kimmywah

We are going to the carribean for the first time , we are from australia, but get cheap flights to the U.S, so we are exploring your side of the world while we can .
I have read and read about which island might suit us best and it seems that St John and BVI are the ones., We love snorkelling, and lush landscapes .
Which part of St John should we stay on , we like to be a short drive or walk from good restaurants . Any restaurant recommendations would be great , I got sick in Mexico should i be careful eating here or is it quite safe .
We stayed in a villa/condo in mexico and they suit us . can you recommend a smaller villa or condo. we r going in mar/apr. Do you think we should do a cruise on one of the smaller ships first then a week on an island.
.
one last thing some of the carribean islands seem to have quite a lot of muggings and armed robberies, this is a bit off putting .
is St John a bit safer ? Having said that we were warned off going to Mexico , and it couldnt have been safer ...
Ps we are 45ish -

Thanks so much for all your help

Kim

Bassguy66

First off, no need to worry about St John being safe, it is very safe. Just don't do things you wouldn't normally do at home like walk through sketchy neighborhoods alone at night. Use common sense and you will be fine.

If you want to be near restaurants, I would look at the many condo options close or in Cruz Bay where a large majority of the restaurants are. I stayed at Gallows Point which is in Cruz Bay, and we could walk to most of the restaurants. The beaches are a very short drive away, and the grounds and views at Gallows are fantastic. Of course there are tons of private villa options all over the island.

I recommend drinking bottled water no matter what island you visit just to be on the safe side.

Without a doubt, you will need to rent a jeep. The roads are very hilly and skinny, but speed limits are 25, and it's very easy to get around to all of the amazing beaches. Try to get away from the more popular beaches to find some incredible snorkeling. Plenty of private charters if you want to visit surrounding islands.

Hopes this helps some....

suze

St John is not "lush landscape" by any means. It's a teeny island and fairly dry.

Jimmie

Suze, you must have a pretty strict definition of "lush". Certainly the south side is more arid, but the north shore, where everyone goes for the beaches, is heavily covered in forest vegetation.

Kimmywah, you can judge for yourself:
http://www.stjohn-beaches.com/

brenandg

St John not lush? It is gorgeous rolling hills at every turn. Tends to turn a little brown if there hasn't been much rain. You might also want to look at Grande Bay Resort right in Cruz Bay. It is a fairly new condo complex just steps from town. They have many listings on VRBO as well as renting from the resort itself. It is a very safe little town, but as suggested, be careful late at night as with anywhere. As a female, I would travel there solo in a heartbeat. Lots of great restaurants. My personal favorite is Rhumblines but there are many more. Sam and Jack's Deli is my favorite for sandwiches to the beach. Here is another great link about St John. I'm heading back for trip number 12 on Thanksgiving .

http://seestjohn.com/

suze

Say comparing it to larger islands like Jamaica, where there is a mountain range in the middle so you get lots of rain which produces and much more green and jungly vegetation. So no I don't consider St John's "lush" but I do think it's a fine destination and very beautiful island. Personally not my favorite and not something I'd come half-way around the world for, but that is just one person's personal opinion. I know there are many people who love the island.

brenandg

Okay, I understand . I consider islands like Anguilla or Turks and Caicos to be not lush. What I love about St John are the undeveloped rolling hills and white sandy beaches.

suze

I'm not saying St John is not beautiful, because it is. But it's more low growing, scruffy vegetation. Not tall thick green canopy of jungle, dense growing trees, which is what I think of when people request or describe "lush". For that you need more water/rainfall and a larger island for the topography.

Fra_Diavolo

St John is perfect for first time visitors to the region. It is, as my son put it, "Caribbean Lite."

Shanti

I have to ask: what is Caribbean Lite?

Fra_Diavolo

Quieter, tamer, maybe safer, a little more prosperous than some.

suze

also English-speaking, good tourist infrastructure.

Shanti

Makes sense. Thanks for the explanations.