Having just returned from St John as part of a nearly three week trip to the US and British Virgin islands, I will post a more in-depth report covering St John and the entire trip within the next few days.

First let me say that I have been a longtime poster at fodors.com and have traveled the Caribbean extensively for the last 11 years. I can't recall a time I was so excited to visit a destination. All of the glowing reports I'd read on this board, and those found on usvi-on-line.com had me convinced I was going to have a new favorite island.

You WILL like St John if:

You are foremost a beach person and love unspoiled and uncrowded stretches of white sand and blue water.
Shopping is not a passion.
You like the familiarity of dealing in US Dollars and almost exclusively with people you could find in any US town.
You enjoy natural beauty and the ability to take advantage of an excellent and extensive national park system.
You like to hike and appreciate the outdoors and beautiful views and vistas.
You want a locale where you can stroll around town safely and encounter friendly locals.
You enjoy having a range of dining choices and appreciate fine food.

You WILL NOT like St John if:

You are concerned about the welfare of the people of West Indian descent who live there.
You have no desire to be waited upon in almost every restaurant by distracted/surly/poorly-trained American twentysomethings.
You prefer to experience the Caribbean as it used to be.
You are looking for an authentic island experience.

We will not be returning to St John. We found it to be an absolutely gorgeous destination with incredible potential that is on the road to becoming a mini St Thomas due to over-building, commercialism, and self-indulgence that is superseding the island flavor contained within its beautiful exterior.

The West Indian population must work three and four jobs due to the hordes of young mainland Americans who occupy nearly all of the retail and waitstaff positions, and the explosive growth that has driven up rents and real estate prices. Bars like Woody's are filled to overflowing every night with crowds of rowdy "Trustafarians" who live on generous stipends from their mainland parents and spend their days on the beach and their nights partying loudly and spilling out into the streets. We were unable to find a single venue of live island music during our stay. (I am sure that must not always be the case.) Loud rock and roll and Top 40 were playing at every bar.

St John is a great destination for many people, and I am sure its popularity will continue to increase as it has a lot of wonderful things going for it, and it appeals to a wide scope of traveler.

I realize the above impressions may be divergent with judgments others may have made during their visits, and our views of what we encountered during our week on the island and are our opinions only.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?

I won't disagree with the substance of any of your comments. I will say that the only things which will prevent popularity from spoiling most any desirable destination are 1) heavyhanded government regulation, 2) stratospheric prices, and 3) inaccessibility.
The USVI's won't ever be rescued by their legislators, because they'd have to have the foresight, patience and desire to reduce the flow of tourist and development dollars in the near term in order to preserve the desirability of the island for future generations. Won't ever happen.

St. John won't ever be sufficiently expensive or inaccessible so as to deter large numbers of tourists.

As the population of the world increases, and as travel becomes proportionately more affordable and manageable for larger numbers of people, you'll see the same thing you're describing happen to most desirable destinations.Look what's happened to Maui over the past 25 years, and to Aruba and the Mexican coast resort areas. Heck, look at the garbage problem which exists on Mt. Everest.

You can still count on places like Necker Island, though. Private ownership and price will insulate it as long as Branson owns it.

Story: "If o-nly"
http://www.arubastation.com/index.ph...ay&ceid=72

Tell me Diana how long haf you had zis feeling of freeing ze oppressed minority? Did you haf ze conflict mit an adult ausority person as a little knicker, ja. Zincerely, Dr. Freud.

Thanks for your intelligent responses to my post.
(I got a kick out of yours too Sigmund Jacketwatch.)
I guess I was always oblivious to the plight of the island residents when I first began traveling to the Caribbean and was only interested in packing as much fun as possible into my short time in paradise.
It wasn't until I began getting out and making friends that I found out the sad truth that most tourists (luckily for them) never see.
Repeating visits to islands I enjoyed in later years brought amazing amounts of growth and change.
For example, we have gone to Cozumel every year for the last 10. This last trip will most likely be our last. They've built a new cruise ship pier on the best reef there, and you can't walk 2 forward steps when there are ships in town.
The story beachplum provided the link for is totally on the money.
Anyone spending any time in the rapidly-developing area South of Cancun will find explosive growth that the infrastructure will not support on a longterm basis.
I guess I was just trying to outline to people considering a trip to St John my impressions of whether they would enjoy it or not - I'm sure the majority of Caribbean travelers would love it.
Better get there soon...

