My son just left st thomas/john after living there for 5 yrs as a news reporter. He is also a drummer,guitarist,pianist who played in a lot of bands we're leaving today. he sent me the best notes on what to do. thought I'd share.
ok, mom I don't know as much about stj as I do about STT but here we go:
BEACHES:
MAJO BAY - from where you guys are located, end of the island the only beach I can really
recommend that isn't a 30-minute drive from everywhere and won't be clogged
with tourists is majo bay. a gorgeous beach that is never really crowded and
a favorite of locals, this is probably the perfect spot for you guys. it
Shouldn?t be too far away and I don't know how to give you directions from
Where you are going. Ask your host/hostess at the house rental to give you
Directions to majo when they check you in. knowing you, this will become
Your beach.
CANEEL BAY - My god, what ever you do take a day and snorkel at caneel bay.
There are no fish, only TONS of sea turtles and a conch field. Snorkeling and
swimming with turtles is the bomb. They are docile and responsive. They are
Beautiful and LARGE creatures. This is my favorite snorkeling spot on st. J
John. The water isn't super deep; you don't have to go out too far, and you
Don?t have to worry about jellyfish, currents, large waves or anything.
While other beaches have problems with the surf kicking up the saltwater and
ruining visibility, caneel bay is almost always calm. Michael J. Fox, Kid
Rock, and other stars often hang at caneel bay so don't be surprised to see
celebrities...if they don't have a house there, the celebs often stay here.
I would tell you to avoid the national park beaches, because the snorkeling
really isn't that good and they will be overrun with tourists this time of
year.
Restaurants:
Breakfast:
sputniks - in coral bay is the best spot for breakfast. They make awesome
Omelets and they do a brunch on Sunday.
pollys - in the big blue building across from the ferry docks in cruz bay.
they serve breakfast lunch and dinner. their breakfast is pretty cheap, you
can get eggs, toast, etc. for about 4-6 bucks. they also make a great omelet.
lunch:
for a quick fix, there is a brown shack with some picnic tables right across
from the ferry docks in cruz bay. walk past the ticket window, and you
should see it on your left. they make burgers, hit dogs, brats, and egg
sandwiches at cheap prices. the equivalent of fast food on st. john.
Skinny Legs - in coral bay. this is a great limin' spot to have a beer and
hang with the locals. they sometimes have music. this place can be jumping
at times, dead at others. they make great honey fried chicken and grilled
foods. this is the best spot to just hang out, have a couple of drinks and
watch the games on the TV?s in an open-air bar.
mongoose junction - the DELI makes very, very good sandwiches. they have a
chicken pesto sandwich that is to die for. however, the restaurant itself
has HORRIBLE service and the meals are way overpriced. so grab a sandwich
and some bread and goodies in the deli and avoid the restaurant.
dinner:
there is a Cajun restaurant located next to the police station and the front
yard. on your right. from the ferry docks, go three blocks straight up. you
will pass a church on your right, woody's seafood salon on your left, then
the police station and the front yard. directly on your right after the
front yard you will see the restaurant. the food is amazing. highly
recommended. try the cornflake chicken and get the beignet (ben-yaays?) for
dessert. reservations not necessary, but recommended. they give you Cajun
spices and napkins in a lunch box and serve three different beers from
Louisiana. the tables feature pages from newspapers in New Orleans. this is
my favorite spot to eat on stj and you should definitely go there.
PIZZA - I can't remember the name of the place, but for pizza, there is a
great restaurant located just across from Duffy?s love shack in cruz bay. go
up the stairs. mom, they have a great organic salad, and the pizza is really
good. you can order pizza's to go, or get a chicken parm. that is the BOMB.
we used to eat there all the time and they have some weird rule about
ordering pizza, so sometimes they make you sit at the bar. I can't remember
what the rule is. I can't remember the name of the place, but everyone in
town will be able to tell you the name. It?s the only Italian restaurant in
town.
there is a small pizzeria located to the left of the ferry docks, but tell
them you want to go to the one across from Duffy?s. the pizza is 50x better.
CHINESE/THAI/FUSION - A GREAT CHEAP spot for Chinese food located across
from the CAR ferry docks in cruz bay. walk like you are going to mongoose
junction and you should see outdoor tables in front of a small, open shack.
they do LARGE stir frys with your choice of chicken, shrimp, or beef for $8
with your choice of sauce. the vegetables are fresh and the food is great.
good spot for lunch or dinner. also check out the peanut sauce thai chicken.
very good.
desserts:the Banana Leaf - is located left of the ferry docks in cruz bay. take your
