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St. John
We are looking for hanging out on the beach, good food, and cocktails. Any suggestions for a good place to stay on St. John for a "girl's trip"?
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Caneel Bay Resort $$$$$
Gallow Point Resort $$$ Cinnamon Bay Campground $$ |
Caneel Bay & The Westin are the two hotel/resorts on the island. Both can be on the expensive side.
Gallows Point is the best suggestion, IMO. Location is good and you can easily walk to "town" for drinks & dinners. You'll want to rent a car to explore the island and get to the many beautiful beaches. We typically rent a villa, but some others here may be able to comment further on options like Lavender Hill Condos, Estate Lindholm, Garden By the Sea, Inn at Tamarind Court & St. John Inn. |
tpatriccio is right about the others....but they are not on the beach.
and yu need rental car to traverse. Lavendar Hill is on a steep hill walkable down but brutal back up. Estate Lindholm same problem and real jerk owner/lawyer. Garden By the Sea-same problem down hill and further away from beach-quiet great views. Inn at Tamarind Court on noisey road leading to westin 4 block walk...has bar and food. St. John Inn....forget it. There have been reported muggings in the area. Check out villa rentals here...they will guide you to something close: www.vivacations.com Again...i'd stay at Gallows Point. That's where I stay at my condo every month for a week. |
No real beach at Gallows Point. If beach is impt, definitely do not stay at Gallows (unless you don't mind driving to different beaches each day-- there are numerous splendid ones all over the island).
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Reality is if you must stay on the beach your options are significantly limited. In fact the only two I can think of are Caneel Bay (fantastic beaches - big price tag) and the option of camping at Cinnamon Bay. The beach at the Westin doesn't hold a candle to any others on St. John.
It's best to stay someplace reasonable where you can walk to town for dinner & drinks in the evening and drive your car to the beaches. Once again, for this Gallows Point is your best option. |
Another vote for Gallows Point!
Most people going to St. John do not go to one beach - even those staying at Caneel which has magnificent beaches! The Westin's beach - well, let's put it this way - I've never heard of anyone going to the Westin beach - unless they happen to be staying there - it is not a destination. Best solution, IMO - is to make Gallows Point your home-base where you can enjoy the magnificent resort ON the water - you not only have drop-dead gorgeous views - you HEAR the sea - because it's right there! Their beach is not sandy - but it is one of the best snorkeing areas on the island! Gallows is a 4-minute walk to charming Cruz Bay where you can mill around many lovely, quaint boutiques and galleries and dine in some wonderful restaurants! It's SO WONDERFUL to be able to walk into town from such a lovely resort as Gallows!!! While you don't need a vehicle when you are on St. John (especially when you stay at Gallows or a place close to Cruz Bay)- most people do rent a jeep so they can get to beaches and see all of the spectacular destinations on St. John - It is not an island where people want to stay on one compound / resort like on Jamaica... the entire island is PRISTINE - and you will want to see it all!!! |
Looking at Gallows also..That is around $4000/week. Is 5 nights long enough on St. John or too short? Seems like 7 nights might be too long/not enough to do?? That is pricey for the week. Need some thoughts...
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You could probably do better $$ wise by renting a villa. $4K is high for a week. How many people does that accomodate? At what time of year?
Prices do go down after April 15th and the weather is still great. 5-7 days is definitely not too much time in STJ. We normally go for 2 weeks and that amount of time seems just right to us. There's plenty to see and do or just relax depending on what you want to get out of the trip. |
Down side to a villa, in my opinion, is the lack of maid service - I know LOTS of people out there love their villas - but if one loves that feeling of coming back to the room/condo with a nice clean & shiny bathroom, replenished toiletries & lots of nice clean towels - not to mention, all that sand trekked in from beach excursions vacuumed up, all on a daily basis, go for Gallows! Plus it's nice to see & chat with other travelers while luxuriating in their gorgeous pool - and the convenience of having an excellent restaurant (Zozo's) there & their little convenience store too and a quick 4-min. walk to town is worth EVERY PENNY :-)
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rubyselbow,
Is it only 2 girls going? Gallow's Point has a bedroom and a sofa bed. I would also give another vote for Gallow's Point for your situation. We have been twice and are returning in June. As others mentioned, the ease of walking into town can't be beat. That is a hard asset to find in an accomodation on St John. The pool is relatively small but is uncrowded and peaceful. Pretty decent hot tub too. bnsilly, Not sure what units you were looking at for that price (probably the upper ocean view), but an easy way to save some money is to get the harbor view units. I don't personally think it is worth $100 extra a night for an ocean view but then again I would also rather go back more often with my saved money! You will be seeing great views the whole time you are there. We actually think it is interesting to watch the activity of the harbor. Only downside some will argue is that the noise of the ferrys bothers them. The best of the harbor units is 10. It is right on the "point", so you would have ocean views to the left and harbor looking straight. We like the upper units, they are spacious but I'm sure the lowers are fine. There is difference in decor due to different owners and some of the units could use updating. It is all about location here if you like Cruz Bay. The vast majority of posters on this forum would rather lodge away from Cruz Bay. All a matter of choice. |
We loved our stay at Estate Lindholm in December. Last year we rented a villa, while we really liked it, we prefer Estate Lindholm. It's not on the beach, but it's about a 15 minute walk via trail to two beautiful beaches. The rooms were larger and nicer than what I expected. The host was very friendly and helpful. We liked that it was a very short drive to town (only a couple minutes max), and it was also a short drive to other northshore beaches. There are also pretty views from the property. I posted a review and pictures from our December trip if you're interested.
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Brenan..
Yes I was looking at an upper, maybe 8C..Can you recommend some place nice not too far from Cruz Bay then, somewhere quiet, clean, wonderful views..etc..We would be renting a car to explore the island, etc..but def want a nice ocean view to enjoy.. |
check out hillcrest at
www.hillcrestguesthouse.com they just added some suites too. Short walk down to cruz bay, great views, close to everything...on top of steep hill but thats only draw back. LPOWMACBACK is dead on I stay 1 week each month at Gallows. Would not stay anywhere else. tpatriccio is correct too about villa rentals. Check out: www.vivactions.com best cruz bay selection and honest great people and management staff. |
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Marbleheadguy-
The Hillcrest Guest House link you provided is for a property in B.C. (Canada), and while lovely, is probably a longer walk to the beach in St. John than the OP intends. lol |
bnsilly,
Estate Lindholm gets consistently good reviews. Also, check out this link http://www.coconutcoast.com/index.htm I really don't know much about this place, think it is clean and very basic. Might be worth a little research. The rates seem reasonable. I have seen mixed reviews on Trip Advisor. We have only stayed at Gallows Point and visited the Westin, so my experience at different properties is quite limited. Good luck! |
Hillcrest in Canada?
Maybe he was searching under the other St <b>John's</b> (also in Canada)? :S- |
rubyselbow: How many "girls" are we talking about? Age range? Budget range?
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I think marbleheadguy meant to direct you to: http://www.hillcreststjohn.com/
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