Trip Report - St. John (w/kids)
Mar 26th, 2005, 01:25 PM
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Trip Report - St. John (w/kids)
Hi. We got back from a quick spring break trip to St. John. I've only been to a few Caribbean places (Bahamas, Bermuda, Cancun - and I know that these aren't technically Caribbean), and St. John is by far the most beautiful! It is hilly, green with the most amazing beaches!
We stayed at the Westin. The Westin has by far the worst beach on the island (at least of the ones we saw) but my kids loved it b/c anchored out in the water are two water trampolines! They just thought these were the greatest, most fun things.
We rented a jeep and the first full day we checked out the north shore beaches - Trunk Bay, Hawksnest and Cinnamon. We got to Trunk Bay early and got to enjoy it, and the snorkel trail, before the cruise crowds came. (I wanted to know which days before we left were actually cruise ships days - I discovered they all are! Some day only 2 cruise ships are in the area (St. Thomas), other days had 7 ships!)
Cruz Bay was something else - hilly, narrow streets, with few right angles, and many one-way streets. Oh, and add that they drive on the left hand side of the road - it was quite like an amusement park ride at times!
We ate dinner in CB 3 nights - Duffy's Love Shack, Morgan's Mango and the Banana Deck. All three were fun and good with the boys.
The second day we got our National Park passports stamped and took a hike to Salomon Beach and Honeymoon Beach, two more beautiful beaches. The water is so pretty - and a great temp.
The third day we took a boat trip to the BVI on Stormy Petrol. I don't usually recommend stuff like this, but this 2 person crew took very good care of us and gave us interesting info about the area. This excursion was well worth it. Our first stop was at the Baths, and the ride there was beautiful - along the north shore of St. John, past Tortola and other islands. The Baths was cool - sort of like a tropical version of the Narrows in Zion NP in Utah. The boys loved scrambling around the boulders. Our next stop was at Cooper Island beach for lunch (they phoned in our order ahead so we didn't spend a ton of time here). Then we snorkeled at a stop on Peter Island. The highlight here was that we saw a sea turtle! (The other snorkeling highlight my sons and husband experienced - they saw a stingray in Trunk Bay).
I wanted to hike the Reef Bay Trail and see the petroglyphs, but my sons aren't really fond of hiking, and all the guided hikes scheduled by the National Park Service were already booked for the week (we checked the first day). We were on a waiting list, but we decided we'd rather spend the day at the beach than hiking in the heat. So we went back early to Trunk Bay and had the beach practically to ourselves at 9:30am. We have great pictures here - this is definitely the most beautiful beach I've ever seen! It got hot, so we left (there was little shade except for the area near the start of the snorkel trail and all the cruise ship hordes were down there), so we decided to go check out Caneel Beach. We stopped,and it was pretty, but not amazingly so, so we just headed back to the Westin b/c the boys wanted to use the water trampoline.
The only negative thing about St. John is that it is expensive. I learned that if you are a Starwood Member you get a discounted rate, even if you don't frequently stay at Starwood hotels. So this is one way to make it a bit more reasonable. (We also flew for free with my husband's FF miles. I'd really hate to see the cost of the trip with air far added in!) But it is so nice - I just printed out our pictures and they look great!!
We stayed at the Westin. The Westin has by far the worst beach on the island (at least of the ones we saw) but my kids loved it b/c anchored out in the water are two water trampolines! They just thought these were the greatest, most fun things.
We rented a jeep and the first full day we checked out the north shore beaches - Trunk Bay, Hawksnest and Cinnamon. We got to Trunk Bay early and got to enjoy it, and the snorkel trail, before the cruise crowds came. (I wanted to know which days before we left were actually cruise ships days - I discovered they all are! Some day only 2 cruise ships are in the area (St. Thomas), other days had 7 ships!)
Cruz Bay was something else - hilly, narrow streets, with few right angles, and many one-way streets. Oh, and add that they drive on the left hand side of the road - it was quite like an amusement park ride at times!
We ate dinner in CB 3 nights - Duffy's Love Shack, Morgan's Mango and the Banana Deck. All three were fun and good with the boys.
The second day we got our National Park passports stamped and took a hike to Salomon Beach and Honeymoon Beach, two more beautiful beaches. The water is so pretty - and a great temp.
The third day we took a boat trip to the BVI on Stormy Petrol. I don't usually recommend stuff like this, but this 2 person crew took very good care of us and gave us interesting info about the area. This excursion was well worth it. Our first stop was at the Baths, and the ride there was beautiful - along the north shore of St. John, past Tortola and other islands. The Baths was cool - sort of like a tropical version of the Narrows in Zion NP in Utah. The boys loved scrambling around the boulders. Our next stop was at Cooper Island beach for lunch (they phoned in our order ahead so we didn't spend a ton of time here). Then we snorkeled at a stop on Peter Island. The highlight here was that we saw a sea turtle! (The other snorkeling highlight my sons and husband experienced - they saw a stingray in Trunk Bay).
I wanted to hike the Reef Bay Trail and see the petroglyphs, but my sons aren't really fond of hiking, and all the guided hikes scheduled by the National Park Service were already booked for the week (we checked the first day). We were on a waiting list, but we decided we'd rather spend the day at the beach than hiking in the heat. So we went back early to Trunk Bay and had the beach practically to ourselves at 9:30am. We have great pictures here - this is definitely the most beautiful beach I've ever seen! It got hot, so we left (there was little shade except for the area near the start of the snorkel trail and all the cruise ship hordes were down there), so we decided to go check out Caneel Beach. We stopped,and it was pretty, but not amazingly so, so we just headed back to the Westin b/c the boys wanted to use the water trampoline.
