Hi everybody, we booked Secret Harbor for March (there are now two lousy reviews on Trip Advisor, but we're staying positive)and plan to make a day trip to St. John (thanks for the tip about finding out which day the cruise ships will be there); we are two adults and an 8-year old so I would love to hear your highlights of a day trip. Is there any particular time it is best to take a ferry over? Do people generally stay for dinner and then come back? All tips/suggestions welcome.

Also, we would love recommendations of family-friendly restaurants in St. Thomas. It looks like the Secret Harbor restaurant will be good, but we always welcome other suggestions.

Many thanks for all of your help already!

Mary in D.C.

Mary, I would take the earliest ferry that you can. St. John is beautiful, bring your snorkle gear! To me you have two options.
1 - Take a cab to Hawksnest Beach and spend the day sunning & snorkling. It's close to town, is beautiful and has awesome snorkling.
2 - Get to St. John early, rent a car for the day and hit as many of the north shore beaches as possible. Hawksnest, Maho, Cinnamon, Gibney, Francis Bay, etc.
After a day in the sun I would have an early dinner at Uncle Joe's Bar B Que. Coming from the beach you'll be dressed fine.
Have a great time.

Mike

Mike--thanks for the informative reply!

Mary

We stayed at "Secret Harbor" and loved it. The sunsets and snorkeling are up there with the best. The restaurant also was good. Our only gripe was that the pool was way up the hill(not convenient to the beach at all). Still one of our best vacations.

I agree, take an early ferry. Then you can take the "jungle bus" to "Trunk Bay"(one of the prettiest beaches in the Caribbean). Just don't go on a cruise ship day--the hotel can tell you which days those are.

We rented a car, which gave us the option to go to Hawksnest, Maho, Cinnamon, etc. They are beautiful and not so many people.

If you just want to do one, I suggest you do "Trunk" because it's gorgeous, easy to get the bus to, and has facilities.

Their are so many good restaurants, but "Morgan's Mango" right on the harbor is good(Shorts acceptable), and they have wonderful tropical drinks.

We have also used the main beach at "Caneel Bay" with good luck and had lunch at their outside restaurant--but kind of pricy.

There were also some more casual type restaurants right on the water in Red Hook near the ferry.

I would go as early as is feasable for you to STJ. My recommendations for what to do really depends on whether you are going to use taxis or rent a jeep for the day. If you go the taxi route, I would also stop at a couple of North Shore Beaches. One of my personal favorites is Maho. It's very close to the road and is shallow a long way out and very calm. Perfect for your eight year old. Lots of pelicans too. You could stop last at a beach that has facilities if you want to clean up a little and have dinner in Cruz Bay. That said, Trunk Bay is best early in the morning although it is not really what I would call crowded by most standards. Cinnamon Bay also has a Nature Trail across from the campground that is short and flat terrain that you might find interesting. I could go on and on but it really depends on your mode of transportation. The runis at Annaberg are also worth a look with stunning views of The BVI's.

BTW, over the years, I have read far more good than bad about Secret Harbor although I have no personal experience there.

Hey Mary,
Just came across your post and thought I'd pop in and say "hi". We are off to St. Croix next week and can't wait. I see you have found another fun spot to try--hoping that you have better weather than your trip to T&C last year!
I have only been to St. John for a day (from St. Thomas back in 1990)but thought it was spectacular. My favorite beach was Hawksnest--only surpassed in my mind by the beach at Harbour Island and the Buck Island beach. We rented a car for the day and had a blast touring around.
Have a great trip!
Carol

Hi Carol--thanks for the note and have a great time in St. Croix!! I just recommended the Buc to another family in my neighborhood--I have a feeling we are making our way back there!

Your are so funny about T&C--we almost went back but I messed around on the airfare and it got crazy expensive, probably just as well!

thanks to everybody else as well. Appreciate your thoughtful replies.

Happy also to hear from others.

Mary in D.C.

mary, couple ideas for to do's on st. thomas.
- coral world is about 20 min drive from sh. great place to introduce a 6 yr old to the ocean. opportunities to feed/touch stingrays, turtles, sharks, conch, starfish, etc.
an undersea observatory and a couple large viewing tanks & a small submarine for tours. you can get lunch, etc.
- you can take a tram ride from across the street from havensight mall (outskirts of charlotte amalie) up the hill. just a rest/bar & couple shops at the top but the ride is fun and the view is outstanding.
- get a tshirt for him from the st.thomas harley shop
- there are lots of day sail/snorkel trips available. we did one on a catamaran called castaway girl. 1/2 day with sailing, snorkeling and lunch/cocktails. lots of fun.

not sure of names, but there are a couple places to eat in red hook. we ate at very fancy places for dinners so can't help you much with this. we ate breakfast & lunch from our condo most days.

thanks virginia.

Anyone who took a family to STT and can recommend some restaurants?

Many

ttt

marymarra: A couple of places I can recommend in St. Thomas

Hook, Line, and Sinker is a really nice casual place in Frenchtown, which is on the opposite side of the harbor from downtown Charlotte Amalie. It's basically a bar/restaurant with the bar in the middle and tables all around the perimeter. They open all the windows around the place, and the view of the harbor is great. The food was really good, with an emphasis on seafood, and the prices weren't bad at all. They have a website you can check out.

The other place is Gladys's, which is a local island restaurant in downtown Charlotte Amalie, which has great prices and a very homey atmosphere. The food is caribbean, and they have their own line of really hot pepper sauces.

Mary:

I wouldn't worry about the negatives re Secret Harbour on Tripadvisor. My wife and I stayed there about 5 yrs ago and loved it. It's true that the ocean view units are not as nice as the beach front units, and it's also true that service throughout the USVI can often leave something to be desired. But the beach there is fantastic - the swimming is o.k., and you have to be careful of rocks in some spots. But it has some of the best snorkeling available anywhere and it's usually not very crowded at all. If you have a beach front unit, you could literally jump off of your balcony on to the beach.

smetz--thanks for both posts! I appreciate it,

Mary

Try to eat at Craig & Sally' on st Thomas, great food, wine and atmosphere

All of the above suggestions are great - and definitely spend a few days on St John simply for the beaches. However, Secret Harbor is NOT a hit and miss. It's awesome...and you may not want to leave! The restaurant is REALLY good - for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner. Lunches are particularly great, but try all 3 - even though you will have your own kitchen.
Plus, the swimming and snorkeling is very good there.