Virgin Islands. This trip goes to the Baths on Virgin Gorda, lunch at Pusser's on Marina Cay, snorkeling at Guana Island, and Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke. We loved this tour! Unfortunately, the weather was not so great - by the time we got to Soggy Dollar, we were pretty soggy ourselves. But it was worth it for those Painkillers!
Food and Drink
What can I say - I love Painkillers. We've been making them at home with our Cruzan Bay Rum - yum! Our favorite watering spot (besides Soggy Dollar, which we only got to enjoy for an hour) was The Beach Bar in Cruz Bay. Also enjoyed Woody's and Skinny Legs. Didn't care for Duffy's, simply because it was more like a club than the kind of laid-back Caribbean bars we were looking for.
We ate well in St. John (although food is generally pretty expensive). The best restaurant of our trip was Asolare - food, service, ambience, everything just blew me away. Fabulous - expensive, but fabulous. Also adored the food at Morgan's Mango, Rhumb Lines, Uncle Joe's Barbecue (I picked up a rib and the meat literally slid right off), Stone Terrace, Woody's and Skinny Legs. We weren't that impressed with The Lime Inn, and we were downright disappointed with Cafe Roma.
Guidebooks
We ended up buying "Feet, Fins and Four-Wheel Drive" by Pam Gaffin and "St. John Off the Beaten Track" by Gerald Singer. One of those would have been enough, and we preferred "FF&FW" - it was more user-friendly, with tons of great details. The other book was good, too, but we found ourselves using this one more.
Those are the main details of our trip. St. John is just stunning - within the national park especially, it is so lush, with so much wildlife and absolutely pristine beaches. The only downside of our trip was the weather - it was mostly overcast, with intermittent rain. Our last day was so sunny and so HOT that in retrospect, those overcast days were kinda nice because they were so comfortable.
I hope someone finds this trip report useful. I'd be happy to try to answer any questions!
Transportation
We flew into St. Thomas using Delta frequent flier miles. From the airport, we took a taxi to Red Hook and then the ferry to St. John. Our taxi ride was about a half hour or so, and the ferry ride was about 20 minutes. On the way back, though, we took the ferry from Cruz Bay to Charlotte Amalie (about 45 minutes) and then a brief taxi ride to the airport. Both trips were about equal in length and cost, but we preferred the longer ferry ride and shorter taxi ride, simply because it was more enjoyable to us.
Once on St. John, we rented a Jeep from Conrad Sutton for the week for $390. We found that most rental places offered the same price. Conrad Sutton has a decent-sized parking lot right in Cruz Bay for anyone who is not staying within walking distance of town. No complaints about Conrad Sutton or the Jeep we had. We are definitely glad we swung for the car for the whole week - it allowed us so much flexibility! And my husband had no problem driving on the left side of the road. For the first few hours, I kept doing my mantra: "left... left... left..." But he quickly adapted.
Lodging
We rented the Azul de Mar room in Mahogany Tree Villa (www.mahoganytreevilla.com) for about $1,200 for the week. The villa has two other rental units - decent place, with a pool and honesty bar. Our unit could use a bit of a facelift, but it was clean and had loads of character. We had a kitchen, a TV, and A/C in our bedroom (a must for us). A word to the wise for anyone interested in renting here - the biggest unit (whose name I can't remember right now) does not have A/C in the bedroom - rather, it has some sort of cooling unit that didn't seem to do the job for either of the two couples who rented that room during our stay. They both complained about the heat in the bedroom. Also, the guest comments on the website are a little out-of-date - they are directed to the former owners, who apparently were very sociable with their guests. The new owner just recently took over - he only lives there part-time, and I'm not sure he guarentees picking up guests from the dock like the old owners did. He happened to be on the island while we were there, so we did get a lift from the dock. Just be aware that the website *might* not be completely up-to-date with the new owner's policies. (But please don't let that stop you from looking into it!)
