A few questions about St. John (car, hiking, etc)
Jan 7th, 2016, 10:28 AM
#1
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A few questions about St. John (car, hiking, etc)
Hello,
I am renting a house in the hills a 10 minute walk from Cruz Bay with my husband, our toddler and 1 other couple. We are looking to do some hiking, swimming and snorkeling while we are in St. John.
Is it do-able to get around for a few days via bus while we are there (we don’t have the same exact dates as the other couple, so we wanted to rent a car for our overlapping dates only). How strenuous is the hiking? Should we bring the hiking carrier / backpack for our toddler to be carried around in?
Are there certain beaches that are more “kid friendly” than others (e.g. shallow, not super crowded, shallow snorkeling)?
Thank you!
I am renting a house in the hills a 10 minute walk from Cruz Bay with my husband, our toddler and 1 other couple. We are looking to do some hiking, swimming and snorkeling while we are in St. John.
Is it do-able to get around for a few days via bus while we are there (we don’t have the same exact dates as the other couple, so we wanted to rent a car for our overlapping dates only). How strenuous is the hiking? Should we bring the hiking carrier / backpack for our toddler to be carried around in?
Are there certain beaches that are more “kid friendly” than others (e.g. shallow, not super crowded, shallow snorkeling)?
Thank you!
Jan 7th, 2016, 03:41 PM
#2
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I would really try to rent a car for your entire stay. Are you sure your house is only a 10 minute walk to town?
You can get taxis to take you to the north shore beaches from Cruz Bay. I would say Maho is usually very calm and shallow and has easy access. Really all the beaches are kid friendly.
Shallow snorkeling - maybe Honeymoon beach. The snorkeling trail in Trunk is in deeper water. Some shallow snorkeling in Hawksnest too.
There are some nice easy "walks" to some beaches but I would still use the carrier. I would not do the Reef Bay trail with a toddler.
You can get taxis to take you to the north shore beaches from Cruz Bay. I would say Maho is usually very calm and shallow and has easy access. Really all the beaches are kid friendly.
Shallow snorkeling - maybe Honeymoon beach. The snorkeling trail in Trunk is in deeper water. Some shallow snorkeling in Hawksnest too.
There are some nice easy "walks" to some beaches but I would still use the carrier. I would not do the Reef Bay trail with a toddler.
Jan 18th, 2016, 12:01 PM
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We just returned from a 3 week stay on St John. We did not have a car. We took the bus, taxi and hitchiked depending on where we were going. My wife and I are late 60's.
The roads are natrrow, there is no shoulder or sidewalk so walking into Cruz Bay will be risky depending on what road you are walking down. The only bus on the island runs down Centerline Road. It departs Cruz Bay about :20 after the hour but you have to ask for precise schedule depending on when you are going/returning. Cost $1 per person. Final destination is Salt Pond. There is no bus to the north shore beaches. You will have to take a taxi. We found them to be safe but the cost adds up. For example from Cruz Bay to Cinammon Bay is $7 per person. The northshore beaches are great for snorkeling. Maho, Cinammon, Trunk, Hawksnest. You will enjoy each. Experienced snorkelers like Waterlemon Cay the best.
Hiking is awesome but a lot of trip hazards so be careful carrying the toddler. We hiked Reef Bay, Esperance, RamsHead, Lameshur Bay and Lind Point. You can do them but again lot of rocks, stumps, roots to navigate with the toddler. Enjoy.
The roads are natrrow, there is no shoulder or sidewalk so walking into Cruz Bay will be risky depending on what road you are walking down. The only bus on the island runs down Centerline Road. It departs Cruz Bay about :20 after the hour but you have to ask for precise schedule depending on when you are going/returning. Cost $1 per person. Final destination is Salt Pond. There is no bus to the north shore beaches. You will have to take a taxi. We found them to be safe but the cost adds up. For example from Cruz Bay to Cinammon Bay is $7 per person. The northshore beaches are great for snorkeling. Maho, Cinammon, Trunk, Hawksnest. You will enjoy each. Experienced snorkelers like Waterlemon Cay the best.
Hiking is awesome but a lot of trip hazards so be careful carrying the toddler. We hiked Reef Bay, Esperance, RamsHead, Lameshur Bay and Lind Point. You can do them but again lot of rocks, stumps, roots to navigate with the toddler. Enjoy.
Jan 21st, 2016, 08:45 AM
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My opinion is that it especially with a toddler renting a car is the way to go. As mentioned before by others, taxis are not inexpensive. A car will help to do grocery runs etc and restaurants particularly at night. I would not want to be walking around hilly dark roads late evenings since the roads are narrow, steep and not well light.
Feb 1st, 2016, 08:06 AM
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Hi all,
We ended up not renting a car the first full day we were there, but our friends who were staying with us (and arrived that evening) rented a car. I think walking up / down that giant hill would have been kind of scary with our son! Next time we go, we will definitely rent a car. We were fortunate that the proprietor of the place we rented picked us up from the ferry and took us to the grocery store the first evening and then took us to / from the beach the first full day before our friends arrived!
Re: snorkeling, we thought Hawksnest was the best. We saw ray, a small reef shark, sleeping turtle, lobsters, etc. Didn't see much in Cinnamon / Maho.
Re: hiking, we had our son in the hiking backpack and it worked great. We did the Caneel Trail, Cinnamon Trail and the trail by the old ruins (can't remember the name, but it's the one that's basically on the water). We enjoyed Caneel the best, though a bit tiring at times!
We ended up not renting a car the first full day we were there, but our friends who were staying with us (and arrived that evening) rented a car. I think walking up / down that giant hill would have been kind of scary with our son! Next time we go, we will definitely rent a car. We were fortunate that the proprietor of the place we rented picked us up from the ferry and took us to the grocery store the first evening and then took us to / from the beach the first full day before our friends arrived!
Re: snorkeling, we thought Hawksnest was the best. We saw ray, a small reef shark, sleeping turtle, lobsters, etc. Didn't see much in Cinnamon / Maho.
Re: hiking, we had our son in the hiking backpack and it worked great. We did the Caneel Trail, Cinnamon Trail and the trail by the old ruins (can't remember the name, but it's the one that's basically on the water). We enjoyed Caneel the best, though a bit tiring at times!