first left all the way down passed the beach bar and you will see two large
brick restaurants passed the shopping mall/beach bar complex (it's about two
blocks from the ferries). great cheesecake and gourmet desserts. I used to
take my girlfriend there all the time. the appetizers are awesome as well,
but meals can be expensive. in season, to eat a full meal you may need
reservations.
cafe Wahoo - the food has gone way down hill, but they still make awesome
desserts.
bars/nightlife:
The beach bar is located left of the ferry docks in cruz bay. walk all the
way down the left of the beach to the end, and you will hit the beach bar.
the food is OK and sometimes bad, but its a good spot to catch good music on
wed/thurs/fri and sat nights. I used to play there with a group called
T-Bird and the Home Skillets. check them out. good spot for drinks and a
cheeseburger.
AVoiD Woody's seafood salon during happy hour 5-7. things get really crazy,
there is no place to sit down, and the food is AWFUL. $1 beers draw out the
animals in people and its a spring break atmosphere featuring ear-bleedingly
loud 80's music, and drunken people wandering into the street and almost
getting hit by cars. they do have really good shark bites (deep-fried
shark), so if you do go, hit it before or after happy hour when things are
not as crazy.
The FRONT YARD - is a ditchy little bar with pool tables, air hockey and
live music every thurs-saturday. Carl and Shawn, who run the place, are
really good friends of mine so pop in and say hi. this bar is a favorite for
locals who get off work late, and things don't generally get moving until
LATE, about 11 p.m. most nights. bands start playing between 11 p.m. and
midnight. this might be a spot for mike and kev to shoot some pool and hang
out with locals. some shady characters grace this place, but all in all,
this is a good local spot. they open at three p.m. occasionally, Carl will
fire up the grill and serve food to drunks at low, low prices around 1 a.m.
when most restaurants are closed.
LIVE REGGAE - every Wednesday night at about 9 or 10 p.m., INNER VISIONS
plays in cruz bay. I don't remember the name of the bar, but it is in cruz
bay. follow the sound of reggae, you'll hear it for blocks. oh yeah, you can
also ask someone in town, they will tell you when and where.
the second story/Irish bar - is located next to Woody?s. you'll see it. take
the stairs up to the second floor, have some brews, and watch the chaos from
the tables overlooking the street. good spot for drinks.
MILES DAVIS' old jazz drummer plays at MOOIES on Thursday nights. This is
the first thing you see when you get to the end of the people's ferry docks
in cruz bay. mooies is right across from the park. the guy is a living
legend, and you should definitely check him out. he plays early, usually
about 7 p.m. this is a big spot for locals. HIGHLY recommended.
BVI'S. there are three ways to get to the BVI's.
a) take a ferry from town. I don't know the schedule or when they run. I
don't recommend doing it this way.
b) schedule a day sail with a charter boat. I don't know which ones are good
or bad (on st. john). expect this to be very expensive
c) I RECOMMEND taking a LIMNOS charter from St. Thomas to the BVI's. you can
go to Jost Van Dyke or Virgin Gorda. the best snorkling trip of your life
will be to take the limnos charter to Virgin Gorda and snorkel the bathes.
this is unbelievable. for about $80 a person, all of your customs duties
(about $25 per person) are covered, and the all day trip includes open bar
and lunch. I Highly recommend this. I'll try and find the number on line.
they are located in RED HOOK, in the shopping mall under the Caribbean
salon. from the ferry docks in red hook, walk along the road to the side
walk, pass the bank, and walk towards the mall once you see the Caribbean
salon on the second floor. Limnos is located on the first floor directly
below the saloon. it's literally about 1 block from the docks. you have to
make reservations so I recommend you do it fast. I will email you the number
for them. BRING YOUR PASSPORTS.
As for Jost Van Dyke, there is very little to do on this island but drink in
one of the bars. Foxy's is a legendary Caribbean bar, featuring old man foxy
playing calypso songs and telling jokes all day with his "black dog," a
golden retriever. he's a great guy. underwear hangs on all of the walls.
there isn't good swimming spots on jost, simply because most people arrive
by boat and the water is full of boat fuel. additionally, there are 185
people that live on this island. so there ain't much to do other than party
there on new years eve. if you do decide to go to Jost rather than Virgin
Gorda, I recommend you charter a sail boat, because that really is the point
of going to jost. you sail for a couple of hours, stop to do some snorkling,
and then go to jost for food. then back home (most boats have to clear
customs by 3 p.m. so you don't get much time if you go to jost maybe a four
hour trip for more than you would pay to take a limnos charter to virgin
gorda.)
DO THE CHARTER TO VIRGIN GORDA. it's awesome.