The location of Mahogany Tree is excellent - it's a 5- to 10-minute walk to downtown Cruz Bay. For anyone familiar with the area, it's just around the bend from Gallows Point. All in all, it was a good place for us to stay.
Activities
We snorkeled every single day - so much fun! Our favorite snorkel spot was undoubtedly Waterlemon Cay in Leinster Bay. You have to walk about 20 or 30 minutes to get there, but I highly recommend it. The coral was amazing; we saw hundreds of huge starfish, several turtles and stingrays, all kinds of fish... it was one of the highlights of our trip. Our favorite beach was Cinnamon Bay. We also enjoyed Trunk Bay, Francis Bay, Salt Pond Bay, and pretty much every other beach we visited.
We hiked the Reef Bay Trail - also highly recommended, although it's a bit of a challenging hike on the way back up. (Apparently you can arrange for the National Park Service to pick you up at the bottom of the trail.) The highlight of this trail was the petroglyphs, ancient stone carvings surrounded by a waterfall.
Another highlight of our trip was an excursion with New Horizons II to the British Virgin Islands. This trip goes to the Baths on Virgin Gorda, lunch at Pusser's on Marina Cay, snorkeling at Guana Island, and Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke. We loved this tour! Unfortunately, the weather was not so great - by the time we got to Soggy Dollar, we were pretty soggy ourselves. But it was worth it for those Painkillers!
Food and Drink
What can I say - I love Painkillers. We've been making them at home with our Cruzan Bay Rum - yum! Our favorite watering spot (besides Soggy Dollar, which we only got to enjoy for an hour) was The Beach Bar in Cruz Bay. Also enjoyed Woody's and Skinny Legs. Didn't care for Duffy's, simply because it was more like a club than the kind of laid-back Caribbean bars we were looking for.
We ate well in St. John (although food is generally pretty expensive). The best restaurant of our trip was Asolare - food, service, ambience, everything just blew me away. Fabulous - expensive, but fabulous. Also adored the food at Morgan's Mango, Rhumb Lines, Uncle Joe's Barbecue (I picked up a rib and the meat literally slid right off), Stone Terrace, Woody's and Skinny Legs. We weren't that impressed with The Lime Inn, and we were downright disappointed with Cafe Roma.
Guidebooks
We ended up buying "Feet, Fins and Four-Wheel Drive" by Pam Gaffin and "St. John Off the Beaten Track" by Gerald Singer. One of those would have been enough, and we preferred "FF&FW" - it was more user-friendly, with tons of great details. The other book was good, too, but we found ourselves using this one more.
Those are the main details of our trip. St. John is just stunning - within the national park especially, it is so lush, with so much wildlife and absolutely pristine beaches. The only downside of our trip was the weather - it was mostly overcast, with intermittent rain. Our last day was so sunny and so HOT that in retrospect, those overcast days were kinda nice because they were so comfortable.
I hope someone finds this trip report useful. I'd be happy to try to answer any questions!
May 23rd, 2005, 05:31 PM
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Meredith, Thanks for a great trip report! I've been needing a fix as we get closer to our vacation to StJ. I have a quick question on the snorkeling - my husband and I love to snorkle, but my daugther (teen) isn't all that adventurous (read - hates to be too far from land or in v. deep water). Can you recommend any spots not too far off shore, but that would have more than sand and an occasional fish to view?
Thanks!
Thanks!
May 23rd, 2005, 06:22 PM
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Thanks Meredith. I am planning a first trip to St. John for next June and appreciate the information in your report.
One question about Waterlemon Cay. How was the current around the island? Did you swim out to the island?
We are thinking of renting a place a few minutes walk from Francis Bay. What was Francis Bay like? Did you snorkel there?
Thanks again,
-Bill
One question about Waterlemon Cay. How was the current around the island? Did you swim out to the island?
We are thinking of renting a place a few minutes walk from Francis Bay. What was Francis Bay like? Did you snorkel there?
