Stephy

We will be going to St. Thomas as part of our cruise in December. We would like to get over to St. John and relax on one of the beaches, do some snorkeling and have a nice lunch, maybe walk around a bit. We will be docked from about 8-5 in STT. I am wondering if anyone can advise on which is the best (and least stressful) way to get to St. John (Red Hook or Charotte Amalie)and what Beaches are the best and not too crowded. I have heard Caneel is nice and we could walk to it from Cruz Bay. I am also wondering if leaving our bags on the beach while swimming/snorkeling is safe? We just want to relax and not have to worry about getting our stuff stolen, racing back to catch a ferry, etc. Any advice would be appreciated.

beachplum

You can taxi to the ferry either in Charlotte Amalie or the hourly one in Red Hook. You can then taxi to Caneel and use the beach there or take a short walk to Honeymoon which is one of my favorites from the Caneel pavillion. They have a lovely lunch buffet which you might enjoy. There are taxis in the parking lot that will take you back to Cruz Bay to take the ferry back to St. Thomas. I would not leave anything valuable on any beach anywhere.

bluefan

"I have heard Caneel is nice and we could walk to it from Cruz Bay"

You got TERRIBLE advice there. Caneel is nice but DON'T WALK to it - 4km each way in hot, humid weather on a steep, undulating road. What a way to kill your port day on St Thomas! Take the inexpensive truck taxis as beachplum advised.

The most popular St John beach is Trunk Bay, where you'll find plenty of other daytrippers and transport availability. You'll want to take a snapshot at the overlook before or after visiting...it's so darn picturesque.

christiegr

I would go to Caneel's beaches or Hawksnest beach both will be less crowded than Trunk Bay.Trunk bay is pretty and if you do not go there at least get the taxi to stop at the overlook and take a picture from it...it is soo picture perfect! Hawksnest and Caneel are closer to Cruz Bay than Trunk but are all not far from Cruz bay.Cinnamon Bay and Little Cinnamon are nice beaches also and are just beyond Trunk bay on the North Shore road.Get a copy of "Off The Beaten Track" by Gerald Singer it has great snorkeling info along with maps.Little Cinnamon Bay has a small air craft crash just off shore which is said to be visible still. (not sure as we did not look for it on our 2 trips to STJ) but we are going to look on our next trip.

Our favorite snorkeling was at Caneel's main beach.We saw Starfish,Stingrays,Seaturtles and tons of fish all at that beach.The restaurant has good food and service.For a daytrip Caneel would definitely make a good base because you would have bathrooms,food and some of the nicest beaches on STJ all right there!

Have fun!
Christie

sanbar51

Our favorite beach is Honeymoon beach - up the hill from Cruz Bay - there are only 3 ways to get there - a trail off the main road, a trail from Caneel Bay (not sure how easy for people not staying there to get on the property - though all the beaches are public, access to those beaches are not necessarily... and agree about taking a taxi to Caneel Bay) and by boat.

We take a trail up the hill from Cruz Bay - it's about a ½ mile hike (not difficult but would require more than flip flops). And consider the uphill hike for the return.

An option for St. Thomas visitors is to book a day sail and you will typically end up at Honeymoon Beach - since you only have a limited amout of time this may be a good bet for you (i.e, less stressful). They often serve lunch, have an open bar & provide snorkeling equipment (we did this our 1st trip to St. Thomas). You'll likely visit other places to snorkel & see other parts of the island.

If you do venture by ferry, for lunch, we enjoy the Beach Bar in Cruz Bay just around the corner from where the ferry docks. Not exactly stylish but they have good sandwiches, burgers... and at night, local sailors visit to tell their tales. There are a lot of other eateries in the immediate area as well.

To really enjoy St. John, stay on the island and rent a car - there are enough beaches to visit a different one every day. And they have some wonderful dinner restaurants.

We're headed back in January for anniverary & birthday celebration. Staying at Estate Lindholm ... can't wait and planning to take that trail to the beach!

PS - We enjoy dining at Glady's Cafe (breakfast/lunch only - if she's there she'll often sing along with the music from behind the bar) & Cuzzin's in Charlotte Amalie. Have fun.