Compared to many islands(eg Aruba in the article) St. John still has some of the flavor or the Caribbean because of the Nal't Park - but I always get a growl or raised eyebrow or two when I talk about how wonderful St. John used to be. If someone had told me years ago that the island would twinkle with lights at nite and there'd be a miniature golf course and traffic jams, I would have laughed! But that's true for so many of the islands. We'll talk to our grandchildren about the good ol' days and they'll laugh just like we did with our grandparents' tales of the good ol' days.

This exact reason is why we chose to go to Vieques this trip rather than St. John which we normally go to. I've read that Vieques is as close to what St. John was 50 years ago. Sure hope it will stay that way.
Don't get me wrong - I love St. John and will probably go back again. But I do wish they would stop the development.

Zank you Diana. Zis could be ze beginning of a zychological rebirth! I am zoo appy.

All kidding aside (actually the post title reminded me of my sociology major days many moons ago, Karl Marx, Engels, etc.), many Carib. islands and in fact entire nations and ethnicities suffer from economic blight and indigenous cultural dissolution from the influence of a prevailing economically driven culture and values. However this is not new and has happened since before history was recorded and I think that is simply about life. Nothing last forever. Times, cultures and values are not constant. Nor should they be. And do not forget the presence of, say rock and roll does not necessarily mean encroachment. Rather it can mean the indigenous just may decide they like the aspects of outside culture they are exposed to. I suppose we are all in search of that idyllic island paradise that stays the same, pure and unadulterated but in reality if you do find it do not expect it to stay that way forever. Nothing ever does. JM2C.

thanks for the post. Our little island
St. Barts has LOTS of Government regulation, and we like it that way. No casino, firearms, high rises (a large green or vert zone arround the tops of the hills) and it looks like it did over a decade ago. An example: some of the high rollers built hellipads on thier villas hoping to change the mind of the French authorities that all had to land at the airport---that proposal got nowhere. The locals enjoy excellent health care and schools, the beaches are pristine. It helps that you can only land a 19 seat plane here and that it's NOT controlled by US politicians bought and sold by special interests.

Is your last comment meant to imply that politicians in countries outside the US are NOT controlled or susceptible to induction by special interests?
I'd like to hear a defense of that contention (from someone who is sober).

I'm glad you like St. Bart's but it's not everyone's paradise. None of the resorts there offer the style of accommodations I prefer and the beaches aren't as expansive or nice as on some other islands in the Caribbean. Much like most of France, where I don't enjoy several aspects of the culture, especially the rampant smoking, along with the general design of the hotel rooms and bathrooms to name a couple issues. I am respectful of the fact that most French people won't likely share my views either, which is fine. Every culture is different, and thank goodness for the variety. But I know I wouldn't want to have to eat all my meals in Warsaw or Bucharest, and I wouldn't want to have to vacation in Mongolia. There's a scale of affinity for each person's tastes which will predict that they'll mesh well with some cultures but not others. Mine don't mesh as well with St. Bart's as they do with Anguilla, for instance. There's no right or wrong set of tastes, though. They are what they are.

To caribcouple: I am glad you are enjoying life on your little island, if not envious and your point about government controls bringing about positive effects is well taken. However I disagree with your comment about the US politicians and see that as an unfortunate stereotype which promotes inaccurate perceptions. ALL humans are susceptible to corruption obviously. There are good and bad in all nations, cultures, ethnicities, etc. JM2C.

Let's not forget the reasons islands keep developing is because of people like us (THE TOURISTS) who love going there and keep going back and back and back...
We must also realize that we can't expect "authentic island experience" from an island that's u.s.territory..of course we will find u.s. influences there..just like we'll find french influences on islands that are french territory and so on and so on.
And re: "You WILL NOT like St John if:
You are concerned about the welfare of the people of West Indian descent who live there."
You can still like or love an island and be concerned about how the locals are treated. I think locals in most Caribbean islands (if not all) usually get the raw end of the tourism deal anyway...so because I think that, does it mean I don't like most Caribbean islands? Not at all...I LOVE the Caribbean (no place is perfect-this from a person of West Indian descent).

caribtraveler,

Tourism is not the major reason some of the islands are developing at such a rapid pace.

In the case of St John, most of the development is due to rapid overbuilding of private residences.

The resulting sky-high real estate prices for the people whose families have lived there for hundreds of years and now can barely survive, make it impossible for young people to buy land, and they are leaving to live on other islands or go to the States.

Also, most islands that are not US territories have wisely made it impossible for a non-belonger to obtain a job permit unless the position cannot be filled by a local due to technical expertise. The hordes of young Americans who staff all of the hideously-overpriced restaurants make me feel like I'm in Florida somewhere!

