St. John 2/12
 

Hello all; Wife and I just returned from exceptional St. John last evening. Can not adequately thank those who have posted previously on this board. Left frigid Philly on the 8th, spent parts of five days, along with four nights, at the Westin. Ate in four fine restaurants, Zozo's, Morgan's Mango, Tage & Stone Terrace in order of our favorites. Snorkeled several fine reefs and sunbathed on a similar number of beaches. Visited Maho Bay "eco-world"(possible senior week for our son). Rented a vehicle from Delbert Hill, nice people! Any questions, please feel free to ask. DaveM

How were the skeeters and noseeums?

Also, any problems with ATMs or getting gas?

We leave Friday from frigid and snowy upstate NY.

Thanks.

Zanabill; We had no bugs bug us at all, not even on the Reef Bay trail hike. Only ATM used was in the Westin lobby and it was limited to $140, not even enough for a good meal. Gas was available at about $3.30/gal in Coral or Cruz bay. Have a great time! DaveM

Thanks DaveM. Was the eco-world @ Maho worthwhile? We are not hikers or naturalists (rather, we are beach/snorklers by disposition), but something special / fun that does nto involve heavy hiking (or bugs) would be of interest.

Zanabill; Maho Bay is pretty primitive but if you can handle that aspect it is most likely the best deal on the island IMO. Really inexpensive for the platform tents, the cafeteria had a nice selection at very reasonable prices, including wine & beer. They had various sign-up type activities to go hither and yon for not much more that taxi fare... All in all if you are really interested in beach/snorkel type stuff you could go for 4 weeks at Maho Bay for what 1 week would cost at the Westin or Caneel. DaveM

Thanks for posting DaveM. I'm leaving for St. John & the Westin on Saturday... it's our first time. I'll be with my 2 boys (3 & 6) and husband. I'm printing out your restaurant rec's. Do you have the contact information for Delbert Hill?

Amarena; Delbert's # is 340-776-6637. Have a great time. Might want to hit Cinnamon and Trunk bays w/kids as they have changing areas, showers, snack bar, equipment rental etc. all at very reasonable rates. If you are going to rent snorkel gear get it in town for the duration as the Westin rental shop is quite pricey. Just my $.02. DaveM

What was the weather like this week? Is it cool in the evenings? We had a snow day today, so I just started the packing process.

Zanabill: I forgot on your other post to mention that the gas stations like cash, especially the one in Coral Bay. In fact, I think they sometimes don't have the ability to use anything else. Also, Delbert Hill is located in Cruz Bay and he is very nice. His nephew's our plumber.

Amarena; Weather is 85/75 and H2O is 80. With the light breeze you may wish to bring a litle something to cover up, my wife did, but I found it extremely comfortable is shorts and short sleeves. DaveM

DH and I are leaving for St. John on March 12. You mention snorkel rentals in town, my husband wears glasses, I guess he can rent goggles with correction lenses, do you know anything about that? He was able to rent some like that in Hawaii.

Re Prescription goggles

I rented prescription mask at cruz bay watersports, but they only had a few available and it didn't really work well. They come in different prescriptions, so it's hard to find the correct prescription in the correct size mask for your face.

I usually snorkel with my contact lenses in (I only where my contacts when I snorkel) but I left them at home that time. I find the advantage to contacts is that when I pull the mask off I can actually see the beach and my snorkeling partner.

Have fun in STJ-we love it there

Can you tell us about your restuarant experience?

Travelbugs85; Our meal experience needs to be clarified due to my wife's several food allergies. Of the four restaurants we had the pleasure of dining in, the waitstaffs and kitchens handled her issues exceptionally well with the exception being the waitstaff at Stone Terrace. There we found a bit of condecension, she was expected to eat the combination of food offered, or not, period. We would not return there. Everywhere else thy could not have been better. Pricing ranged from $110 to $215 for two to three courses with some alcoholic beverages, no bottles of wine, and we felt that we got value for our money. Portions were good, choices were plentiful, and presentation was superb. If you want a fabulous view try Zozo's bar, it was a highlight! Enjoy, DaveM

Dmaugle: I've never commented on our experience at Stone Terrace before until I read that we were not the only ones to feel their staff was curt and seemed, well, a bit too impressed with themselves. The food was good, but not good enough for us to return and put up with the attitude. Their unwillingness to accomodate your wife's health restrictions is just plain unforgivable. IMO, anyone who might have a health concern should know this restaurant is inflexible.

dave,did you fly into st. thomas? If so, what was the trek to st. john like?

Eric; Our trek could not have been smoother, we stayed at the Westin so you grab a rum punch upon exiting the plane, head to their air conditioned office in the terminal, relax until everyone has their luggage, hit their bus to the dock and get on their launch for the 45 min trip to the Westin's dock where another rum punch awaits. All in all a great way to travel. Otherwise you need a taxi to Red Hook and take the regular ferry over which is just as quick and painless. Regards, DaveM

dave, thank you!

HI Dave, my family and I will be going to the Westin next month. How safe did you find travelling around the island by car? Two years ago we stayed on St Thomas and decided that our resort was to nice to leave after two trips around the island? Would taking a taxi be a better choice on St John ? We will want to go into town and maybe to Trunk Bay?

cambee; You will definitely want to get out and about as the beach at the Westin is probably the worst on the island. We felt very safe anywhere we went on St. John. Having said that I would take a cab to and from town as parking is a pain in the butt. Trunk Bay is also an easy/inexpensive cab ride away so save a day of car rental if you want to go there or Cinnamon or Hawksnest (personal fave) for the day. Cinnamon has full facilities including an extremely reasonable snack bar and rental shop while Trunk Bay has the same amenities but at a nominal cost. If you want to explore you will need a car and I would recommend you do so as there are many super opportunities for day trips and sparsely populated beaches once you get past the aforementioned beaches. Make a plan and call ahead to reserve a car as they are somewhat limited in the busy season. You will have an awesome time! Regards, DaveM