Stephy

In other postings I have heard Trunk bay is beautiful but very crowded. The nice thing is they do have lockers for your things. When beachplum says never leave anything valuable on any beach, well I consider my Identification valuable. I guess I just want to know what other people do. You have to leave your money & Id somewhere.
I have also read that taking a taxi to Red hook can be a problem b/c the taxi's wait until they are full before heading there. There is the possibility of missing the ferry and waiting another hour for the next. Would it be best to take the ferry from Charlotte Amalie to StJohn then heading back on a ferry to Red Hook and taking a taxi? Has anyone done it this way?

caribtraveler

Hi Stephy. I have a waterproof case that goes around my wrist. I'll put money etc.. in it. I can't remember where I bought it online, but here's an old thread with some suggestions:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34743131

beachplum

Yes, you can take the ferry from Charlotte Amalie to St. John. With people coming off the ship, I doubt it would take long to fill a van but the ferry from CA is not as often as the one from Red Hook. Guess it would depend on what time you finally get off the ship. Check the ferry schedules at vinow.com but I think the afternoon ferry back to CA would be too late to make it to the ship. Might be cruisecritic.com that offers advise from other cruisers. Your ship most likely offers a trip to Trunk and depending on your time frame for that you could walk out to the parking lot and take a taxi to Caneel and return, I think - depending on how much time they have scheduled at Trunk. You can rent snorkle stuff, chairs, etc at Trunk.

JoenShell

Love Trunk Bay! it's a plenty big beach never had a problem with the crowds. Honeymoon also gorgeous, u can drive into caneel they have a specific parking lot for visitors(u can ask at the gate for where to park) than it's a short walk to honeymoon someone will point u in the right direction. past honeymoon up hill u can hike it to Solomon which is around the corner from honeymoon but is a lil' hike up than down......... Cinnamon is also pretty! Emjoy!!!!!!!!

Stephy

Sounds like Trunk, Caneel/Honeymoon are great beaches for lounging and snorkeling. I will just have to decide if we take the cruise package or do it ourselves. I appreciate the suggestions about waterproof wallets also. I live by a scuba store so I will check it out when I look for snorkel gear. Thanks!

ScottB

Couple comments on leaving valuables on the beach while you snorkel....

A waterproof case for cash & ID is a must. Any dive shop will have them.

Cameras are usally another concern. A little trick I learned a few years ago for keeping your camera safe while snorkeling is to bring a couple zip-loc freezer bags. Seal you camera inside, and simply bury it in the sand close to your stuff. The bag keeps your camera clean as a whistle.

Things such as flip flops, t-shirts & towels they can have if they're so inclined to steal it.

Hope this helps....enjoy STJ!!

caribtraveler

I think I read somewhere about the ziploc bag and burying the camera but had forgotten about it. That's a great idea.

Stephy

That does sound like a great idea. Can't wait to see the beaches at STJ. The scheduled trip from our cruise does sound less stressful but I am leaning towards the DIY since we are docked all day. I think I would be great to visit both Trunk and Honeymoon/caneel and have lunch on the island.

All_4_Travel

My wife and I have camped the the national parks service camp grounds a cinnomin bay a couple of years in a row and totally love the beach.

Trunk is quite a bit more crouded.

stjohncaptain

Loads of people come to St. John from STT. My friends from Florida take two cruises each year and always come to visit me here. They taxi to Redhook and then ferry to St. John. On the way back, they take the ferry from St. John to Charlotte Amalie, and have a quickie walk to the boat. On St. John, I pick them up and drive them around. For you, I recommend avoiding Trunk, since it will be crowded! Go to Cinnamon, where you can have some space, and also buy a lunch. Incidentally, there is an excellent review of all the St. John beaches at www.stjohntravelforum.com. Click on the beaches topic. Don't walk to Caneel unless you are ambitious and don't have lots of stuff to carry.

cawhite

Here is another great link for St. John Beach information / pictures:

http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/

Carole

christiegr

Stephy,
If you take Stjohncaptain's advice and do not go to Trunk Bay...atleast stop at the overlook..it is definitely worth the stop..very picture perfect!