Camping on the Beach
 

Has anyone tried camping on the beach on Cinnamon Bay/St. John? Was it romantic? Did you get attacked by mosquitoes? What were the positives & negatives?

Camping at Cinnamon Bay isn't really romantic. It's a National Park campground area with little "units" to rent. There are many families there usually.

For a more adult camping experience on STJ you might check out Maho's Concordia Eco-tents. There tends to be mostly adults at this property. We actually honeymooned there in 2003 and enjoyed it very much. Bugs are also not a big issue at Concordia as it's the breezier side of the island and bugs just get blown away.

Note: Maho bay eco-tent area tends to be mostly families as well.

www.maho.org

My pics from STJ 2003 & 2004 at www.pbase.com/tpatricco show some good interior shots of the eco-tents as well.

Good luck with your planning. STJ is one of our favorite destinations. Trish

Trish, I really enjoyed looking at your pictures. Knew you had to be a cat lover when I saw you had pix of them on STJ. Then I saw the Gordon and Nattie gallery. They are beautiful! Is that the tuxedo cat breed I have heard about? You had some great shots of them. We have three cats (too many). Two are mutts and one is a neurotic Bengal, but she's a beauty.

Alifafa: Maho Campgrounds, Cinnamon Bay Campgrounds and Concordia Eco-tents are the three main camp areas. St. John is famous for its so-called eco-camping. My husband stayed at the Concordia Eco-tents in the eastern part of St. John. It is more remote and the tents are set on platforms on a hillside overlooking the ocean. They have little decks and are really very romantic as they are not part of a noisy, family-oriented campground. You have magnificent views, wonderful breezes and all the comforts of a safari camp (beds, showers,toilets, kitchenettes, etc.). My husband said the good breezes off of the ocean did wonders keeping the bugs away. The only negative would be if you need alot of people around and you don't really like the nature aspect, you may not be as charmed.

brenandg, thanks! I am a cat lover, tuxedos especially...mine both have great personalities (not unbiased opinion I know). Nattie is 12 & Gordon is 2.

We enjoy cats wherever we travel. I have tons of cat pics from Italy...there cats are everywhere!

Concordia tents are IMO the best camping option on STJ. We love that side of the island though. Salt Pond & Little Lamesur are our absolute favorite beaches.

tpatricco and brendanq: as you can tell by my moniker, I too am a big fan of tuxedocats. They are very special, and we always seem to have one around. There are plenty of stray cats on St. John. The Westin's outdoor restaurant is a favorite hangout for them. While they seem to annoy some guests. We enjoyed feeling them scurry around our legs. Is that weird? Maybe not for cat lovers. Alifafa: If you're looking for romantic camping, Concordia eco-tents can't be beat. Check out their website (they are run by Maho Campgrounds).

I also love cats.
We have 1 tuxedo cat,1 mixed,and 1 Maine Coon Cat that weighs 11 pounds!3 is enough for us!:)

Trish,
I also enjoyed your pictures.Thanks for sharing them.

Mae,
I also noticed that the stray cats like to hang out at Moongoose Junction..a guy working at a desk was feeding them.

tpatricco: Nice pics! You guys seem to like our neck of the woods! Do you love Miss Lucy's,too? Thanks for those photos. It makes me so homesick for St. John. We love the quiet of the eastern half. Oh, I'll be dreaming of a cheese burger at Skinny's tonight.
Christie: It's fun to think that those kitties are descendant from those cats kept on pirate ships. You're just a little more than 2 weeks from paradise! Drink a few painkillers for me!

Tux, we do love STJ. Will start looking at land on our next trip (hopefully next spring). Want to retire there, and know that land is a fixed commodity there & isn't getting any cheaper! How much time do you spend on island & where are you in the real world? We're in NJ.

Shipwreck Landing is usually crawling with stray cats too. Must be the yummy fish smell that attracts them. We don't mind but not everybody feels that way while trying to eat their dinner.

Thanks for the compliments on the pics too!

Our cats are big boys. Nattie (12) must be 20+ lbs. as my baby Gordon (2) weighed 16 lbs. at his last vet visit & is considerably lighter than his brother.

alifafa, sorry to hijack your thread a little, but I think you got the best answer to your question. Concordia eco-tents hands down.

tpatricco: We bought our place in St. J two years ago and I can't believe how quickly prices are rising. I think there's still some good land to be had out in the east end. We preferred it from the start. We used Holiday Homes Realty, but they're all about the same. Feel free to ask if you have any questions. We're from Connecticut. There are lots of New Englanders down there. Must be opposites attract. Anyways, good luck in finding your piece of paradise.

Thanks tux! :)

Yes..I noticed that the cats looked a little different than here at home.They could be from the Pirate days...

I will drink a Painkiller for you!;)