BRING YOUR PASSPORT AND take a LIMNOS charter from sty. Thomas to the baths
on virgin Gorda trust me on that.
GROCERY STORES/LIQUOR -
buy your liquor on St. Thomas at K-Mart. lowest prices. K-Mart also sells
food at the lowest prices in town, although you don't have the options of a
large grocery store.

as for grocery stores on st. john there are two. one is to the left of town,
and I can't remember the name or location. ask around. I remember the prices
being much better at that one.
STARFISH MARKET - is located about a block passed the front yard across from
the Texaco station. this place is EXPENSIVE. only buy what you really need
there. last time I was there and needed a tooth brush, they wanted me to pay
$7.50 for a toothbrush that would have cost $2.75 a k-mart.
dan

WOW. Thanks Dan & Mom!

Great Restaurant & Music Reviews! Also thanks for the Virgin Gorda scoop too!

Looking forward to two weeks in STJ even more now! Trish

Just to add to this well written letter
1)The name of the Beach is: Maho not Majo-Just a typo I'm sure
2)Cafe Roma is the Italian Rest. That's just accross the street from Duffy's Love Shack they also have one in Red Hook on St. Thomas
3)Woodys Happy Hour Is actually 3-7P.M.
and as for the food it is pretty darn good especially for the price compared to other Rest. in Cruz Bay
4)Banana Deck not Banana Leaf
5 Fred's is the name of the Reggae Bar and the music is played loud and proud I always have to go there myself.
Hopes this helps you find things easier on your trip there.

Great information, thanks. Just a quick question - I know Caneel has 7 beaches, which area /beach is the best snorkling as was mentioned in your post, or is one of the beaches actually called Caneel Bay and if so where on property is it located? Thanks in advance

To Piaa, The main beach at Caneel Bay Resort is called Caneel Beach. It is where their dock and main restaurant are. People can have lunch there and use the beach. The other best snorkeling beaches at Caneel if you are staying there are Scott's Beach, facing west, Turtle Beach, facing north, and Hawksnest, facing east. Hawksnest has the best shade for hanging out all day. All have plenty of fish; Scotts seems to have more turtles and rays. Easy to stroll from one to another.

Thanks Xkenx

ttt

The Dolphin Market is the grocery store that he is referring to.The Starfish market is no where near the Front Yard.

The Irish bar above La Tapas and beside Woody's is The Quiet Mon..very nice little bar to have some drinks at and relax.

That was written some time ago. Starfish did start out where Dolphin is now! Duffy's is no longer in St. John as well as Cafe Wahoo(now The Balcony) and the Cajun resaurant(now Tage).

RL

and Duffys Love Shack is now The Lizard Lounge!!

Very long list full of info. and everyone else's additions also helpful. I wonder if Miles Davis' drummer still plays there on Thursdays, anybody know? I'd love to catch that act.