Thanks again,
-Bill
May 23rd, 2005, 06:27 PM
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Hi, Elle! Hawksnest Beach comes immediately to mind - the reef comes right up to the shore there (although the snorkeling is not quite as good there as some other spots). Also Trunk Bay - it's just a short swim out to the reefs, but really not far at all. Every beach we went to had some sort of reef, and most were pretty easy to reach from the shore. I'd recommend getting a copy of the book "Feet, Fins and Four-Wheel Drive" that I mentioned above - the author gives explicit details about the snorkeling at each beach. And she also breaks things down into categories; for example, Shallow Water a Long Way Out (she lists Maho Bay under this category).
May 23rd, 2005, 06:34 PM
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Hello, Bill! Yes, we did swim around Waterlemon Cay. The current on the far side of the island was a little rough, compared to the closer side of the island. I'll admit, I found swimming on that side a little bit intimidating. I think it's perfectly safe, but it's definitely harder to control your movements. I'm so so glad we swam all the way around the cay, but I was certainly exhausted afterwards.
As for Francis Bay, that was one of our favorite beaches. Beautiful views, with a long wide beach - gorgeous! We went there in the afternoon, and there was only one other family there - so I guess you could say it's a little off the beaten path. The snorkeling was pretty good there. We swam to the left towards Maho Bay - there was a nice reef there. I think I remember our guidebooks saying that there was also a really great reef to the right, out towards where the island forms a small cape - but we did not swim out that far.
As for Francis Bay, that was one of our favorite beaches. Beautiful views, with a long wide beach - gorgeous! We went there in the afternoon, and there was only one other family there - so I guess you could say it's a little off the beaten path. The snorkeling was pretty good there. We swam to the left towards Maho Bay - there was a nice reef there. I think I remember our guidebooks saying that there was also a really great reef to the right, out towards where the island forms a small cape - but we did not swim out that far.
May 24th, 2005, 04:03 AM
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Meredith,
My husband and I were there at the same time (May 14-20). I agree that St John is an absolutely beautiful and relaxing island. We stayed in Viewtiful, a villa high up on Mamey Peak. We enjoyed the delicious tradewinds and we didn't even need to use the air conditioning once. What fun to lie in bed at night with the windows open and hear all the sounds of nature around us! The villa was wonderful and the beaches the best we've ever experienced. I agree that, over all, the somewhat overcast weather was a blessing. We still got to swim everyday and yet we were comfortable even when not in the water. In fact, the day we left it was so sunny and hot that we thought we would pass out. So, for all of you still planning your trip, don't fret if there is a little rain in your forecast. The water is still warm and turquoise in color, the visibility for snorkeling is fine, and the island is lush and green. I can't wait to go back!
P.S. I love painkillers too!!
My husband and I were there at the same time (May 14-20). I agree that St John is an absolutely beautiful and relaxing island. We stayed in Viewtiful, a villa high up on Mamey Peak. We enjoyed the delicious tradewinds and we didn't even need to use the air conditioning once. What fun to lie in bed at night with the windows open and hear all the sounds of nature around us! The villa was wonderful and the beaches the best we've ever experienced. I agree that, over all, the somewhat overcast weather was a blessing. We still got to swim everyday and yet we were comfortable even when not in the water. In fact, the day we left it was so sunny and hot that we thought we would pass out. So, for all of you still planning your trip, don't fret if there is a little rain in your forecast. The water is still warm and turquoise in color, the visibility for snorkeling is fine, and the island is lush and green. I can't wait to go back!
P.S. I love painkillers too!!
May 24th, 2005, 04:52 AM
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Thanks for the great report.My family and I leave for St John on June 1st through the 7th.
We cannot wait.We rented a villa on Gifft Hill.
I love to snorkel and it sounds really great there.
I have snorkeled in Kauai..which was good but only had the lava reefs.We also snorkeled in Aruba and it was nothing special..so St John having coral reefs..I hope will be an experience that I will enjoy.Take Care,Christie
We cannot wait.We rented a villa on Gifft Hill.
I love to snorkel and it sounds really great there.
