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Fabulous Time on St John

WARNING: this will prove to be a VERY long, detailed trip report

Aaahhh...((*))St John((*))...what a Caribbean gem!!!

I now see why y'all love St John here on this forum. Being from Los Angeles, it was a long trek for us, but oh so worthwhile. My only prior venture to the Caribbean was Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, which I loved, but I was hoping for a lush, mountainous island this time around. And one that still met my Caribbean fantasy of dreamy white-sand beaches and clear, calm, turquoise waters, while still providing good snorkeling opportunities. St John was exactly that, and it surpassed all my high expectations. And being a snorkeling fanatic, I had a fabulous time with all the multi-varied, diverse spots.

Before I get into my trip report, I want to first thank all the current and past contributions from Bill(iamq) and CaliNurse...fellow Californians who I don't mind "following" after :S-...christiegr, Tuxedocat, mahobaygirl, brenandg, tpatricco, jackiehammond, publisher, carib, caribtraveler, Carrybean, StanKase, ejcrowe and many others who've written trip reports like rockie, SSypniewski, and plenty others I forgot to list (please accept my apologies). I've perused page after page of info over the last several months, which really helped make my condensed 8-day trip so fantastic and trouble-free. I don't know about you guys, but extensive trip research for me has always proved to be very fun and rewarding.

Very much looking forward to your report, bluefan-- and very glad you had a great time. We've been going to the Caribbean about every other year for the past 40 years, and St John is probably our favorite island. Things about it I'm not crazy about, but for snorkeling afficianados, I think it's tough to beat.

Okay, so you probably are not unpacked yet, but you are online looking at villas for your next trip!;)
Consider yourself hooked........

Our visit took place from Oct 28 through Nov 5, 2006.

Before I get too deep into a glowing report, I'll first list my only complaint -- the damn mosquitos that feasted on my wife and I the whole week :@ despite repeated applications of DEET repellant. Them little ((6)) were everywhere...on the beaches, in the car, in the rooms and even stung through clothing...AARRGGHH!! I guess that's what I deserve for booking in the supposed rainy season.

Now that I got that off my chest, I'll get into where we stayed.

This being our first visit, we were hesitant to do a villa rental, so we decided to try both the Westin St John and Caneel Bay resorts.

Westin St John
I've posted a review here:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...n_Islands.html

It's not close to being my favorite Westin, but hey, I scored a great rate and we were on St John :D. So it turned out to be a fantastic value for us, especially since my son (2.5yr old) loved that pool.

All in all, despite the current construction, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there.

Caneel Bay
I've posted a review here:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...n_Islands.html

I've read all the negatives, but I thought it was heaven on earth. But you certainly pay for it. It's one of the few resorts in the world that I could spend several days at without having to take a foot off the property to meet my many active needs: jogging/walking on such an expansive area (the grounds were as beautiful as everyone touts with such diverse flora); a variety of white-sand beaches with calm, turquoise waters (loved them all); excellent snorkeling on-site; kayak/boating opportunities; and dining options from casual to elegant. To top all that off, it feels like a natural haven because of the surrounding lush, mountainous background with no man-made structures in view.

Here's my take on Caneel Bay from a "value" standpoint:
If a "resort" means pool, spa, European luxury, etcetera to you, Caneel would prove a waste of money (lots)
If you're into natural beauty and want convenient access to spectacular beaches with excellent snorkeling and can overlook the above deficiencies, Caneel can turn out to be a wonderful value to you (like it did for me)

BTW, we stayed in Room 94 (Turtle Bay), which we loved. Turtle Bay beach was fabulous for us, marred only by the boat traffic noise. We pretty much :`( when we had to leave.

It's interesting to note that we often saw fellow Westin guests all over St John (we ran into a lovely NY couple every day at various beaches, in town and even at Skinny Legs), but we doubt we'd see fellow Caneel guests elsewhere on the island (before dinner).

poss,
i could see why STJ is a fav of yours. having been to a few islands in differet oceans/seas, even I gotta admit that STJ is a great ALL-AROUND island and it's now one of my top favs too!

mahobaygirl,
oh yeah!!! you better believe i'm already planning my return trip. it'll be for 3 weeks next time: 1 week in a villa (so many wonderful choices), 1 week bareboating throughout the BVI's, followed by however many days I could afford at Caneel Bay.

I'm enjoying your enthusiastic trip report so far. Glad you had a great time, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest!

