Can't decide between St. John or St. Croix for our honeymoon. I like the fact that you can fly directly into St. Croix and not have to mess with any ferry transfers, but I don't know much about the island. We like privacy, few crowds, great beaches and fishing. Thoughts?

I've been to St. John, but not St. Croix. Just from what I've read though about St. Croix, I would pick St. John. It is not crowded and it has fabulous beaches where you'll have plenty of privacy. Regarding the fishing, there are probably tours and charters that would enable you to do that. Check into the resort Caneel Bay. It's very private and there are a couple of different beaches that are accessible from the property and it wasn't crowded at all when we were there.

My husband and I took our honeymoon last year to St. John. We stayed at Caneel Bay (www.caneelbay.com), and it was the most wonderful place I have ever been. We stayed in a premium room on Scott's Beach which was very private (there was rarely more than one other couple on the beach at the same time we were). There are seven beaches within the resort - all beautiful, though Scott's Beach was my favorite. The food and the service were both great. We rented a jeep and drove all over St. John. The island is beautiful and did not feel crowded except when we were in the town on the island. Even then it was not that crowded.<BR> As for St. Croix, I have never been there, and I do not know anyone who has ever been there. I have read reviews on St. Croix, and it just didn't sound that appealing. I remember one review of a hotel on St. Croix which described how you passed a K-Mart on the way to the hotel. It sounded way too commercial for me. I would suggest reading several reviews on the two islands before you make a decision.<BR> Also, my advice is not to base your decision on ferry transfers. It is no trouble getting from St. Thomas to St. John by ferry. You take a taxi from the St. Thomas airport to the ferry. The ferry ride is not very long (maybe 20-30 minutes).

I've been to St. Croix but not St. John, so I'll have a different perspective. St. Croix is not at all developed - yes there are a couple of K-Marts center island, but the beaches and hotels are far from that sort of thing. <BR><BR>While the beaches are not as long and beautiful as those on the STT and STJ (I've been told), they are still very nice and some are very private. The only time you'll encounter some semblance of a crowd is on cruise ship days and you would find that on STJ as well. There are still many places to go to avoid crowds.<BR><BR>There are several fishing charters that are available.<BR><BR>E-mail me separately if you would like more information - I have lists of web-sites, things to do and restaurants.

I have been to both and my choice would be St. John. Both can be great destinations but I would have to give the nod to St. John for the beaches. Each and every curve or hill opens new vistas and wonderful spots! The fact that the majority of the island is Nat'l Park and remains pristine and undeveloped is really a plus. It is much smaller than St. Croix which has its more cosmopolation areas. St. John has a small town (Cruz Bay) and a bit of a village (Coral Bay) but that is the center of populations for the island. Both have excellent restaurants - some of the best that I've been to in the Carib have been on St. Croix but if it is pristine beauty, opt for St. John. You do fly into St. Thomas and take one of the two ferries (or if you stay at Caneel, they have their own) to transfer to St. John. From Charlotte Amalie it's about 45 minutes and from Red Hook it's about 15 (after a 20-minute taxi ride). St. John also gives you easy access to the BVI for day trips, diving, snorkling or exploring those beautiful islands as well.

Thanks everyone! I think we are leaning towards St. John, we are big beach people. We are looking into renting a villa that is approx a 5 min drive from Cruz Bay. Is it worth it to rent a car for the whole week, or are beaches easily accessible by foot from the town? I'm not familiar with how large the island is, and don't want to spend more on cab fare than renting a car would be.

Tracy,<BR>That 5-minutes from Cruz Bay can be a very vigorrous walk up and down hills on a very narrow curvey road so there aren't too many places that you will walk. Renting a jeep is really recommended since the taxis sometimes don't service the villas, especially the remote or less accessable ones. You will want the freedom of movement to come and go as you want. It is an advantage if you rent a villa. You might want to check out www.stjohnlinks.com for some of the villas. It's a very informative site besides.

Tracy - Definitely rent a car...you won't be sorry.

Tracy,<BR>Never been to St. C, but adore St. J. Glad to hear you are leaning towards it. We have rented a villa through Catered To twice now and had a great time. Look into the Great Cruz Bay area. It is a nice neighborhood, quiet, close to town, sunset views. <BR>Definitely rent a car - a suzuki is fine. The island is only 20 square miles, but is very hilly. You never go past 35 mph. With the car you will be able to check out all the gorgeous beaches. Pick up the National Park Service map (office is in Cruz Bay) - it is the best for road, beaches, reef, hiking. We have fished (1/2 day, light tackle) with Capt. Loren Nickbarg twice. Caught black fin tuna - delicious sushi the next few days! He is in the phone book. Hope you have fun.

Melissa, I'm so glad you brought up fishing, which is my fiance's favorite pastime! We will definately rent a charter for deep sea fishing, but he also likes to just fish on his own off docks and such. Can you (or anyone reading this) recommend an area where this is allowed (perhaps in the National Parks?)?

Tracy: All I can say is if you do the deep sea fishing, find out first exactly what it all entails because I wouldn't have gone on our trip for FREE, it was so boring. And it costed $75 per person.

It's probably good to add that my husband didn't have a good time either (and he likes to fish) and it seemed that everyone else on the boat felt the same.