As well, MANY islands make it extremely difficult for non-locals to buy or build, and they work hard to make sure the people who live there are given every opportunity to buy and build so they will stay.

I'm well-traveled, so I certainly did not expect the island of St John to be a paradise untouched by human hands - I'm not naive - but I also didn't expect it to remind me unpleasantly of some of the less-desirable east coast beach locations I grew up traveling to with my parents as a child.

In my opinion only, St John is simply Myrtle Beach with much nicer beaches. Yuck - not for me!

Diana,

HHmm, traveling to the Caribbean the past 11 years? Well, until you sell your house and give it all away to the poor, why don't you take your pompous, guilt-ridden diatribes somewhere else. Oh, I forgot -- the US gov't has a magic wand that magically can make poverty go away, but just won't wave it.

The world has a lot of problems. The last thing it needs is another jerkoff blaming the US for everything at the same time doing nothing yourself.

Jacko makes an interesting (if somewhat hostile) point.
I'd be more inclined to sympathize with Diana's bluntly stated opinions if she also noted that she had spent vacation time volunteeing in the Caribbean or if she was a regular contributor to charities supporting Caribbean familiies and schools.
Simply taking pot shots at everyone else and scattering blame everywhere doesn't accomplish much. If someone feels so strongly about such injustices, they appear to be grandstanding for political effect if they refuse to back up their rantings with any actions.

I think the original poster and Jacko both make good points.

I started going to St. John 5 years ago so I can't compare it to 50 years ago. Since our first trip we've gone twice a year. It does appear that development has greatly increased even from 5 years ago.

Great for the people who can afford it but what about the others? I would be curious to know how many native born people actually live in St. John. Seems most live in St. Thomas and commute back and forth.

The other thing I've often wondered about is if 2/3 of the island is park land how can they be allowed to build on it? I do recall our last trip there being the only 2 people on Little Cinnamon and seeing/hearing the construction of a huge house to our right.

I had an interesting conversation with a taxi cab driver one time in St. Thomas. She also was working at Frenchmans Reef in one of their restaraunts - so 2 jobs. I think she told me she was originally from Anguila and came to St. Thomas because of more job opportunities. She told me that locals pay no federal taxes and have access to all US assistance programs and that she was quite happy with the arrangement. Now maybe she was telling the truth or perhaps she was just being polite. I've had conversations with other locals who strongly expressed their desire for independence.

It does seem like more native Caribbean islanders work in St. Thomas rather than St. John which appears to have more people from the mainland.

Like I said we will definitely go back because we love the islands and people. It will always be a special place to us. But this trip we decided for something a little different.

My biggest hope is that they don't over develop and end up ruining the nature of that beautiful island anymore than it has been already.

Well jackof*, since you and travelis asked, I will answer your question.

I sponsor two CCF (that's Christian Children's Fund for those of you who may not know) in Roseau, Dominica.

They are brother and sister, and the boy is 12 and his name is Kimanie, and the girl's name is Lorraine.

I have been sponosring Kimanie since 1997 and Lorraine for three years. I can't tell you how much their cards and letters mean to me. I send them books - Kimanie likes Harry Potter - because that's all we are aloud to send as sponsors. I also send monetary gifts at birthdays and Christmas - with which they usually buy shoes or school items.

My husband and I have also made multiple trips to Cozumel, Mexico each year for the last 10 where we have visited each year the Humane Society there and given a donation each time.

We also have contributed to the local animal protection society each time we've been to every island we've visted. We looked into bringing home a stray cat from Tobago, but the rules regarding that made it impossible to do in the time frame we had left.

In 2001, we went with our church to a small town in the Yucatan and spent 2 weeks with their branch of Habitat for Humanity building homes and obtaining potable water for the poor.

I've never made this information public on the board - other than mentioning Kimanie in a couple of posts about Dominica - because I've never had some ignorant imbecile who knows nothing about me question my motives when I've expressed my opinion. I don't do it to get approval from ANYONE - I do it because I want to.

Happy now jackof* or do you want my name and address and social security number so you can check out what I've posted?

I admire your concerns and actions Diana. I also think that reference to Jacko could have been avoided, don't you? Your deeds in this area speak loudly enough.

jacketwatch,

You are right and I apologize.

After I hit the "send" button, I was dismayed that I had managed to bring myself down to the same level that so angered me.(I wish they had an edit function on here!)

People should be able to give their opinions without being called names or having to delve into what types of charities they give to or how they choose to donate their time.