nibos

Hi Fodorites. We too got lots of advice from this site, so I wanted to return the favor. We spent the first week of July at Caneel Bay on St. John with our 2 kids ages 9 and 12. St. John is a beautiful, peaceful, relaxing island - and it was perfect for our needs. We love to snorkel, and we were NOT disappointed! We swam with stingrays, turtles, an extraordinary royal blue flying fish, a stunning octupus, huge pufferfish, and on and on. 5 underwater cameras were not enough! For us, the real advantage to staying at Caneel was having access to all the pristine beaches. We would try to hit 2 beaches a day, and left the property to hit Trunk Bay (8:30 am and we were the ONLY ones there!!). We rented a car for a day and drove the island, which I would highly recommend. We went to Leinster-Waterlemon Cay for a hike and swim to a beautiful reef, lunch at Skinny Legs (a must do!), and a snorkel at Salt Pond beach.

We had a fridge in the room, and bought groceries in town for breakfast and several picnic lunches - the $25/person buffet at Caneel was bountiful but unnecessary. We were staying on Caneel Beach, so we'd run over between 7 and 8 for the "complimentary" coffee, bagels (not very good!) and banana bread. It was nice to have fruit and milk in the room. We had many meals in Cruz Bay, a short and delightful taxi ride away. Our favorites were Morgan's Mango and Mongoose Junction restaurant (the sit-down portion of the deli). We had a good ( if overpriced) meal at Asolare, and enjoyed the Fish Trap. We were disappointeed in the Lime Inn.

A highlight of our trip was the 4th of July Carnival - a spectacular parade put on by the local people in a joyful colorful way - loved all the little baton twirlers, stiltwalkers, and the wonderful live music! There were great fireworks at night as well. If you're going in the summer, try to be there on July 4th.

We liked being at Caneel with our kids - no TV, no limbo contests - just special time for our family. Life is hectic enough here at home with all their friends - St. John is a great place to go to regroup and focus on each other!

The rooms at Caneel are, as reported, nothing special. The best thing about the place is that they cleaned the room twice a day, and managed to get the sand out of the beds! We found the service to be fine, and had a few meals at the Beach Bar which were good. Our one meal at the Equator was no big deal.

We sprang for the adjoining beachfront rooms - but in hindsight I think that, for families, even the tennis rooms would be fine because you walk (or shuttle) to the different beaches. As a couple, however, I might splurge on the beachfront rooms on Scott Beach - the most beautiful in the complex.

That's it, in a nutshell. I'd be happy to share any other information or answer any questions you might have. I love this web site! Feel free to email me at [email protected].

nibos

OK . . . I'm insulted. I come back a month later and there's not one response, not one comment, not one question!!!! I know all the St. John fans are very vocal . . . doesn't anyone have anything to say??

SSypniewski

Actually I will respond to your trip report. (enjoyed reading it by the way) My husband and I will be staying at Caneel Bay the 2nd week in October. (We're going for our 2 year anniversary). We have a beachfront room booked, hopefully once we get there we will be able to upgrade onto Scotts Beach - but it may be a busy time of year (because its honeymoon season). Anyway, my first question is that did you try any of the tours that Caneel offers? Did you rent a car or just use cab service? Also is there any things that we should know about before going? I did read that it would probably be good to bring a radio/alarm clock because there nothing in the rooms so you don't know what time it is (especially if you need to catch a plane, tour, etc.).
Thanks for your help in advance - Susan

penny

I enjoyed your report too! The snorkeling is fantastic! I have seen many turtles-they seem to live between
Scott and Paradise. Which beach at Caneel had the best snorkeling, how did Trunk Bay compare? Sounds like a perfect time!

Cindy

Nibos, I totally missed your report last month, and I even looked for comments from you. Glad you topped it.

Our trip was wonderful, too. We probably missed each other at the Beach Bar as we spent lots of time there with the kids playing Chess and Connect 4 over lunch.

Good to hear you enjoyed the 4th. We actually skipped it to go to the beach but the fireworks that night were fantastic. We saw them from Gallows with friends and it had to be the best spot on the island to see them!

Cindy

nyc1

Nibos:

I enjoyed your report. I've been to Caneel twice, but in April each time. Did you find the heat ok? Also, I found the food to be really overpriced and only so so. Were you bothered that some beaches (Scott, the nicest one) were off limits to your kids. The place didn't strike me as kid friendly, since peace and quiet seemed to be the priority. But St. John does have the best beaches.

nibos

Thanks everyone - I feel much better now! To respond to your questions:
We took the private snorkel trip with Lucy from Caneel and it was great. THere are only 6 of you on a small boat, and Lucy, the naturalist, dives down and identifies coral and fish that you might not notice. It's a 2 hour trip that takes you to cays you certainly couldn't swim to. We also took a Caneel 4th of July fireworks trip, which was also great. The spread of "appetizers" could have certainly been our meal, and the captain was delightful. The fireworks were wonderful as well.

Advice: don't overpack! We hardly ever put on real clothes during the day, just lived in our bathing suits. Most restaurants are fairly casual, shorts and sundresses are just fine. Also, we brought tons of bug spray as advised on the site but never used it. Definitely bring tons of sunscreen, and buy your underwater cameras at home ($6.95 versus $21!!).

Cindy - I'm sorry we missed you! We saw a family of 5 at the parade, but I guess that wasn't you.

