CJ

I was in the middle of posting my trip report when my connection was accidentally terminated, so I will post a full trip report when my bood pressure goes back down!

In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to write.

But briefly, we were there for one week, leaving for home (sob!!!) on July 5th. We stayed at a place called Poi-Pu (seaview homes) and it was wonderful although the mosquitos and no-see-ums just loved me (and ignored my hubby). Still, it's a great place and VERY private for our 2nd honeymoon!

A car rental is a must if you truly want to enjoy the island.

Recommended beaches: Jumbie, Big Maho, Francis Bay, and Salt Pond Bay -- we snorkeled at all. It was pleasant. although I have to say that last years's snorkeling experiences on Culebra outshined our experiences on St. John in terms of spectacular coral formations and slightly greater variety. St. John's waters were clearer and, for the most part, calmer. So I uess it's a toss up! (And it certainly beats being home!!!)

Any questions gladly answered!

Abby

Hi CJ,

Loved hearing your thoughts of St. John, especially because we are considering a family vacation there in December. Unfortunately, many realty companies that rent villas require two weeks during the high season, or don't have any vacancies at all...

So, I am curious of your impressions of Seaview Villas (I check their website and their homes do look gorgeous). Mostly curious how true to life their pictures are, pros and cons, and their overall professionalism?

Thanks for your input!

Becky

There are quite a few rental cos to rent from, none of which require 2 weeks stay. Just go into villa rentals, st. john under search and all of them will pull up. We also rented Poi Pu from Seaview and liked it, but I prefer a/c if you go in the spring/summer months. vacation vistas have some great ones as well as caribbean villas.com. The A/C in the bedrooms really helps w/ the bugs. We are going back next May - can't wait. It is an awesome place.

Tara

Hi there.

I'm glad to hear you had a good trip.

I'm headed to St. John the last week
in August.

I'm curious about the hiking?

Did you do any exploration of the Nat'l
Park? Any trail recommendations?

Thanks

Charlie

Hi Tara best bet is upon arrival on St.John make a left turn as you exit the ferry dock walk a half a block to the National Park office and get a trail map.They also have a mock-up of the park showing all of the trails.The ranger on duty will be glad to fill you in on the latest trail conditions.Have fun !!

CJ

Abby -- I can't speak for Seaview's other places, but we LOVED Poi-Pu except for one thing which I'll get to in a minute. Poi-Pu is one of Seaview's less expensive homes, but it is extremely well maintained, clean, and has lots of goodies (well stocked spice cabinet, even some shampoos and stuff in the bathroom, tons of towels . . .)Nanci and her husband Mark are great people and i would say very competent and professional. Nanci met us at the dock and took us to the car rental place, and then I rode with her while my husband followed in the Suzuki and she pointed out good places to shop and eat and at the house, there were fresh flowers waiting, which was really nice. She took the time to go over the map of St. John and pointed out good snorkeling spots to us all over the island. I can't say enough good things about her -- she's very knowledgable about the island and very, very friendly. I'd say you can't go wrong there! Our only problem was that, being right over Chocolate Hole in late June/early July there was a problem with mosquitos. They didn't bother my husband but they ate me for dinner. HOwever, that shouldn't be a problem in December. The owner of Poi-Pu stays there for the months of April and November, so December miht be available -- check it out! You will especially love the shower -- it's awesome! And the dip pool -- we spend many happy hours in the pool -- even at 1 a.m. when it got too hot to sleep! It is very private so if you want no tan lines, you have the privacy there.
Hope this helps -- anything else, free free to write. By the way, great dinner spot: Duffy's Love Shack. Really wild drinks and good food, reasonably priced. I recommend the Polynesian Pu Pu platter highly. Dont' get it confused with the Love City Cafe. If you want directions on how to get to it, let me know. Also Skinny Legs in Coral Bay (east end of island) has awesome burgers.
Take care and enjoy!

CJ

Tara -- don't know much about the hiking. The only trail we did was the one to Salt Pond Bay, not far from Coral Bay. Easy trail, but take water. Downhill all the way and uphill all the way back -- that's when you'll really want some water. Snorkelig at Salt Pond was definitely worth the hike, which wasn't long, but it WAS hot! As the other poster suggested, check in with the National Park Service people -- they are very helpful, I've heard.
Have a great time!!! it's a great place!