elizabeth

We're going to St John in March and will be staying at the Westin. Is it walking distance to Cruz Bay/restaurants/shopping or will we need a taxi? Thanks

Anna

You could walk but it's pretty far and there is a big steep hill, I'd guess it would take 40 minutes to walk. There are always open-air truck taxi's waiting at the Westin, the ride only takes 5 or 10 minutes and costs $3.

info

NO! You don't want to walk. Up and down steep terrain, a hot climate. Don't know how old you are but even if you're athletically capable 20 year olds, you will not be able to walk to Cruz Bay from the Westin.<BR>Rent a car if you're staying for a while and want to explore some of the island (and some of the beaches which taxis don't go to.)<BR>If you just plan on being holed up at the Westin, take a taxi into town.<BR>Seek further on this forum and you'll find all sorts of hints.<BR>Also go to usvi-on-line.com for a lot of information.

Drew

I've walked from the Westin to Cruz Bay before.<BR>It's not like climbing Everest, my gosh. If it's not an especially humid day it's OK from a physical standpoint (I'm a healthy male in late 30's).<BR>I was harassed a couple times by menacing local guys to buy drugs and was informed I was not welcome walking thru the locals' area.<BR>I would not walk that way again simply due to the safety factor.<BR>St John is not exactly the nirvana some people at this board make it out to be. This was not the only bad incident on my trip with regard to threats from locals. Happened to me once in town also, completely unprovoked in each case.

curious

Drew - most surprised at your negative experiences which seem to differ greatly from the majority of visitors' experiences to St. John.<BR>Do agree with previous posters about not walking that hike or hiking that walk. There aren't any sidewalks and don't know why anyone would waste the effort when there are far better ways to spend your time - and posted hikes for hikers.<BR>As for being &quot;menaced&quot; by locals, did you maybe fail to offer the usual, &quot;Good Morning&quot; or &quot;Good Afternoon&quot; when you were looked at? Civility is taken quite seriously on the islands and if you simply glare (or ignore a civil greeting) you might get some flack.<BR>Drugs are offered all over but the druggies invariably offer to someone who looks the part. Do you think maybe you look the part?<BR>Just trying to figure out why you should be in such a minority as to have had such unusually negative experiences.<BR>Those who post about St. John seem to be a pretty good and varied cross-section of humanity. Nirvana is in the mind of the beholder.<BR>Hope you had at least a few positive experiences while on St. John!<BR>Elizabeth, have a great trip.

xx

Apparently you better say Good Morning or you deserve to be menaced. And if someone offers you drugs, it's your fault, you must have some criminal vibe they picked up on. I suppose the victim who was raped on St. John this year is also at fault. &quot;Curious&quot; probably thinks they were asking for it...

Drew

Well gee, curious, I'm a physician who apparently looks a lot like Bob Costas from what others tell me.<BR>I don't think anyone would describe Bob Costas as 'looking like a druggie', or 'menacing'.<BR>Give me a break.<BR>What happened to me in SJ has not happened to me in Bermuda, St. Bart's, Bahamas, Aruba, or the Caymans.<BR>In fact it's never happened to me anywhere else in my entire life.<BR>

??????`

care to share that this isn't a very recent event, is it? It happens. Get over it. Some even get upset when Lindy approaches them but it doesn't happen often. Stuff happens even at sterile Disney Land. Deal with it!

marguerite

We just got back from St John on Dec 6th. We stayed in a villa just beyond the Westin. I wouldn't have even considered the walk (let alone with kids). Mostly because there really isn't any room for people to walk ... no sidewalks. We did come across one local who seemed drunk on more than one occassion. He was staggering on the road. Although I feel that this could occur anywhere. Because of many warnings (on-line &amp; a notice in our villa) I felt overly concerned about theft ... not bodily harm. However we did not hear of or have any problems. We felt very safe. Be aware that the cost for the taxi is probably $3 per person one way. This could add up for your family. We got a jeep and were very glad to have. Have a great time!

Linda

Even though there was a surprising increase in crime on St. John in 2002 (rape and armed robberies), it is still considered to be much safer than St. Thomas and St. Croix.

whoops

That's comforting.<BR>Like saying that you lost an arm in a bad car accident, but at least you didn't become paralyzed or die.

positive

Enough already!<BR>The simple question was about walking to Cruz Bay from the Westin which has been addressed in full and with good intent and information.<BR>St. John is a wonderful island and one of the rare pristine places left, thanks to the Rockefeller family who gave over the majority to the National Park Service in a magnaminous effort to preserve it as the true Paradise which it is. (Which I'm sure will on bring on some derogatory comments about the Rockefeller family and their tax breaks, etc. etc.!)<BR>Rent a car, Elizabeth, and be not afraid. You'll love your visit and I venture to guess you'll be so enchanted that you'll return again and again.

susan

St. John is &quot;rare and pristine&quot;? Is that what you call paying a fee to enter Trunk Bay to watch the cruise ship tourists standing on the coral? Lovely!

jon

Trunk Bay &quot;entry fee&quot; pays for the amenities on the beach which are provided by the National Park Service and Trunk Bay is the ONLY beach amongst all those on St. John which does charge a fee. The only other beach in the VI which charges an entry fee (again for upkeep and amenities) is Magens on St. Thomas. Both of these are the big &quot;tourist&quot; beaches. There are scores of other beautiful beaches to go to. What an entry fee has to do with &quot;rare and pristine&quot; is beyond me.<BR>

Follow

That is rare... a beach in the Caribbean where you have to pay a &quot;fee&quot; for entry!! Trunk Bay has turned into a tourist trap, and the coral reefs have paid the price unfortunately.

Followthelogic

the Park fees are mandated by the Federal Park System to support the intrastructure and staff to suppport and maintain the underwater trail, the amenities, teh parking lot, etc. All Nat'l Parks have fees. The crowds came first, the destruction of the reefs came because of the crowds, the decision to make it the sacrificial beach wasn't far behind and then there were the fees. The fee also gets an admission to Annanberg Plantation and you can save some dollars by buying the pass if you are there a week. Because public roads go through the Park, the charge cannot be for the entire Park property. The charge for mooring balls in the Nat'l Park have long been debated and on most islands you do pay a fee for their services.