In terms of kids at Caneel - we did go to ALL the beaches, even the ones technically "off limits". My kids aren't babies, and when we were on the beach at Scott there were maybe only half a dozen others there. They certainly weren't disturbing anyone. If you have kids who need a lot of activities, it's not the place for you. But my kids were so taken with the snorkelling that we didn't need anything else.

Caneel Beaches: Honeymoon was nice but crowded with cruisers, Hawksnest was often windy, Caneel beach isn't that nice but that's where we saw squid, pufferfish, stingrays, turtles, starfish, and the octupus!! Scott and Turtle beaches are the nicest, and you can snorkel a longer distance from there.

Glad to be able to share with you!!
--Helene

SSypniewski

Thanks Helen for the advice. I myself ALWAYS pack way too much. I saw that Caneel offers other tours too, like a sunset cruise and a beach bbq. Did you try any of these? I was also curious if anyone has ever tried the wine tasting that they offer. I really ENJOY sampling different wines and was wondering how good they actually are? Thanks again for the advice! -Susan

nibos

Yes Susan, we DID do the wine tasting and it was great!! Make sure to make reservations, since the "wine room" only holds 12 or 6 or 8 couples. Albert, the sommelier, is quite entertaining. It was a lot of fun. Also, the sunset cruise is probably similar to the 4th of July cruise, which we really enjoyed. The food and captain were both great.
--Helene

nibos

Yes I CAN count - make that - the wine room only holds about 6 or 8 couples!

beachlover50

Hey there, I am going to Caneel the second week of October also, we have beachfront rooms as well......actually this trip report was one of the deciding factors in my choice. However I have a question......what beach is the beach front rooms on? I always thought that they were on Scott, but shortly after I booked, I read posts that said otherwise.
Thanks for all the info. and maybe I will see Susan on the beach....

beachplum

Check with Caneel to see if you are beachfront or a premium room. The premium rooms are beachfront on Scott's Beach while Hawksnest and Caneel both offer beachfront accomodations. I believe that there are 2 rooms on Cottage Point that are considered beachfront on Paradise Beach.

SSypniewski

I checked with Caneel regarding the beachfront rooms and I believe the beachfront rooms are located on Hawksnest Beach, Turtle Bay and/or Caneel Bay. The premium rooms are the ones that are located on Scotts. I was hoping to be on Scotts, but after all the $$ it is going to cost for beachfront I decided not to do the premium rooms. See you on the beach! - Susan

JC98

Hi, my husband and I are planning to go to the USVI in November. How many days should we spend on St. John vs. St. Thomas? We have a total of 7 nights there.

Also, we love to snorkel but don't want to spend too much money doing snorkeling tours. Can we just snorkel on our own? Are the reefs are accessible w/o needing to take a boat?

Please recommended any decent, not too expensive place to stay in St. John--no more than $100 a night.

Thanks!

JC

RobertoB

JC

Check out 'St. John Off the beaten Track' by Gerald Singer. Great maps on how to get to beaches to snorkel. Also read trip reports on Fodors. We're going for the first time late October/November.

SillyGirl

JC,
The only real options you have for accomodations under $100 per night on St John are the campground at Cinnamon Bay, they have Beachview cottages that are available in November for around $80 a night for two.
The other option would be Maho Bay Eco Resort. They are "tent cottages" that are really pretty nice but it's not like staying at a resort or motel. You can see them at www.maho.org.
St John doesn't really have economy hotels, under $100 a night is kind of unrealistic for a hotel or resort.
You can definitely do lots of great snorkeling right off the beach. There is no need for expensive snorkeling tours or daysails. Buy the beach guide that Roberto recommended and you'll see!

SSypniewski

I was re-reading this report again and I saw that 'beachlover50' is also going to Caneel soon. I cannot wait, only 11 days to go!!!! To beachlover50 are you getting excited or what? Does anyone have any "last minute" recommendations before I go? I was debating whether or not to book with "bookitvi.com" the New Horizons II and/or Stormy Petrel trip(s) to the Baths, or just go with the Baths trip that is offered through Caneel? I don't know which one is more "worth it" for the money. Thanks in advance!!! - Susan

Dianebridle

Hi Susan,

Even though this will be my fifth stay, I also am excited am and filled with anticipation. My wait time is five weeks. I hope you post a trip report on your return.

As to the Baths trip - I have twice used new Horizans II, the most recent last year. I enjoyed the first trip more than the second, although my relatives thought it was great. Perhaps the first time is the charm. For me, the Van Jost stop has become over commercialized and has lost its 'Gilligan's Island appeal. In addition, one couple decided to hike around the Baths on there own, and it delayed everyone's departure, and made for less and more rushed other stops. Although it was not the tour operator's fault, a large group makes it more difficult to keep track of individuals.

The only Caneel trip that I am aware, is the all day trip to Little Dix, from which you can taxi to the Baths. My sister and her husband did that one, and did not enjoy it as much as New Horizans II, since they had to walk into it as opposed to snorkeling to it. If Caneel now offers a boat trip specifically to the Baths with additional snorkeling, it would probably be fine.

With as much pre-planning as you have done, you are going to have a great trip.

LisaDee

Susan--my husband and I took the Stormy Petrel trip to the Baths when we were in St. John and we really enjoyed it. They gave us a great tour through the Baths (with alternate routes for those of us too chicken to jump off rocks) and we did some awesome snorkeling. Lunch at Cooper Island was yummy and fun. Enjoy your trip!

SSypniewski

Thanks again for the replies. I am still waiting to hear back from BookItvi.com because they are not sure which day trips will be offered or not offered because of the low season. Hopefully they'll be running. I will definitely write a trip report when I get back. -Susan