Chad

Hello.
I would greatly appreciate any help that could be offered. I am planning my honeymoon for early June and am very interested in St. John. We currently have reservations at Sandals Negril, but from what I read St. John is a better choice for us. We are mid-twenties and love nature, the beach, snorkeling, good food, and a little night life. Any suggestions regarding accomidations, travel to St. John (airfare and ferry), things to do, nightlife, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

Karen

St. John is a great choice and Caneel Bay is a wonderful destination on St. John. The only other hotel on the island is the Westin. Many people prefer to rent villas or condos but self-catering is not something that you might want on your honeymoon! To get to St. John, you fly into St. Thomas and then ferry to St. John on one of two ferrys - one takes 15 minutes after a taxi ride and the other takes about 45 minutes from the Waterfront in Charlotte Amalie. You get to St. Thomas either on a direct flight or you may have to transfer in San Juan or one of the other connecting airports. It is quiet, pristine with most of the island being Nat'l Park. You might want to go to www.stjohnlinks.com and check out the slide show and the information there (it is a fabulous site with great pix!). Caneel Bay is one of the premier resorts in the USVI and you can check it ut at www.caneelbay.com. Howver, all inclusive is not offered on St. John but they do have a meal plan. There is one town, Cruz Bay, and another "village," Coral Bay. Restaurants are primarily in Cruz Bay but there are others island wide and some very good ones! For more excitement, you can travel to St. Thomas or for less, you can daytrip to the BVI's!

Chad

The Gallows Point Resort??
Has anyone tried Gallows Point resort. It looks like a great place to sleep while exploring in the daytime. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Chad

susie

We've been to St. John seven or eight times. We recommend Nancy at Caribehavens.com She represents a dozen or so houses. Our favorite is Great Escape. Tell her Susie and Eric sent you. Check out her website. Have fun!

Paul

If it were my honeymoon the ONLY place on St. John I would stay would be
Caneel Bay. It's hard to beat.
Be warned however.... nightlife on
St. John and Caneel Bay can be a bit tough to come by. Be sure to take a daytrip to Little Dix Bay. Good luck!

ej

As Susie said, we've honeymooned in St. John for 7 or 8 years. Besides being a lot cheaper than places like Caneel Bay, rental houses give you the greatest amount of flexibility and privacy. Cook a leisurely breakfast (if you want one) pack up a cheese and bread lunch, grab some books and head to the beach. Our favorite has always been Oppenheimer, the eastward extension of Hawksnest. But they're all great. Best snokeling is around Waterlemon Cay, a level, 30-minute hike beyond the Annaberg ruins. Reef Bay trail is a must with spurs to the petroglyphs and mansion house. Take plenty of water for the hike back up to Centerline Road. Coral Bay is worth a day, too. Talk to Mo at Skinnylegs. Sputnik serves the finest breakfast on the island and great back door pizza on Fridays -- order early (in person). Island roads are an attraction in themselves -- rent a 4-wheel drive and don't be afraid to use it. At Great Escape we always reserved one night for a steak on the grill, wine and watching Orion make his way across the sky. Hope you have fun -- for many years. ej

Karen

Gallows Point Condos are overlooking the harbour as you come into St. John. They are very nice but there is no beach to speak of. Not sure how they handle maid service - do you really want self-catering on your honeymoon? There is a good restaurant on site, Ellingtons, for dinners and it is within walking distance to other restaurants in Cruz Bay!! Two different agencies handle the units within Gallows and some have a/c, some don't - but I don't know which is what. Some say the rooms overlooking the dock might be a wee bit noisy as the ferrys come and go and others say the rooms overlooking town do get the noise of some of the local "hot spots." Yes, I suspect that it would be a great place to rest a weary head after trekking the other beaches of St. John!

Chad

Thanks to all who responded. I booked the flight today and made reservations. Any additional information regarding places to eat, jeep rentals, and must see beaches would be extremely helpful. Also, did those who visited return to St. Thomas for a day or other islands.
Thanks,
Chad

mel

There is a very active message board that has tons of information about St. John. www.usvi-on-line.com.

Laura

My husband & I have been to St. John 7 times in the last 9 years. We have stayed a several different hotels & resorts, and even gone camping - which we'll never do EVER AGAIN in June- too many sand fleas and rain to camp on a beach. Everyone in town thought I had the chicken pox from all the damn sand flea bites. One good thing came out of going camping though...when we couldn't take it anymore (after the 4th day), we checked into Gallows Point Resort.

HEAVEN!

Since staying at Gallows, we have religiously booked there ever since (4 times and counting). The service, accommodations and people are lovely.

As for St. John, it is by far the most beautiful of the Carribean islands (we've been to many). It is peaceful, unspoiled, undeveloped (in the best way), quiet and one of the most elegant islands. It is not for the heavy partiers and "all-inclusives". It is not a bargin, but well worth the price. If you're looking for a memorable vacation, look no further... We've made it a yearly excursion!

Georgann

We just returned from St John last night. We stayed at Cari-beana villa (.com) and had a ball. Best Rest. "Asolares". Be sure to make a reservation and request a table on the deck. Sunset is outstanding, so is the food and service. A little pricey but worth every penny. Best beach -Cinnamon Bay...great snorkling but not too crowded (like trunk bay). Best casual burger place...Skinny Legs. We stopped by Westin and Canneel Bay Resorts. Canneel seemed to have a little more character but both were your typical fancy resort type exclusive place. Make sure you rent a car at least for a day or two to tour the island. The hills were scary at first but soon became fun. Have a great time....good luck

Donna

Was just on St John in March and am in the process of booking again for next year! It was the best! I rented a house and would do it again in a heart beat!

David McClure

i just posted a message similar in nature to yours. i've heard very good things about st. john's where did you end up booking, if you don't mind me asking?