Your worst experience on St. John or St. Thomas ?
 

What was your worst experience on St. John or St. Thomas ? 90% of all posts stress what was good, but few seem to mention the negatives....<BR>Thanks.

Lisa, I've been to St Thomas and St John quite a few times and plan on going back the end of May.I have not<BR>had ANY bad experiences. It's a great vacation spot.You can do as much (St Thomas) or as little (St John) as you want. I usually stay in a Villa on St John and take the ferry over to St Thomas for shopping. It's great there. I'll<BR>alway go back as often as possible.<BR>Can I ask why you want to know people's bad experiences?

Debbie, <BR>Why I want people's bad experiences ?<BR>--because that might help us avoid disappointing or unpleasant situations when we go there, which is at the end of April. Of course, we're hoping for (only) the best but it rarely happens. There will always be something that if I've know earlier about it I'd have done it differently. That's all.

The only bad experience that I can recall in my visits to St. John is having to leave! :-)

I can't believe no one had an even somewhat negative experience on St. John. It's just impossible. It cannot be. Can it ?<BR>If that's really the case, I can't wait to go.

For us the only major negatives about St. John were the lack of places to stay right on the beach and the restaurants which were nothing specail. We go to the Caribb to stay right on the beach, and dont want to have to jeepabout and compete for parking places to go to the beach. We had gone to lots of other islands before visiting otherwise we might have been more impressed.

Is there a crime problem on St Thomas that I should have to worry about?

Someone once complained of lack of things to do after the sun sets--entertainment-wise. Any comments on the subject ?

I stayed at Maho Bay Camps on St. John in 1996 with 2 girlfriends. The trip was one of my most fun vacations. However, we wanted to get a taste of the local (non-tourist) nightlife and, being an uptight gal from Jersey, found the local guys a tad too attentive and somewhat cloying.

Let's see...I guess the worst thing I can think about my only trip to St. John was that there were no-see-ums in the shade at the beaches and some rude french or french canadians that tromped through "our spot" at Hawksnest Beach to get to "their spot". Deet took care of the no-see-ums but I haven't found any repellent that will ward off the french. These were minor "peeves" and I had to think hard to remember them. You're liable to have more trouble with your traveling companions than anything I can think of on St John. If you're looking for anything other than beaching, snorkling, hiking or photographing some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere then you should not consider St. John. There's some shopping if that appeals to you but there is not a lot to "do" other than what I've already mentioned. We're headed back to St. John in about a month and can't wait to get back to exploring the beaches and snorkling spots that we missed the first time (and revisit some favorites). Oh yeah, the jeep we rented had "blown out" springs so we had to take it easy on some of the bumpier roads. My worst experience was having to leave as someomne else mentioned. I was REALLY cranky when we were waiting for the ferry and had to watch everyone arriving before we could board to leave. <BR>Go, and have a great time. I'll be looking forward to finding out what YOU don't like about St. John.

St. John and St. Thomas are very touristy, very westernized, nothing like the islands in the southern Caribbean. The average visitor is a budgeteer who lugs along a cooler, has no passport, and thinks jeeps rule. St. John was a true paradise many years ago, now it is a tourist trap.

I think my worst experience would be to meet up with JoeTravel. He sounds like a grouch. St. John is paradise!

As a regular visitor to the USVI, I have not experienced the "crime problem" that is oft spoken of ... never had a problem nor know anyone who has. Several years ago, post hurricanes, the islands were devistated and many things did happen ... there were lots of folks there trying to make a quick buck. Never having been to the Cayman's, I cannot compare ... but the impression that I have is that there are many many huge hi rise resorts and glitzy hotels while the USVI has smaller beachfront resorts where you can roll from the room on to the beach ... I sure would not want to be 14 floors up in an air conditioned box! My tradition started on St. John first and then broadened to Virgin Gorda ... and it was just recently that the +20 years of going there was changed ... and having a hard time finding places that measure up!

Ah! the jumbies are at it again. Altho parts of the prior post do sound an awful lot like me (another plagerized post with some simple editing it is!) but, it's not me ... <BR>Somebody got it wrong! I didn't start on St. John and then go to Virgin Gorda! Wow! Started Caribb travel way before my first visit to St. John! Only 20 years? Wrong again! <BR>Seems my worst experiences aren't in the islands but dealing with the jumbies right here!<BR>BTW, the worst experience was when a resort was invaded by a group who proceeded to drink from dawn to dusk into the wee hours disturbing anyone within a 20 mile radius. Easy to avoid during the day 'cause you didn't want to step on the beer cans and bottles they threw in the water when they were done and you could just by change beaches. But hard to avoid at nite. Other guests created an uproar, the loud ones were visited by the local police and offered accomodations in Gallows Point (not the condo resort!) that has bars on the windows and then they left the resort the next day at the resort's request! Thankfully we had just one nite of the behavior and could be tolerant; others had tolerated for many nites and just got fed up! Only time that other's behavior infringed on a vacation - in many &lt;G&gt; years! Now maybe the Jumbies will quiet down here too! &lt;G&gt;

I guess I'm going to have to revert to my original screen name [email protected] because some people keep plagarizing my posts!!!!!<BR>;-)

Karen,<BR>I'm new to this board, but the previous "Karen" sure did not sound like you. I've read a few of your other posts here and there and your style is definitely different !

Ah! if wishes were ... anyway, the Jumbie is alive and well. For those of you who are not familiar they are the "evil spirits." Imitation is the finest form of flattery. Guess someone doesn't really want me around! Please join me and the other informed USVI and Caribbean travelers who have been there and done that at Caribbean-on-line.com instead of this boring bizarre stuff!

Isn't the Jumbie on caribbean-on-line and usvi-on-line as well? What is it about you that attracts the evil spirit? <BR><BR>C'mon, you KNOW you can't abandon this board. This is your life! LOL

Wrong again! &lt;g&gt; this jumbie is all mixed up! <BR>Had a new worst experience - checked air for end of March/early April and coach fare is almost $1500 on AA's site! I figured my heart couldn't stand the shock of checking Business! &lt;G&gt; <BR>Don't know how to post the difference between the "real" posts and the not so real but maybe it is obvious. Hope so! Hear that jumbies do talk to themselves if they don't take their meds! &lt;G&gt; <BR>Have a great day!

The worst part of our trip in Nov. was the mosquitos and occasional humidity. I'm not accustomed to humidity being on the west coast. Mosquitos come out at dusk and I ended up with half a dozen bites before I started putting on repellent on all exposed skin before going out for dinner -