Welcome back to earth. :-)
I agree with you about your thoughts on the Westin. Since we were there (a little over 3 years ago), their rates have gone way up. I wouldn't stay there for those rates. I just don't think the resort is worth it. If we were to go back I'd either bid on Priceline for it or stay at Caneel. Their beaches are worth their rates, in my opinion.
Don't you just hate those mosquitoes?! I have such a hate/love relationship with them (I hate them, they love me). We were in St. John during the month of June and I don't remember them doing a number on me then. Note to myself: don't go back in Oct/Nov. :-)

Glad you had such a good time. The bugs lose interest in you after a while. Or at least they did for me. Maybe next time they'll "remember you" & go for the new people. :)

Before I forget, here's a link to a fraction of all the photos I took:
http://travel.webshots.com/album/555450780Bynsas

Allow me to cover my favorite activity in tropical destinations

SNORKELING

I really enjoyed Whistling Cay. Healthy corals and rich plant life (probably due to less human traffic). And I don't think I even made it to the best part -- supposedly around the big rocks off the northwestern point. Going solo, it took me 20mins to kayak out there from Maho Bay Campgrounds and 30mins back. It was definitely worth the effort.

Most people tout Waterlemon Cay, and I agree it's nice. The northwestern portion was the best part (an underwater garden with some healthy corals). I really enjoyed limin' there on the tiny, white-sand beach before swimming back.

Being that this was my first snorkel on STJ, I got to encounter the large schools (more like a dark, surrounding cloud) of silvery fry. It was sort of spooky...especially when large fish or a hawksbill turtle would suddenly swoop into view. I'm always eager to spot a shark, but I swear I would have had a heart attack if one had emerged out of the dark cloud of fish right before me. If that happened, I don't think any dive mask could've contained my startled eyes.

My most disappointing snorkel experience was Yawzi Point. For one, I didn't think the Jeep Liberty could make it past the rocky, dirt road to get there so I turned back to the parking area near Salt Pond and walked the few miles to Little Lameshur Bay. By the way, Yawzi Point is that peninsula between Great Lameshur Bay and Little Lameshur Bay. There's also a pretty steep (semi-paved) section along the way just before Great Lameshur, which was pretty slick after rain. I almost slipped a couple times just walking that portion, so it was probably a good idea to leave the rental behind. Who knows, maybe it's no big deal for those who rent villas with steep driveways.

Anyways, after making my way through the cactus-infested Yawzi Point Trail to a little entry cove, I finally got to snorkel towards Yawzi Point. Maybe I should've ventured further, into Little Lameshur Bay, but I didn't see much beyond a rocky, underwater landscape with a few coralheads--hardly much compared to other STJ snorkel spots--so I turned back as the clouds and rain rolled in to cap off this misadventure. The whole experience probably took up a total of 4 precious daylight hours...maybe not much, but sure wished I had spent them elsewhere during my brief trip. Oh well, at least I saw my only tarpon (HHHUUUGGGEEE!!!) there, and I got to visit Little Lameshur, a cute, scenic beach with ruins.

Most of my favorite snorkel spots were at Caneel Bay, probably because I paid so dearly for the experience ;)

Turtle Bay was tops at Caneel, not because our room was right there, but because it was an amazing underwater garden around the eastern reef. I've never seen such a "lush" environment before - a dense amount of sea plumes and sea fans with a plethora of healthy corals closer to the surface. Only problem is that there's a really strong current there most of the day; at one point, I couldn't even move forward, despite my strongest kicks, and was actually pulled in the reverse direction. I would only recommend snorkeling outside of the sheltered bay during calm conditions, which I got once in the late afternoon.

Snorkeling the reef around Cottage Point between Caneel Beach and Paradise Beach was my second favorite Caneel spot. Next favorite would be the well-known reef between Honeymoon Beach and Salomon Beach. The diversity of marine life there is amazing.

I tried a morning snorkel from Hawksnest Beach hoping to make it all the way around to Turtle Bay Beach. Ended up heading back at some point near a large rock due to strong currents. Turned out it was a good decision because I didn't realize until I got back to shore that I lost my left fin somewhere along the way.

It was nice in some spots with large elkhorn corals, and there were tons of those tiny, barely visible jellyfish; so it was a worthwhile snorkel.

Lastly, the snorkeling around Turtle Bay Point between Turtle Bay and Scott Beach was OK. Some interesting, large sponges along the way, but otherwise relatively sparse in underwater life compared to other Caneel spots.

Sorry for the long, winded post on St John snorkeling. Obviously, I couldn't get enough of it.

I guess I should get to one of the top reasons to visit St John

The BEACHES

My goodness, the assortment of beaches on such a relatively small island is amazing. I won't go into too much detail about them since they're pretty well covered elsewhere, such as this helpful site containing photos:

http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/Beaches/beach_home.html

Trunk Bay is obviously a favorite – it's so damn picturesque. We enjoyed it on a Sunday when no cruise ships were harbored at St Thomas, so it wasn't that crowded. It sure didn't look as inviting from the overlook during days when several cruise ships docked at STT.

Ever since I got back to LA, I must've stared at photos of Trunk Bay dozens of times each day for the past two weeks. It's really nice for families because of all the facilities there: restrooms, private shower stalls, snack bar, picnic areas and lifeguards.

