New guy-be gentle!

[swoop]

Hi all-

Going to St. John for the first time the last week of March. I'm a regular visitor to Aruba, but trying something different this year with friends and looking forward to it...

Question (especially for divers: How is the shore diving in St. John? Recommendations on equipment rentals and shore sites much appreciated.

Thanks!

[Bill in Va]

Hey there. I have been on two shore dives on St John. One was off of the area of Water Lemon, before the hurricane when you could drive out there. The other out on the east end area past Skinny Legs at Haulover. If this is your first time I recomend you hook up with a local dive shop first and go out with them. I dove with Chris Sawyer out of Caneel this past Dec and really liked the operation. If you want more info on the other operations on island that I have used then PM me. You must do the Rhone dive!...God bless...Bill

[b-as-u-r]

Swoop: Beware...you're about to be hooked! My family has been taking annual trips to Aruba for the past twelve years and my husband and I took our first trip to STJ in May, 2005. Our fourth trip is set for this April. We have timeshare at Casa Del Mar and love Aruba, but IMO it can't compare to STJ; its beauty, island-feel, snorkeling and atmosphere are beyond comparison. You are in for a fantastic vacation.

[swoop]

That's good to hear! The best part is it costs alot less for 8 days in St. John vs. 6 days in Aruba....go figure!

[suzi]

Swoop- Tell us about Aruba...Every year we talk about going somewhere different ( like Aruba) but always come back to the same ole' place- St. John!!!!! Are all the resorts high-rise? Is it easy to get around in a rental car? Are there Pizza Huts, McDonalds, and TGI Fridays? (That may make my decsion right there, whether or no to go there) Can you swim and snorkel right off the beach? Is it always windy on the beach?
Can't wait to hear what you will say about STJ. Hope you "get it"

[wontongirl]

In my opinion- they don't compare! We have been going to STj for 6 years. Two years ago we were running down to Cancun(still haven't been there) for a few days because if was a quick and easy trip and we didn't have much time off. Along came Hurricane Wilma. We had to go South to get out of the mess 24 hours before we were to leave. Decided on Aruba because it is so Southern and there was no hurricane threat at the time. We didn't care for it , way too commercial. We also didnt have time to research it before we left. We literally booked it about 12 hours before we flew out because of the pending hurricane. We just stayed at a Marriot there. Okay is all I can say. We didn't rent a car which probably contributed to our opinion some what. The water was murky, but there was a hurricane going on notrthwest of us - don't know if that contributed. I dont like places that just have rows and rows of hotels. I am definitely spoiled. I think if I got out away from the hotel zone we would have liked it more. It wasn't mountainous enough for us either. It was too long of a trip for no more days than we had to spend, but as least we got to go somewhere.
I have friends that love it there bit they HAVEN'T been to STJ. To each his own!

[swoop]

Aruba has two distinct areas..the high rise area and low rise area.

The high rise area are all large, commercial resorts on Palm Beach. All the hotels are connected by a boardwalk running between the beach and the hotels. Makes for a nice morning walk.

The low rise area are smaller, more quaint hotels on Eagle Beach. The beach here is much less crowded with better surf.

Snorkeling and diving on Aruba is just not that good. The water is clear, but no where near as clear as other parts of the Carribean.

What do I love about it? The weather for one. ALWAYS sunny and warm. No bugs, the restaurants are out of this world. They have a world class 18 hole golf course that I love to play. Alot of excursions to try- Jeep tours of national park areas, helicopter tours, submarine tours etc...

I'm looking forward to a more laid back Caribbean experience that I think I'll get in St. John. I'm a shorts, t-shirt, flip-flop kind of guy. My hope is to find a beach bar with live reggae- anyone know a place?

[JC]

Swoop~

If you are near Cruz Bay on a Wednesday night, be sure to catch Inner Visions at Fred's (if they are playing)! Fred's is located across the street from the Lime Inn. We like to sit either at the bar outside the Lime Inn or just along side the road. Others love to dance at Fred's. Either way...it's the bomb!

There are other places to enjoy live music, perhaps not reggae. Try the Beach Bar on Sunday nights for Jazz or most any night for a variety of music. Check their schedule.

http://www.beachbarstjohn.com/entertainment.shtml

Nectar used to be a favorite there...haven't seen their name come up for several months though. Anyone know if Gretchen is still on island?

We have also enjoyed really good live music at the Banana Deck & Island Blues. Rumbalaya has live music on certain nights as do other places that I'm sure other forumites will guide you to!

http://www.islandbluesstjohn.com/

You are in for a real treat. STJ is a magical place! Have a great trip & let us know how you enjoyed it when you return!

Jen
35 & Out

[JC]

Swoop~

I just noticed that you will be on island the last week of March. Not sure of your dates...but you MUST check out the blues festival if you can!

http://www.stjohnbluesfestival.com/new/schedule07.htm

See you there!

[b-as-u-r]

Suzi, yes, there are McDonalds, Pizza Huts, Dunkin Donuts, Hooters and other chains. Town is very busy, lots of shopping and there are usually several cruise ships in. There's a movie theatre in town. Also, lots of gambling goes on in Aruba. All in all, I'd say its a very commercialized island. I can also say, imo, the island is geared toward making for happy tourists, so that's a good thing. Our timeshare is on Eagle Beach where the smaller more quaint hotels are. The island is not picturesque, very desert-y, flat, lots of cactus. Don't get me wrong, we've always had a great time in Aruba. As swoop said, the weather is perfect, always warm and sunny and there are constant trade winds so there's no bugs. The sun is pretty intense so the tradewinds really help to keep you from overheating. There are good restaurants and great sunsets. They have a great public transportation bus system. Its fun to rent a jeep and create your own island tour. We've rented ATV's, which is something the kids really enjoyed (made my husband a nervous wreck). We originally chose this island because we started taking our children when they were around 5 and we felt is was safe, out of the hurricane belt, had good hospitals and great weather. All in all we've had a lot of great vacations in Aruba, have lots of great memories and I'd definitely go back. STJ is a completely different feel and for me, well, just a better fit.

[b-as-u-r]

Suzi, yes, there are McDonalds, Pizza Huts, Dunkin Donuts, Hooters and other chains. Town is very busy, lots of shopping and there are usually several cruise ships in. There's a movie theatre in town. Also, lots of gambling goes on in Aruba. All in all, I'd say its a very commercialized island. I can also say, imo, the island is geared toward making for happy tourists, so that's a good thing. Our timeshare is on Eagle Beach where the smaller more quaint hotels are. The island is not picturesque, very desert-y, flat, lots of cactus. Don't get me wrong, we've always had a great time in Aruba. As swoop said, the weather is perfect, always warm and sunny and there are constant trade winds so there's no bugs. The sun is pretty intense so the tradewinds really help to keep you from overheating. There are good restaurants and great sunsets. They have a great public transportation bus system. Its fun to rent a jeep and create your own island tour. We've rented ATV's, which is something the kids really enjoyed (made my husband a nervous wreck). We originally chose this island because we started taking our children when they were around 5 and we felt is was safe, out of the hurricane belt, had good hospitals and great weather. All in all we've had a lot of great vacations in Aruba, have lots of great memories and I'd definitely go back. STJ is a completely different feel and for me, well, just a better fit.