I have snorkeled in Kauai..which was good but only had the lava reefs.We also snorkeled in Aruba and it was nothing special..so St John having coral reefs..I hope will be an experience that I will enjoy.Take Care,Christie
May 24th, 2005, 06:25 AM
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One word of caution on Waterlemon Cay -- the current on the far side of the island can get strong, and there is fire coral around there. Don't get too close to shore, where you can be brushed against it. This happened to my wife, and it made for one painful day. The snorkeling is really great, however.
May 24th, 2005, 06:36 AM
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We just returned also from St. Thomas. May 15 - 21. Working on our report and pic web-site now. We agree that New Horizons II was the best trip. We went to Duffy's in St. Thomas and thought the crowd was a little to young for us. It was more like a pick-up bar than a relaxing beach bar. We loved Paradise Point though. Great atmosphere.
May 24th, 2005, 01:16 PM
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I hope Christiegr is reading this. You definitely get the most enthusiastic pre-vacation award. Your excitement is definitely appropriate... snorkeling will be great fun. Do try Little Lameshur which is off the beaten track but a beautiful beach and fun snorkeling on the left handside of the bay looking out to sea. Have a great time!
May 25th, 2005, 05:52 AM
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Caribbeansoul--We are going to STJ on June 1st.We have been planning the trip since February.The villa,rental car and airline tickets have been paid for.Now I wish I would have waited for the airfare..we paid 451 a ticket for 6 people.Now travelocity has the same tickets for 381..but I do not like to wait until the last minute being that you might not find what you are looking for.
I really like to research different places for a possible future trip.That is why I asked alot of questions about Jamaica for later this year or beginning of next year.
Now we have narrowed our next trip down to Jamaica,Costa Rica,Harbour Island or back to Hawaii (Maui and Kauai).We might just like STJ so much that we just forget all the other possibilities and just go back there.
I really like to research different places for a possible future trip.That is why I asked alot of questions about Jamaica for later this year or beginning of next year.
Now we have narrowed our next trip down to Jamaica,Costa Rica,Harbour Island or back to Hawaii (Maui and Kauai).We might just like STJ so much that we just forget all the other possibilities and just go back there.
May 25th, 2005, 07:13 PM
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Christiegr: Don't sweat the ticket prices. That's the way the cookie crumbles. You will have an amazing time in St. John. Do try to get out to Miss Lucy's out in Coral Bay. The owner's name is Guy (pronounced "gee"
. Call him in advance to let him know your party's coming. He's closed on Mondays. You'll have a great time! I'm so looking forward to your trip report!
. Call him in advance to let him know your party's coming. He's closed on Mondays. You'll have a great time! I'm so looking forward to your trip report!
May 25th, 2005, 07:32 PM
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I was just about to get off the internet for the night but I have to answer this one: my family (including my husband before our marriage) has owned a tuxedocat. We currently have one named "Lefty" because his left front arm is mostly white. We adore tuxedocats and believe them to be particularly lucky. Lots of fun to you. All this talk has me contemplating a trip to St. John in early June, too. If I can swing it, I will post it!
May 26th, 2005, 09:52 AM
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In my experience, a pineapple contains pineapple juice, orange juice, coconut juice, and rum. Sometimes there's nutmeg grated on top. A wonderful drink. If your bartender is cheap, he'll make your drink too strong, because on St. John, the rum is the cheapest ingredient!
Here's one little tip: I think the ocean current tends to come from the East all year around, which can make the Eastbound ferry trip much choppier than the Westbound ferry trip. So, the longer ferry trip from Charlotte Amalie is more enjoyable when done from St. John to St. Thomas, as Meredith did it, rather than the other way around.
Here's one little tip: I think the ocean current tends to come from the East all year around, which can make the Eastbound ferry trip much choppier than the Westbound ferry trip. So, the longer ferry trip from Charlotte Amalie is more enjoyable when done from St. John to St. Thomas, as Meredith did it, rather than the other way around.
