jlub

I hope Fodorites will help here. It looks like we've finally decided to go to the Caribbean mid-June (as soon as school lets out). Two older parents and a 15 yo dd, possibly the 27 yo dd if she can get time off. We are primarily looking for snorkeling and hiking so we're tentatively planning on St. John. Many years ago I snorkeled Puerto Rico on the Navy base and have never found anything even close. I believe it was the private beaches that were the reason for the amazing underwater sea life. So we're hoping that St. John will offer something close to the beauty in PR.
Tentative plans based on reading blogs so far.
Depart SFO ~ June 9 or so
Fly to St. Johns
Rent small VRBO (beach access not necessary), quiet and scenic would be optimal, must have AC and WiFi Budget around $200 per night, maybe a little more
Rent Jeep, hike and snorkel the island / National Park

Questions:
1) Suggestions overall?
2) Where to stay?
3) It seems that St. Thomas is close by ferry but would not offer better snorkeling or hiking? What about Tortola? It seems it's a significant ferry ride (I get seasick), would you recommend a trip to perhaps find an isolated beach or a scenic hike?
4) Other recommendations?
5) Expected weather problems?

I know similar questions have been posed many times, but hope we can come up with quick plans / ideas. Thanks!

Jimmie

I think the plan is doable overall. You might have to up your housing budget a little bit. I think the best snorkeling is at St. John, no need to take an extra trip to Tortola for that. If you can handle a speedboat excursion, going to Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke (BVI) is super fun. You could also do a little extra snorkeling in the BVI that way. You can find some that combine all three: snorkeling, Soggy Dollar, and the Baths, on Virgin Gorda.

Most places aren't on the beach, so try to find a place up high with breezes and nice views. It will be HOT, especially noon to 3PM. That's good motivation to get to the beach on the early side.

Bassguy66

I agree with Jimmie on the budget for accommodations. You should be able to find a condo near or in Cruz Bay (STJ) for the $300 range thru VRBO. I suggest staying near town so you can walk to dinners, and explore the beaches in your jeep during the days. Gallows Point is great but out of your price range. I know I have seen condos on VRBO for around $300/night. Lavender Hill maybe?

Bassguy66

I just did a quick search on VRBO for June, and used a filter to only show places for $300 or less. There were 124 listings for villas and condos for that price range, many well below $300. Lavender Hill is a 2 bedroom condo walkable to town for $225 a night.

jlub

Thanks for the inputs! I searched on VRBO initially with no price filter and lots of places were coming up in the $700 or $800 range, but I put a limit at $250 and find what seem to be a lot of places that are just fine as far as I can tell. Some of them are new (to VRBO) so only have a few reviews. My understanding is that the island is quite small. I don't mind driving to dinners, etc. and I prefer a quiet spot (I hate noise, especially street noise or bar noise). If you have any particular spots on the island you'd recommend for that (for or against)?

Jimmie, I'll look into the speedboat to BVI, thanks for the tip. Most of the places seem to come with room AC so hopefully that's enough to sleep comfortably.

For flights I found American flies through Miami, other airlines through Boston, DC, Charlotte, all pretty far out of the way. Fares are pretty much around $1000 each and getting more limited so I need to do the final decision and book within the next couple days.

Bassguy66

If you want quiet, I would focus on the Coral Bay side of the island. Prices of villas are cheaper, but many do not have full AC...just in bedrooms, so make sure you ask if this is a must have. There are several companies on the island that might be able to help you find something as well. Just Google "St John Villas" and you will find a dozen different companies. There is a location map on the VRBO site as well if you go that route.

jlub

Thanks Bassguy, We are committed now as I booked flights last night. Looks like all the VRBO rentals are wide open, not quite sure why that is, but I'll take care of other things first. I see recommendations for Amalie Car Rental, so I'm looking into a jeep for the week (June 12-19). I see some various conversations about renting on St. Thomas and taking it across the ferry after grocery shopping.

Any ideas / suggestions would be appreciated.