Francis Bay was probably our favorite non-Caneel beach because the water was so clear and placid there. Like being in a bath tub. It was quite a feat to yank my little boy out of the water there every time we had to leave--he was having such a blast there.

With the large Mary Point hill adjacent to it and the relative lack of people, Francis Bay felt like my personal, scenic, natural sanctuary. Just watch out over there if it's rained a bit; there's a large salt pond nearby that serves as a damn mosquito sanctuary.

Maho Bay was very similar to Francis Bay...so calm, clear and shallow...also great with kids

Cinnamon Bay was beautiful...but we decided not to spend any time there because it had waves...yeah they're like ripples compared to Pacific beaches, but large for St John. Maybe it was also because of the large groups there on either side at the end of the road (beach entrance) at the time we stopped by, but we didn't feel a need to stroll along the beach to find a secluded spot. Oh well, on our next visit, I promise to stroll the full mile (longest beach on the island) from one end to the other to give it a fair appraisal.

Honeymoon Bay and Salomon Bay beaches were absolutely gorgeous. Sand so white and brilliant at both , you'll probably go blind you if forgot your shades((h)).

Little Lameshur Bay, I’ve already mentioned above in the snorkeling section, yet I'll bring it up again because it's a little gem. It's a sandy beach unlike the cobblestone Great Lameshur Bay next door. It's also got a few shaded, picnic tables and the picturesque ruins nearby.

I didn't get to the following beaches despite my best intentions, so I'm saving them for my next St John trip: Gibney Beach, Jumbie Bay, Haulover Bay and Salt Pond Bay...can't wait!!!

All I can say about the Caneel Bay beaches are that they are ALL exquisite – worth the price of admission alone for some folks.

Lastly, one beach I feel I need to mention, although not on St John, is White Bay on Jost Van Dyke (British Virgin Islands). Yes, it's well-known and often praised, but Oh My Gosh, if that beach ain't a slice of heaven, I don't know what is? I’ve seen the incredible pictures of it and developed high expectations of it. Yet it still exceeded them when I finally got there.

If I didn't have a pregnant wife and a little boy to return to, I swear I would've hid from the New Horizons II crew when they let out that dreadful departing call. :((

Note to self: save at least a full day or more to JVD on my next Virgin Islands trip.

When I need to reduce my blood pressure from here on out, I will recall lying in a hammock near the Soggy $ Bar, Painkiller in hand, looking out over turquoise White Bay...absolute bliss. 8-)

By the way, one of my favorite activities I didn't get around to doing much of during my brief visit was hiking (other than the trails to get to snorkel spots). But if you're into hiking, the book “St John Off the Beaten Track” by Gerald Singer covers lots of trails as well as a short but insightful section on beaches and snorkel spots. Just make sure to get the most recent version (2006). He's also the creator of the St John beaches site I linked above. The book StJ OTBT is a terrific resource for the nature-minded.

Next up – Food

Again-- thanks so very much for the wonderfully detailed reports. That St John Beach guide site is extraordinary. Is all that in a book that one can buy? (it'd take forever to download it all) Does St John Off the Beaten Track include the info in that site?
One of our favorite snorkel sites at Caneel is on the left side (facing water) of Little Caneel, swimming way out along the side, past the point on the left and to the next beach over. I think you may have mentioned that area, but in a different way? In any case, that whole left side of Little Caneel we always find to have among the most abundant numbers and varieties of fish-- not great coral, but terrific fish. And we never fail to see lots and lots of squid in that area. They're our favorite!

How CUTE is your son?!

Your pictures are beautiful. You reminded me of one of the reasons we need to go back. I had a regular camera at the time and something went wrong with it. Only one roll came out of fine (out of 5-6) :-( . That's when I gave in to my husband's desire for a digital camera. :-)

Your underwater pics: What are you using? Is it a different camera than for your land pics or do you have an underwater cover for it? If so, which one are you using? Thanks.

bluefan,

Glad to hear that you had a great trip and loved St John!:)

Cinnamon Bay can be rough one day and then calm the next,so if you go to St John again,go by it a few times to check on the conditions.;)

Francis Bay is also one of my favorite beaches.We saw a large variety of fish there.

I know about the long flight....we flew to Kaua'i (my favorite island)4 years ago and it was a 10 hr flight from NC :o ........but so worth it as I am sure you felt that about St John!

I look forward to the rest of your report and now I am going to check out your pictures!

Christie

bluefan: I called Barnes and Noble abt St J OTBT and they say it's been out of print for a while. ?? Have you seen a 2006 version? I'd sure like to get a hold of that book and the beaches/snorkeling guide.

bluefan,

What a cute family you have.I loved your pictures.:)

Poss: You can buy his books online.

http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/Bookstore%20All.htm

Thanks for continuing the report, as I'm enjoying it very much. I'm also interested in knowing your camera details.