The only negative thing about St. John is that it is expensive. I learned that if you are a Starwood Member you get a discounted rate, even if you don't frequently stay at Starwood hotels. So this is one way to make it a bit more reasonable. (We also flew for free with my husband's FF miles. I'd really hate to see the cost of the trip with air far added in!) But it is so nice - I just printed out our pictures and they look great!!
Apr 12th, 2005, 10:16 AM
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Another way to save $$$ is to rent a villa and bring your own cooler of food! We do this so that we don't have to go out every night if we don't feel like it. Sometimes it's nice to just stay in and relax by the pool!
Apr 27th, 2005, 01:01 PM
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Hi Karens-very good trip report! My husband and I are leaning towards visiting St.John ourselves this nov/dec;we would be traveling with my sister and her family(3 kids ages 7-12).Her husband thinks he is a Starwood member but isn`t even sure...would we get a discount only if we stayed at certain hotels? What about villa rentals? Also,what kind of boat did you take to the BVI? Cost? Did it take the entire day? Your trip sounded wonderful.
Aug 6th, 2005, 06:54 AM
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Karen: Great trip report! I've been to the Grand Bahama and Bermuda and I totally agree with you. The Westin is a lot of fun for kids. We've stayed there with and without. Without can be very romantic for adults when you're enjoying yourself at Chloe & Bernard. The Westin beach is probably the worst beach but let's face it, it's better than anything we have in the northeast. So glad you rented a jeep and got a look around the island.
Yooper: Anyone can become a Starwood Member for free. Just go to their site and you can become an instant member and enjoy member discounts virtually all over the world. The boat Karens family went on "Stormy Petrol" has some wonderful and significant memories for us. It is a motor boat (I'm not terrific at describing boats) approximately 25 feet long and accomodates up to 10 comfortably so the group is always small. It has a half cover so that there is some shade. They provide beverages of almost every kind. Careful with those rum drinks before lunch! The crew consists of a captain and a mate, and these folks are well-trained to take good care of their guests. It is a snorkeling emphasized trip. You get off the boat and swim to the Baths! Now if that sounds scary, it really isn't. They have equipment (floats, etc.) if you're not strong swimmers. But we loved the unique experience of swimming in (approx.50-75 yards)to the Baths. It kind of looks like the Flintstones above and below the water. The cost of any of these kind of boat trips cost about $90-125/pp. This price usually includes the price of customs into the BVI. The trips take all day usually 8am-5pm. There are many other offerings so check them out. There is a large boat that leaves from the Westin's dock (forgot the name) and they also go to the Baths and usually to Norman Island (inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island) where you can swim into small caves. This boat may be better for small children or adults uncertain about their swimming skills. They also include a simple lunch onboard. The concierge will be happy to help you arrange these trips. If you decide to rent a villa, there is a kiosk near the ferry dock in downtown Cruz Bay where they have all the information you need on just about any boat trip. Sorry Karen, to take this opportunity to reminisce about one of my favorite subjects in life-- St. John!
Yooper: Anyone can become a Starwood Member for free. Just go to their site and you can become an instant member and enjoy member discounts virtually all over the world. The boat Karens family went on "Stormy Petrol" has some wonderful and significant memories for us. It is a motor boat (I'm not terrific at describing boats) approximately 25 feet long and accomodates up to 10 comfortably so the group is always small. It has a half cover so that there is some shade. They provide beverages of almost every kind. Careful with those rum drinks before lunch! The crew consists of a captain and a mate, and these folks are well-trained to take good care of their guests. It is a snorkeling emphasized trip. You get off the boat and swim to the Baths! Now if that sounds scary, it really isn't. They have equipment (floats, etc.) if you're not strong swimmers. But we loved the unique experience of swimming in (approx.50-75 yards)to the Baths. It kind of looks like the Flintstones above and below the water. The cost of any of these kind of boat trips cost about $90-125/pp. This price usually includes the price of customs into the BVI. The trips take all day usually 8am-5pm. There are many other offerings so check them out. There is a large boat that leaves from the Westin's dock (forgot the name) and they also go to the Baths and usually to Norman Island (inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island) where you can swim into small caves. This boat may be better for small children or adults uncertain about their swimming skills. They also include a simple lunch onboard. The concierge will be happy to help you arrange these trips. If you decide to rent a villa, there is a kiosk near the ferry dock in downtown Cruz Bay where they have all the information you need on just about any boat trip. Sorry Karen, to take this opportunity to reminisce about one of my favorite subjects in life-- St. John!
Aug 14th, 2005, 05:08 AM
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Don't apologize, tux, you described everything very well!
YouGoGirl - my boys are 10 and 12. They are good travelers, but we've learned a lot from past mistakes! They've actually never been to Cancun. My husband and I have been twice with his company's 100% Club trip. I prefer my beaches more like St. John's - not lined with high rises, but I was surprised that I liked Cancun. The beaches were pretty, and there is a lot to do. I really liked exploring Tulum, and the boys would have liked Xcaret. We've actually never been into the Cancun shopping district.
YouGoGirl - my boys are 10 and 12. They are good travelers, but we've learned a lot from past mistakes! They've actually never been to Cancun. My husband and I have been twice with his company's 100% Club trip. I prefer my beaches more like St. John's - not lined with high rises, but I was surprised that I liked Cancun. The beaches were pretty, and there is a lot to do. I really liked exploring Tulum, and the boys would have liked Xcaret. We've actually never been into the Cancun shopping district.
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