Bassguy66

Personally, I think it's easier to rent on St John. Be advised that some of the STT rental companies have rules about taking it over to STJ. Most people I know rent from one of the companies right in Cruz Bay when you get off the ferry. Several are walkable from the ferry dock. We used St John Car Rental and they were great. https://www.stjohncarrental.com/
Also, I know you said you wanted peace and quiet, but I'd still look into places surrounding Cruz Bay. You should easily be able to find a quiet place. Staying closer to Cruz Bay will give you much more options for food and groceries.

brennynp

I too would rent a car on St John, not St Thomas. There are many reliable car rental places quite near the ferry dock. I would also stay on the Cruz Bay side of the island if you are relatively new to the island. Its still pretty quiet.

jlub

Thanks! I've taken the recommendation to book on St. John at Cruz Bay. Some of the jeep rentals are all booked, some don't respond to repeated phone calls or email (yet anyway). That's a bit worrisome if you needed to contact them while on the island. As of now, looks like going with L&L Jeep Rental who did answer the phone. Seemed a bit annoyed with the call but did answer all questions.

Next up will look for a VRBO. Will definitely look into Cruz Bay area.

jlub

By the way Bassguy, I tried St. Johns car rental but they are out. I think the better rental places all have sold out. Not sure about L&L, they have some reviews.

Bassguy66

I wish I could help further on L&L, but not familiar with them. If you rent from someone in Cruz Bay, a lot of them will let you use their lot to park at night if you come to town for dinner or whatever. Definitely a good question to ask as parking in Cruz Bay can be challenging. Good luck!!

brennynp

In June, its unlikely the St John car rentals will be sold out. You can park at Varlack on the curb in front of their agency.

jlub

So good news and bad news. Good news, I got a rental through Sunshine which I see really good reviews. More good news, found a really nice rental for a really decent price. Bad news, I realized after the fact it is not on St. John, it's on St. Thomas on the "quiet west end". Villa Milagro. We did not find anything we liked as much on St. John and somehow I had seen this one and when I went back we all looked at pictures and ignored the 2 or 3 places it said St. Thomas.

I'm trying to reach the owner (now 11 PM USVI time) but I am considering staying with it, even if they don't penalize us. Can we find at least 2-3 days of good snorkeling and "laid back" activities on St. Thomas and for 3 or 4 days take the ferry to St. John.

What would you recommend?

Bassguy66

It was all about quiet beaches and snorkeling for me. Although STT has some beautiful beaches, I didn't think the snorkeling was that great at all. I think you will find much better snorkeling opps over on STJ.

I highly recommend getting St. John Beach Guide
by Sombrero Publishing. Barnes & Noble should have it. Another great one is St John: Feet, Fins and Four Wheel Drive. I found both very valuable to learn my way around the different beaches, and find the better snorkeling spots. My personal favorite on STJ is Waterlemon Cay.

Jimmie

I'm concerned about a couple of things with your plan. First, I'm not sure that the beach at Santa Maria bay is accessible by car. So the "invigorating" 20-minute hike, downhill, becomes an uphill death march on the way back. It's a darker sand beach not known for snorkeling.

Second, all of the reviews except one are written by first time reviewers, and that always makes me a little nervous. But the property does look nice.

You're as far away from St John as you can possibly be on St. Thomas. Red Hook, on the East End of St. Thomas, is probably a 45-minute drive.

Honestly, I'd look elsewhere, if it's not a big penalty.

Bassguy66

In the original post, you were looking for quiet beaches and getting away from the crowds. STT is by far the busiest of the USVI. There is no doubt in my mind that STJ offers more what you are seeking. I would highly reconsider staying on STJ exclusively just based on your original wants.

jlub

Hey Jimmie / Bassguy, I decided that you were right. We thought the "ferry" was $14 each but that's not the car barge. It would cost a lot to drive to St. John several days AND we wouldn't have a place to go / rest in the afternoons. HOWEVER, I did reach the owner and she is going to let us out of our reservation. She is extremely nice / responsive and I still think her property looks really nice. Just not what we're looking for for quiet beaches and hiking. Anyone going to St. Thomas have a look at Villa Milagro, the owner is great, the property also looks great.

Now I just need to find another place to stay.

Bassguy66

I think you made the right decision. STJ sounds more like what you are seeking for sure. I would Google "St John Villas" and contact a few of the different companies that rent on STJ. Tell them what you are looking for, and let them find it for you. The more companies you contact, better your chances of finding something nice on short notice.

Jimmie

I don't think you will regret that decision. Once you get to St John, you will see what we're talking about.